The Christmas Tree:

One thing Gio Savarese is especially known for as a manager is his willingness to be tactically flexible. He has used a number of different formations throughout his coaching career and often tinkers with his player’s spacing throughout matches (like good coaches often do). When the Timbers began this season on a five match winless streak, it became evident that changes needed to be made. Fortunately for Portland fans, Gio stepped up to the plate and shifted to the Christmas Tree formation - a 4-3-2-1. Whether you like it because of its cool name and infrequent use in modern soccer, or hate it because it has a stupid name and you believe it is largely outdated in the modern game, Savarese has managed to get some positive results out of it in Portland. The Timbers have now gone eight straight games unbeaten in Major League Soccer and nine in all competitions.

The Timbers play a traditional back four with three defensive minded midfielders sitting in front of them. When back in defense, this almost makes a compact “block of seven” that opposing teams have trouble breaking down. The back four is relatively reserved in the attack. The only player that has a more consistent role getting forward is right back Alvas Powell, who likes to get high and outside on the right wing to provide width and occasional service into the box for the striker. The three midfielders in front of them (usually a combination of Diego Chara, Cristhian Paredes, Andy Polo, and Andres Flores) act as a defensive pivot between defense and attack. These players like to aggressively win the ball back in midfield and play it quickly forward.

This defensive unit is exactly what allows Valeri and Blanco, the “2” in the 4-3-2-1, to perform at such a high level. With the defensive cover they receive, the two Argentinian midfielders are given freedom to put in less defensive work and focus more on promoting attack. Valeri has always been a central attacking player with freedom to roam. This formation shift, however, has licensed Blanco to start centrally as well, allowing his technical skill set to be more effective.

To best utilize this skill, Portland plays a more direct passing style through center of the field. We can see this reflected in the numbers and in the game film. The Timbers are third in Major League Soccer in average vertical distance passing, with an average of 4.82 yards per pass. The only two teams above them are the high-energy Red Bulls and the revitalized pressing Revolution. Here is an example of the Timbers playing that direct style through their playmakers.