Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake: 3 Things We Learned From The Timbers’ 0-0 Draw

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Saturday, October 18, 2014

David Cath, GoLocalPDX Contributor

The end result of Friday night's game against Real Salt Lake was not what the Portland Timbers needed, but a 0-0 draw keeps them in contention. Portland's fate now rests in Vancouver's hands as they travel to San Jose on Saturday.

Here are 3 things we learned from tonight's game.

Rodney Wallace Takes One Too Many Touches

Yes, Rodney Wallace has been playing well as of late, scoring 3 goals in three games. But when given space at the top of the 18-yard-box, Wallace doesn't have that one-touch reflex that all premier goal scorers display. Wallace had two such chances in the first half.

A streaking outside midfielder or forward is hard enough for a goalkeeper to keep track of, but with a one-touch shot on goal, that adds a whole new level of awareness that a goalkeeper must maintain.

Nick Rimando Doesn't Belong in the MLS

The United States Men's National Team member continues to show that America is dominant in at least one aspect of soccer - goalkeeping. The Timbers could have come out of this game with a 3-0 win, but the fortress that is Nick Rimando showed why he is the best keeper in MLS with seven blocked shots, many of them coming from within the 6-yard-box.

Say What You Want About The MLS Schedule, But Playoffs Are The Best

Many consider the spring-through-fall MLS format to be out of date and detrimental to the players' development, and that the league would be better off adopting the European format.

But what the European format nullifies is the sense of league-wide competitiveness as the season comes to an end. In Europe, four teams are battling as the season closes. In the United States, 14 teams are in the hunt, and tonight's game was a testament to that.

Home Page Photo Credit: David Cath

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