Portland Timbers - July 29

At their best Portland's midfield trio of Valeri, Nagbe, and Chara produce the highest level combination play in the league. Their opening goal on Saturday (7/29) is a perfect example of what they're capable of.

Check out the highlight video here.

Nagbe pushes the ball into space until he draws attention from Huston's Juan David Cabezas. Cabezas does enough to make Nagbe release the ball - out wide to Valentin, Portland's right back, who's pushing high as an attacking option.

The thing that makes Nagbe an elite player in MLS is how he uses his movement to create attacking options for his teammates. Nagbe continues his run into the channel behind Valentin – this where most players stand and watch after they move the ball off their foot. Because he's a threat to get the ball back, and attack on the dribble, Cabezas floats with Nagbe into the channel.

These small, seemingly insignificant, details at speed actually lead to major scoring chances.

Valeri makes an attacking run into the space Cabezas should be occupying were he not drifting with Nagbe.

Valentin sees the easy passing angle, plays a simple ball––on the ground––into Valeri's attacking run. Valeri punishes Leonardo, who's caught out diving to make an emergency tackle, and then nets a rocket-shot.

None of this happens without Nagbe's movement. And this the kind of stuff Nagbe does all the time. This is why top-notch coaches love him (Klinsmann jokes aside). And this is the kind of thing people mean when they refer to a player's soccer I.Q. or "feel for the game." These intuitive, subtle, movements transform an attack from easy to defend into complex, layered, works of footballing art – the beautiful game.