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It's two months into the Portland Timbers second MLS season and the first eight games have left much to be desired. Portland is currently last in the MLS’s Western Conference and is the only team in the West with fewer points (7) than games (8).

Here are five reasons why the Timbers have struggled, and how they might be able to turn their season around.

1. Injuries

Every team gets injured, but the Timbers have dealt with the injury bug early and often. This season has seen injuries at every position, from players that have never played in Portland (Jose Adolfo Valencia) to some of last year’s stalwarts (Futty Danso, Kalif Alhassan, Rodney Wallace, David Horst, etc). So far, the Timbers haven’t been able to catch a break.

There isn't much solution to staying injury-free other than making sure players aren’t rushed back too early and sustain more long-term damage.

2. Where is Nagbe?

While second-year player Darlington Nagbe showed glimpses of his immense talent last season, his rookie year was marred by injuries and a slow start to the year. This season, Nagbe has already bested his scoring mark from last season with three goals. All three goals came from when Nagbe was playing in the center of the field. Despite Nagbe’s success in the middle, he has started three games at outside midfielder.

Ten minutes into the Timbers match vs Real Salt Lake, John Spencer moved Nagbe off the wing and into an attacking center-mid role. All Nagbe did was score two first-rate goals and play his best soccer as a professional. Despite this, Nagbe hasn’t played in the central of the midfield since.The best solution would be to stick Nagbe underneath the strikers and let him create. This would also make it easier on either Jack Jewsbury or Lovel Palmer, as they are better when playing a holding midfield position.

3. The play of the backline

The Timbers ended the 2011 season with some very stout defensive performances and gave up just eight goals in their final ten matches. However, the beginning of 2012 bodes no resemblance to the end of 2011 having conceded 13 goals in the first eight matches. Consistently poor positioning, lack of marking near the end of matches, and ball-watching have led to numerous goals that could have been prevented.

While the fullback position has been justifiably criticized by media and fans alike, the centerbacks have also been at fault on multiple goals this year. Eric Brunner has shown outstanding leadership and has had to cover for poor play on the outside, but he has also not shown the domination in the aerial game that he had last season. The budding partnership between Brunner and Hanyer Mosquera looks promising, but only clean sheets will prove the pair’s worth.

4. Late game debacles

In all but one game this season, the Portland Timbers have entered the 75th minute with a tie or a lead. Despite this, Portland has only been able to get positive results in three of those seven matches. Portland has given up six goals in the final 15 minutes, which leads the league. One reason for the late-game struggles, seems to from needless late-game substitutions. On multiple occasions this season, a second half sub has been at fault for an opponent’s goal. One of those players, James Marcelin, was waived last week to make room for Steven Smith.

One way to fix the problem is to make sure players understand their late game roles. Players such as Diego Chara have seemed to be unsure of what position they are meant to be playing in at the end of matches. Another problem, which might be harder to overcome, is changing the belief of the team at the end of the matches. It's hard to hold a lead when everything in your brain is telling you that you are going to concede a late goal. It might be easier for attacking players to continue their attacking ways instead of trying to overload the defensive half. In fact, Portland is one of just three MLS squads without a goal in the final 15 minutes of a match.

5. The Timbers just aren’t as good as their opponents

The 300-pound elephant staring the Timbers in the face is a scary one. Despite the acquisitions of Kris Boyd and Mosquera, Portland is simply not playing as well as it did in the second half of last season. It's completely possible that the majority of MLS teams have gotten better, while the Timbers have stayed the same or gotten worse.

Since opening night, only Nagbe and Boyd have scored goals. The midfield has provided little in the attack and hasn’t been able to close down on opponent midfielders away from the ball.

In almost every match, the opponents have gotten production from their bench, while the Timbers haven’t gotten much (other than Nagbe’s goal).

The lack of depth in the bench has been easy to see while teams such as Chivas USA, Real Salt Lake and even expansion Montreal have had subs be key parts of goals. In-season acquisitions of Mike Fucito and Smith might provide some much-needed support for Portland, but it still waits to be seen if the Timbers face a “talent issue.”

One positive for the club is the season is only a quarter of the way through. However, if the Timbers can’t turn their early season woes around soon, it will be a long season at Jeld-Wen Field.

Mike Donovan is the Portland Timbers beat reporter for oregonsports.com and he tweets at twitter.com/TheMikeDonovan. Donovan, along with oregonsports.com publisher Cliff Pfenning, host the weekly web series, No Pity City, every Tuesday night at 8:30 pm.

Going into halftime Saturday in Frisco, Texas, the Portland Timbers were behind 1-0 on the scoreboard and Darlington Nagbe was not on the pitch for the second consecutive first half.

Five minutes into the second half, Nagbe was in and the Timbers were no longer losing.

A Nagbe goal four minutes into the second half earned the Timbers a 1-1 draw in their first away match of the season.  Unlike the Timbers home opener on Monday at Jeld-Wen, Nagbe entered the game as a striker and not a midfielder.

While his goal was only set up after a disastrous screw-up by FC Dallas midfielder Daniel Hernandez, his finishing ability and presence of mind to turn and fire on net had zero to do with an opponent’s mistakes.

According to head coach John Spencer last season following the New England home game, Nagbe prefers to play up top paired with another striker. With newly acquired striker Kris Boyd a ready-and-willing presence in the box, Nagbe might have found his perfect match.

It was not just the goal that earned Nagbe the right to start at striker for the Timbers in upcoming matches. It was his touch and passing ability. His first touch is clearly far above any other potential starting forward on the club, while his ability to pass in tight spaces is a notch above Jorge Perlaza.

Nagbe’s ascent to striker would also clear up Perlaza to be used as a speedy, change-of-pace forward in the final 20 or so minutes of a match. Perlaza would have a game changing ability going against defenders that had been on the pitch for the entire game.

Another plus of Nagbe starting as a striker is how it clears up the jumbled outside midfielder position. Assuming Franck Songo’o eventually starts, the Timbers will have two defined starters (Kalif Alhassan and Songo’o) and two defined backups (Sal Zizzo and Eric Alexander) on the wings.  

While Nagbe does not have the height of most starting MLS forwards, his excellent jumping ability and sheer soccer IQ make up for his lack of inches. Nagbe displayed his ability to beat much taller defenders in last year’s 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthwaukes at Jeld-Wen.

Using his brain and leverage, the 21-year-old beat 6-foot-5 defender Bobby Burling to a ball and then slotted in a cross to Cooper, who found the back of the net. Plays like that demonstrate Nagbe’s ability to play against much taller central defenders.  

Sometimes in sports, players lose their spot not due to their inability, but simply because another player gives his team a better chance to win. And that is exactly what is happening to Jorge Perlaza. His demotion paired with Nagbe’s promotion would simply make the Timbers better.

Mike Donovan is the Portland Timbers beat reporter for OregonSports.com and he tweets at twitter.com/TheMikeDonovan. Donovan, along with OregonSports.com published Cliff Pfenning, host the weekly web series, No Pity City, every Tuesday night at 8: 30 Pacific time.

Portland fans will see a few familiar faces next season when the MLS version of Timbers takes the field next season. At a press conference Tuesday, the Timbers announced their first four signings to the MLS club.

There were no surprises among the three returning players. Steve Cronin, Bright Dike, and Ryan Pore all had outstanding seasons for the club.

With Cronin in net the last two years, the Timbers have been very hard to score against. He was USL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009 and will likely be named to the USSFD-2 Second team this season. Cronin has played for the LA Galaxy and DC United in the MLS.

Dike joined the Timbers in April after being released by the Columbus Crew. He became a fan favorite for the squad with 14 goals in all competitions. His rugged style and determination gives him a unique style as a forward.

Ryan Pore became the first Timber player in team history to lead the league in both goals (15) and points (35). He played three seasons for the Kansas City Wizards before joining the Timbers in 2009.

Englishman Eddie Johnson is the only player announced today that didn’t play for the Timbers in 2010. Johnson has played for the USL’s Austin Aztex for the last two seasons and was the runner-up to Pore in the league scoring race this season with 14 goals and 32 points. Johnson once played 8 minutes for Manchester United in 2003 in a Carling Cup match against Leeds United.

Before the presser, Wilkinson also said that the Timbers will sign two more players from the 2010 Timbers squad. He said one will be a midfielder who was outstanding at the end of the season (Most likely Kalif Alhassan) and the other a defender who also came on strong (I believe it will be Gambian International Futty Danso).

While no one knows how the first four signings will do for the Timbers it is interesting to look back at other franchises first signings (Listed by the year they first played in the MLS).

2010- Philadelphia Union signed no players before their expansion draft.

2009- The Seattle Sounders first played signed was Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux. Le Toux had played for the USL version of the Sounders. Le Toux had 15 starts in 2009 for Seattle. Le Toux was then selected by the Union in the expansion draft. This season Le Toux was named to the MLS all-star team and has 13 goals and 11 assists.

2008- The San Jose Earthquakes signed no players before their expansion draft

2007- The MLS’s first Canadian team, Toronto FC, made Canadian national team player Jim Brennan the club’s first signing. The defender had played for numerous English teams before returning to Canada. Brennan played in 84 games for Toronto in three seasons, before retiring at the beginning of 2010.

2005- Real Salt Lake made a splash when they traded for Jason Kreis, who had scored 91 goals for the MLS’s Dallas Burn prior to being the RSL’s first player. Kreis scored the first goal in club history for both Real Salt Lake and the Dallas Burn. Kreis retired after the 2007 season to become RSL’s head coach. Kreis led RSL to the 2009 MLS Cup championship.

Chivas USA  signed no players before their expansion draft.

Michael “Air” Jordan.

“The Admiral” David Robinson.

“The Microwave” Vinnie Johnson

LaMarcus “L-Train” Aldridge

The NBA and its players have had a long history of nicknames. From Wilt the Stilt to the Black Mamba, nicknames are a great way to identify with a NBA player. For one Blazer player, however, his team-forced nickname is quite possibly the most unoriginal and worst nickname in NBA history.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points on Saturday night against the Warriors in front of 19,000-plus fans who showed up for a preseason game. And after each one of Aldridge’s baskets, the PA announcer would yell, “L-Train” instead of saying LaMarcus or Aldridge. Every single basket.

My friend attended a Blazers game for the first time on Saturday. He is a diehard NBA fan who just moved to Seattle. His first two observations after the game were A) what a great crowd and B) what is up with Aldridge’s terrible nickname. Not exactly the response that a team would want from a nickname.

By the end of the night, I had the realization that Aldridge’s nickname is the worst I’ve ever heard. In fact, we need to put an injunction on the “L-Train” nickname. It cannot be used ever again. It doesn’t matter if a new nickname is found, just get rid of it.

Good nicknames can be both truthful and rhyming such as Clyde the Glide or they can describe one’s nationality like the “Polish Hammer” Marcin Gortat. Not all players need nicknames. Rudy Fernandez, for one, doesn’t need one because his first name already makes for a great chant.

That being said LaMarcus needs a nickname. His other nickname, LA, is too simple and not descriptive. After thinking about it for 36 hours, I am still having trouble coming up with a good nickname. Here’s a list of some-

The Potent- I don’t care if this isn’t a common word and the fact I am using an adjective as a noun. Potent is the opposite of impotent and is fitting for Aldridge because all NBA writers ever say about Aldridge is he has great potential. I mean POTENTial.

The Fiddle- A long stringy instrument fits for Aldridge because he is long and is the second fiddle to Brandon Roy.

The Riser- Doesn’t make any sense except that the Blazers front office loves words based off rise, such as Rise with us or Rip City Uprise.

The Steel Bridge- Makes sense geographically, Aldridge has gotten ripped over the offseason and looks like he is made of steel, and this nickname rhymes with Aldridge.

As you can see, it is not easy to think of nicknames for Aldridge. That’s why tonight when we record the Sportsland Oregon podcast, Carlos, Derek, Cliff, and I will try to come up with a good nickname for Aldridge. Comment at the bottom of this blog with any suggestions.

Somewhere between Ryan Pore’s game-winning goal for a 10-man Timbers squad against Vancouver in April and Kalif Alhassan’s equalizer in Vancouver on Saturday, I fell in love with this season’s Portland Timbers.

The year 2010 has been looked at as both an end of an era and a bridge to the future to the MLS arriving in 2011. But to me, the 2010 Timbers are exactly that, the 2010 Timbers. It is a disservice to the current roster to think of this season as an afterthought on the run to greener pastures.

This year’s Timbers team has literally everything you could ask from a team.

Nothing was handed to the squad this year. Playing in front of some of the largest home crowds in the history of its league, the Timbers had a clear bullseye on their collective backs when other teams came to town.

Heading into the June 19th match with Minnesota, the Timbers hadn’t won a league game in their last 8 regular season contests. Since then, Portland has reeled off a stretch of 10 wins, six draws, and two defeats.

The Timbers have resurrected the season with outstanding defense led by Gambian international Mamadou “Futty” Danso and goalkeeper Steve Cronin, who is in the top two of every major goalkeeping statistic in the league.

But the wins and losses aren’t the reason that this team resonates with me unlike any other. It is the fact that the players have embraced the city, the fan, and what it means to be a Portland Timber.

Portland has been called “Soccer City, USA” for longer than the players on this year’s team have been alive. Soccer is not a fad in Portland and I’m sure most of the team has realized it throughout the course of the season.

Maybe they realized it when 15,000-plus people showed up for the season opener on April 17 or when the team was serenaded with sunflowers during the home finale against Puerto Rico.

Or maybe it wasn’t until two hours after their match had ended Saturday in Vancouver, when they arrived at the US border crossing to find 30 or so Timbers fans that had taken a bus provided by the front office. After going through security, the Timbers were greeted by a makeshift human tunnel of fans, who just couldn’t get enough of their team.

As Gavin Wilkinson went around the tunnel, a giant smile appeared on his face. Wilkinson has been a great coach for this version of the Timbers and he has always been a great link to the fans.

The smile on his face is similar to the one I had on my face as I sat on the fan bus for the six hour drive from Canada. It was then I realized how much this team had meant to me as a fan this year. It was worth of all the money I had spent of tickets, beer, food, scarfs, and shirts this year. In fact, no amount of money would equal the affection I have for this team.

The founder of Deadspin.com Will Leitch once said, "I was foolish to think anything as peripheral as money could ruin something as pure, visceral and cleansing as sports." This year’s Timbers squad is the essence of what is good about sports. A group of men playing for each other, for their fans, for their city.

It is fitting that the captain of the 2010 Portland Timbers has the name of Joy. Because that perfectly describes what this season was. A Joy. 

There are a handful of occasions when a giant home crowd works against the home team. That seemed to happen Wednesday at PGE Park, when moments after a Ryan Pore goal by penalty kick, Timbers captain and Twitter extraordinaire Ian Joy (@JoyPaulIan) got sent off for a challenge in the middle of the pitch.