by Matt Hoffman

The Portland Timbers were shut out 2-0 to the Chicago Fire in the final match of the 2016 Simple Invitational. The Timbers lost both of their matches to MLS competition in the tournament with their only win coming against the NASL Minnesota United team.

The Fire meanwhile finish out the tournament undefeated and playing five consecutive halves without conceding a goal. With the win, the Fire improve to 3-0-0 in the tournament. The Timbers: 1-2-0.

Portland coach Caleb Porter did not mince words in his postmatch remarks saying the Timbers “had played into [Chicago’s] hands.”

Indeed, with a five-man back line (a rarity in MLS these days, not really seen since El Chelis manned the sidelines for the now defunct Chivas USA ), Chicago absorbed the Timbers’ pressure and hurt them with a debilitating counter attack, just like Vancouver did on Wednesday night.

While Vancouver’s win was against a decidedly B-squad, Saturday’s match was against the starting eleven expected to suit up against Columbus for the Timbers’ nationally televised season opener next week.

It’s a far cry from Portland’s annihilation of under matched Minnesota United, but keep in mind, it is still a preseason game and those are the games teams should lose. An undefeated preseason is a curse: there’s little way of knowing if the wins were the result of your team succeeding rather than the opponent failing. The inverse is not necessarily true.

Chicago’s Matt Lampson officially signed with Chicago late in the week and made his second start for the Fire during the Simple Invitational. Lampson made nine saves for the visitors in front of over 16,000 fans at Providence Park.

On Sunday, Porter said his defense was never really challenged. That wasn’t the case against Chicago as Porter said stating, “I thought with the way Chicago is playing, you can’t give up the first goal.”

The Timbers staunch defense enabled Porter to make the switch from two holding midfielders to two attacking midfielders. Three of the four members of the back line are returning leaving left back–a position filled admirably by Jorge Villafana last season–still to be pinned down.

Chris Klute was projected by many to be the starting left back. He still may be once he has recovered and is fit. In the interim, Zarek Valentin has played the position despite playing on the right for his professional career. Jermaine Taylor and Liam Ridgewell are also candidates for the position although both, like Valentin, have a tendency in a different spot.

Unlike prior seasons, there is no major shift or acquisition for the Timbers. Players, Klute excepted, are healthy.

There is a natural inclination to want to assign value and trajectory from the preseason. In soccer, like every other sport, it’s not how you start, but rather how you finish. Just ask the 2008 Detroit Lions who went 0-16 following an undefeated preseason.

Finishing is what Caleb Porter prides his teams on. Even in 2014, the Timbers finished as one the strongest teams in the second half of the season. There will be tweaks. There will be adjustments. But by Monday the loss will be a distant memory and only the challenge of Columbus will be on their minds.