ORLANDO, Fla. – He’s been the Portland Timbers’ best player at the MLS is Back Tournament, and in his first answer of Monday’s pre-final press conference, Sebastián Blanco referenced a theme that’s been constant during Portland’s run.
“This tournament, we’re more mature,” the Argentine attacker said, when asked to compare Portland’s MIB success to the team’s Western Conference title in 2018.
“We have a different type of energy,” he explained. “This is a short tournament, so the opportunities are more limited … this tournament, we’re prepared to win it …”
It’s easy to point to positives after success, forgetting that, in real time, outcomes are less certain.