It is hard to overstate the degree to which Portland Timbers not named Diego Valeri stunk on Wednesday night. The Timbers took just five shots and completed one — ONE!!! — pass into the box. They had just six touches in the box, which MLS editor and official stats nerd Ben Baer says is a season low. The Timbers completed an appalling 64 percent of their passes.
The Portland Timbers might stink, but Diego Valeri is still MVP quality
As a team, the Timbers turned in one of their worst performances of the year, but Valeri had two of his best finishes of the season.
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Portland was extremely bad before they picked up a red card, but yeah, there was also the red card. It was a horrible, repugnant performance.
And yet, the Timbers won 2-1, eliminating FC Dallas from the MLS playoffs, because Diego Valeri did this.
And this. While down a man.
Valeri was the 2017 MVP, and he might have looked like the best player in the league in 2018 too if he had better support. He led his team in shots this year and was second in the league in key passes. His teammates just couldn’t finish the chances he created, and the ones he got for himself weren’t as high-percentage as the ones that were set up for him last season.
Portland is not a better team than their next opponent, either Sporting Kansas City or the Seattle Sounders. But they might have the best player on the field, and that will always make them dangerous.
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