Leagues Cup Roundup - Portland Timbers vs FC Puebla & Club America

It’s Timbers Time and Leagues Cup is here! The Timbers faced two Liga MX teams last week of very different calibers and they produced similarly different performances with lots to break down. We dissect what went right in the 5-2 win against Puebla and what went wrong in the very “CONCACAF-y” 3-1 defeat to Club America, plus we rate the winners and the losers from the squad rotations in these two games… RCTID!This episode's key talking points include:Leagues Cup vibes hit different, but who are they for?How the team failed to adjust properly to Boniteg being off the fieldVelde’s “frustrating talent” is on overdrive with both brilliance and selfishnessDa Costa at False 9 is an intriguing experiment with both pros and consWould Ian Smith be best as a wing back?How do we rate Trey Muse’s appearances as backup goalkeeper?“Professionalism” or “Unethical” - the fine lines of CONCACAF game managementThe club makes a small fortune selling tickets to Club America fans, but at what cost?The Timbers hold their own against CA for a half but get found out in the second halfCassidy loses his unbeaten record but should still leave proud of his achievementsSome of our rotation players look brutally low on confidencePredicting Jack Cassidy’s next career stepsWill Cassidy’s success make it more difficult for Cifuentes to take over at the start of a tougher run of fixtures?Scouting T2 for Eric Izoita’s profile, growth and fit in Cifuentes’ systemContent Warning: Some “s” words and similar moderate swears. You can’t talk about CONCACAF without saying s**thousery, it’s impossible. Even Velde lost his cool with some "s" bombs in the post game… I rest my case!Timestamps:(0:00) Introduction(0:23) Chit Chat - The Odyssey, Leagues Cup Vibes(3:01) Puebla (H) - Pre-Game & Lineups Analysis(6:41) Puebla (H) - First Half Analysis(15:39) Puebla (H) - Second Half Analysis + Full Time Thoughts(22:38) Club America (H) - Pre-Game & Lineups Analysis(27:12) Club America (H) - First Half Analysis(35:46) Club America (H) - Second Half Analysis + Full Time Thoughts(42:52) Roster Winners and Losers from Leagues Cup Performances(52:37) Timbers News Roundup - Cifuentes Takes Over from Cassidy(57:17) T2 Update - Eric Izoita Updated Scouting Report(59:37) MLS News and Transfers(1:06:27 Next Episode Preview: Tijuana and Chicago Listener Topics and Questions!Thanks for listening and please do send us your questions or topics for analysis for the next episode: ⁠⁠⁠timberstimepod@gmail.com or DM us on IG:  timberstimepod or leave us a Reddit comment on our episodic r/Timbers post