Nagbe, Borchers the keys to success for Portland Timbers’ MLS Cup run

For Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter, Darlington Nagbe and Nat Borchers provided his team with a balance that carried it to the 2015 MLS Cup title over the Columbus Crew.

Grant Wahl | Dec 6, 2015

Nagbe, Borchers the keys to success for Portland Timbers’ MLS Cup run /

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Is it possible to be both bold and pragmatic? To take risks and minimize the fallout? To find that elusive balance, the sweet spot between imagination and strength, between creativity and workrate, that we’re all looking for in one way or another?

That was the challenge facing Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter entering 2015, and it was an achievement realized in full on Sunday when his team won its first MLS Cup title with a 2-1 victory here against the Columbus Crew. And while soccer is a team game, the linchpins of Portland’s championship could be found in the balance personified by two new players: midfielder Darlington Nagbe and defender Nat Borchers.

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Wait, new players? Nagbe isn’t new to Portland, of course, but he might as well have been an entirely new addition to the team after Porter switched him to a central midfield role from the flank in midseason. That was bold and risky, not least because Portland was now sacrificing a more defensive-minded player in that role. And it came, too, after Porter had entered the season talking about how much more pragmatic he had become in an effort to improve the defense that had leaked 52 goals in 2014.

The pragmatic side of Porter had brought in Borchers, a solid MLS veteran who knew how to win big games in this league. That made Portland’s defense better, but the key to taking the Timbers to an even higher level was the risky tactical switch of Nagbe, which unlocked game-changing results from the potential he had often shown.

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Porter decided it was possible to be both bold and pragmatic. “I’ve found when you’re building the layers on your team, a lot of times you get one lightbulb on and the other one goes off,” he said in a quiet moment in the Champagne-soaked locker room after the game. “But to get the layers built, you’ve got to almost focus on that side of things. We’ve really had to emphasize the defensive side—as a team, with the personnel changes—and we probably did it to a fault. Even though we were generating chances, I’m not sure they were quality, and I’m not sure the players felt as free as they needed to be.”

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Nagbe was one of them. Not even Porter, who had coached Nagbe at the University of Akron, had been able to figure out the best way to use his talents, special talents on the ball that are hard to find in this league, in this country.

“Darlington is pretty special,” said Porter on Sunday. “I don’t tell people publicly, but he’s like a son to me. I’m really proud of him, because there was a time when I’m like, ‘Does he want to make the next step?’ It’s like father-son, right? ‘It’s time. You have to make the next step. You’ve got world-class talent, but you’ve got to figure out the player you want to be.’ But with that I thought: I’ve got to find a role for him.”

Nagbe’s father, Joe, had played the No. 8 position, the box-to-box role, in his days with Liberia’s national team. And Darlington had told Porter that his father’s message was “just don’t lose the ball.” Porter said he understood that, but Nagbe’s talent also required him to use it, to take risks.

Nagbe became that player in the central midfield for Portland, swashbuckling his way through the middle at certain times, deploying a deft first touch to create space at others, and even providing smart defensive work and positioning at others.

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If Porter had a model for Nagbe’s role, he said, he wanted him to become something like Paul Scholes, the Manchester United and England No. 8. And on Sunday, Porter sent Nagbe a text message before the game with one of his favorite quotes, from the Spanish and Barcelona legend Xavi: ”The one who has the ball is the master of the game.” If you get on the ball today, you’ll be the master of the game.

Indeed, Nagbe played a big role in creating the game-winning goal in the seventh minute. And while he had fewer rushes forward as the Timbers protected their lead, there were solid defensive moments and those occasional gorgeous first touches on the ball that he can conjure.

“Special touches,” Borchers called them, “that first touch that Darlington makes that puts him in space that gets it by the defensive pressure and makes us able to get our line up.”

Being in the center “allows me to get different looks on the field,” Nagbe said. “Being on the wings gave me the same look almost every time. Being in the middle was good for me and the team.”

GALLERY: 20 years of MLS Cup champions

MLS Cup Winners Through The Years

1996 — D.C. United

1996 — D.C. United (beat LA Galaxy 3-2 in extra time)

1997 — D.C. United

1997-MLS-Cup-DC-United-David-Vaudreuil-Scott-Garlick.jpg — Doug Mills/AP

1997 — D.C. United (beat Colorado Rapids 2-1)

1998 — Chicago Fire

1998 — Chicago Fire (beat D.C. United 2-0)

1999 — D.C. United

1999 — D.C. United (beat LA Galaxy 2-0)

2000 — Kansas City Wizards

2000 — Kansas City Wizards (beat Chicago Fire 1-0)

2001 — San Jose Earthquakes

2001-MLS-Cup-San-Jose-Earthquakes-Landon-Donovan-01069836.jpg — David Bergman for Sports Illustrated

2001 — San Jose Earthquakes (beat LA Galaxy 2-1 in extra time)

2002 — LA Galaxy

2002 — LA Galaxy (beat New England Revolution 1-0 in extra time)

2003 — San Jose Earthquakes

2003 — San Jose Earthquakes (beat Chicago Fire 4-2)

2004 — D.C. United

2004 — D.C. United (beat Kansas City Wizards 3-2)

2005 — Los Angeles Galaxy

2005 — Los Angeles Galaxy (beat New England Revolution 1-0 in extra time)

2006 — Houston Dynamo

2006 — Houston Dynamo (beat New England Revolution in penalty kicks after 1-1 draw)

2007 — Houston Dynamo

2007-MLS-Cup-Houston-Dynamo-Wade-Barrett-op5i-972-mid.jpg — Simon Bruty for Sports Illustrated

2007 — Houston Dynamo (beat New England Revolution 2-1)

2008 — Columbus Crew

2008-MLS-Cup-Columbus-Crew-Frankie-Hejduk-ophh-25335.jpg — Robert Beck for Sports Illustrated

2008 — Columbus Crew (beat New York Red Bulls 3-1)

2009 — Real Salt Lake

2009 — Real Salt Lake (beat LA Galaxy in penalty kicks after 1-1 draw)

2010 — Colorado Rapids

2010 — Colorado Rapids (beat FC Dallas 2-1 in extra time)

2011 — LA Galaxy

John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

2011 — LA Galaxy (beat Houston Dynamo 1-0)

2012 — LA Galaxy

2012 — LA Galaxy (beat Houston Dynamo 3-1)

2013 — Sporting Kansas City

2013-MLS-Cup-Sporting-KC-Aurelien-Collin-Lawrence-Olum.jpg — Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire

2013 — Sporting Kansas City (beat Real Salt Lake in penalty kicks after 1-1 draw)

2014 — LA Galaxy

2014 — LA Galaxy (beat New England Revolution 2-1 in extra time)

2015 – Portland Timbers

2015 – Portland Timbers (beat Columbus Crew SC 2-1)

2016 – Seattle Sounders

2016 – Seattle Sounders (beat Toronto FC in penalty kicks after 0-0 draw)

2017 – Toronto FC

2017 – Toronto FC (beat Seattle Sounders 2-0)

2018 - Atlanta United

2018 - Atlanta United (beat Portland Timbers 2-0)

It’s hard to imagine things going much better for Nagbe lately. His emergence has been the key to Portland’s championship, and he earned rave reviews from U.S. national team coaches and teammates for the way he trained during his first stint with the national team last month.

“This kid, I don’t think anybody knows just how good he is,” said Porter. “The national team tasted it. I always said, ‘Get this guy in training and they’ll be like holy s---.’ You know when Diego Valeri is saying Nagbe is our best player, that says something, you know what I mean? If you ask anybody on our team they’ll say he’s our best player, because he’s special on the ball.”

Infographics of MLS Cup history

1996 — LA Galaxy vs. D.C. United

1997 — D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids

Barry Slater (www.cargocollective.com/barryslater)

1998 — Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United

1999 — LA Galaxy vs. D.C. United

2000 — Kansas City Wizards vs. Chicago Fire

2001 — San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy

2002 — LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution

2003 — Chicago Fire vs. San Jose Earthquakes

2004 — D.C. United vs. Kansas City Wizards

2005 — New England Revolution vs. LA Galaxy

2006 — Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution

2007 — New England Revolution vs. Houston Dynamo

2008 — Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls

2009 — Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy

2010 — FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids

2011 — LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo

2012 — LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo

2013 — Sporting Kansas City vs. Real Salt Lake

2014 — LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution

But it was the acquisition of Borchers that allowed Porter to become more pragmatic at the beginning and later set the stage for the Nagbe risk. Portland conceded 13 fewer goals in the regular season this year as Borchers and Liam Ridgewell became one of the league’s best central defense partnerships. On Sunday, they anchored a defensive unit that shut down an explosive Columbus outfit for the final 73 minutes of the game.

You could make persuasive arguments for both Nagbe and Borchers as the most outstanding player of the 2015 MLS playoffs. Borchers was solid throughout and made some signature plays, like his late-game block in the box against Dallas and his late goal in the first leg of that series that gave Portland a 3-1 advantage. Nagbe, too, influenced every postseason game on the ball, and his defensive help was a pleasant surprise.

The sense of possibility right now with Nagbe is energizing and even a little bit overwhelming. But that’s what he always wanted. And as he wore a wide smile in the championship locker room on Sunday, Nagbe revealed something else too. “For me, the best part hasn’t happened yet. I’m going home and we’re having a son this week.”

Wednesday is the expected due date. It’ll be a fun week in Portland.

Published Dec 6, 2015

GRANT WAHL

A leading soccer journalist and best-selling author, Grant Wahl has been with SI since 1996 and has penned more than three dozen cover stories.