With the loss to D.C. United at home on May 29, the Portland Timbers have finished the first third of their 2011 schedule. Playing 11 matches of their total 34 match MLS schedule, the Timbers currently sit with a record of 5 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws. The club’s home record has been an impressive 5 wins and a loss, while the road has been less than kind with no wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. However, it’s safe to say the current team is playing much better than the side that took the pitch in Denver, Colorado back on March 19 to start the season. We now take a look at the positives, negatives, and things to improve upon up to now.

Positives:

A stellar home pitch advantage: MLS teams have watched JELD-WEN Field become one of the most rabid environments in support of the Timbers, and the team has responded with an impressive home record to this point. The wins have also been differing styles, from the shootout wins against Chicago and FC Dallas to the grind out victories over Philadelphia and Columbus. The Timbers are indeed a very different group when playing in front of the Timbers Army, and the results show.

Some burgeoning young stars: While various drafts and signings have pieced together the Timbers inaugural roster, good fortune and hard work has allowed a few of the Timbers younger players to elevate their play to the point where they could be the next young stars of MLS. Defender Eric Brunner was well thought of in Columbus after two seasons with the Crew, but they left him exposed in the Expansion Draft and Portland snapped up the center back with one of their picks. After a rocky start, Brunner has blossomed into the team's most consistent force on the backline, even scoring the only goal against his former club in a May 21 meeting.

Defender Mamadou Danso has also made a successful jump from USL project player to stalwart at the center back position. His positioning and pace have greatly improved over the years, but it’s his ability to join the attack on set pieces that is most impressive. He has been able to consistently outwork and out jump his opponents, and put laser headers on target at will, scoring the only goals for the Timbers against Philadelphia and Seattle.

Midfielder Diego Chará has yet to score a goal, but his steady work in the middle to fortify the Timbers attack and slow down the opposition has been remarkable. Teaming with team captain Jack Jewsbury, the central midfield has been a source of strength in most matches, and I expect a greater contribution from Chará as he becomes more comfortable with his teammates. Goalkeeper Jake Gleeson was put in a tough situation back on March 26 when he subbed in for an injured Adin Brown at half, and for the following two fixtures, Gleeson gave fans a glimpse of his immense talent. It’s hard to believe that Gleeson was playing for the Timbers U-23 team last season, but he’s made the jump to MLS seem effortless.

Add in some veterans who have stepped up their games: Jewsbury has a reputation as an unsung but valuable cog during his days in Kansas City, doing much of the little things on the pitch while other teammates grab the notoriety. Since his trade to Portland, he has stepped in to give the team another veteran voice to keep order, but his game has significantly evaluated as well. He's already scored three goals and five assists at this point, and his passes on set pieces have given the Timbers offense a completely new and dangerous dimension.

Goalkeeper Troy Perkins was injured late in training camp after taking a shot off his knee, and missed the team's first five matches rehabilitating the damage. While his first match against Los Angeles wasn't good from the score line, he did display amazing dexterity and speed to keep things from getting worse. He's also stepped up to make some highlight reel saves in winning the MLS Save of the Week in week 10 for his stop on Columbus forward Tommy Heinemann. Finally, veterans Jeremy Hall and Rodney Wallace have shown something after they were moved from the midfield into the respective right and left defensive back positions, giving the backline speed and viable threats during counter attacks.

Finally, find the right coaches for the job: Coach John Spencer achieved plenty of success in his playing career and in his assistant role with Houston before joining the Timbers, but often the jump from assistant to head coach traps even the most prepared individuals. Spencer's influence has been felt since the early days of training camp, preaching a message of commitment and perseverance. Whether it's maximum effort during drills to the prospect of winning each and every time on the pitch, Spencer doesn't mince words with his players.

While critical at points, he also lets every player know what is expected of them at all times, and what it will take to meet that goal. He's the right coach for this team, and the early results have far more highlights than issues. Spencer has also smartly surrounded himself with a group of assistant coaches that provide leadership, passion and knowledge in their respective areas and that belief has translated into some early successes not only for the Timbers, but for the U-23 side. As evidenced by recent firings in Chicago and Vancouver, the chemistry of a club starts with the right coach, and Portland certainly has their man.

Negatives:

The offense has lacked diversity: The Timbers haven't scored a goal in open play since their win against FC Dallas, using set pieces and penalty kicks for their tallies since then. While having an exceptional attack on plays is important, not having a consistent offensive threat during normal play puts more pressure on those situations. In the loss to D.C. United, the lack of flow in the attack was very evident, although the Timbers made it interesting by converting a penalty kick and a set piece for their goals. The Timbers need to find some balance in their goal scoring to keep teams off balance.

MLS also still wonders if the Timbers aren't a product of their home environment: Yes, the efforts away from JELD-WEN have improved since Colorado and Toronto, but until this team wins a meaningful match away from Portland, this question will continue to come up. Granted, the draw in Seattle was a well deserved result, but if this team is truly a playoff caliber side, they need to pick up some wins in hostile territory. Their road match against Chivas USA on June 4 could be a great place to start after beating them in March during USOC qualifying, but the Goats have significantly improved since their early season difficulties and could present a challenge to the Timbers.

Things to Improve Upon

Get midfielder Darlington Nagbe healthy but don't rush him: Nagbe is a one of a kind player, possessing blinding speed, adept ball possession and impressive pitch vision. However, the start of his MLS career has been beset with various injuries after off season hernia surgery, and he's now dealing with an abductor muscle strain. There's no sense in pushing the recovery, though. I'd rather see him healthy and ready to go than rush and potentially cause more harm.

Get midfielder Kalif Alhassan back on track: Nagbe's counterpart on the wings also has a wealth of talent at his disposal, but his recent play has floated between impatience or lack of maturity. He's only 20 years old and I would expect a young player to struggle at points, but his recent shots on goal have alternated between rockets flying into the crowd, weak passes to teammates, or getting flustered trying too hard for the perfect shot instead of pulling the trigger. Getting Alhassan righted would add a dynamic threat to the wings that right now the Timbers sorely need.

Work on Kenny Cooper's psyche: Cooper is one of the hardest workers in MLS, and has amazing touch and grace for a big guy, but lately his game has struggled. Against Columbus, he appeared to rely upon initiating contact to try and buy foul calls in advantageous spots on the pitch, while his match against D.C. United was nightmarish at best. Although the team has addressed some of the tension and issues after a disagreement between Spencer and Cooper during the match, righting the ship for the mercurial forward is paramount to opening up the Timbers offense.

Continue to work hard even in difficult scenarios: The Timbers were outworked by D.C. United for most of their meeting, and while the Timbers didn't give up, I did get the sense that the team expected to win simply by showing up. The character of a team is measured by how they deal with adversity, and after losing their home winning streak, the Timbers must get back to what they did during their streak: playing unselfishly, matching their opponent's intensity, believing in each other, not obsessing over officiating and taking advantage of the breaks that come along. How this team rebounds on June 11 versus Colorado will go a long way towards showing how much or little this team has grown since their season opener.

