Fadi on Agnello
Ever since the announcement of the appointment of the Timbers' new coach/GM Chris Agnello there has been feverish speculation as to what 2006 will bring for the Portland Timbers.
Most of this speculation involves players from last season's team, but one point that should be made is that this is no different from each year since the Timbers returned to Portland. Every year questions about budget, returning players and new signings have been at the top of fans lists, the only difference this year is that the face at the top is new giving yet another layer of uncertainty.
One Timbers' player from last year who knows Agnello well is Fadi Afash so it was good to talk to Fadi today and get to ask a few questions about the Timbers' new boss.
"Believe it or not I was the last person to know he was even applying for the job. He called me up and said 'I can't believe you didn't call me up to congratulate me'!".
"He is a great manager, and he knows how to win it. He likes to build from the back, we didn't get a lot of goals against and that's why in Utah not many teams could score against us...that's his style."
I asked Fadi about how Agnello would be able to juggle the different parts of his job.
"(In Utah) He ran everything from the small things to the big things..I think we'll be in good shape. As for Portland, he'll get used to it ...he's been doing it for a while...he won't have any problem with it."
Then I asked Fadi about his own plans next year and (as much as any player will know at this stage) he was positive.
"I am meeting with Chris in January and we'll go from there. I know who I am for him and we won a lot of stuff together."
"I love this team I love playing here. I'm getting ready for next season, I think I'll be with the Timbers."
Fadi expressed disappointment in his playing time last season (Fadi played only 181 minutes).
"I was surprised that some people think I'm the highest paid in the team...(last year) I was the lowest believe it or not. "
"People keep saying injury, but I did my surgery 3 years ago, after that I have no problem...but I was disappointed last year with my playing time...when you play more you get more chances....you don't play, how are you going to score?...I didn't start any game...very disappointing. With all respect to Bobby I don't think he gave out time in the proper way."
I asked about possible players for next season and Fadi made some informed guesses.
"New players, especially the back. Our back was not good...It's hard to know exactly. In my opinion he (Agnello) knows how to get good players in cheap ways. He doesn't like to spend tons of money on finding players."
"I know he's going to bring a goalkeeper/coach from England, probably for backup ...i'm not sure exactly."
Fadi mentioned Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar as a key player for the Timbers last season and so I asked about him.
"I talked to Hugo the other day, we are close friends, I want to win the championship...just the little things make the difference, we have advantage, we have out turf, and I know Hugo, he want's to win it so I think he'll be back. "
I asked about the rumors linking Hugo with an MLS club and Fadi's response was that maybe he is/will be working out with MLS team to get in shape.
Asked about other players from last year Fadi mentioned that some players may be back, but some of the higher earners on the team may have to return with a pay cut. He thought that overall the player budget may be bigger due to the combining the GM/coach jobs.
"Chris knows how to run it. We have to add players, sometimes players look similar but one players does just a little thing different and that can make a huge difference in the game."
posted by the timberlog at 1:07 PMMost of this speculation involves players from last season's team, but one point that should be made is that this is no different from each year since the Timbers returned to Portland. Every year questions about budget, returning players and new signings have been at the top of fans lists, the only difference this year is that the face at the top is new giving yet another layer of uncertainty.
One Timbers' player from last year who knows Agnello well is Fadi Afash so it was good to talk to Fadi today and get to ask a few questions about the Timbers' new boss.
"Believe it or not I was the last person to know he was even applying for the job. He called me up and said 'I can't believe you didn't call me up to congratulate me'!".
"He is a great manager, and he knows how to win it. He likes to build from the back, we didn't get a lot of goals against and that's why in Utah not many teams could score against us...that's his style."
I asked Fadi about how Agnello would be able to juggle the different parts of his job.
"(In Utah) He ran everything from the small things to the big things..I think we'll be in good shape. As for Portland, he'll get used to it ...he's been doing it for a while...he won't have any problem with it."
Then I asked Fadi about his own plans next year and (as much as any player will know at this stage) he was positive.
"I am meeting with Chris in January and we'll go from there. I know who I am for him and we won a lot of stuff together."
"I love this team I love playing here. I'm getting ready for next season, I think I'll be with the Timbers."
Fadi expressed disappointment in his playing time last season (Fadi played only 181 minutes).
"I was surprised that some people think I'm the highest paid in the team...(last year) I was the lowest believe it or not. "
"People keep saying injury, but I did my surgery 3 years ago, after that I have no problem...but I was disappointed last year with my playing time...when you play more you get more chances....you don't play, how are you going to score?...I didn't start any game...very disappointing. With all respect to Bobby I don't think he gave out time in the proper way."
I asked about possible players for next season and Fadi made some informed guesses.
"New players, especially the back. Our back was not good...It's hard to know exactly. In my opinion he (Agnello) knows how to get good players in cheap ways. He doesn't like to spend tons of money on finding players."
"I know he's going to bring a goalkeeper/coach from England, probably for backup ...i'm not sure exactly."
Fadi mentioned Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar as a key player for the Timbers last season and so I asked about him.
"I talked to Hugo the other day, we are close friends, I want to win the championship...just the little things make the difference, we have advantage, we have out turf, and I know Hugo, he want's to win it so I think he'll be back. "
I asked about the rumors linking Hugo with an MLS club and Fadi's response was that maybe he is/will be working out with MLS team to get in shape.
Asked about other players from last year Fadi mentioned that some players may be back, but some of the higher earners on the team may have to return with a pay cut. He thought that overall the player budget may be bigger due to the combining the GM/coach jobs.
"Chris knows how to run it. We have to add players, sometimes players look similar but one players does just a little thing different and that can make a huge difference in the game."
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Scot
Of course every Timbers' fan will heartily second the sentiments over at timbersblog this morning.
According to Scot "...everything is still open." So...
...AGNELLO MAKE THAT CALL!
posted by the timberlog at 8:38 AMAccording to Scot "...everything is still open." So...
...AGNELLO MAKE THAT CALL!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Damned with Faint Praise
Posted over at talktimbers.com is the text of an email sent out by Bernie Fagan which, if it is real and not some spoof, seems totally bizarre.
Damning Timbers new coach Chris Agnello with faint praise Fagan states that...
"I recall that Chris was a competent college player all those years ago"
and continues
"Yes, I am disappointed the Timbers did not chose someone who fit the profile they said they were looking for. The Timbers publicized that they were looking for a local person with a high profile who could draw crowds to the stadium through established contacts in our community; someone who could coach the team successfully and promote the team in the community. Obviously, this commitment was abandoned somewhere in the process of recruiting for the position."
[my highlights]
Whatever lies behind this...a feeling of betrayal by the Timbers owners (we don't know how far Fagan got in the recruitment process); genuine disappointment that he did not get the post, this public message doesn't seem the correct way of dealing with it.
posted by the timberlog at 10:05 AMDamning Timbers new coach Chris Agnello with faint praise Fagan states that...
"I recall that Chris was a competent college player all those years ago"
and continues
"Yes, I am disappointed the Timbers did not chose someone who fit the profile they said they were looking for. The Timbers publicized that they were looking for a local person with a high profile who could draw crowds to the stadium through established contacts in our community; someone who could coach the team successfully and promote the team in the community. Obviously, this commitment was abandoned somewhere in the process of recruiting for the position."
[my highlights]
Whatever lies behind this...a feeling of betrayal by the Timbers owners (we don't know how far Fagan got in the recruitment process); genuine disappointment that he did not get the post, this public message doesn't seem the correct way of dealing with it.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
O - Agnello Hits the Ground Dealing
"We gave up few goals (in Salt Lake), and that's how we will assemble this squad...That does not mean I'm conservative as a coach, when we win possession of the ball, we will move forward quickly. It will be a style I hope the fans will enjoy and players will enjoy playing."
posted by the timberlog at 12:31 PM"We gave up few goals (in Salt Lake), and that's how we will assemble this squad...That does not mean I'm conservative as a coach, when we win possession of the ball, we will move forward quickly. It will be a style I hope the fans will enjoy and players will enjoy playing."
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Timbers Name Agnello as Head Coach
The Portland Timbers have named Chris Agnello as their new head coach/GM.
More recently he was the assistant coach with Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.
Timbers/Beavers president John Cunningham made the announcement today saying:
"It's with great excitement that we welcome Chris to the Timbers organization today," Cunningham said. "He is very passionate about the game of soccer and offers a great deal of experience in all of the areas we were looking for in a new coach and general manager."
As well as making the Blitzz the top team in the USL Div2/D3 league, he also played a major part in developing youth soccer in the Salt Lake Valley - the Junior Blitzz program having 16,000+ members.
The Agnello coached Blitzz only played at PGE Park once, back in 2001 winning 3-1 and putting an early end to the Timbers' US Open Cup hopes in that inaugral A-League year.
The Blitzz had a few connections with the Timbers, Fadi Afash obviously who plied his trade between the 2 clubs and Agnello's technical director Billy McNichol who was seen a few times at Timbers training camps over the years.
posted by the timberlog at 2:33 PM
More recently he was the assistant coach with Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.
Timbers/Beavers president John Cunningham made the announcement today saying:
"It's with great excitement that we welcome Chris to the Timbers organization today," Cunningham said. "He is very passionate about the game of soccer and offers a great deal of experience in all of the areas we were looking for in a new coach and general manager."
As well as making the Blitzz the top team in the USL Div2/D3 league, he also played a major part in developing youth soccer in the Salt Lake Valley - the Junior Blitzz program having 16,000+ members.
The Agnello coached Blitzz only played at PGE Park once, back in 2001 winning 3-1 and putting an early end to the Timbers' US Open Cup hopes in that inaugral A-League year.
The Blitzz had a few connections with the Timbers, Fadi Afash obviously who plied his trade between the 2 clubs and Agnello's technical director Billy McNichol who was seen a few times at Timbers training camps over the years.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Timbers Schedule Out
The USL has released the 2006 schedule [pdf]
The Timbers' 14 home games start on Fri May 5th against Vancouver and feature 3 Thursday, 5 Friday, 3 Saturday and 3 Sunday games.
The Timbers' season opens with an away game in Vancouver on Sat April 22nd.
posted by the timberlog at 12:14 PMThe Timbers' 14 home games start on Fri May 5th against Vancouver and feature 3 Thursday, 5 Friday, 3 Saturday and 3 Sunday games.
The Timbers' season opens with an away game in Vancouver on Sat April 22nd.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
...and this picture has officially...
posted by the timberlog at 9:19 AM
Monday, December 12, 2005
Timbers Holiday Soccer Camps
Timbers players including Jarrod Weis, Tom Poltl and Garrett Marcum are taking part in two holiday soccer camps taking place at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, located at 6651 SW Capitol Highway.
The camps are for kids aged 6 - 12 and take place on Dec. 19-23 and Camp 2 Dec. 26-30. Price is $125, with information and registration available by phoning Mittleman Jewish Community Center at (503) 244-0111 or by accessing a registration form online at www.portlandtimbers.com.
posted by the timberlog at 1:25 PMThe camps are for kids aged 6 - 12 and take place on Dec. 19-23 and Camp 2 Dec. 26-30. Price is $125, with information and registration available by phoning Mittleman Jewish Community Center at (503) 244-0111 or by accessing a registration form online at www.portlandtimbers.com.
WFMU's stellar Beware of the Blog posted the clip of the Fall's Mark E Smith reading the football scores.
posted by the timberlog at 10:06 AM
Good news for everyone involved, Brent Sancho's dispute with Gillingham seems to be over and he was on the bench for their 3-0 win over Port Vale over the weekend.
posted by the timberlog at 9:53 AMWednesday, December 07, 2005
Blinkered America is Already Among the Thugs
posted by the timberlog at 9:43 AMTuesday, December 06, 2005
A Chat with Brent
I got a chance to chat with former Timbers defender Brent Sancho over the weekend and ask him a couple of questions about Trinidad's recent World Cup qualification.
After admitting that the qualification "...still hasn't sunk in", I asked Brent about his current problems with his current club Gillingham.
BS: It's still a massive deal and I haven't been playing for them because of that. They're very upset that I left to play. I was injured before, but I felt fine to play. I was willing to play for them more than anything and they never gave me the chance. Trinidad gave me that chance and of course I'm going to go back and play in the biggest game in the country's history.
They were upset, they did not want me to go and they did not respect the achievements of what we have done so far. Myself and my teammate (Ian Cox) have had no celebration, no acknowledgement or anything from the club which is an absolute disgrace when you think there are 2 players from the same club, who will more than likely be appearing in the World Cup, from a lower division English team, which is unheard of. I'm quite disappointed in that, but in saying that, the fans have been absolutely tremendous, given me support, come up to me and given congratulations, tell me how happy they are for me. I'm happy with the fans, not so much the club.
tl: What's been the change in the T&T team that's brought this success?
BS: Simple organization. We had all the talent in the world, but we were very disorganized on and off the pitch. With the new coach coming in (Dutchman, Leo Beenhakker) he was given the reigns to put organization in place, a system, a structure. What the federation (Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF)) failed to realize was with so many players playing overseas we were used to a structure, a formation and a certain level of professionalism that we didn't get when we came back to Trinidad.
Once that was put in place right away it was unbelievable, the results started changing and we started pulling off some remarkable results simply because we became a better organized team.
Brent then talked about his plans and about his time in Portland.
BS: I was sorry to see Bobby and Jim Taylor leave. I guess everyone has to move on. I still check for their (the Timbers) results and you never know how things go in football...one of my intentions is to return to the US and play...
tl: ...coach maybe?
BS: ...to be honest with you I'm starting to think like that now. Reaching the WC, which was one of my goals, played in the Scottish Premier League, I'd love to play in the English Premiership which is my next goal.
I would love to come back (to Portland). It's a city that I consider home. I have a lot of close friends there, families of kids I coached, I still communicate with them.
Give the fans there my regards, the support they've given me is unbelievable and I'd love to come back one day. It was such an enjoyable place to play.
posted by the timberlog at 7:14 PMAfter admitting that the qualification "...still hasn't sunk in", I asked Brent about his current problems with his current club Gillingham.
BS: It's still a massive deal and I haven't been playing for them because of that. They're very upset that I left to play. I was injured before, but I felt fine to play. I was willing to play for them more than anything and they never gave me the chance. Trinidad gave me that chance and of course I'm going to go back and play in the biggest game in the country's history.
They were upset, they did not want me to go and they did not respect the achievements of what we have done so far. Myself and my teammate (Ian Cox) have had no celebration, no acknowledgement or anything from the club which is an absolute disgrace when you think there are 2 players from the same club, who will more than likely be appearing in the World Cup, from a lower division English team, which is unheard of. I'm quite disappointed in that, but in saying that, the fans have been absolutely tremendous, given me support, come up to me and given congratulations, tell me how happy they are for me. I'm happy with the fans, not so much the club.
tl: What's been the change in the T&T team that's brought this success?
BS: Simple organization. We had all the talent in the world, but we were very disorganized on and off the pitch. With the new coach coming in (Dutchman, Leo Beenhakker) he was given the reigns to put organization in place, a system, a structure. What the federation (Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF)) failed to realize was with so many players playing overseas we were used to a structure, a formation and a certain level of professionalism that we didn't get when we came back to Trinidad.
Once that was put in place right away it was unbelievable, the results started changing and we started pulling off some remarkable results simply because we became a better organized team.
Brent then talked about his plans and about his time in Portland.
BS: I was sorry to see Bobby and Jim Taylor leave. I guess everyone has to move on. I still check for their (the Timbers) results and you never know how things go in football...one of my intentions is to return to the US and play...
tl: ...coach maybe?
BS: ...to be honest with you I'm starting to think like that now. Reaching the WC, which was one of my goals, played in the Scottish Premier League, I'd love to play in the English Premiership which is my next goal.
I would love to come back (to Portland). It's a city that I consider home. I have a lot of close friends there, families of kids I coached, I still communicate with them.
Give the fans there my regards, the support they've given me is unbelievable and I'd love to come back one day. It was such an enjoyable place to play.
Monday, December 05, 2005
The Oregonian on Portland's 4-0 victory over UCLA in the NCAA Div 1 College Cup Final
Locally run 2006 World Cup Blog looking for Manager/Intern
posted by the timberlog at 12:44 PMLocally run 2006 World Cup Blog looking for Manager/Intern
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Next up for Pilots: UCLA on Sunday
The Portland Pilots's 4-3 win on penalties over Penn State yesterday sets up a final clash with UCLA on Sunday (10am PST in College Station, Texas).
The game will be televised live again on ESPN2
Snow, red eyes can't detour Purple Pride
posted by the timberlog at 8:00 AMThe game will be televised live again on ESPN2
Snow, red eyes can't detour Purple Pride
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Ginger-Ginger-Ginger Bread...
Timbers super-fan and gingerbread architect David Diffendorfer's Benson Hotel display is now up. David usually includes some Timbers related items in his creation, this year is no exception.
Time to get the kids to take you downtown.
posted by the timberlog at 9:10 AMTime to get the kids to take you downtown.