Niche Cache. All good stuff
Five outta five for Finn Surman. Antony, Jimer Fory, and David Ayala are the only other Portland Timbers players to have started every match alongside Finn Surman... and happily this latest one was a huge improvement on the last few. The Timbers were away against Colorado Rapids where a combination of clinical finishing and excellent defending saw them leave
with a 3-0 victory in their pockets.
There was an own goal in first half stoppages, then Antony (48’) doubled the lead right after the break. Kevin Kelsy finished things off on 75’. Exactly what the doctor ordered after only one win from four to begin things. The whole team’s performance was good but it was the mahi of a certain Finn Surman that you’re here to read about so lucky for you he was brilliant. Especially in the second half after Portland took control.
Surman blocked a couple shots, he picked off a couple dangerous crosses, and he made a whopping 19 defensive clearances. He was a brick wall at the back. Doing what he did at the Wellington Phoenix only translating it to a higher level. Dude was so good they sent him to do post-game media...
https://youtu.be/SR6QYEo8AqY
Finn Surman: “It’s what I came here to do, what I wanted to do. I want to play. Last season I had limited game time but for me that was important and I learned from that and took it in my stride. I worked hard in the offseason and knew what goals I had coming into this season and what I wanted to achieve. We’re only five games into the season now so there’s still a long, long way to go. I want to be a player that’s relied upon. I want to play with consistency and dominate from the back, that’s a role that I embrace.”
Hard to argue that skipping out on those All Whites wasn’t the best thing for him. Surman used the window to lay down possibly his best performance yet for his new club, leading to a very impressive victory, and with that he can start to feel a lot more comfortable in that starting role. Timbers coach Phil Neville seems to love him and only ever says positive stuff about him (even before he was starting games that was still the case).
He’s clearly winning over the fans too because they voted him Man of the Match for the Colorado game.
Five weeks into the MLS season, only Minnesota’s Morris Duggan has made more defensive clearances than Surman (although Duggan’s teammate Michael Boxall might have gotten close if he’d played this week). Minnesota United drew 2-2 with LA Galaxy while Boxy was away
