| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bryan Jordan named to Team of the Week, again For the second straight week, Timbers forward Bryan Jordan was honored with a Team of the Week selection, this time for his goal in the Timbers’ 1-1 draw against the Charleston Battery. Congratulations to Bryan!
Time to vote Voting starts today for 4th annual "Supporters Player of the Year" award Beginning today, you can make your voice heard as the 4th annual "Supporters Player of the Year" voting opens. The award goes to the player selected by the fans as having the best season, and previous award winners have been Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (2005), Luke Kreamalmeyer (2006), and Josh Wicks (2007). Voting will be open until Friday, September 5 at 5pm.
Dominating, but drawn Timbers outshoot Battery 20-5, but only manage 1-1 draw Coming off their disappointing result on Thursday night, the Timbers had to patch together a new starting lineup, still without Chris Brown, and now missing Scot Thompson, but the new lineup would have their most dominating performance of the year, and an early goal by Bryan Jordan, after Byron Alvarez had put a shot off the right post, seemed promising for a comfortable win. After getting many close chances, and keeping Charleston from getting anywere near the net for long stretches, it only took one mistake, and a seeing-eye shot that deflected at least twice on it's way in to level the score, off the foot of Charelston's Lazo Alavanja in the 69th minute to level the score. Though the Timbers had several more good chances, they never found the net again, and had to settle for the 1-1 draw. Postgame:
History denied Timbers lose frustraing 1-0 match to Seattle It was supposed to be an historic night at PGE Park, as Seattle visited for the last time (barring a playoff matchup) as their team will fold at the end of the season to make way for an MLS expansion team. But it would be the center referee who would find the spotlight too appealing as he first sent off Scot Thompson for a questionable red card, then left a Seattle player on the pitch even though he elbowed Leonard Griffin hard enough in the eye to draw blood, cause it to swll halfway shut, and knock him out of the match. In a match that was fairly even otherwise, despite the Timbers playing shorthanded for an hour, it would be a fortunate rebound off the right post that would be the difference for the visitors, which Sebastian Le Toux was able to finish into an open net for the match's only goal. Postgame:
Bryan Jordan named to Team of the Week Timbers forward Bryan Jordan was honored with a Team of the Week selection for his goal and assist in last weeks 2-2 tie in Minnesota. Congratulations to Bryan!
Rallying for a point Timbers go down 2-0 in Minnesota, but rally for 2-2 draw The Timbers went to Minnesota needing a win. But after Minnesota went up 1-0 on an early penalty kick, then doubled the lead halfway through the second half, the chances of that happening looked slim. But a great run by Takayuki Suzuki shortly afterwards was finished by a low shot by Miguel Guante just inside the left post to pull back a goal. Then only minutes later, the Timbers got a rare penalty kick (their first in league play in over a year), and it was finished by Bryan Jordan and would be the final goal in a 2-2 draw. With the win the Timbers creep back up into the 7th and final playoff spot. The Timbers were without forward Chris Brown (red card suspension), midfielder Shaun Higgins (yellow card accumulation), and defender Justin Thompson (yellow card accumulation). Postgame:
Portland officially submits MLS bid What had been speculated about, and largely expected, for many years, finally came to be today. A Portland group headed by Timbers and Beavers own Merritt Paulson officially submitted a bid for an expansion Major League Soccer team. The next round of expansion is expected to be announced before the end of the year, to begin play in 2011. The plan is for the AAA Baseball Portland Beavers to move to a new stadium, while PGE Park would be renovated as a soccer/football only facility for the MLS team as well as the Portland State Vikings football team.
Also make sure to check out the MLS Expansion fan site at MLStoPDX.com JULY 30, 2008 BJ is back, again Bryan Jordan loaned to Timbers from Galaxy for remainder of season The Timbers added some offensive firepower for the rest of the 2008 season when it was announced that forward Bryan Jordan would be loaned to the team for the remainder of the season. After leaving at the end of the 2007 season to go to the Los Angeles Galaxy, Jordan had been loaned back to the Timbers for a total of four games earlier this season, recording one assist in 277 minutes played. Jordan had five goals and one assist in 26 matches for the Timbers last year.
The August 27 match at Montreal has been moved to September 8 to allow Montreal to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League. JULY 29, 2008 Cameron Knowles and Brad Knighton named to Team of the Week Timbers defender Cameron Knowles and goalkeeper Brad Knighton were both named to the league Team of the Week for the shutout draw against Carolina last week. Congratulations to Both!
Unlucky seven Timbers winless in seven straight at home after 0-0 draw with Carolina The Timbers went into their Thursday night match with Carolina desperately looking to break their record run of six straight winless matches at home, but could never break through against the Railhawks, and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Chris Brown was ejected in the 43rd minute and will not be available for the road match in Minnesota next week, nor will Justin Thompson or Shaun Higgins, who will serve their suspensions for yellow card accumulations at that match. Byron Alvarez was not available for this match as his paperwork did not come through until after the match had started, though he should be available for the Thunder match. The Timbers have now drawn 0-0 with Carolina in both matches played at PGE Park.
Lawrence Olum named to Team of the Week Timbers midfielder Lawrence Olum was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for his goal in the 1-1 draw win in Atlanta on Friday. Congratulations to Lawrence!
Byron's back! Timbers sign Byron Alvarez for rest of 2008 season What had been speculated (and hoped for) by Timbers fans came true today, as forward Byron Alvarez, who played in 96 regular season games for the Timbers between 2003 and 2006, scoring a team record 41 goals during that time, was signed for the remainder of the 2008 season. Byron played for the Charleston Battery in 2007, and has also played indoor in the MISL for Chicago and Monterrey. Byron appeared in the Timbers exhibition against Tigres last week, scoring a goal after having assisted on the first Timbers goal. Welcome back Byron!
Coming back home Batter'ed Timbers only get one point on southeast trip after 2-0 loss in Charleston A tired and injured Timbers team was no match for the Charleston Battery on Saturday, and would give up two first-half goals in a 2-0 loss at the tail end of a southeast back-to-back. The Timbers would also see Shaun Higgins, Takayuki Suzuki, and Justin Thompson all see yellow which could have them out for the Carolina match on Thursday on yellow-card accumulation. On Friday night in Atlanta, The Portland Timbers probably thought their luck had finally changed, when in the 90th minute in Atlanta, a deflected Takayuki Suzuki shot found the foot of Lawrence Olum, who put the Timbers up 1-0 as the match entered stoppage time. But several minutes deep into stoppage time, the Silverbacks would steal a point when Ansu Toure's low cross was redirected into the net by Scott Buete just before the final whistle. Despite Atlanta getting late goals to tie the last two matches between the teams, the Timbers finish unbeaten against the Silverbacks this season with a 1-0-2 record.
El Matador returns with flair! Byron Alvarez records a goal and an assist in 2-0 Timbers win over Tigres The Portland Timbers played their fourth international exhibition of the 2008 season on Tuesday night as Mexico's Club Deportivo U.A.N.L. (better known as "Tigres") visited PGE Park. ormer Timbers forward and fan favorite Byron Alvarez returned as a guest player, and made his mark immediately as he recorded a goal and an assist as the Timbers beat Tigres 2-0 in front of 8,375 enthusiastic fans. Justin Thompson had the second goal for the Timbers, and Brad Knighton and Chase Harrison combined for the shutout in goal. There will be a photo gallery posted here by Wednesday night.
When pigs fly Timbers drop points at home to Puerto Rico for the first time, lose 2-0 In the history of the USL Timbers, there have been two absolutes: The Timbers never get scored on in Montreal, and never lose to Puerto Rico at home. Well, the latter is no longer true as the Timbers perfect record of 5-0 against Puerto Rico at home was broken in a 2-0 loss to the Islanders. New England Revolution loan goalkeeper Brad Knighton saw his first action and new signee Jamil Walker also played significant minutes, but two first half goals were enough to secure the win, and though the Timbers hit the woodwork twice and had several close calls, they were never able to find the net. The game also featured many small foam rubber pigs, thrown into the crowd at halftime as part of a promotion, ending up back on the pitch as the fans expressed frustration in the team's performance.
TRADE! Timbers trade Andrew Gregor for Chase Harrison and Jamil Walker in 3-team deal The Portland Timbers announced today that they have sent midfielder Andrew Gregor to the Rochester Rhinos and will receive Rhinos goalkeeper Chase Harrison and Carolina Railhawks forward Jamil Walker. The three-team deal will also see forward Hamed Diallo going from Rochester to Carolina as a part of the deal. Gregor has recorded 10 goals and 8 assists in 2 1/2 seasons with the Timbers (2004, 2007, 2008). He led the Timbers in scoring in 2007, logging eight goals and five assists to earn All-League honors. Harrison had a 7-5-6 record for Rochester last year, with a 1.28 goals-against average and two shutouts. He has not seen action for the Rhinos this season. Walker played in 11 matches and tallied 1 goal and 1 assist with the Railhawks this season. Before that, Walker played five seasons in Major League Soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes (2003-04) and D.C. United (2005-07), recording seven goals and eight assists.
Timbers fall again in exhibition, 3-1 Timbers once again lose by 2 goals, by a 3-1 score this time in Seattle The Portland Timbers and Mexican power Monarcas Morelia matched up again today in Seattle, and once again lost by two goals, this time by a 3-1 score. It's being reported on the Talk Timbers message board that the lone Timbers goal was an impressive strike by an unknown forward new to the team, who came in at halftime. At PGE Park on Thursday night, despite a good crowd of nearly 12,000, and a good performance by the Timbers where they outshot their guests 10-7, the quality finishing came from the Primera Division side as they scored twice in the first half and that was all they needed for a 2-0 win. Brad Knighton made his debut for the Timbers and had five saves but gave up two goals. The crowd of 11,932 on Thursday was the third largest for the USL Timbers.
Chris Brown named to Team of the Week Timbers forward Chris Brown was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for his goal in the 2-0 win in Atlanta on Saturday. Congratulations to Justin!
A little sweet revenge Timbers rebound for 2-0 win in Atlanta After last night's 1-0 loss in Carolina, a tired Timbers team put on a good effort tonight in Atlanta, and unlike the past several weeks, some breaks seemed to go their way and they emerge with a 2-0 win over the Silverbacks in Atlanta. The Timbers got an early goal when on a corner kick in the 3rd minute, Chris Brown's shot deflected in off an Atlanta defender for a 1-0 Timbers lead. A very questionable call led to an Atlanta penalty kick in the 26th minute, but Ray Burse reacted well to deflect the shot wide and preserve the lead. The Timbers widened the lead to 2-0 in the 69th minute on their only shot of the second half when Chris Bagley one-touched a chipped pass from midfield past the Atlanta keeper.
With the win in Atlanta, the Timbers now have a winning record (3-2-0) in Atlanta, joining Minnesota (5-2-5) and Montreal (3-0-1) as the only away cities where the Timbers have a winning record.
Timbers to play a second exhibition against Morelia The Timbers announced today that in addition to playing Mexican Premiera Division side Morelia at PGE Park on July 3, they will also play them four days later at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Three new players in camp With the Timbers getting hit hard by the injury bug lately, and the expected departure of starting goalkeeper Ray Burse back to Dallas, the Timbers have brought three new players into camp for a tryout to see if they can fill some of those empty slots:
Bob Kellett's mid-season report cards Over on his fantastic Timbers blog, the Timbers Offside, Bob Kellett has posted his mid-season grades for the Timbers, and agrees with most Timbers fans in that the Timbers are not making the grade for 2008 just yet.] JUNE 17, 2008 Justin Thompson named to Team of the Week Timbers defender Justin Thompson was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for his performance the 2-2 draw with Atlanta where he scored his second goal of the season. Congratulations to Justin!
Viva Chris Brown! Brown strike sends Timbers to 1-0 win over Juventus Primavera The Portland Timbers broke their winless streak at six in all matches, and continued their unbeaten record in International exhibitions as Chris Brown's first half goal held up in a 1-0 win for the Timbers over Juventus Primavera. Each team would have a second half goal disallowed for an offside call, and each team would have a few additional near misses, but it was an enjoyable wide open match on a pleasant evening at PGE Park in front of a good crowd. This was the second year in a row that the Timbers have hosted an Italian side, defeating AC Milan Primavera in penalty kicks last year. In that Timbers win last year, as well as the win over Juventus last year, the Timbers' goals were scored in the 24th minute.
Tigres to play Timbers on July 15 Club Deportivo U.A.N.L to play exhibition at PGE Park Mexico's Mexico’s Club Deportivo U.A.N.L, better known as “Tigres, will visit PGE Park to play the Portland Timbers on Tuesday, July 15. Tigres features former Mexican Olympic players Hugo Sánchez Guerro and Diego Martínez, as well as forward Francisco Fonseca who was a member of Mexico’s National Team during the 2006 World Cup. They also have a very large fan base in Mexico as they have the largest average attendance in the Primera División. Tigres will be the second Mexican team to visit PGE Park in July, as Monarcas Morelia will visit on July 3.
2 men short, 2 minutes short Timbers can't overcome two ejections, draw Atlanta 2-2 The Timbers looked for some redemption on Thursday night at PGE Park against the Atlanta Silverbacks: For their disappointing cup loss to Hollywood United on Tuesday, for their over four game scoreless league streak at home, and for their playoff loss to Atlanta last year. The Timbers nearly achieved all three in grand fashion, but though they broke their scoreless streak with first half goals from Chris Bagley and Justin Thompson, they also had to deal with a spectacular and baffling own goal by Miguel Guante. And on top of that, the Timbers played the last 73 minutes down a man after Tom Poltl was rightly ejected for a hard elbow, and the last 22 minutes down two men for a shockingly soft ejection to Scot Thompson, and though they fought hard to hold onto their lead, a Nathan Knox goal two minutes from time, on a rebound off a Ray Burse save, was enough to steal the point for the Silverbacks. The Timbers have no league matches until June 27 at Carolina, and no league home matches for a month, but face Juventus Primavera this Saturday at PGE Park.
SHOCKER! Amateur side Hollywood United knocks Timbers out of US Open Cup The Portland Timbers played a match like no other on Tuesday night, and they played Hollywood United in an US Open Cup match at PGE Park. But after dominating much of early play, and taking an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Chris Brown, a late first half penalty kick by former Timber Matt Taylor brought them level at the half, and the Timbers were about to be shocked.
After taking a 2-1 lead on a header by Arsene Oka, the Timbers had a chance to take a 3-1 lead when Bryan Little was tripped in the box, but Takayuki Suzuki was unable to convert, and after Taylor converted yet another PK shortly afterwards, it would be a stoppage time goal by Earl Alexander, deflected off Miguel Guante's knee and over Jordan James and into the net, that would give Hollywood United the upset, and send the Timbers reeling out of the Open Cup.
Leonard Griffin named to Team of the Week Timbers defender Leonard Griffin was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for his performance in the shutout draw with Minnesota. Congratulations to Leonard!
A tale of two halves Timbers dominate first half, then fall flat in 3-1 loss in Vancouver For 45 minutes, it appeared that the Timbers we all expected to see had finally woken up from their six week slumber. Bryan Jordan was running rings around the Vancouver defense, and the Timbers were keeping possession. In the 8th minute, an Andrew Gregor free kick was retrieved by Jordan, who crossed to a charging Scot Thompson who headed home the goal for the early lead. For the rest of the half the Timbers continuted to dominate, and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead and feeling pretty good about their play, while the Whitecaps fans, players, and coaches were looking for answers. At halftime, the Whitecaps made a few substitutions and a few adjustments and everything changed, and the Timbers barely touched the ball by the time Vancouver had put in two goals, then added a late one for the 3-1 thrashing. One this one day Timbers fans probably saw the best half, and the worst half they have seen from their boys all year, and any confidence from their dominating first half drifted away in the crisp British Columbia night.
Only Hollywood calling could give any hope to ending this run of bad results...
No, no, no, NO! Timbers shut out for 4th straight time at home, draw Minnesota 0-0 The Timbers went in their Thursday night match vs. Minnesota looking to end a scoring drought, which had seen them score only four goals in the past eight matches, having been shut out in five of those matches, and also shut out in their three straight at home. The Timbers had never been shut out at home four times in a row entering this match, and even the loan of former Timbers striker Bryan Jordan from the LA Galaxy was not enough as neither team could break through in a 0-0 draw at PGE Park. Both teams did have their chances, with both teams missing open net opportunities, but in the end neither team could break through.
With the point the Timbers move to within two points of first place Vancouver, but the Whitecaps, who the Timbers will face on the road on Saturday, have three games in-hand on the Timbers.
Miguel Guante named to Team of the Week Timbers midfielder Miguel Guante finally gets an honor he problably deserved previously, as he is finally named to the Team of the Week for USL First Division Week 7. Congratulations to Miguel!
Timbers to host Mexico's Monarcas Morelia on July 3 The Timbers announced today that they will be hosting Monarcas Morelia of the Primera Division of Mexico on July 3 at PGE Park at 7:00pm. In 2007, Morelia was one of eight teams who competed in the SuperLiga, as one of the top four Mexican clubs against the top four squads from MLS. This will be the second Mexican team that the Timbers have posted at PGE Park, having beaten Necaxa last April by a 1-0 score.
One (disallowed) goal short Timbers fall short in 2-1 loss in Rochester After emerging from Montreal with another win, the Timbers had to make major changes as they headed to Rochester for their second game in three days. They were without starting goalkeeper Ray Burse, who was called up to Dallas on Saturday, and also without forward Benjamin Totori, who injured his knee in Montreal. The Timbers went down 1-0 early on a Matthew Delicate goal, but appeared to tie it late in the first half when Justin Thompson knocked in a shot after being hauled to the ground off a Timbers free kick, but the play was ruled offside, though the Rochester announcers agreed that no Timber was anywhere near being offside. Thompson did finally get his goal in the 78th minute but Rochester got the eventual winning goal three minutes later. The Timbers had a great chance near the final whistle when a Chris Brown shot slipped inches past the post, but the Timbers remain winless in Rochester with the 2-1 loss. Totori will be examined once he returns to Portland to determine the severity of the injury, and Burse is expected to return this week.
Le traitement Timbers find the cure for what ails them with 1-0 win in Montreal The Portland Timbers have not been a particularly strong road team over their time in the USL. Of their 10 current USL First Divison opponents, they have a winning record in Minnesota (5 wins, 2 losses, 5 draws) and Carolina (1 win, 0 losses, 0 draws), but for some reason, the Timbers own perennial USL power Montreal in their home stadium, and now have three wins, no losses, and one draw in their four visits to Montreal as the Timbers win 1-0 tonight on a 45th minute goal from Chris Brown. The Timbers have yet to give up a goal in Montreal in their four visits there, and with the win tonight the Timbers give Montreal their first league loss at their brand new Saputo Stadium. Though ending their six-game winless streak was good news for the Timbers, it wasn't all good news as new Timbers forward Benjamin Totori suffered what appeared to be a hyperextended knee late in the match, and his condition is unknown at this time.
Timbers going "Hollywood" next month Hollywood United will visit PGE Park on June 10 for US Open Cup match The US Open Cup pairing were announced today, and the Timbers have been paired with U.S. Adult Soccer Association team Hollywood United in the first round, which all teams will play on June 10. Hollywood United plays in USASA’s Region IV and were founded by Australian actor Anthony Lapaglia and are known for their charity events and often features celebrities and former professional players on its teams. Last fall Hollywood United faced the Galaxy in a fundraiser match for the victims of the Southern California wildfires. The Timbers have a record of 3 wins and 4 losses in U.S. Open Cup play and have reached as far as the fourth round of the tournament in 2004. Last season, the Timbers defeated the Bakersfield Brigade of the PDL in a road game in California in the first round.
STUNNED Timbers drop 2-0 shocker to Miami After a disappoing loss on Saturday night that saw the Timbers lose for the first time at home since the last game of the 2006 season, the Timbers looked to rebound against Miami FC, a team with only one win entering Monday's match, but the Timbers would face an uphill battle as first coach Gavin Wilkinson was ejected for kicking a trash can in frustration over calls not being made by center referee Tyler Ploeger. And then Miami was awarded a PK in the 40th minute on what appeared to be little contact by Timbers midfielder Shaun Higgins, which Alex Afonso converted to give Miami a 1-0 lead. Then before the Timbers could restart, a Miami player went into the center circle and started a fracas that resulted in Takayuki Suzuki getting a yellow for shoving him away, and less than a minute later Suzuki was ejected for a hard tackle and the Timbers would be shorthanded for the rest of the match. The shorthanded Timbers had many good chances but playing down a man proved to be too much to overcome and Afonso slipped a seeing-eye shot inside the post in the 68th minute for the 2-0 victory.
This was the first afternoon game for the Timbers since a 2-0 victory over the Charleston Battery on August 26, 2001. You can see information about that match (including videos of both goals) by clicking here. This Monday's match is the annual "Bark in the Park" where fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the stadium. The 2001 game linked above was the first "Bark in the Park".
Cameron Knowles and Bryan Little named to Team of the Week The Timbers earned their first points in Puerto Rico this week, and finished the rough tropical swing undefeated with two draws after tying Miami 0-0, and the Timbers were rewarded with both Cameron Knowles and Bryan Little getting a nod for league Team of the Week. Cameron gets his second straight recognition while Bryan gets the recognition after his first Timbers start in Miami. Congratulations to both!
Another shutout, but another draw The Timbers are still undefeated on the 2008 season after eight match, but that's probably little reassurance to Timbers coach Gavin Wilkinson after the Timbers squandered many scoring chances in a 0-0 draw with the Blues on a warm day in Miami. With the draw, the Timbers slip into second place one point behind Charleston with 3 wins and 4 draws after seven matches, and Ray Burse now has five shutouts on the season. Postgame:
Timbers rally from two down for first point ever in Puerto Rico The Timbers played in Puerto Rico tonight, a place where they had never earned a single point, and after 25 minutes they were down 2-0 after giving up two fairly open headers for Islanders goals. But barely a minute after Puerto Rico went up 2-0, Lawrence Olum went high to head in a Manuel Guante cross to make it 2-1. Then seven minutes from time, a perfect cross from Bryan Little found the head of Chris Brown, who put in his third goal of the season and the Timbers had stolen a 2-2 draw. The Timbers now have three wins, no losses, and three draws, and sit alone atop the USL First Division standings with 12 points. The Timbers now travel to Miami for a Sunday night game against former Timbers goalkeeper Josh Saunders and the Miami FC Blues, who lost 1-0 to the visiting Whitecaps tonight.
Cameron Knowles named to Team of the Week For helping lead the Timbers to two shutouts this past week, against Rochester and Seattle, defender Cameron Knowles has been named to the United Soccer Leagues First Division Team of the Week. Congratulations to Cameron!
ANOTHER NO-NO Timbers get second straight 0-0 shutout tonight in Seattle The Timbers went north for their first road match of the 2008 season, coming off a 0-0 draw at home on Thursday night that saw them drop their first point of the season. After enduring early Seattle pressure, including an open-net chance from 6 yards out that Seattle's Andre Schmid managed to miss, the Timbers tightened up their defense and came out of Seattle with a point. The Timbers now have three wins and two draws in five matches, and their 11 points has them still atop the USL First Division table while Seattle is 1-1-2 with 5 points and tied for seventh. Postgame:
SHOOTING BLANKS Timbers get another shutout, but can't find net either, draw 0-0 with Rochester Well, the good news for Timbers fans is that they got another shutout from the Timbers to start the season, their third in four matches. They also extended their unbeaten home streak to 18 regular season matches, and 24 home matches overall. But the bad news is the Timbers couldn't score either, so the result is a 0-0 draw with the Rochester Rhinos. The Rhinos would control possession for much of the first half, but the Timbers found new life against tired Rochester legs late in the match, but though they had many good chances, including a wide-open shot from Chris Brown from seven yards out with 13 minutes to go, the Timbers just couldn't score and have to be satisfied with the point. The Rhinos have yet to score in their season, having been shut out in their first three matches.
Encore! Timbers to host Italian side for second year in a row The Timbers announced today that they will be hosting an Italian team again this season, as Juventus Primavera will visit PGE Park on June 14 at 7:00pm. Juventus Primavera competes in Italy’s Campionato Primavera, which are the top youth teams from each of Italy’s Serie A and B clubs. They are currently in first place in the league’s Group A.
The Timbers hosted AC Milan Primavera on June 19, 2007 (who play in the same league as Juventus Primavera) and after a 1-1 regulation match, defeated AC Milan 4-1 in penalties in front of 11,092 fans at PGE Park.
Takayuki Suzuki is USL First Division Player of the Week For his spectacular goal against Seattle, and assisting on the second goal later that evening, Timbers forward Takayuki Suzuki was given the honor of United Soccer Leagues First Division Player of the Week! Goalkeeper Ray Burse, defender Scot Thompson, and midfielder Shaun Higgins were also honored on being on the Team of the Week with Suzuki. Congratulations to all of them!
Timbers brush off Seattle challenge Suzuki, Guante score in 2-0 shutout Off to a 2-0 start, the Timbers hosted traditional rival Seattle tonight, on a beautiful night at PGE Park. On the first shot of the match, Takayuki Suzuki blasted a dipping shot just under the bar to put the Timbers up 1-0. After withstanding Seattle pressure that kept the defenders and goalkeeper Ray Burse busy but not seriously challenged, Suzuki played a nice pass to Miguel Guante and he beat Seattle keeper Chris Eylander in the 76th minute for the 2-0 win. The Timbers sit atop the USL First Division with nine points in three matches and are idle until hosting the Rochester (not-so-raging) Rhinos on May 8. Postgame:
Shaun'ed! Shaun Higgins has winner in 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Thunder In a match that went back and forth like a prize fight at times, the Timbers would attack Minnesota from the outset, and it paid off early with a 9th minute goal by Chris Brown, his second of the season. Minnesota would respond just before halftime after a Timbers defensive breakdown, but Shaun Higgins would get a great feed from Andrew Gregor and deftly tap in the ball to slip just inside the post of the Thunder goal for the 2-1 win. The match also saw the first guest mascot of the post Timber-Jim era, as Joey Webber would wield the chainsaw on this night. Postgame:
Chris Brown named to Team of the Week For his game winning goal against Puerto Rico, forward Chris Brown has been named to the United Soccer Leagues First Division Team of the Week. Congratulations to Chris!
One for Timber Jim! Chris Brown's goal all the Timbers need in 1-0 win Tonight at PGE Park, the Portland Timbers opened their eighth season in the United Soccer Leagues against the Puerto Rico Islanders, and after a typically tough match, which saw a Puerto Rico player sent off for an elbow to the head of Justin Thompson, the Timbers finally broke through in the 71st minute when Chris Brown hit a hard shot from 30 yards out that Puerto Rico goalkeeper Bill Gaudette couldn't handle and it slipped through to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead, which would hold out for the shutout victory. The Timbers drew 10,977 for the season opener, the most for a season opening match since they drew 12,295 in their first ever USL match in 2001. The game also marked the final match for Timbers icon Timber Jim, who retired after first picking up the chainsaw 30 years ago during the Timbers NASL days. Jim was honored all during the night, and the match report and photo gallery are posted below. Postgame:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
