this morning, my mood for writing was diminished significantly by the fact i had 1000 words that were tacked onto the lovely wordpress page find themselves dumped into the world of slackspace. my efforts at punching control z, comparing hash values and sha values, what have you, were ineffective in retrieving this beautiful masterpiece that discussed the timbers in pre-season tourney mode. now, i am working on refilling the white space with black letters and black words that will never rise to the original treatise i was so looking forward to unleashing on the readers of this blog. instead, i get to look forward to vacuuming up the paint chips that fell from the ceiling during my invective filled tirade after learning all was lost.

so, my apologies for the brief post but, to quote patton, i hate paying for the same real estate twice.

moving on from the disaster that was my late night, which is much like the timbers moving on from last season, today is the first day the timbers begin their defense of that ever so desirable pre-season championship. the timbers are a two-time holder of that honor and look to continue their undefeated streak through this next month. currently, the team is in tuscon, arizona, which is much like phoenix/tempe, arizona: a gigantic strip mall in the middle of a god forsaken desert.

the timbers start off the defense of their title with an enticing match-up against the colorado rapids. while i am looking forward to watching the defense begin, i am more intrigued by the first in-action display of the new system–porter’s system. today, we are going to get the first glimpse and impression of just how possession based football will match up against typical mls tactics. sure, the timbers did attempt to employ the tactics towards the end of the 2012 season but to little effect. much of the failures of the experiment can be attributed to the either the type of players on the side at the time, or to gavin’s inability to understand exactly how the tactics work within a game-type setting.

today is when we are treated to first glimpses of how the tactics will and should be employed, which means we see how the players will respond to the tactics. we are likely to not see a preferred formation, because porter is using this time to evaluate where and how to best use certain players.

in the past week, porter has stated that the formation may change given the different personnel and the different opponents, but overall the structure should be familiar throughout. that means we will begin to see the ways porter considers the best uses of captain forever, diego chara, darlington nagbe, will johnson, and the other cast of characters.

given the limited skill set he has been blessed with, many of us still wonder how jack will fit within the system. but one thing has been made clear in the last week of pre-season workouts–jack has returned energized and ready to fight for his position. whether that means he retains the armband come march 3 i have no idea–i hope not–but i do appreciate the fact jack has not arrived with the expectation the armband is his. i like the fact he is ready to defend that position and his position within the side, generally. one thing this timbers team does not need is a set of players who take their places for granted, assume they will start regardless of their pre-season efforts. after last season, if you were a player lucky enough to remain with the club, i would expect every day to be a fight to retain that gift. as does porter. he stated last week that he only kept players who would fight for their positions and their pride:

I think the overall attitude, buy-in, and fitness, and work-rate is maybe higher than I thought it would be at this point. I think that shows that these guys are hungry, that they are good pros, shows that they want to win, shows that they’re the guys…that are back here and are dissatisfied with the past and want to make amends for it.

amen to that, brother. the players who have returned and the new players that have come in should look to amending the opinion the supporters and the mls world in general have developed through watching the team these last years. and last year in particular.

finally, all the conjecture and rumours have been confirmed–songo’o is indeed playing for a spot in houston. the timbers have given the dynamo permission to take a look. hopefully that look is a good look and good enough to prompt the dynamo to make an offer to the timbers in the next few days. i would hate to see songo’o be cut outright as he has some significant trade value–if any player left from the 2012 timbers had trade value.

so, that is that. 2 more days in the month of transfer january. the season is getting close.

sunshine

I read with a certain sorrow the news blurb informing me (and the rest of the world) that Frank Songo’o had ensconced himself in Dynamo Houston’s training camp. Although it pains me to say it, I think that this is a fabulous move for Mr. Songo’o. Although his return for us was kind of limited, I am of the opinion that that particular statistical reading was (for the most part) the result of exogenous factors rather than of any lack of quality on the part of the player himself. Houston was about ten points off the pace in the Eastern Conference last year, which was good enough for a mid-table finish. That still puts them miles above us in terms of the quality of their play. If I had to make a prediction, I would expect that Songo’o would thrive in a place with a more passing oriented offense. Of course, that is the sort of arrangement that seems to be coming into existence here. But then there’s the matter of salaries and allocation money and all of that. Maybe we can somehow produce a silk purse out of all of this, but at this point it’s looking very much like it’s a sow’s ear and likely to stay that way.

In other news, the kerfuffle over the copyrighting of the Cascadia Cup rumbles on, although with rather less passionate intensity than it looked to be doing as of a couple of days ago. Apparently the folks on the Cascadia Cup Council have had a conference call with the League which was conducted in a polite and measured manner, if reports are to be believed. That’s probably for the best. Ramping up the rhetoric does no one any good. I’m reminded here of an old adage that one here’s in academic. Academic conflicts are so intense, so the saying goes, because the stakes are so low. There is an element of this in the dispute over the Cascadia Cup. Perhaps more important (although from my perspective it is related) is the fact that this league has not yet so firmly established itself in the sporting consciousness of North America that it could allow an internecine pissing match to bloom. It is important that the League maintain good relations with the fans. They (we) are where the dough comes from, and we could just as easily be using that money to watch other sports, or to increase our collections Magic: The Gathering Cards, or what have you. At the same time, it’s really not in the interest of even the most diehard fans to antagonize the League needlessly. The League can do a lot of things to make the fan experience better. One could argue that it is in their interest to do so, since (once again) the fans are where the money comes from. It is one of the less fortunate aspects of the common behavior of institutions that they are prone to overlook such considerations. Keeping things copacetic with the League improves the chances that, in future cases, they will act with at least a modicum of concern for us. This is a sad position, but it is where the fans of the vast majority of professional leagues in the world find themselves and we shouldn’t shy away from the facts.

Back to matters on the field of play. There is an article on the MLS website in which Diego Valeri talks about the ease with which he is slotting into the style of play that Porter is demanding of the side. The key word here is: possession. But there is possession and then there is possession. There was a period last season when we were doing a lot better in terms of holding on to the ball, but this was merely an extension of the tendency to knock it around the back and play negatively that was part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. Possession isn’t really that great when you’re constantly passing to a guy behind you. It’s better than given the ball up but it doesn’t do much to relieve the pressure in defense, and that was really the root of the problem for us. What we need is possession in attacking areas. Of that we had precious little last season and it showed in the paucity of offensive chances that we created. Valeri can add a lot to this process. He’s a disciplined player who is comfortable on the ball and likes to go forward. Porter had the following take on him:

He’s a guy who you won’t see his complete quality until you throw him in a match, and yet you see some nice little touches…Today, even just in the pattern play, you can see the composure, the final passes, the finishes, even the movement, the timing, those little things you can’t teach. He’s going to bring a different sophistication to this group.

The signing of Valeri is the kind of thing that inspires confidence. There was precious little of that last season, when it seemed like one bad decision followed another. While the addition of Valeri and Johnson has created a bit of a logjam in central midfield, it does also mean that people are going to have to play for their spots. Too often last season it seems like the bar in terms of acceptable play in a particular position was too low. Having someone breathing down your neck can have positive aspects, especially due to its tendency to concentrate one’s focus for fear of getting the hook.

Ok, it all kicks off tomorrow with our first preseason match in Tucson. Hoefully I can find some sort of video feed, since I am absolutely desperate so see the lads in action again, as are you I’m sure.

Magadh

A poster I just designed for Will Johnson’s (centro-matic front man) living room tour in Febuary. I had fun doing the font by hand, and the concept is based on Will’s new album Scorpion.

what an important day. no, im not discussing the celebration of the reverend martin luther king’s contributions to the world and especially to equality as we understand it today in the states, nor am i discussing the fact today memorializes president obama’s second term in office, nor the fact that i have a three-day weekend to support my laziness. no, none of that. today inaugurates the reinvention of the portland timbers and the arrival of ryan miller and all the other wonderful additions to the timbers 2013 squad.

who is ryan miller, you may ask. and, sadly, i have the same response. i know we here at the axe have discussed his career throughout the last few days ever since the rumours broke that merritt and caleb and gavin had become interested in the hard-working, right back who plied his trade in the swedish second division. do not allow my scepticism regarding the quality of the swedish divisions to cloud your appraisal of miller, jurgen klinsmann, a far better judge of talent than i, did call him up for usmnt 2011 training camp. not that he has supplanted steve cherundolo within the national side. his skills are notable enough to have been courted by some german squads–who they are i have no idea, but the mls offical site wanted you to know that he was desirable. but all of that speculation is now over and thanks to the investigative work of @5mtko blogger and nasal extraodinaire, roberto, we have confirmation that ryan miller has indeed chosen the timbers:

To All the Great Fans of Hbk,

I want to thank you for the past 3 fantastic years in Halmstad as part of Hbk! I have made many friendships for the rest of my life. I became a better player during my time there. I’m really excited that I could help bring Hbk back to the Allsvenskan for 2013! Last season was a so much fun and very rewarding. I wish Hbk much success this year and for years to come!

As of today, I have accepted my next challenge in soccer, as a member of the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer in the US. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to return to the US in the league where I started my career in 2008. If you’re ever in the US, come look me up!

Wishing you all the best,
Ryan Miller
Hbk #4

moreover, we have confirmation from merritt that miller is in portland and that he will begin the regimental efforts of developing an understanding with his teammates.

for that matter, everyone else will be in the camp, adjusting to their new teammates. we all know it: the timbers have been very  this off-season culling the dross and repairing the damage done of over the last two years. in addition to ryan miller, the timbers have brought in milos kocic, mobi fehr, steve evans, dylan tucker-gangnes, ryan johnson, will johnson, diego valeri, and mikey ”mo money” harrington. and for all that we know, further moves could still be on their way. caleb porter suggested last week that further moves to improve the team could be made.

while i know many players who find themselves settling down with a new team will say justa bout anything to get into the good graces of fans, the genuine desire of many of the players to be in portland has been overwhelming. most notable, of course, is seattle native dylan tucker-gangnes. sure, he was an u-23 prospect here, but i still find his desire to play for the timbers inspiring:

If I could have chosen any team to go to, it would have been Portland, and I am absolutely thrilled to be selected by the club.

so, it looks like our squad is shaping up with players who want to be here. there are several intangibles incapable of being measured by the fuzzy math and statistical hoo-haw of soccernomics and the benefits of having happy players who want to be at the club is largely one of the biggest factors towards success that stands outside those measurements. i know it may just be lipservice, but i get the feeling that each player we have acquired over the off-season genuinely wants to be in portland, fighting for this club and fighting to prove themselves to us, the supporters.

day 1. there should be some fabulous quotes come tomorrow.

sunshine.

the very number of noob reporters standing on the street corner kicking slush around while attempting to describe what slush is can only mean two things: snowpocolypse has arrived and the beginning of the mls season is soon to follow. so, i will ask the question everyone is dying to ask: is it january 19 yet? because this waiting for camp to resume and for the players to report and for the finalization of the team roster to be made is getting old. we have had a very productive off-season so far. the moves that have been made have only benefited the club as well as the spirits of the timbers faithful. but moves or not, the real proof is what happens when they get on the pitch and begin to work together.

many questions loom as to how porter will use specific players or whether he actually will use specific players. here at the axe, we have been discussing these concerns for the past week and have come to few conclusions that can supplant the overriding belief that we simply do not know. many seem to believe the formation porter employs is going to be the deciding factor. you know, if he institutes a 3-5-2 then we can see such and such player in this position, but if he resorts to the favored 4-4-2 then we will see that same player employed here. these questions and efforts in speculation are only natural and are the things great conversations regarding football are made of.

i know i have my theories regarding the formation porter will use. and as much as i like to think i know everything about everything, i really dont know what porter is going to do. the only thing do know and do have confidence in is that the timbers now have greater depth in every position on the pitch but one–right back. i am sure that will be sorted out shortly, but the great promise of this off-season has been through limited but specific changes in personnel. will johnson, ryan johnson, mikey mo money harrington, mobi fehr, diego valeri, and milos kocic have all been brought in at the expense of some truly unremarkable never-will-bes. and while we know that johnson and johnson will likely start, harrington is slotted in the leftback position, and diego valeri has been anointed saviour of the timbers midfield, we are left to wonder what part milos kocic is going to play.

last season we saw an upgrade at goalkeeper–our beloved troy perkins was coldly shown the door and donovan ”built of glass stemware” ricketts was brought in to increase the timbers ability to concede goals through crosses–an upgrade of sorts. the timbers won very few games under ricketts guard and only seemed stable in the back when joe bendik was brought in to cover for the oft-injured jamaican. but now we no longer have bendick and received kocic, toronto’s number one, in a trade that also brought us ryan johnson.

compared to ricketts, kocic is younger, stronger–and really opinionated. he has that nutter quality that distinguishes a really good keeper from other keepers. he is no-nonsense gamer–likely a residual effect of being serbian and their inclination to commit war crimes against inferior individuals. honestly, i can see him slotting into the number 1 over ricketts. through everything i have read, i have come to believe this is a fella who gets the business professional football. in the most recent expose produced out of canadia, he discusses how sickened he was by toronto’s unprofessional approach to losing–this was something they knew how to do better than the timbers, so they should have taken more pride in the fact–right?

A lot of times this year the players were just like laughing after the game. You lose the games and they don’t care.

i see his point: losing is not very fun. as empty as that statement may be, it should not be cause for pumping up the jams and dancing in the dressing room. there should be a different approach to the game, especially if the team loses. i am sure he would suggest running 10 miles with self-propelled grenade launchers and 30 pounds of tnt strapped to the back of each player while trying to cross the path of m-1 tanks unblemished and undetected is a suitable team-building exercise and response to a loss–not kid and play or house of pain or the lovable kris-kross booming through the lockers. ok. maybe not kid and play–who listens to kid and play these days?

an interesting fact and unlikely coincidence is that kocic worked with mike toshack at dc united, the team he was originally drafted into. an immature fella then, kocic now recognizes that his expectations are not often the reality of sport and his position within it:

I was a rookie, I was very immature about some things. I thought it was going to be as easy as college. I thought I was going to play for sure and that’s the wrong mentality.

unlike some of the recent players to have graced the pages of the timbers pre-game booklet, kocic actually views work as a necessity to playing. that is not to say some thought their mere presence at the club imposed the duty of the manager to play them–mike chabala–but there were those who carried the attitude they were indispensible. i would much prefer a player who has something to prove and is will to strive for that opportunity through hard work than a prima donna with an instagram account. but that is just my opinion…one shared by kocic:

I am a proud person but I’m not stupid. Now kids today, they think they deserve to play all the time … you have to earn everything.

which is a great place to return to the topic that originally prompted this post–who is going to play and where. as i said, the timbers now have greater depth in almost every position than they have ever had. there will be competition for playing time, which means the players will have to assert their claim to spots by hard work. it also means that the promise of talent and the existence of raw talent is not going to guarantee a spot in the starting eleven. this is rather excellent. do i know where players will be positioned on the pitch? no. do i have an idea of what the starting eleven will look like come march 3? yes. does it include some of the players we have waited to see become everything they promised to be? not at all.

ok. i am buzzing for this season to start!

see you in the comments.

sunshine.

The time between Liverpool’s first return to training (on the 4^th of July 2012) to their first game of the Barclay’s Premier League (the 18^th of August 2012) was one month and two weeks. One simple month and two weeks in which to implement a new system of play with more reliance on movement, passing, possession and overall soccer smarts.

This isn’t a column about Liverpool FC though….. This is a column about Portland Timbers FC.

And the Portland Timbers have the same set of problems.

The Timbers hired a new coach, the front office is in the process of heavily renovating the roster with new talent and new faces, and the owner has publicly stated that he wants to see better soccer from the team. Of course, the problem with a partial household renovation is that in the process of building your house you also have to live inside the building.

If needing an example of what the 2013 season might look like for the Portland Timbers one can look at the example of the aforementioned reds team in 2012/2013.

To be very frank: Get ready for a wild ride.

The method and system of Spencer was very direct at times. Get up the wings, dump the ball into the box, and try not to get beaten defensively. This formula, for the Timbers, failed more often than it worked, and the formula was heavily dependent on the players completing their assignments in their slots (round pegs/square holes) to the best of their ability.

So far as I have been able to gauge, the system of Porter will be quite a bit more complex than what Portland have utilized before. Porters system (in whatever formation he uses) will seemingly be asking for more technical and mental concentration than simply lofting a ball over the head of the defense to a player in the box.

In a recent interview with Wil Trapp, I spoke to him about his entrance into Akron, playing for Porter and learning his system. He had the following to say…

…….

Trapp: “It definitely takes time, and it’s funny… you come in as a freshman and even the transfers who had played a year in college when they came in last year, it’s overwhelming because there’s so many…. the movements and the rotations and just… that’s one part and getting used to the physical aspects and the technical speed of play. I mean it can be overwhelming at first, but once you get it down it’s almost like… not effortless but it almost looks effortless.

Nyen:  “There’s so much out there that people want to know (about Porter), especially with college soccer there’s not enough people that cover it. I figured, if I watch a few games I might be able to get a better handle on what he might being trying to look at doing when he comes (to Portland). “

Trapp: “Every coach has their own two cents about which way a team should play and Caleb would be the first to tell you that. You have to play a way that suits your team and this year’s team at Akron, that possession oriented style was the way we would were gonna play our best stuff. We weren’t a team that could just kick the ball long and have a striker up front that was going to score 25 goals. We were gonna have to find ways to work the ball through, and it’s what suited us. It was an absolute blast to play.

…….

Now obviously some of Trapp’s words were in reference to a very talented high school and academy player entering the world of a tactical coach and system at the college ranks. However, we can also look at his words from the standpoint of the transition for Timbers players from John Spencer’s system to Caleb Porter’s system. Many teams that have attempted to make a style transition with varied success. Toronto FC, Chivas Guadalajara, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chivas USA, Wigan, West Bromwich Albion, and Swansea are all teams that have attempted to change styles and create a “Team System”.  As with anything, success depends on the mind of the people in charge and the ability of the front office to acquire the right people at the right time and get the most out of them. The ability to correctly analyze and place available talent is something that has stung the Timbers in the past two years as they have repeatedly sent players to other teams who have performed better in their new scenarios than when they played in Portland.

With the first team player recall happening January 19^th and the first practices happening January 21st, that leaves three weeks and six days until the team plays their first pre-season games in Portland; and five weeks and six days til first kick against Red Bull New York.

In my opinion, anyone watching the Timbers in 2013 will see team performances ranging from abysmal losses where it looks like no one is on the same page, to great displays of possession with varied results, to brilliant displays of great soccer with goals a plenty. The in-between time of training, US Open Cup games, and friendlies will be the time for the adjustment of the team and the coach to what actually works in the league.

In a corner of North America where the fans are relentlessly passionate, engaged and very thorough…. The best thing that might happen this year is to step back away from that phone, computer, modem bank, pager, or fax machine and just breathe after a bad loss. There will be times when all fans will violate this theory, but if the fans accept that this is a long term transitional moment for the organization then fans must also accept that it may be a long term process to get through that transitional moment.

If we look at Liverpool‘s position in the table after six months of play… they sit 9^th out of 20 teams. If the Timbers were sitting 9^th out of 19 teams in the league table after 6 months of play then that would be a large moral victory given how terrible the 2012 season was on the field. If one looks at the talent level in the premier league and the Red’s current up and down form, Liverpool’s place in the Barclay’s Premier League is probably appropriate.

The big question in the next month is whether the front office of the Timbers has obtained the right talent to push the team up the league table during a transitional year. With the acquisition of Will Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Michael Harrington and the possibility (or probability) of Diego Valeri it certainly appears that the Timbers front office is attempting to fill the team with a higher level of overall talent than in the two previous years of MLS play. Of course, there is still the problem of fixing the leaky sieve defense, but until the roster is known and the style of play is seen, the Timbers Army won’t know all the abilities and weaknesses of the 2013 version of the Portland Timbers.

There is hope to be had though, and when looking at the 2013 season a small calibration of expectations, bathed in the remembrance of 2012/2011, will help any fan gain perspective on what is certain to be a very interesting year in Portland.

John

Brother Dege  is one of the best-kept secrets in the Deep South. A musician, writer and Southern enigma, Dege is the haunted face of 21st century Delta blues. The reclusive Louisiana Cajun’s song Too Old To Die Young was recently selected by Quentin Tarantino to appear in the soundtrack of his new film Django Unchained – watch the new video for it along with the hushed, pensive tones of Will Johnson and the gorgeous acoustic ache provided so sweetly by Birds of Chicago.

a

a

a

a

a

good morning and a happy new year to you all. i am certain many of you will count yourself lucky that you get my aversion of capitalization while you nurse your varied sets of hangovers. to that i say it is my pleasure to walk you through this painful morning.

my first advice is this: eat bacon. lots of bacon. drink the grease because the grease is the cure. after you have slurped it up, lick the bowl. in the days when i would suffer hangovers bacon was the source of relief. if you do not have some good, thick, streaky back-bacon, then water. as you may or may not know, hangovers are caused by dehydration. as for hangover advice to you vegetarians and vegans–if the great number of you i see smoking cigarettes actually acknowledged the joy of bacon you might live brighter, healthier lives.

speaking of hangovers, i would not be surprised that the people who misinterpreted the end of the mayan calender and the end of the world are suffering from a bit of a morning-after embarrassment similar to the embarrassment felt by the timbers last season, but greater. thank god we have a new year and new outlook towards football.

2012 ended with movements of the kind we had expected from the beginning of the year, but then that was an expectation too large for an amateurish technical director still unaware of how to work within the guidelines of the mls. however, while the learning curve was difficult, and should have resulted in another pink slip, the pains of the last year have proven to instruct our glorious leader. with the assistance and the ingenuity of the new coach, the timbers have made moves we can all get excited about. they have released much of the dross on the team and addressed many of the needs within the squad. moreover, the timbers have brought in proven talent–will johnson, ryan johnson, mikey ”mo money” harrington, and milos kosic. while the move to get mobi fehr seems a move made for the future the young man does fill a couple of holes in the team–he is a central defender with well honed foot skills, who can slot into the defensive midfielder role in a pinch.

still missing within the side is the creative midfielder we have never been promised but have needed since the inception of the mls timbers. along with that player is the ever elusive right back. i will not remind you of the names we have seen in that position, the memories of their ineptitude are too painful to relive, but the fact porter and gavin took pains to get rid of each and every one of them only suggests we can expect some movement in the days to come.

we now have 19 days until pre-season training starts and 29 days until the first game of the pre-season season takes place. i have every expectation we will have a few exciting announcements before those milestones. over the waning days of 2012 we have been teased by the owner, who suggests we can look forward to a few more news conferences and designated players. obviously, those would be welcomed.

so, we have 2013 with all its hope and promise before us. as the blog moves into its second season, we will make the promise of the continued daily coverage of our common obsession. mags and i will still provide our different views of the sport and team. you can also look forward to the sporadic contributions of the resident noob, and a new, exclusive-contributor, who will provide some respectability to the blog.

so, may your new year bring everything you deserve and some glory to the timbers.

sunshine

It was my first time seeing Nada Surf and they put on one of the best shows I have ever seen. It would likely crack my top 10 concerts of all-time. The setlist was perfect, I knew all the songs and could sing along from my spot directly in front of lead singer Matthew Caws about two rows back; he even complimented my David Bazan shirt I was wearing in middle of the show. I had never heard of An Horse and they were great; I picked up both of their cds and have been jamming to them in the months since. I will see both of these bands again at some point, that is for sure.

Even two crappy opening bands couldn’t ruin this show for me. One opening band was very interesting named Drakkar Sauna but the other two tortured my ear drums. I have been waiting about a year and a half for Whitmore to come around and I saw him twice this year, this show was the first and slightly better of the two. Whitmore invited the crowd on stage to sit all around him as he played songs on his acoustic guitar and banjo. It was a great experience. He was every bit as good as I hoped he would be live.

Gas Pump Talent is a semi-local band from Springfield, MO. They are a simple duo with incredibly raspy vocals and a raw sound reminiscent of Tom Waits and William Elliott Whitmore. This night was my second time seeing them and they played a very long set to a minimal amount of people. They played great covers and their original songs are top notch. I can’t wait until they return, hopefully with some newly recorded material.

It was a show so intimate I felt awkward even snapping a picture with my camera. The about 20 people that shared this show with me were blown away by the Centro-matic’s lead singers performance. He would do Centro-matic songs, solo songs and various other projects like the great “V.D. City” from the supergroup, New Multitudes record. One of the very cool moments was when he glanced over the crowd and stopped when he saw my brother and I, recognizing us from past shows, to say hi. Johnson is a great guy and an awe inspiring performer.

My favorite local band is The GasTown Lamps, hands down. I saw them 7 times this year; this being the most recent and best. The band was great, they are still getting better and I’m getting to know the songs a little more each time. The whole night was fantastic right down to playing foosball with the guys in the band until the early morning hours afterward. Band 13 from Kansas City was entertaining as well. They don’t have a lot to distinguish themselves from other bands but play balls out rock and are damn good at it.

50. New Horizons by Flyleaf

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/11/01/the-incomplete-discography-11112/

Essential Tracks: “Fire Fire” “New Horizons” “Cage on the Ground” “Green Heart” “Broken Wings”

49. Give Us Rest or (A Requiem in C [The Happiest of All Keys]) by David Crowder Band

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/01/10/record-review-give-us-rest-or-a-requiem-mass-in-c-the-happiest-of-all-keys-by-david-crowder-band/

Essential Tracks: “Why Me?” “Let Me Feel You Shine” “Fall on Your Knees” “Oh My God” “There Is a Sound” “Oh, My God I’m Coming Home”

48. Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon by Murder by Death

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/10/25/the-incomplete-discography-101812/

Essential Tracks: “Lost River” “I Came Around” “The Curse of Elkhart” “Go to the Light” “Ghost Fields”

47. Theatre Is Evil by Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra

This album is known more for it’s hugely successful Kickstarter campaign than anything, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. She raised $1.2 million, and as a contributor, I can tell you she spared no expense on production or packaging. The album speaks to another time, 80′s new wave in particular. The production quality is very well done, and Palmer pulls out all the stops in making this album worth the $1.2 million raised for it. Its her most ambitions project and does it ever pay off.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl (really, you should have contributed to the Kickstarter!)

Listener Co-efficient: Passive Listen

Essential Tracks: “The Killing Type” “Grown Man Cry” “The Bed Song” “Olly Olly Oxen Free” “Melody Dean”

46. The Russian Wilds by Howlin’ Rain

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/08/record-review-the-russian-wilds-by-howlin-rain/

Essential Tracks: “Self Made Man” “Cherokee Werewolf” “Dark Side” “Phantom in the Valley” “Walking Through Stone”

45. What We Saw from the Cheap Seats by Regina Spektor

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/08/daily-top-4-the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-6812/

Essential Tracks: “Small Town Moon” “Firewood” “Patron Saint” “All the Rowboats” “Ballad of a Politician”

44. Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/05/record-review-wrecking-ball-by-bruce-springsteen/

Essential Tracks: “Shackled and Drawn” “Death to My Hometown” “Land of Hope and Dreams” “Easy Money” “American Land”

43. Narrow by Soap & Skin

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/05/record-review-narrow-by-soapskin/

Essential Tracks: “Vater” “Voyage Voyage” “Wonder” “Big Hand Nails Down”

42. Breakfast by Chiddy Bang

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/02/22/record-review-breakfast-by-chiddy-bang/

Essential Tracks: “Breakfast” “Ray Charles” “Out 2 Space” “Whatever We Want” “Baby Roulette”

41. Rest by Pompton Lakes

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/11/01/the-incomplete-discography-11112/

Essential Tracks: “Home” “Merciful” “Pride” “Hope (Banjo Song)”

40. Out of the Silent Nest by Steven Padin

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/11/01/the-incomplete-discography-11112/

Essential Tracks: “Down Out and Under” “You” “Nothing at All” “Speaker for the Dead” “Goodbye Winston”

39. Some Nights by Fun

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/02/22/record-review-some-nights-by-fun/

Essential Tracks: “Some Nights” “We Are Young” “Why Am I the One” “All Alone” “Stars”

38. Clear Heart Full Eyes by Craig Finn

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/01/27/record-review-clear-heart-full-eyes-by-craig-finn/

Essential Tracks: “Apollo Bay” “No Future” “Terrified Eyes” “Western Pier” “Rented Room”

37. Open Your Heart by The Men

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/13/record-review-open-your-heart-by-the-men/

Essential Tracks: “Turn It Around” “Country Song” “Oscillation” “Open Your Heart” “Ex-Dreams”

36. Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/04/record-review-boys-girls-by-alabama-shakes/

Essential Tracks: “Hold On” “Hang Loose” “Rise to the Sun” “Heartbreaker” “I Ain’t the Same”

35. The Carpenter by The Avett Brothers

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/09/17/record-review-the-carpenter-by-the-avett-brothers/

Essential Tracks: “The Once and Future Carpenter” “Live and Die” “Winter in My Heart” “Down with the Shine” “Paul Newman vs. the Demons”

34. Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables by Todd Snider

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/10/record-review-agnostic-hymns-stoner-fables-by-todd-snider/

Essential Tracks: “In the Beginning” “New York Banker” “In Between Jobs” “Brenda” “Digger Dave’s Crazy Woman Blues”

33. The Hale & Hearty by Heyward Howkins

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/14/record-review-hale-hearty-by-heyward-howkins/

Essential Tracks: “Hale & Hearty” “Spanish Moss” “The Raucous Calls of Morning” “The Live Oak” “Plume & Orange”

32. I’ll Find You in the Colors by Ninja Turtle Ninja Tiger

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/23/the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-62312/

Essential Tracks: “The Way Back” “The Climb” “Spinning, on Fire” “Outside the City” “Ride”

31. Locked Down by Dr. John

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/19/record-review-locked-up-by-dr-john/

Essential Tracks: “Locked Down” “Getaway” “You Lie” “My Children, My Angels” “God’s Sure Good”

30. Blunderbuss by Jack White

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/23/record-review-blunderbuss-by-jack-white/

Essential Tracks: “Sixteen Saltines” “Freedom at 21″ “Love Interruption” “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” “On and On and On”

29. New Multitudes by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker & Yim Yames

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/02/29/record-review-new-multitudes-by-jay-farrar-will-johnson-anders-parker-yim-yames/

Essential Tracks: “Flying High” “Old L.A.” “Talking Empty Bed Blues” “Chorine My Sheba Queen” “Angel’s Blues” “No Fear”

28. Red by Taylor Swift

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/10/25/the-incomplete-discography-102512/

Essential Tracks: “State of Grace” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” “Holy Ground” “Sad Beautiful Tragic” “Begin Again”

27. The Clearing by Bowerbirds

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/01/record-review-the-clearing-by-bowerbirds/

Essential Tracks: “Tuck the Darkness In” “Walk the Furrows” “This Year” “Overcome with Light” “Death Wish”

26. BBNG002 by Bad Bad Not Good

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/20/record-review-bbng002-by-badbadnotgood/

Essential Tracks: “Earl” “Limit to Your Love” “Flashing Lights” “DMZ” “CMYK

25. Blow Your Pants Off by Jimmy Fallon

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/23/the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-62312/

Essential Tracks: “Neil Young Sings ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’” “History of Rap” “Slow Jam the News” “Friday” “Jeremy (Linsanity)”

24. Mirage Rock by Band of Horses

Coming off the heels of one of the band’s best offerings - Infinite Arms – Band of Horses takes a slight detour and goes back in time to the 70′s. Channeling groups like the Eagles, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, as well as CSNY, Mirage Rock is a breezy country rock jaunt that should fit comfortably in someone’s cross country music collection. “Dumpster World’s” acoustic/electric structure is a sonic nod to the music of America, which then kicks into a hard riff for a modern update. The group’s close harmonies on many of these tracks is a lot to admire, especially while the waits for another Fleet Foxes album. The band are way more than that, similarities can’t be helped at times, and while this offering doesn’t fully hold up to the rest of the band’s catalog, it’s still a unique album that can be listened to again and again and a sure contender for this list.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listener Co-efficient: Passive Listen

Essential Tracks: “How to Live” “Shut-In Tourist” “Electric Music” “Heartbreak on the 101″ “Long Vows”

23. Americana by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/08/daily-top-4-the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-6812/

Essential Tracks: “Oh Susannah” “Clementine” “Gallows Pole” “This Land Is Your Land” “God Save the Queen”

22. A Wasteland Companion by M. Ward

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/11/record-review-a-wasteland-companion-by-m-ward/

Essential Tracks: “Clean Slate” “The First Time I Ran Away” “A Wasteland Companion” “There’s a Key” “Wild Goose”

21. Shallow Bed by Dry the River

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/23/the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-62312/

Essential Tracks: “New Ceremony” “Demons” “Bible Belt” “Shaker Hymns” “Lion’s Den”

20. Noctourniquet by The Mars Volta

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/22/record-review-noctourniquet-by-the-mars-volta/

Essential Tracks: “The Whip Hand” “Dyslexicon” “The Malakin Jewel” “Molochwalker” “Noctourniquet”

19. Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/01/31/record-review-old-ideas-by-leonard-cohen/

Essential Tracks: “Going Home” “Show Me the Place” “Crazy to Love You” “Banjo” “Lullaby”

18. Sun by Cat Power

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/09/09/record-review-sun-by-cat-power/

Essential Tracks: “Cherokee” “Ruin” “Real Life” “Human Being” “Silent Machine”

17. awE naturalE by THEESatisfaction

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/30/record-review-awe-naturale-by-theesatisfaction/

Essential Track: “Bitch” “QueenS” “Existinct” “Juiced” “naturalE”

16. Zammuto by Zammuto

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/18/record-review-zammuto-by-zammuto/

Essential Tracks: “Yay” “Groan Man, Don’t Cry” “F U C-3PO” “Zebra Butt” “Harlequin”

15. Tempest by Bob Dylan

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/09/14/record-review-tempest-by-bob-dylan/

Essential Tracks: “Duquense Whistle” “Soon After Midnight” “Long and Wasted Years” “Scarlet Town” “Roll on John”

14. We Raise Our Voices to the Air (Live Songs 4.11-8.11) by The Decemberists

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/14/record-review-we-raise-our-voices-to-the-air-live-songs-04-11-08-11-by-the-decemberists/

Essential Tracks: “Calamity Song” “We Both Go Down Together” “Down by the Water” “Grace Cathedral Hill” “Dracula’s Daughter > O Valencia!”

13. Shields by Grizzly Bear

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/09/30/mini-record-reviews-93012/

Essential Tracks: “Sleeping Ute” “Yet Again” “The Hunt” “Gun-Shy” “Half-Gate”

12. Put Your Back N 2 It by Perfume Genius

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/08/record-review-put-your-back-n-2-it-by-perfume-genius/

Essential Tracks: “Awol Marine” “17″ “Dirge” “All Waters” “Put Your Back N 2 It”

11. The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/10/25/the-incomplete-discography-101812/

Essential Tracks: “Ten Thousand Hours” “Thrift Shop” “Wing$” “Same Love” “Starting Over”

10. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/23/the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-62312/

Essential Tracks: “Every Single Night” “Valentine” “Jonathan” “Werewolf” “Regret”

9. R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/06/08/daily-top-4-the-top-4-albums-of-the-week-6812/

Essential Tracks: “Big Beast” “Southern Fried” “Reagan” “Ghetto Gospel” “R.A.P. Music”

8. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

If you’re hung up on Frank Ocean’s sexuality, skip it. What you’re missing is one of the greatest R&B offerings of the last 20 years. The album focuses on voice, passion, atmosphere, and sexuality pinned on the vocal offering of Ocean himself. His ability to evoke intense emotion is the high selling point, but the album does take risks. “Pyramids” is a 9 minute sprawling track, where Ocean slowly takes references of ancient Egypt to references of a strip club, as he sings about his stripper girlfriend. “Bad Religion” is a ballad of sorts about a guy that contains one of the most haunting lyrics of the year: “this unrequited love/to me it’s nothing but a one-man cult/and cyanide in my Styrofoam cup. Channel Orange is worth all the hype and then some.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listener Co-efficient: Active Listen

Essential Tracks: “Thinkin’ ‘Bout You” “Sierra Leone” “Pyramids” “Bad Religion” “Forrest Gump”

7. Break It Yourself  by Andrew Bird

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/10/record-review-break-it-yourself-by-andrew-bird/

Essential Tracks: “Danse Caribe” “Give It Away” “Near Death Experience Experience” “Orpheo Looks Back” “Fatal Shore”

6. Fear Fun by Father John Misty

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/05/24/record-review-fear-fun-by-father-john-misty/

Essential Tracks: “Funtimes in Babylon” “Nancy from Now On” “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” “Now I’m Learning to Love the War” “Everyman Needs a Companion”

5. The Money Store by Death Grips

To say that Death Grips are pushing the envelope of hip-hop and rap is an understatement, regardless of what their intention is, the group are like nothing either genre has ever seen before. The first of this group’s two offerings this year, The Money Store, is an album that pulls no punches, it just  hits hard. Grips’ sampling covers a wide range of genres, and includes artists like African rhythms, Nine Inch Nails, Run-DMC, Bad Brains; there is so much you’ll find in this music and admire. It’s not for everyone, right from the start you’ll find that out with the opening track “Get Got,” as it combines elements of African rhythm, cyclonic keyboards and glitchy effects. If there is one album to pins your hopes on this year its The Money Store.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listener Co-efficient: Active Listen

Essential Tracks: The Whole Album!

4. Who’s Feeling Young Now? by Punch Brothers

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/02/16/record-review-whos-feeling-you-now-by-punch-brothers/

Essential Tracks: “Movement and Location” “This Girl” “Who’s Feeling Young Now?” “Patchwork Girlfriend” “New York City”

3. 4EvaNaDay by Big K.R.I.T.

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/03/10/record-review-4evanaday-by-big-k-r-i-t/

Essential Tracks: The Whole Mix Tape. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with it!

2. good kid, m.A.A.d. city by Kendrick Lamar

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/10/25/the-incomplete-discography-102512/

Essential Tracks: Again, the whole thing. Hard to recommend tracks from a concept album

1. The Ghost of John Henry by Sci-Fi Romance

Original Review: http://teamhellions.com/2012/04/16/record-review-the-ghost-of-john-henry-by-sci-fi-romance/

Essential Tracks: Another concept album that deserves to be heard in its entirety.

happy chilly saturday to you all. a quick round-up of the action of the last couple days. no new movements were made, which was not surprising given the flurry of rumours now floating around about the timbers primary off-season target. but still, there was the re-entry draft to whet our need for silly season drama.

yesterday, the timbers passed the opportunity to get their claws into some respectable, but unwanted talent through the re-entry draft, passing on danny califf, will hesmer, paulo jr., blair gavin, lovel palmer. what?!?! yep, that lovel palmer. in a re-entry draft move that made many of us facepalm until our foreheads began to bleed blood, jason kreis took a chance on the facepalmer.

clearly in his time with the timbers palmer was as happy as a depressive suffering from seasonal affected disorder in the cold climate of the hinterlands. that may or may not have affected his ability on the pitch–i can imagine that it would. but what did affect his play were the not so sporadic moments of super brain-dead he suffered. whether giving a 30 foot comfort zone to an attacking player with lights out ability, or battering into someone for no other reason than it seemed like a good idea at the time, palmer had a knack of doing the one thing that was most inappropriate at any specific moment while on the pitch. that may well be a gift in some cultures but not in football.

during a conversation with a fella whose opinion on things football i deeply regard, it was argued that perhaps palmer was plagued by confidence issues. i get this. yeah, maybe he was not shown the eire that he may have expected in the southern portions of the hemisphere. however, i do not buy that excuse–if he suffered from a lack of confidence i doubt he would feel justified in taking those moonlaunch shots from 30 yards out.  all the same, jason kreis has found a 28-year-old player he can attempt to rebuild. it seems a worthwhile project. right?

but back to things timbers present, not timbers past. the moves made so far this off-season reflect some well thought strategies to improve the attack supported by a strong(er) midfield. there still are some pieces missing, but as impatient as i am i recognize we are only 12 days into the silly season. 12 days! in 12 days the timbers have acquired will johnson, ryan johnson, milos kocic, the rights to bryan gallego, signed danny mwanga to new terms, and have acquired allocation money all the while setting themselves up to receive the second pick in the allocation draft. though they have not addressed the defense in a way that i would expect, they have brought in mikey ”mo money” harrington to play either side of the central defense.

all of these moves are part of what merritt paulson called an “ambitious” plan. earlier in the week, he informed the hungry few awaiting any news of continued team changes that gavin and caleb porter put together an ambitious off-season plan and had not yet had to deviate from that plan. and then he teased the baying masses with a nod to what we already knew–more changes were due to come, tweeting:

fingers crossed on getting upcoming moves done.

his ability to keep a secret is second to only an open vault. not that the likelihood of further moves was any sort of secret, but his schoolboy tweets only help to keep our interest piqued.

following the close of the re-entry draft, paulson took to the twatterverse again to announce what we had all assumed was the timbers approach to the remainder of the offseason:

Two areas where GW/CP still want to make additions: creative mid and right back. Goal is to have all spots filled by start of pre-season

and if you do not believe merritt, which i would not fault you if you did not, gavin also made clear what the next piece to the improvement puzzle will be. in an interview with dan itel, gavin lifted the hearts of many of the timbers faithful when stated he was looking for

An attacking midfielder who is creative and can dictate play is definitely a position we’re targeting.

two years on and it has finally set in that in order to produce goals you have to create goal scoring opportunities. this is pleasing. and so far i have been impressed with the movements gavin and porter have made. they reflect a well thought out plan rather than a game of jax, picking up whatever pieces lie around. if they can obtain the right midfielder (and all indications are they have him identified) and put in as much thought about a right back as they did with mikey mo money, i would conclude the off-season a success.

ok, enjoy your saturday!

sunshine

The 2012 winner is The Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits 

Read and enjoy my list. Also watch for my top 5 concerts of 2012 coming soon. Feel free to send me your top 10 albums list and I will post your list for you. I’d love to read them. Thank you – Clint @ VocalsOnTop

The Divine Fits are a supergroup made up of members Spoon and Wolf Parade most notably. Their brand of hook-laden pop for their first album is simply irresistible. Britt Daniel of Spoon steals the show here with some of the best songs he has ever written. This is an album that I can listen to repeatedly and never get tired of. It is one of very few “happy” albums I enjoyed this year as you will read below.

Key Track: “Like Ice Cream”

The Heartless Bastards absolutely nailed their fourth album Arrow making it the best of their career and a masterpiece by which the band will now always be measured. The heavy guitar and perfectly complimenting rhythm section make for a perfect prog-rock mix so good it almost makes me want to listen to Rush. I said almost.

Key Track: “Got To Have Rock N Roll”

Todd Snider has made a long career of having a great sense of humor and bringing it into his songs. With Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables he still has a sense of humor but it is black comedy. The album is shockingly dark, portraying little hope for humanity and anything else. It is a whole different kind of record for Snider who has successfully re-invented himself with an album that stands up with his best of his catalog.

Key Track: “In The Beginning”

The Hold Steady’s lead singer quietly released his first solo album in 2012 seemingly to cricket chirps. It never got a lot of publicity that I saw, but should have. You likely won’t see it in many year end lists either but I say it is very deserving of praise. Totally unlike his music with his band The Hold Steady, it highlights all the dark parts of his past, present and future, abandoning his “stay positive” moniker musically, even though he still very much is a positive guy; Clear Heart Full Eyes doesn’t reflect it. Like Todd Snider’s Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables it is a beautifully dark album.

Key Track: “Jackson”

Scott Lucas of Local H made two solo albums with his band Scott Lucas and the Married Men with a much mellower sound since the last Local H record. So Lucas had to prove he still rocked and he did so by putting out possibly Local H’s hardest rocking record yet. Hallelujah! I’m A Bum is split into two halves, a blue half for the Democrats and red half for Republicans. Released before election day it profiles the political turmoil in America but still is filled with very good, hard rocking songs.

Key Track: “Another February”

The alt-country super group recorded a group of Woody Guthrie lyrics that never got put to music and did a fantastic job with them. Each of the four members took on 3 songs to sing each. The result is a beautiful window in Guthrie’s lyrics. Will Johnson puts out a great effort but was overshadowed by the only unknown participant for me; Anders Parker. Parker’s tunes are simply fantastic on this compilation and are worth the price of purchase by themselves and his best contributions are on the bonus disc so be sure to pick that version up.

Key Track: “Fly High”

Newcomers The Alabama Shakes knocked the music world on their ass with their first record Boys & Girls. “Hold On” was easily one of the most infectious songs of the year. The band shows incredible talent for being so new to the music scene and have one of the brightest futures among any band going today.

Key Track: “Hold On”

Jason Collett is one of my favorite songwriters in the indie music scene. He even topped my 2010 best albums list. Because of this Reckon may have gotten a little bit of a boost in making my list but it is still a very good album. It is mellow and like all my favorite music from this year, dark.

Key Track: “I Wanna Rob A Bank”

The Drive-By Truckers lead singer has now released three solo albums. The first two were solid but he took a noticeable step up with Heat Lightning Rumbled in the Distance. The songs are dark and sad but they are some of the best solo work Hood has done. This album is not even a far departure from a Truckers record, but it could never be one without Mike Cooley contributing. Hood also gets credit for both the best album title of the year and best album cover of the year.

Key Track: “Better Off Without”

10. Jack White – Blunderbuss

I know, I know; it’s on everyone’s list. I’ve made no secret of my admiration for White in the past and all of his projects. This one doesn’t blow me away the way albums like Icky Thump did but it is still a solid collection of tunes. He still comes up with great sounding songs that are somehow unique; someday his music may get old to me but that day was not in 2012.

Key Track: “I’m Shakin’”

Every Year a few albums just barely miss the cut. This year those albums for Vocals On Top were Nada Surf – The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy, Toadies – Play.Rock.Music and Lucero – Women & Work. Special mention goes to St. Joe’s own Scruffy & The Janitors who released a record of very good music in Pino which if it weren’t such a lo-fi recording might have had a shot at my list.

]]> http://o.canada.com/2012/12/12/toronto-fc-sends-forward-ryan-johnson-goalie-milos-kocic-to-portland/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:27:46 +0000 The Canadian Press http://o.canada.com/2012/12/12/toronto-fc-sends-forward-ryan-johnson-goalie-milos-kocic-to-portland/ TORONTO — Toronto FC continued its remake Wednesday, dealing forward Ryan Johnson and goalkeeper Milos Kocic to the Portland Timbers.

In exchange, the worst team in MLS gets goalkeeper Joe Bendik, the third overall pick in the 2013 SuperDraft and allocation money.

The deal allows TFC (5-21-8 last season) to tick off a few boxes on its off-season to-do list.

It offers Toronto flexibility while moving on two players who were looking for a new start. In trading Johnson, Toronto also trims its salary cap — the 28-year-old Jamaican international made US$137,813 last season.

The allocation room allows TFC to “pay down” salary under the cap — in other words, list a player’s salary at less than the actual amount on his paycheque.

And now holding the first and third overall picks in the January draft, it has options.

“We need to manage our (salary) cap a little bit, but at the same time get younger, get probably more athletic,” Earl Cochrane, Toronto’s director of team and player operations, said in an interview. “And many times both of those things help each other out.”

Cochrane believes there is talent to be had in the draft.

“Between (picks) one and 10, teams are going to be able to get some very good players that are going to be able to help them out,” he said.

“Now that we’re one and three, I think we’re going to be able to do something that will definitely help us out — if that’s what we choose to do. As of right now, we’re pretty happy with where we sit.”

There will be more changes, Cochrane said, but the focus will likely switch to players coming in rather than going out.

An ironman for the team, Johnson played 31 regular-season games with seven goals for Toronto in 2012. But the losing season seemed to take its toll. In the early stages of the campaign, Johnson was often one of the team’s most open voices. By the end, he was done talking.

His work ethic was always evident, however. Even if it was not reflected in his goals total.

Portland sees Johnson — who played collegiate soccer at Oregon State — as someone who can help now.

“After weighing our immediate needs and evaluating the college pool, we felt it was in the club’s best interest to give up a draft pick to secure a talented goal-scorer and an experienced player like Ryan,” Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson said in a statement.

“He adds another weapon to our attacking group and can create goals in a number of ways.”

The 27-year-old Kocic for the 23-year-old Bendik is a swap of backup goalies, although not in the mind of Kocic. Both players made around $44,000 last season with the Serbian Kocic, now the father of triplets, looking for a raise.

While Kocic played 27 league games in relief of the injured Stefan Frei, the team has made no secret that Frei will go into camp as No. 1. The Kocic move also frees up an international spot on the Toronto roster.

Like Johnson, Kocic seemed to get ground down by a season that saw Toronto yield a franchise-worst 62 goals. For many weeks, he came across as the conscience of the club. But by the end, with Kocic’s attention focused on his family, Toronto was playing Freddy Hall.

In Portland, Kocic gets his wish to compete for the No. 1 position currently held by 35-year-old Donovan Ricketts, whose salary last season was listed at $275,000.

“It’s a beautiful city, good crowd and everything,” Kocic said of Portland. “It’s going to be interesting.

“New coach (Caleb Porter) there, it’s good for me,” he added. “I can fight from scratch now for my No. 1 spot. In Toronto, Stef is guaranteed (the starting position) and over there it’s not.”

The move reunites Kocic with Mike Toshack, who was Toronto’s goalkeeping coach from 2009 to 2011 when he joined Portland.

Bendik played in five games for Portland last season, with three starts. Prior to signing with the Timbers in February, the American ‘keeper played his first two pro seasons with Songdal in Norway.

Since the end of the season, Toronto has declined the options on goalkeeper Hall, defenders Adrian Cann, Ty Harden, Jeremy Hall and Dicoy Williams, midfielder Oscar Cordon, and forwards Nicholas Lindsay and Keith Makubuya.

Cann, Harden, Jeremy Hall, midfielder Eric Avila and forward Andrew Wiedeman are eligible for Friday’s second stage of the MLS re-entry draft.

It has also acquired forward Justin Braun from Real Salt Lake in exchange for defender Aaron Maund.

Kevin Payne, Toronto’s newly minted president and general manager, was not made available by the club after the trade. But he offered some insight in the trade via a statement.

“We have a lot of work to do, from a roster and a salary cap standpoint, and this is a first step. Our objective is to put together a group of young, talented, athletic and hungry players that we can keep together for years to come.

“We are trying to develop a new culture and philosophy at Toronto FC and we want to assemble a group which will buy into that approach absolutely.”

Cochrane said the mention of “a new culture” was not intended as a specific reference to Johnson and Kocic.

Both players, however, may be best served by the change in scenery.

Kocic, who has been training with his friend Frei, leaves with a smile.

“I just wanna say thank you to all the TFC fans, players, and coaches that I had a pleasure to work with in past 3 years,” he tweeted.

“I’ll always remember my time in TO! Good luck next season to Toronto!”

Portland (8-16-10) has been making moves of late.

The Timbers previously acquired defender Michael Harrington and Canadian international midfielder Will Johnson and traded defenders Kosuke Kimura and Eric Brunner.

Also Wednesday, Portland re-signed forward Danny Mwanga, the first overall draft pick in the 2010 draft. Born in Congo, Mwanga attended high school in Portland and played at Oregon State.

The Timbers also announced Wednesday they had traded their third-overall position in the allocation ranking and either a 2013 international roster spot or a second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft to Chivas USA for the second-overall position in the allocation ranking.

With many of the injured players on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster becoming healthy with only four games left in the 2012 NFL regular season, timing couldn’t be better. The Steelers (7-5) host the San Diego Chargers (4-8) in a game that many are predicting will be a great opportunity for many of those Steelers players to test their readiness and march one step closer to the playoffs. Some younger players will step up in the game to cover some of the veterans who are still nursing injuries, but are expected to play at a high level. Sunday’s game at Heinz Field could be just the right opportunity for the Steelers to rebound and play near full strength since earlier in the season.

(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The news that cornerback Ike Taylor had fractured his ankle in last weekend’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens was yet another setback for the Steelers. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said, “We’re sure sorry to have [Taylor] sitting on the sidelines, but I know he’ll get back as quickly as he can. The guys that are in there will just have to step up and play well.” LeBeau was referring to Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown who will split time at Taylor’s position. Allen will get the start and Brown will come in on different defensive packages. “The defensive backs and the coaches obviously know what [Allen and Brown] are capable of,” said a healthy Troy Polamalu. “To replace somebody like [Taylor], who I don’t think has ever missed a game here, is going to be tough.” LeBeau talked about how the Steelers coaches get guys like Allen and Brown to step up during times like this by pointing out how they plan for the season. “We start from the coaching sessions, right up through training camp,” said LeBeau. “We don’t try to get four defensive backs ready to go, we try to get 8-10 because we know before the season is over, we absolutely will be playing 9-10 defensive backs in the games.” LeBeau credited defensive backs coach Carnell Lake for getting the players to the level they need to be at.

Defensively, the Steelers are looking like a complete unit. OLB James Harrison said that he feels the unit is getting healthier. “I guess it is good timing,” said Harrison. When he was asked about whether he felt his knee was 100 percent, Harrison responded, “No. It still hurts. I come into practice week, and I’m working my way to try to get back to how I felt on Saturday. I don’t expect to be 100 percent, but as long as I keep getting a little better come each Sunday, then that’s fine.” LaMarr Woodley will miss yet another game this weekend after no participation in practice due to an ankle injury. His replacement, Jason Worilds, has been doing a nice job on the left side of the defense. Even Harrison noted his performance was helping to keep the defense moving. Polamalu didn’t mind sharing snaps last weekend, his first start since he was injured during the Philadelphia Eagles game on Oct. 7. He felt overall it was a good game plan to have him come in and out. Regarding facing the Chargers’ offense, Polamalu said, “If [the big plays] come, they come.” LeBeau was more enthusiastic when he said, “Just count our blessings that we’ve got [Polamalu] back.”

The offensive line got a boost as well. While Rookie Mike Adams will miss Sunday’s game, fellow tackle/guard Willie Colon was able to participate fully in practice on Thursday and Friday and is listed as probable for the Chargers game. The most-likely lineup on Sunday would be (left to right): LT Max Starks, LG Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey back at center, RG Ramon Foster and Rookie Kelvin Beachum at right tackle. This is good news for Ben Roethlisberger who will get his first start at quarterback in four weeks after a shoulder/rib injury.

Roethlisberger will have a full compliment of receivers to throw to and a healthy set of offensive backs. Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery was able to return fully to practice all week and Antonio Brown, who missed practice on Wednesday was at full strength the next two days. Both are listed as probable, but in this case, Brown is sure to start. Receiver Emmanuel Sanders dealt with a shoulder injury he received in last weekend’s game and went from non-participant to limited to full participant in practice Wednesday through Friday. He is listed as probable as well. Mike Wallace seems to have cleared up his knee issues as well. Jonathan Dwyer is once again expected to get the majority of the rushing duties this weekend.

Fantasy owners who’ve been mourning all the injuries the Steelers players on their rosters have had this season can take a deep breath and feel secure playing most of those players this week. While Roethlisberger will start on the field, it may be a good idea to limit him as his game-play after injury is untested as yet. He could be worth the risk. Roethlisberger put up over 300 yards passing against the Chargers the last time these two teams met, and San Diego has a defense that hasn’t been able to stop passes from getting to receivers. Of all the receivers, Antonio Brown is probably the best selection to start. Sanders and Wallace should put up fairly good numbers. It’s up in the air at this point about Cotchery and Burress. Jonathan Dwyer is a good start selection, but Isaac Redman and Rashard Mendenhall have seen limited snaps the past couple of weeks. Redman is still a viable option in a deep roster league. The Steelers defense should dominate the Chargers and are a great pick to start, possibly through the remainder of the season.

 Steelers Injury Recap 

Out
Adams, Mike, OT: Ankle
Taylor, Ike, CB: Ankle
Woodley, LaMarr, OLB: Ankle 

Questionable
Leftwich, Byron, QB: Ribs

Probable
Brown, Antonio, WR: Ankle
Butler, Drew, P: Illness
Clark, Ryan, FS: Hip
Colon, Willie, G/T: Knee
Cotchery, Jerricho, WR: Ribs
Johnson, Will, FB: Concussion
Polamalu, Troy, SS: Not Injury Related
Roethlisberger, Ben QB, Right Shoulder
Sanders, Emmanuel, WR: Shoulder
Wallace, Mike, WR: Knee 

For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Steelers news, see CBS Sports Pittsburgh.

Christina Rivers is freelance journalist and photographer with a life-long love of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Credentialed with the organization, Christina provides a unique perspective gained through her knowledge and understanding of Steelers history, the Rooney family and relationships with past and present players. Her work can be found on Examiner.com. [javascript src=http://www.examiner.com/sites/all/libraries/cbswidget.min.js]

And, a favorite, Robert Kloss, with angels and blood and steamship voyages at Untoward. This: “Now there were those aboard this vessel who said you had always lived with a stilled heart, born into the condition of death, anointed with the last rites even as you wailed your first breath, and there were those who said your father, the doctor, gave you ether and laid you to the table, and there he plumbed your chest for the source of your life, if not the mortal pulse of a heart.”

Elisa Gabbert and Kathleen Rooney bring you two poems – sex and intimacy and bodies – at Hobart. Two poems by Lewis Mundt – Ray Bradbury is Dead & The Woods – over at Paper Darts.

Rae Bryant has this great story at the new Wag’s Revue: Leopard. Lion. She-Wolf. Check it.

“They come to Egypt in the summer; they come in their rented cars and bring their families and buy umbrellas and beach chairs; they bring swimsuits and towels and creams they wear on their skin so it won’t burn.” Randa Jarrar’s Building Girls at MAKE.

And, a last minute addition, because I love Breaking Bad and because I love Hobart: Breaking Bad fan fiction by PR Griffis.

Week 14 is upon us and the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) are fine tuning their team for readiness when they host the San Diego Chargers (4-8) Sunday night at Heinz Field. The word that Steelers fans have been waiting to hear is whether or not quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be under center, his first start since the November 12 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, in which he injured his SC joint and rib on his right side. Head Coach has been openly optimistic, but also guarded as to how much information he would give out until any final decisions are made on Friday.

(Credit, Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Roethlisberger’s condition was brought up on Monday, to which Tomlin said, “[Ben] threw…and I guess it could be described as successfully…He will be given an opportunity to prove that he is healthy and we will let that progress go from there.” Tomlin’s plans have been to give Charlie Batch the start against the Chargers, saying that the team will “prepare and plan with that in mind.” Following Wednesday’s practice, Coach Tomlin again met with the press who wanted to know every bit of detail about Roethlisberger’s status. Tomlin was a bit coy in his responses. “I thought it was a positive day for Ben. He threw the ball around both vertically and horizontally…Obviously, we’ll see how his body responds to it (on Thursday). We did what we intended to do and worked him and Charlie exclusively, and Brian [Hoyer] and Byron [Leftwich] handled the scout team.”

Coach Tomlin refuted the idea that he determines the outcome of Roethlisberger’s start by saying, “It’s not about what I like. It’s about what it is we need to do, and we’ve made decisions up to the 11^th hour in the past. I don’t think that this would be a situation where that will be something that we’ll be doing, based on what I saw today.” After a barrage of similar questions, Tomlin said that the Steelers would practice with the understanding that it could be Batch or Roethlisberger as the starter and would not deviate from their game plan for the Chargers.

Offensive tackle Mike Adams (ankle) will be on the ‘did not participate’ list this week, opening the way for rookie Kelvin Beachum to again take his spot. With guard Willie Colon still hampered by a knee injury, he did not practice on Wednesday but is expected to see limited practice the remainder of the week if the knee holds.

Some surprising non-participants in Wednesday’s practice were: WR Antonio Brown (ankle), FS Ryan Clark (hip), SS Troy Polamalu (non-injury related) and WR Emmanuel Sanders (shoulder). Some of these players likely were bruised and banged up against the Ravens last Sunday and needed an extra day to get back to 100 percent. Sanders suffered an AC sprain to his shoulder and it is not clear how much he will be able to practice at this time. Wallace has inflammation in his knee. Both Wallace and Sanders are expected to play on Sunday. Fullback Will Johnson suffered a concussion, but was able to participate fully in practice on Wednesday after going through the necessary battery of tests. OLB LaMarr Woodley did not participate Wednesday and is still undergoing rehabilitation on his ankle. Jason Worilds will most likely take his place on Sunday if Woodley doesn’t progress this week in practice.

Ike Taylor hasn’t and most likely will not participate in any practices this week as it was discovered after the Ravens game that he has a hairline fracture in his right ankle; his season may be done. In his place, Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown will step in with Brown being inserted into the defensive sub-packages. Allen was excited by the news that he would get the start against San Diego. He told the press that he realized that he had some good plays and some not so good ones against the Ravens.

“Obviously, there are some things to learn from after going back and watching the film,” said Allen. “I’ll make my corrections and work at it in practice and be ready for the [Chargers].” Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco targeted Allen several times last weekend after Taylor came out of the game. Allen said he expected teams to do this to him. “They’re going to try to go at me. I’m prepared for it. It’s something that you always have to be ready for, every down that you play…I accept that challenge.”

After being named the starter at running back last week, Jonathan Dwyer is ready to maintain a rhythm that keeps the Steelers’ offense moving forward. He said that his approach to preparing for the Chargers without knowing who will start at quarterback has no bearing on his, or the team’s, preparations. “We practice the same and we play the same. We have the same game plan, we just don’t know who is going to be calling the plays and throwing the ball. Other than that, we’re going to play the same way we know how to play and we’ll adjust to whoever the quarterback is.”

Batch is preparing much in the same manner. He realizes that he may not be the starter against San Diego, but he said that his role is to prepare as if he was the starter.

“[I] always want to play but my role is the backup. So, if [Roethlisberger]‘s ready to play, you can’t be sad about that. All I do is go out there, and if I’m called upon, do my job.” When asked about what he’s seen from the Chargers, Batch said, “They are very tough. Their defense is solid and they’ve been playing solid the entire year. Two weeks ago they had Baltimore on the ropes and gave up a fourth-and-29 play before they ultimately lost that football game. We can’t take anything for granted. We know they’re going to be tough coming in here and we need to expect their best, which we know we’re going to get.”

For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Steelers news, see CBS Sports Pittsburgh.

Christina Rivers is freelance journalist and photographer with a life-long love of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Credentialed with the organization, Christina provides a unique perspective gained through her knowledge and understanding of Steelers history, the Rooney family and relationships with past and present players. Her work can be found on Examiner.com. [javascript src=http://www.examiner.com/sites/all/libraries/cbswidget.min.js]

unlike any other league, the mls has a player roster financial structure so complex it needs a rule book for the rule book. and even then the rule book probably has annotations so confusing that even timothy geithner could not navigate his way through the red tape and loopholes. but suffice it to say that allocation money is one heck of a bargaining chip. teams love it and they want more of it! and the reasons why are pretty plain–the more allocation money the better the players to be signed, because the more allocation money a team has the greater ability they possess to buy down salary in order to retain some form of adherence to the salary cap. conceivably. and the great thing about accumulating allocation money is that it does not count against a team’s overall salary budget for any one particular season (look up the rule, it says that). essentially, allocation money is the leagues way of creating parity among the teams. indeed, the league even gives teams that suck more allocation money than the better guys. [note: the timbers sucked last season].

that is where we find the timbers roster movement trending towards. they had some players with salary demands that did not match their abilities on the pitch. and they had a few players with salaries commensurate their abilities but their wage demands would likely increase this next season (i alluded to this in the comment section yesterday when discussing the why the timbers declined the option to resign steven smith). as much as we may desire to see a player remain on the side, sometimes their pocketbooks are simply too big for the role they may fill in the side and retaining them is not economically feasible in relation to other greater needs of the team as a whole.

now, there is no question the $120,000 smith was on last season would not break the bank this next season, but  that number was determined to increase significantly. similarly, not exercising the rodwall’s option allows the timbers to bargain down his contract to a number that better reflects his importance to the side, and if that tactic fails the timbers can regain a misplaced $159,000. trading eric brunner for allocation funds was also an effort to remove what would become another 4 years of paying a large salary to a player whose position has been usurped by a younger, cheaper, and arguably better version. after all, the purpose of sacking spencer and the subsequent dismantling of the team he and gavin put together was and is to improve. right?

so now the dollars and cents of it all now begins to make sense. while any number of the timbers faithful are not going to weep into their beers over facepalmer and kimura, they do seem to have an attachment to smith and wallace. hey, i am one of them. well, not wallace, but smith held a distinct place in my notably small heart. but i also get that a reduction in salaries in certain areas that can be filled with comparable, but less expensive players, allows for the timbers to seek better players in more key areas while remaining in compliance with those nebulous salary cap rules. and the fact remains, the timbers have areas that require significant overhauls. i would be surprised if that was not the aim of the current efforts to stockpile allocation funds–a significant improvement.

ok, that was a stupid assertion. of course the organization wants to improve. but the way they want to improve, by recruiting quality and experience, requires moolah. earlier this week gavin laid out the plans for the offseason

What we want to fix is maybe the mental side of it and bring in mentally tough guys who have been in the league and succeeded in the league…

i wholeheartedly and one hundred and ten percent agree with that approach. but guess what? those types of players cost more money. mls cup winners like will johnson do not come on board the good ship sinking timbers for $60,000. no, will is on nearer to 250,000 clams. the fat will have to be trimmed to bring a winner like him into the fold. end of. and i do not expect will johnson and mike harrington to be the end of the significant moves. as gavin said:

I think it’s important for us to have a good offseason and acquire the players that we’ve identified. There’s going to be a few more moves, yeah, and we need to keep moving forward as an organization.

if that is the case, and gavin is not paying lip service to the timbers media shill, then the trades for allocation money and homegrown rights might suggest a bigger dip into the market than just a piece here and a tweak there. because it is conceivable to acquire enough allocation money to have 2 even 3 designated players who take up the same cap space as one desiganted player. color me intrigued.

as they say, more will be revealed.

sunshine

On Tuesday, 13th November, Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood took to the stage The Union Chapel in Islington, appearing alongside Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) and Will Johnson (Centro-matic, Monsters Of Folk).

What follows is a truly spellbinding show. Although set amongst the pews of a vast, still-functioning church, the performance itself couldn’t be more intimate. Whilst the three modern-day troubadours trade stories, songs and more than a few beers, any observer would have thought themselves in a cosy local music bar or even their own front room.

No one takes centre stage, instead taking it in turns to play their own material and that of their influences, while the other two sit back with a palpable air of artistic appreciation, occasionally offering a little vocal or guitar accompaniment. An extended standing ovation precedes the encore, capped off with all three playing a storming rendition of R.E.M.’s “Don’t Go Back To Rockville”, with the chorus refrain supplied by a now noticeably worse for wear Craig Finn. All in all, it is a fantastic show, and a fine display of storytelling, humour and musicianship.

Following the performance, Patterson was kind enough to answer a few questions on the show, his recent album, and what’s important in a good Tequila:

Hi Patterson, thanks for taking the time to speak to me. How are you?

Patterson Hood: Good. Starting to decompress and rest up from tour. Glad to be back home with my family.

It was a sensational show you guys played, and the format was not quite anything I’ve seen before. Where did the concept for the show come from?

PH: They have a lot of shows in this format in Nashville, some call it roundhouse style or songwriter showcase, guitar pulls, etc. This show originated from a lunch I had with Craig Finn shortly after the release of his excellent album (Clear Heart Full Eyes). He was in Athens for the afternoon and we had lunch at The Grit and came up with the idea of hoeing this in Europe and UK. Will was a logical third person, as he played on both of our albums, had his own coming out this fall and is a great friend of both of us.

I thought bringing your own drinks onto the stage was a really nice touch, although me and my mate got into a debate at one point. What was that suspicious-looking bottle you guys were passing round?

PH: Some kind of Tequila. Can’t remember the brand , but it was pure agave, which is important to tequila drinkers. I think we about did that one in.

During the show, you expressed you’re admiration for many musicians, with some of the more recent artists being the likes of Alabama Shakes and former Drive-By Truckers bandmate Jason Isbell. Who else are you into at the moment?

PH: Father John Misty has my favorite album of the year (Fear Fun). Also digging Bill Fay’s excellent album Life Is People and listening to Elephant Micah’s album Louder Than Thou. Of course Will’s (Scorpion) and Craig’s albums are supercool.

Is there any chance of you, Craig and Will putting anything to record in future?

PH: Don’t know if that will happen anytime soon, but you never know. Will and I have talked a lot about making a full album together at some point, but we all have a lot on our plates.

I’d like to talk a bit about your new album, Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance. What inspired you to produce a solo album at this time?

PH: As is so often the case with me, the songs kind of called for it and I just follow the songs. So much of my career trajectory has been a matter of following the songs. That is the motto in DBT and in my life, “Song Is King”. Everything else is secondary, although I have put a whole lot more care into the musical side of things in the past four or five years.

I had all of these songs and DBT was going to be taking most of the year off so it called out to be a solo album. It needed to be that anyway, as it’s a very personal collection and I didn’t really want a lot of outside input this time, which is odd for me. I am very happy with how it all turned out.

While other artists may choose to take a step back from their band projects when it comes to recording a solo record, nearly all your Drive-By Truckers bandmates appear on the album. Is there any particular reason for this?

PH: I really love the way those guys play and that’s what I heard in my head as I was putting it all together. I wanted to use them in ways they might not go to in a DBT release, like I love [Mike] Cooley’s banjo playing. Plus I didn’t really want a lot of guitar on this. I’m very happy with how it turned out.

I’ve always been struck by the deeply personal approach you take to songwriting, often writing in the first person. Would you say this is because you personally feel affected by the topics you write about, or more that you feel imagining yourself in other’s shoes better reflects your observations of the world around you?

PH: I often write in the first person. I guess I just like telling stories that way. Being in the shoes of one character or another. In the case of this album, the character is closer to me than usual. Sometimes I might write from a point of view that I don’t agree with at all, but always try to sere the character correctly, whether I agree with him/her or not.

Your past, and in particular the area in which you were raised, features heavily in your music [particularly the Muscle Shoals region of northern Alabama]. Why do you think this had such a significant impact on your writing?

PH: I guess you write what you know. It is a very profoundly weird and interesting place with a wild history that I find endlessly fascinating.

One line that particularly struck me was the line from “(untold pretties)”: “As far as I’m concerned it was the last time I ever saw her”. Tell me about that

PH: I guess that way of putting it does put a bit of a spin on it rather than saying I never saw her again. Probably best to leave it ambiguous since that’s how I wrote it.

From your songs and live performances, it’s clear you have a certain talent for storytelling. Is this your intention when approaching songwriting?

PH: I never really preconceive how a song is going to be, I just write it and let the song lead itself. I sort all of that out later. I am very interested in writing a book or a screenplay at some point. Some of the songs on this album began as part of a book I was writing on, but it morphed into something else entirely.

And finally, what’s next?

PH: Hopefully another DBT album at some point, maybe a book. Might make an EP with the band I put together to tour behind this album in the USA. I’d like to do some producing of other artists and I still want to make a movie someday.

i know that many have their attachments to certain players for reasons as varied as there are lightbulbs in peacock lane, but we have to be reasonable and objective in our understanding of the trades that took place. i also know many of you may consider me to be a curmudgeon, who has no ties or love for any players on the timbers, an opinion made easy by my usual malcontent writings, but do not be fooled–i have several favorites. two of which were sent packing yesterday.

we here at the axe have composed reams of pixels regarding our admiration of steven smith. in numerous conversations we have had (and we do actually talk with one another), both mags and i considered steven smith to be well entrenched within the future plans of the timbers. neither of us envisaged what would transpire monday afternoon. yes, on sunday i assumed something was up when smith began to express his discontent with keybank. i get it–banking on a sunday cannot be easy. right? if that was not enough of a hint that something was up, the description of the day being a really hard one sure could have been. but, you know, i could have always been adding two and two and coming up with 53. but the writing was pretty clear. still, when it was announced that the timbers had declined to re-sign smith i felt a twinge. just a little.

there are players who embody what it means to be a timber and then there are those who just do not get what it means. those who embody the ideal are not always the best players on the side, but they are the players who give everything on the pitch. and let’s face the fact that smith was not ever going to be considered the best player on the side, having made some notable mistakes that lead to some embarrassing moments in the timbers mls history, but he tried and did everything he could with his talents. at the end of the season he was a player we all placed our trust in–if, by the end of last season, we actually had faith in any of the team.

which leads me to the trade that shocked most of the timbers faithful. eric brunner did not have the season we had all hoped for–he was nutted early on and really did not regain optimal fitness until the final couple matches of the season. by then the worm had turned and it was clear that his position had been usurped by david horst. i am not sure whether he could have added to the side next season given porter’s love of athletic, mobile players, who have on-ball skills. brunner is the prototypical centerback who uses his body and wits to clear balls from danger rather than a modern back, who holds ball skills within his repertoire. that is not to say horst does, but there may yet be more in store for the team i the coming months.

i always suggested the side needs another centerback and the move sending brunner to houston makes sense on many levels, not least of all the ones enumerated earlier–he has health issues. though it does leave the timbers short on vocal leadership. it is a shame to not see him wear the captain’s band on a permanent basis, but with jack around that really was never an option.

in a strange and ground breaking move, gavin obtained the homegrown rights to the energy drinks and akron’s outstanding defensive mid, bryan gallego. i know i may give gavin a bit of stick. and for good reason. but i do give credit where it is deserved and yesterday the bus driver earned a compliment. as shocking as it may be, gavin did something, to my knowledge, that no other general manager has had the vision to do. in the mls roster rules, the definition and limitations on the homegrown players are thin at best. section II(f) states:

A club may sign a player to his first professional contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has trained for at least one year in the club’s youth development program and has met the League’s Homegrown Player criteria. Players joining MLS through this mechanism are known as Homegrown Players.

There is no limit to the number of Homegrown Players a club may sign in a given year.

that is it. all. nothing more to guide teams in how to acquire homegrown players, only that there is not a limit to the number of homegrown players that can be acquired. so, with in combination with II(d), which states

Players, SuperDraft and Supplemental draft picks, allocation money, allocation rankings, and international player slots may all be exchanged in trades…

it seems gavin made use of the obvious lack of restrictions on homegrown players. and because the homegrown player designation is a protection from the super-draft, a trade of the homegrown rights seems within the spirit of the guidelines of II(d) because it is essentially trading away a superdraft pick. sure, that is a simplification of the process but the best analysis possible–it is, after all, unchartered ground.

finally, the option on rodney wallace was declined which means he is re-entry draft bound, but most likely this is a ploy to renegotiate his contract. i would not be heartbroken if the front office forgot to make that last call to the rodwall’s agent. i know some rate him as a midfielder, but i do not.  and i really do not rate him as a midfielder within porter’s system–a system that requires footballing intelligence. porter’s system requires players to control the ball, to retain the ball, and to think beyond just the next pass. too often in the last two seasons, when required to do any of those aspects of footballing, the rodwall just froze. he may have something that resembles athletic ability, but he does not have the footballing intelligence to succeed in the years to come. this is not a knock on wallace as a player, or a person–he may well perform lights out within a different system, but i doubt it will be porter’s.

i will have more analysis regarding the trades and roster moments later, once the fervor has settled down. and i do not anticipate that to be for a few more days. so, for now we have a new midfielder and a new fullback. both will johnson and mike harrington are great additions. more on those later.

sunshine.

Nanchoff was the team’s second pick, eighth overall, in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. He started twice in two seasons and played less than 300 minutes across 14 games.

The club is still negotiating with Thorrington, who could yet sign a new one year deal. He earned $170,000 in 2012, taking a pay cut to return after an injury-plagued 2011 season.

Thorrington will go through the league’s re-entry process unless the Whitecaps sign him by Dec. 6. The 33-year-old played in 19 MLS games last season, his most since 2009 with Chicago.

Harris’s time in Vancouver has also been marred by injury and he’s now set for a new opportunity in Colorado. In exchange, the Whitecaps receive an international roster spot from 2015-17.

The Whitecaps picked up options Monday on the following players: goalkeeper Brad Knighton (who made $55,000 in 2011), defenders Jordan Harvey ($100,000), Greg Klazura ($33,750), Young-Pyo Lee ($174,200) and Carlyle Mitchell ($44,100), and midfielders Gershon Koffie ($92,500), Jun Marques Davidson ($71,137) and Matt Watson ($68,502).

Salt Lake made the biggest splash on Monday, trading centre back Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola to the New York Red Bulls for a large amount of allocation money, and dealing Canadian midfielder Will Johnson to the Portland Timbers for allocation money. Soccer By Ives first reported those moves on Sunday.

Nanchoff earned $101,000 in 2012, according to the MLS Players’ Union website. But because he was signed under the league’s Generation adidas partnership, his salary did not count against the cap. That was set to change in 2013, with Nanchoff graduating from the program, a decision the league makes based on a several factors, including playing time and age.

The Whitecaps maintain his MLS rights — he isn’t eligible for the re-entry process — but the club is seeking to move the young midfielder.

While the Whitecaps have picked up Lee’s option, the South Korean legend is still deciding his future. The team’s 2012 player of the year has said he could return for a year, or retire. A decision is expected by year’s end.

This process is clearly underway in the Rose City. The question for us is not so much a matter of what went wrong, but rather which of the side’s myriad shortcomings to address first. In light of this, perhaps we should note that in the last couple of days the team has made not one move but three.

The first, and perhaps the most significant of the moves made was to bring in Will Johnson from FSL for some allocation money. Johnson is a mobile, hard-nosed player who should (if his recent form is anything to go by) add some steel to central midfield. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself. There were days last season (particularly during our shellacking in Dallas) when our midfield was porous as a sieve. My question really is: whose place does Johnson take? I wouldn’t think it would be Chará, and without Nagbe one wonders from where the offense would come. Maybe this is a precursor to moving Nagbe into some sort of trequartisa type of role, but at this point it’s hard to parse.

A more unambiguously positive move is the acquisition of Michael Harrington from KC, also for allocation money. Harrington is a speedy guy and he’s made a lot of starts for KC, although only 11 or so last year. He can play either flank, but couldn’t displace either Chance Myers or Seth Sinovic in KC’s starting lineup. Clearly this addresses a need. Even the most pollyanna-ish of Timbers fanatics must concede that we were pretty weak at fullback in the term just completed. The team hasn’t specified exactly who they are carrying over from last year’s squad for this upcoming season (I think they are supposed to make an announcement about this tomorrow), but you would have to think that Harrington would be slotting in at right back. Partly this is because, although Steven Smith had some suboptimal stretches last season, his general trajectory in terms of quality was upward. And then there’s another reason…

Yes, that other reason is the departure of Kosuke Kimura for the Energy Drinks in return for…you guessed it: allocation money. I really don’t know what they have in mind for him, but this has to be one of the most startling cases of failing upward that this league has ever seen. Kimura is a guy with a lot of tools. He’s fast, he likes to get forward, and he’s a pretty good crosser of the ball. He is, however, a B- grade defender. I’ve gone on at length about him, both in the course of the season and recently in our end of season player reviews, so I won’t belabor the point. Except to say that the number of times that he knocked somebody over in the defensive zone for no adequately explained reason really beggars belief. His specialty, so far as I could tell, was conceding free kicks to people neither near the goal nor, in fact, even facing it. Well, he’s off to New York with my benediction. Let him be Thierry Henry’s problem for a while.

Ok, so just to sum up: a decent midfielder and a serviceable fullback in, and the poster child for poor decisions in defense out. That’s probably a pretty good bit of business. But wait, there’s more. sunshine suggested to me in his email about this topic that these moves that the fact that Johnson is on $224,000 a year (which is a pretty good slice for this league) means that in all likelihood Boyd is going to be moved. I must admit that I haven’t been paying enough attention to the team’s finances to know off hand whether this is true. But sunshine does keep his finger on the pulse, and if he thinks that that is what is happening I’m inclined to believe it.

If Boyd is on the cusp of departing it would sort of draw a line under the John Spencer era at PTFC (over and above that inscribed by his firing). The Boyd experiment failed. Partly it was a matter of his immobility (or his devastating lack thereof). Partly it had to do with the fact that the Timbers seem to lack players who have mastered the skill of crossing a football. From where I was sitting, it looked to me like there was at least some more dynamism in the team once Boyd was benched, although you’d have to say that it was a relative thing.

So the moves have begun. May God defend the right. I suspect that what has been done today will help, but the real problem remains: this team does not score enough. Until we get some attackers who can keep opposing defenses honest and prevent the ball from getting pounded down our throats every other second, it’s going to be a hard slog for this team.

Magadh

I haven’t written much lately, at least not about the Timbers. My distraction has been multifaceted and far-reaching. The words just aren’t there for me to write down or, when they are there, they’re even more awkward and disjointed than usual.

We’re all waiting for it: some shocking announcement that sends a beloved, respected player somewhere unfathomable in exchange for…nothing. That’s been the pattern, hasn’t it?

Changes are afoot. Kosuke Kimura to NYRB, Michael Harrington from SKC and Will Johnson from RSL. There are about a bazillion other rumors, some more plausible than others, all currently unsubstantiated.

Who’s busy packing? Purdy, maybe Futty, hopefully Palmer. I’m working under the assumption that both my Scots are gone and not coming back. Who else will go?

There’s been a lot of chatter about Merritt’s vacuum tweet. And I naively want to read it differently than the rest of you.

keep in mind many moves aren’t made in a vacuum. Often other deals are part of the thinking and announcement timing isn’t aligned…

So, that was two weeks ago and I’ve been obsessing over it ever since. Is this one of those Brian Ching things where we let someone we really like go and then pick them up on the other side of the street when no one’s looking? Or is it that, instead of the wacky seven-team-trades that we’ve all been carefully mapping out, is it as simple as Merritt telling us that we’ve been heard?

People have been shouting about offloading Kimura since about ten minutes after he got here. And now he’s on his way to join Kenny in New York – where he will become assist leader in 2013. If we, collectively, have been heard, Palmer and Wallace will be gone by the end of the week and we’ll have the positions filled that needed filling at this time last year.

Whatever. I don’t know what’s going to happen this week. I just know it’s not going to be simple, it’s not going to be easy and I’m sure that I’ll end up in tears over it at least twice. I am, as one of my fellow bloggers tweeted, the godmother of emotional PTFC moments and I expect that this will be a very, very emotional week.

Helmets on, kids. Safety harnesses secured? Get ready. Rostergeddon is upon us.

12.3.12 Update 8:00 a.m.: I hadn’t even made it to work this morning before this was on Twitter – http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/02/3945413/harrington-to-portland-thats-news.html. Dammit, Cubbie.