Portland Timbers 2 are a familiar opponent for Phoenix Rising, and one that the club has a lot of experience recording wins against. Since becoming Rising, the club has won six of its seven competitive meetings against the Oregon club.
Rising won both matches against T2 last year. The first was a 4-2 thriller at Casino Arizona Field, with Phoenix scoring twice in injury time. The second was also full of goals, as the team defeated Portland 5-3 at a sparsely populated Providence Park.
Portland enjoyed a good start to the 2019 season, but their form dropped off over the summer. After a run of 14 losses in 19 games, T2 finished in 14th spot in the Western Conference.
Dairon Asprilla and Eryk Williamson – who led T2 in goals and assists respectively – both featured for the first team in MLS last weekend.
It’s difficult to preview Rising’s opponents tonight as they haven’t announced many players. Keep an eye out for any fringe first-teamers that may get sent down.
RETURNING PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jake Leeker is the only goalkeeper announced by T2 to date. Leeker started 2019 as Portland’s starting goalkeeper, but featured sporadically after mid-May. He was between the posts in October when Rising scored five at Providence Park. Leeker recorded a 64.9% save success rate last year, but managed only one clean sheet in 17 appearances. He previously played for Real Monarchs in 2018.
Center-back Max Ornstil was a mainstay of the 2019 T2 defense, and was named in every match day squad as a starter or substitute. Ornstil was uncharacteristically poor in the air last year, winning just 46.3% of aerial duels. Contrast that to 2017, when he won 60.6% over 19 games. Ornstil will be a familiar face for Rising’s coaching staff – he played under Rick Schantz for FC Tucson in 2013 and 2014.
Carlos Anguiano is back for another season in Portland’s midfield. Named in seventh place in USL’s Twenty Under 20 last season, Anguiano wasn’t supposed to be in this position. He was originally set for a stint at the University of North Carolina, but instead decided a year ago that he would remain in his home state and sign a professional contract. Anguiano’s strength is his passing accuracy – 88.9% overall in 2019, including 81.5% in the attacking half. He’s considered one of Portland’s better young prospects, so is definitely one to keep an eye on.
Gio Calixtro enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, and picked up six goals despite not yet turning 20. One of those was a first half equalizer against Rising in Oregon, before Phoenix ran rampant on the turf field. The local academy product signed his first professional contract back in January, and will be looking to improve on his haul from last year.
Other returning players that have been announced to date include Niko De Vera and Harold Hanson.
NEW FACES
Williams Velásquez is the highest-profile of T2’s 2020 acquisitions. On loan from English Premier League club Watford, Velásquez has represented Venezeula at U-20 and U-23 levels, and also started the 2017 U-20 World Cup final. A 6-ft-2 center-back, he’s yet to feature for his parent club. Instead, he has spent the last three years on loan to Valladolid B and CE Sabadell in Spain, as well as Japanese side JEF United Chiba.
Velásquez isn’t the only Venezuelan youth international to join the squad. Pablo Bonilla, a right back, played alongside Velásquez in the recent Olympic qualifying tournament. Unlike Velásquez, this is Bonilla’s first team outside of Venezuela, where he played for Portuguesa and Deportivo La Guaira.
Jacob Hauser-Ramsey makes his return to the Pacific Northwest, having spent the last season with Memphis 901. A decent tackler (84.6% success), he only conceded five fouls in 14 games last year. Hauser-Ramsey is crossing enemy lines in signing for Portland. He’s a Seattle native, who previously played for the Sounders Academy.
Another ex-901 player, Marcus Epps, also joined Portland this offseason. He split the 2019 season between Memphis and Red Bulls II, recording five goals and five assists. That was an impressive haul for the 25-year-old winger. Two were scored with his right foot, two with his left, and one with his head. Don’t be surprised if he gets stuck in at the back, too. Last season, he boasted a 69% tackle success rate.
Other new additions include Ken Krolicki (from Montreal Impact), Jorge Gonzalez, Irishman Aaron Molloy, and 20-year-old left back Aedan Stanley.
THE BOSS
Cameron Knowles is at the helm of Portland’s second team. The New Zealander has been with Portland’s coaching staff since 2012, after making 77 appearances for the club prior to it reaching MLS. He took the helm at T2 ahead of the 2018 season, and appears to be a fan of a 4-2-3-1 formation. Knowles was awarded US Soccer’s top coaching license in December.
During the early stages of his playing career, Knowles featured at youth level for New Zealand. He had the opportunity to represent his country at FIFA’s U-17 championship, but missed out after breaking his leg shortly before. Knowles captained the Akron Zips at collegiate level, before being drafted by Real Salt Lake in 2005. After failing to break into the MLS squad, he instead turned to the lower divisons where he spent the rest of his career with Portland and Montreal Impact.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
JJ Bilinski will have the whistle for Rising’s season opener. Starting his third USL Championship season, Bilinski is far from a pushover. He averages over four yellow cards per game throughout his USL career (at both Championship and League One level).
His stint in USL isn’t his first opportunity to call games at the professional level. Bilinski is actually a former Minor League Baseball umpire who made it as far as the Carolina League in 2013.
FROM THE ASHES PREDICTION: Lots of goals, with Rising coming out on top.