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Timbers vs. Chivas USA—High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:55:04 -0700

UPDATE: The Timbers dominated Chivas USA in every facet of the game to run away with a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. Undefeated in nine straight, Portland sits all alone in second place in the Western Conference.

That's right, a team that only a mother could love last season is looking like a serious contender 11 games into its new era. And according to coach Caleb Porter, the Timbers are "just scratching the surface" on the possibilities.

"We're not where we want to be yet, which is what makes it scary," Porter said. "We can be even better."

Wallace—blossoming before our very eyes in the first-year coach's system—scored in the 34th minute of a first half owned by Portland. But they weren't done.

"As soon as came into the locker room, coach said it himself," said defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste. "He wanted two more goals."

And he got 'em. Diego Valeri scored in the 70th minute, and just for good measure (and perhaps because the Timbers aren't home again until June 15) Capt. Will Johnson netted another in stoppage time.

"We have a good group and we have good chemistry," Wallace said. "We're all flowing right now. The thing about this group is we like winning. It just shows on the field."

It was certainly a beautiful Mother-lovin' afternoon in Goose Hollow for Timbers fans. So put those flowers in a vase and click past the jump for FULL UNCUT video of Porter's postgame presser and more.

PORTER'S POSTGAME PRESSER:

LIVE BLOG:
Portland has solidified itself as Major League Soccer's pleasant surprise of the early season, playing "Porterball" to perfection and finally giving the most rabid fans in North American sports something worth screaming about. What's more, all your mom's favorite Timbers are having career years. That Rodney Wallace is not only playing well, he's as handsome as ever. Darlington Nagbe? More like 'Dordable Nagbe. And who could forget the ever-strapping Donovan Ricketts and his big, strong hands? So strong. Oh, and that Caleb Porter is such a sharp dresser!

Add it all up, and the Timbers are unbeaten in their last eight matches and stand pat as the last undefeated road team in Major League Soccer this season. While Portland's possession and pass-percentage stats have dipped slightly in its last two matches, PTFC is clearly a confident bunch heading into this afternoon's match with Chivas USA.

“I think we’re hungry to score goals,” said Timbers defender Michael Harrington (If you're hungry, then have another plate, sweetie!). “We’re just excited to get at [Chivas] and try to put three or four up against this team.”

That'd hardly be a shock. The Goats have been inconsistent at best this season and roll into The Jelly four matches removed from their last victory. Chivas USA will be without midfielder Carlos Alvarez and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy, both of whom are on timeout for bad behavior during the Goats' ugly 4-0 loss vs. Sporting KC last week. And while they've shown a touch of resilience following previous blowouts, Chivas' defense has been rather porous of late.

The Goats are clearly the underdogs, something midfielder Eric Avila said is no problem—as long as Chivas USA comes out strong against a Portland club still bitter from a what-coulda-been midweek draw with FC Dallas.

"It's always fun playing at Portland, the atmosphere is fantastic," Avila said. "The crowd is going to be very excited and fast-going, so we need to try and slow that down just a bit."

STARTING XIs:
Chivas USA (3-4-2, 11 pts)—Patrick McLain in goal. Joaquin Velazquez, Carlos Borja and (former Timber) Steve Purdy on defense. Edgar Mejia, Eric Avila, Mario de Luna, Marvin Iraheta and Josue Soto at midfield. Giovani Casillas and Tristan Bowen up front.
Rounding out the 18: Martin Ponce, Jorge Villafina, Walter Vilchez, Jose Manuel Rivera, Jose Correa, Bobby Burling, Brad Stuver.

Portland Timbers (3-1-6, 15 pts)—Donovan Ricketts in goal. Jack Jewsbury, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Futty Danso and Michael Harrington on defense. Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Will Johnson at midfield. Darlington Nagbe, Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace up front.
Rounding out the 18: Jake Gleeson, Ryan Miller, Ben Zemanski, Kalif Alhassan, Sal Zizzo, Frederic Piquionne, Jose Valencia.

PRESS BOX MENU: Bacon-wrapped meatloaf, buffalo wings, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, corn and peas, rolls and breadsticks, chips, spinach salad.

PREGAME: It appears as if Timbers Army has some sort of display up its collective sleeve—sections 203-208 are separated by colors of the rainbow in honor of International Day Against Homophobia, which is May 17.

Indeed, there are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple stripes across the North End, with the message: "Pride not Prejudice." A banner is unrolled on the main capo stand that reads: "Football fans against homophobia" and features a couple of gentlemen smooching.

Reminder: Chivas won all three meetings between these clubs last year. If I were a betting man (which I most certainly am) I don't see a repeat of that feat in 2013.

FIRST HALF: Timbers headed toward the South goal. Here we go!

2nd—Nice opportunity for Portland after Jewsbury beats McLain to the ball int he box and lobs one backward for Will Johnson. He fires, but it's high and over the bar.

3rd—Chara took a knock and stays down for a couple minutes. No foul called and he's back to his feet. Early gamesmanship perhaps by Diego as Chivas tries to establish some physical play early.

6th—Ryan Johnson runs one down into into the Southeast end and earns the match's first corner. Valeri sends it in, but it's low and immediately cleared out by Soto.

9th—Nagbe with a steal at midfield and looks for Wallace up the middle. He gets a touch but goes down—no call. Porter comes out with arms stretched looking for a whistle, but the official isn't hearing it.

10th—A near-goal for Portland as Harrington chips one in toward Valeri, who heads one on-goal. McLain with a fantastic save and the Timbers will have a corner kick. Nothing doing, as Chivas quickly heads it away. Portland looking dangerous in the early going here.

13th—Valeri with a nice turn and chips one ahead for Futty, who pops one ahead and into the goal before being leveled by McLain. Futty was well offside there, so no goal. In any case, Portland looks like they're going to be a lot to handle this afternoon.

15th—Timbers with an advantage here as Mejia gets attended to for a bloody lip. He's yelling at the official on the sideline while action continues.

20th—Timbers earn another corner after Chara weaves his way through the middle and plays a great ball ahead to Ryan Johnson. He tries to chip it toward the center, but Purdy knocks it over the line. Another dangerous counter-attack by Portland.

22nd—Chivas with a free kick from about 40 yards out. It's sent in low but knocked up in the air, and Ricketts comes out for it before colliding with de Luna. It's a foul on the latter, and a goal kick for Portland.

25th—Nagbe finds Jewsbury right near the goal line, and Jack fires a screaming cross to Ryan Johnson right in front. Not sure if he even saw it, but the ball deflects off Johnson and right to McLain. On the counter, Jean-Baptiste and Bowen both go down in the Timbers' end and play pauses while the trainers come out.

28th—Timbers owning possession and getting their share of near-opportunities here. They look much more dangerous than Chivas at this point, but the Goats' defense is hanging in there.

30th—Futty with a nice ball ahead to Johnson, who crosses toward Valeri. It's covered, but bounces right to Wallace, who gathers and fires, but his shot sails on him a bit. All Timbers offensively at this point.

32nd—Johnson with a great ball ahead to Nagbe, who finds Valeri at the top of the box. A beautiful turn and shot by Valeri, and it's OFF THE CROSSBAR! Another near-goal for Portland set up by some quick passing. This game has been one-sided so far—will the Timbers be rewarded before half?

34th—TIMBERS GOAL After a Chivas corner is headed down by Valezquez and into the gut of Ricketts, the big keeper throws an outlet pass to lead the break. It eventually finds an on-side Wallace, who shows a beautiful left-footed touch to lob it over a charging McLain. Timbers lead 1-0 and Wallace continues to play out of his mind.

37th—Timbers nearly tack on another one after Valeri sends it in for a diving Futty. He heads it strongly, but it's over the crossbar.

39th—Portland getting some nice bounces here as Will Johnson with a good little touch ahead to Valeri. He winds up and fires just outside the box, but his scorcher is handled by McLain.

40th—Valeri sends a corner kick in toward Jean-Baptiste, but his header is over the bar.

41st—Nagbe aggressively spins and drives ahead to earn a corner kick on a 1-on-2 situation. Valeri sends it well over the pile, no trouble for Chivas.

43rd—Another corner for Portland after Johnson drives and shoots toward the left of the goal. Valeri sends it in far-post, and Wallace leaps to get a head on it, but he's called for a foul.

44th—Soto with a long diagonal ball into the box that Harrington knocks over the line and out of Ricketts' range. Corner sent in long for Purdy, who heads it strong, but again right at Ricketts. Good chance there for the Goats, but Ricketts is there to reach and snag it amid traffic.

Two minutes of stoppage ... Harrington plays a long diagonal ball for Jewsbury, who can't quite catch up to it before it crosses the end line ... Valeri with a nice touch to play one ahead to Jewsbury. He attempts a cross but it's knocked over the end line for another Timbers corner... Valeri sends it in high and the Johnsons go back-and-forth with it, Ryan Johnson crosses toward Wallace, but Bowen clears.

HALFTIME: Timbers lead 1-0 after thoroughly dominating the first 45 minutes. Not even close. This one has all the makings of a second straight beatdown for Chivas USA, whose offense managed just two shots in the first half. Portland, meanwhile, maintained 67% possession, out-cornered CUSA 8-2 and fired 12 shots—four on-target. Harrington's "three or foul" goal prediction may have been bold, but it's looking pretty likely at this point.

SECOND HALF: Timbers headed toward the North End. This one looks like it might get out of hand. Here we go... One sub for Chivas: Correa for Casillas.

47th—A couple miscues as Valeri looks for Johnson up the middle, but he's running up the left.

48th—Chara with a head of steam heading into the attacking third. He draws a foul on Soto and it'll be a free kick from just inside the corner spot.

49th—Valeri sends it in long, but it's over the head of a leaping Ryan Johnson. Wallace somehow keeps it in bounds and Wallace is called for a foul. Valeri knocks one away in frustration and Purdy and Valeri have words.

50th—Bowen gets one ahead and works his way around Harrington. He tries a cross but nukes it well into the crowd.

51st—Valeri gets through traffic and after Jewsbury wins one back, he plays one ahead to Ryan Johnson... but just long. Timbers aggression hasn't waned at all as they continue to all but dominate this one.

54th—Avila's shot in the box is blocked and after Chivas attempts another cross, Ricketts rises to grab it out of the air.

56th—Johnson sends in a cross that's deflected and McLain gives chase. Chara with a little shove on Soto and they'll call him for a foul.

58th—Some more great ball movement culminates in Chara trying to bend in for Valeri, but it's just a bit too strong. McLain comes out and grabs it.

59th—Another sub for Chivas, as Ponce comes in for Iraheta. They have a corner kick that's played back. It's eventually sent in by Avila, who finds Purdy rising. His header is off the mark, and it'll be a goal kick for the Timbers.

62nd—Jean-Baptiste sends one in from deep for Ryan Johnson, but McLain is there to grab it. Chivas making a bit more hay offensively, as Portland's offensive flow has been thrown off a bit these last 10 minutes.

63nd—Chara reverse passes for Johnson, who lobs one ahead to Wallace. He lets it take a bounce and blasts it near-post, but McLain is there to knock it away. Corner coming.

64th—Valeri goes far post and Jean-Baptiste comes diving in for a header, but it's wide. No whistle, and Timbers Army sounds like they wanted a penalty called.

65th—Final sub for Chivas: Rivera is on for Bowen.

69th—Goats are pressing a bit here and showing something that at least resembles an attack. Portland defense holding, firm, however,

70th—TIMBERS GOAL Johnson uses his physicality to win a ball and find Nagbe, who plays to Wallace at the top of the box. He spins and knocks a crafty little pass to Valeri, who's all alone in front. Valeri beats McLain, and it's 2-0 Timbers.

71st—Timbers will bring in Alhassan for Nagbe, who looked a little banged up as he walked off.

73rd—Portland nearly gets another one as he drives and crosses in front for Futty, who heads it juuuuuuuuuust over the bar. This one nearly turned into a laugher. Another sub coming for Portland—it'll be Zemanski in for Jewsbury.

76th—Chivas taking some more chances and showing a bit more fluidity on the attack. They do well to get it into Portland's box, but Correa is called for a clear handball.

78th—A bit of a defensive breakdown for Portland, which lets Ponce dribble down the end line and fire a shot toward Ricketts. The big man gets a paw on it, and Jean-Baptiste will clear. Nothing overly scary there, but a bit too close for comfort for the Timbers defense in the late stages here.

81st—Avila earns a free kick after knocking one off Will Johnson. Mejia sends it in low and left, and Jean-Baptiste is there to strongly headed away.

83rd—Final sub for Portland: Piquionne will come on for Harrington. A forward for a defender, but more accurately a forward for a guy who was getting close a yellow card.

86th—Wallace and de Luna get tangled up a bit off the field near midfield. The ballboy even gets involved: He holds the ball a bit longer than de Luna wants and gets a little shove. Not cool, says Timbers assistant Sean McAuley, who gives de Luna a piece of his mind. The ref gives de Luna a yellow card for generally being a jerk to a little kid.

88th—Zemanski comes streaking down the right side and sends a cross in for Piquionne, but it's just long.

Three minutes of stoppage ... Ryan Johnson gets twisted around and taken to the turf, but he appears OK...After dribbling right out of bounds in front of the bench, Piquionne gets into the 18 and slides a pass in front for Will Johnson, who defends it well enough to knock it over the line. Timbers will have a corner here, and it's icing on the cake. TIMBERS GOAL! Will Johnson takes a short corner right along the top of the box and fires a curler past a diving McLain. Complete breakdown by the Chivas defense, who looked like they were happy to jog this one out. Timbers lead 3-0 and the crowd loves it. Three points were well in hand, but that one was for the North End, which gives their Captain some love.

FULL TIME: Timbers win, 3-0. A dominant performance for Portland, which vaults into second place in the Western Conference.

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Timbers vs. New England Revolution: High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:15:24 -0700

Are the Timbers...dare I say...legit?

UPDATE: Hmmm...maybe we table that discussion for next week, yeah? The Timbers thoroughly dominated The Revolution on Thursday night but couldn't quite find that final touch as the New England escaped The Jelly with a scoreless draw.

That's right, 90 minutes of soccer and no goals. Have at it, soccer haters. Done? OK, good, because Portland extended its franchise-best unbeaten streak to seven by out-shooting New England 22-12 and maintaining possession 67% of the match. They had nearly twice as many total passes (488-228) and won 55% of duels. Ah, but something was missing.

"Today was a good reminder that it's not just gonna happen," Timbers coach Caleb Porter said in his shortest (but most curt!) postgame presser of the season. "We certainly had enough chances to score the goal to win the game, but in the end you gotta credit their goalkeeper who made some great saves. I also felt a part of that was us not being as sharp as we could've been in the final third."

Capt. Will Johnson said the Timbers played well enough to win.

"You get a certain amount of chances at this level, and you have to put 'em away," Johnson said. "We could've focused a little more on the defensive side. At home, you gotta win your games. That's our mindset."

Click past the jump for so much more, including FULL VIDEO of Porter's postgame presser, more quotes from the locker room and minute-by-minute descriptions of all the action, on and off the pitch.

Donovan Ricketts, who threw out his large paw to once again make a point-preserving save for Portland ("I don't know, I just dive and stretch my hand—it touched it, so I was lucky," he quipped), said New England did well to take away the Timbers' biggest strength.

"When we have good ball movement, we're a very good team," he said. "Obviously, they sat back and took up all the space, so it was hard for us to play tonight."

The locker room was hardly jovial, and neither was Porter, who said the team was disappointed but definitely not looking at a falling sky.

"We're not satisfied with a point, but it's also not the end of the world," he said. "We still created enough chances to find a goal to win that game. We're still doing a lot of very good things. In the end, we've played nine games now and we've only been beaten one time."

LIVE BLOG:
After rallying twice and triumphantly seizing its first road win of the season last week, Portland coach Caleb Porter told reporters what his team felt about its opponent—and itself.

"We know [Sporting KC was] one of the best teams in the league," Porter said. "And I think we showed tonight that we’re also one of the best teams in the league."

Yahoo Sports' MLS rankings concurred. Sporting News and Soccer America, too. Sure, we're less than a quarter-way through the regular season, but as the Timbers look to extend a franchise-best unbeaten streak to seven this evening against New England, Portland appears to be in the midst of the culture change Porter called for coming in.

"I feel like this year, there's no such thing as home and away for us," said blossoming attacking forward Rodney Wallace. "It's an everyday thing."

Indeed, with six points away from home and seven here, the Timbers are showing that its free-wheeling counter attack and hold-on-for-dear-life ability to close is built to travel. Also coming off a big win are the Revolution, who broke a five match winless streak last week with a win over Philly. With a new-look formation, NE attempted a season-high 19 shots and scored twice for the first time all year. This week, however, the Revs' defense is down four regulars—forcing them to stand up a piecemeal backline to try and handle a Portland attack that's looking more dangerous every week.

"We don't fear anybody," said Timbers forward Ryan Johnson, tied for fourth in the league with four goals in eight matches. "We’re going to keep our feet on the ground and keep doing what we’re doing."

STARTING XIs:
New England (2-3-2, 8 pts)—Bobby (Jesus?) Shuttleworth in goal. Darrius Barnes, Jose Goncalves, Stephen McCarthy and Bilal Duckett on defense. Ryan Guy, Lee Nguyen, Kalifa Cisse, Kelyn Rowe and Diego Fagundez at midfield. Jerry Bengtson up front.
On the bench: Matt Reis, Scott Caldwell, Juan Carlos Toja, Andy Dorman, Sainey Nyassi, Saer Sene, Dimitry Imbongo Boele.

Portland (3-1-4, 13 pts)—Donovan Ricketts in goal. Jack Jewsbury, Futty Danso, Mikael Silvestre and Michael Harrington on defense. Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Will Johnson at midfield. Darlington Nagbe, Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace up front.
On the bench: Milos Kocic, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Ryan Miller, Kalif Alhassan, Ben Zemanski, Frederic Piquionne, Jose Valencia.

PREGAME: It's a slow-arriving crowd on the loveliest day in May. Timbers Army, of course, has mostly packed it in, but 15 minutes prior to kickoff, I can read "PORTLAND" pretty clearly in the east grandstand. The sparseness didn't stop the traditional pregame chant of "Kalif, Kalif—put your hands up!" from rising from the North End. It seems to linger longer by the week—and Alhassan's grin grows wider.

On the press box menu: Clam chowder, slides, green salad, Jojos, PASTIES(!), spinach-artichoke dip, dessert bars and fruit.

Players just coming out on the field, but not before Porter is shown on the big screen. Fans start chanting his name. (Somewhere, John Spencer just punched a wall and doesn't know why?)

Right after the anthem, Timbers army unrolls a banner on the main capo stand that reads: "Boston, Oregon." Nice.

FIRST HALF: Timbers heading toward the North End...and away we go!

2nd minute—Valeri with an aggressive start. His first touch is attacking the top corner of the box, and a minute later, he chases Shuttleworth into a running goal kick.

3rd—Chara picks up the first foul of the match (shocker!) and Nguyen will have a free kick 40 yards out.

4th—Nguyen's free kick is low and right at Jewsbury. He clears and Portland shows its counter ability in a flash, setting up for a sprinting Wallace. He's defended, but Portland showing its ability to punch back early here.

5th—Silvestre a bit careless on the goal line. Uncontested, he can't control it all alone after an easy pass from Jewsbury and it'll be the first corner of the night for NE. It's sent in low, and no problem for the Portland defense.

7th—After Ricketts gets his first action of the night on a Cisse cross that goes too long, the Timbers counter. Nagbe and Valeri with a little give-and-go combination play at the top of the box, and Valeri nearly has a world-class volley strike. Wow, that would've been pretty, but his shot soars over the bar. No goal, but a good indication of what Diego and Darlington are capable of.

9th—Wallace knocked down in the box, but no call. Tough challenge there, and naturally, Timbers Army hates the non-call.

11th—NE doing a good job maintaining possession in Portland's end over the last couple of minutes. Portland's defense not overly sharp, but holding firm.

12th—Timbers will get their first corner of the night after Nagbe finds himself with the ball in the box and feigns a pass before firing a shot into the side netting. The corner comes in and it's played out. Valeri sends it in high and Futty collides with Shuttleworth, who goes down and rolls a bit. TA holding up the "NO PITY" side of their scarves and chanting "DODGY KEEPER."

15th—Nagbe gets ahead of everyone after a lovely through-ball and gets 1-on-1 with Shuttleworth. He shoots, but it's deflected, hits Nagbe again and soars over the line. Good chance there for Nagbe, whose angle was cut off pretty quickly there by Shuttleworth. It'll be interesting to see how Nagbe responds to a bit of bad luck early.

19th—Rowe fires from distance, but it's no threat to Ricketts. It was set up by a bit of a concerning counter, however, as it's becoming clear the Revs offense came to play tonight. Not that they look especially good—but they're battling.

21st—NE free kick taken by Nguyen and Ricketts comes flying forward to punch it out. Smart play by Ricketts, who also gets his stuntman-like roll in after.

22nd—Another corner coming for NE after Harrington loses it over the line. Nguyen plays it and in and it's cleared by Portland. Counter follows counter and we're really running now.

23rd—After a cross goes well high over Wallace, he kicks it back to Jewsbury, who slips. That gives Bengtson a pretty good break, but Jewsbury RUNS HIM DOWN (enough) to set up Futty to win the ball back. Frenetic pace here now as both sides exchange counter attacks.

27th—Harrington chops one into the box for Futty, who skies and heads one wide and high of the net.

30th—Another Timbers corner comes in high for Futty, who heads it back to Nagbe. He crushes a shot, but it's just high of the frame. That was a scorcher, and the crowd lets out a gasp to match.

32nd—A poor pass by Harrington leads to a Revs' break. Bengston brings it forward and fires, but Ricketts is there to paw it.

33rd—Wallace gets one in the box but his defender can't keep him outside. He drives into the box and fires, but it's low and left. Nice effort by Wallace there, who did well to beat Duckett and get a ball off—even if it was right-footed.

36th—A couple bad passes from each side. I won't name names.

37th—Jewsbury fires a spinner from distance, but it goes juuuuuuust wide right. It was all set up by a nice ball from Valeri to an overlapping Harrington. He tried a cross that was headed down by Wallace and eventually cleared back to Jack. No goal there, but Portland is dominating the action here over the last 10 minutes.

38th—Timbers with their fifth corner of the night and it's all the way through after a Rev gets a piece of it. Sixth corner coming.

39th—Will Johnson sends it in and Valeri cracks it through traffic. It's deflected back over the line and Shuttleworth looks up and exhales. Valeri unleashed a scorcher there. Another corner coming in and Futty gets a head on it, but it's wide. Timbers in total control.

42nd—And just when I say that, some nice build-up by New England culminates in a shot by Ryan Guy, but Ricketts is there for diving save. Not quite up to the Save-of-the-Every-Week quality he's shown over the last month, but a nice one nonetheless.

43rd—Nagbe attacking the box and earns a corner kick. Valeri plays a ball to Chara who finds Johnson in front and he puts it in the net! But a foul was already called and it'll be a free kick in a dangerous spot.

45th—Free kick comes in, and after an attempted clearance, Silvestre nearly scores one after Wallace one-time crosses in front. Another nice chance for Portland, which is sounding familiar. No stoppage time indicated and Wallace again crosses in front for Valeri, but again, NE knocks it away.

HALFTIME: We're scoreless. Portland dizzzzzz-ominated possession with 67.5% and had 12 shots to NE's seven. Timbers also had seven corners and had more than twice as many passes as the Revs—230 to 108. The Revs seem perfectly capable of stealing one tonight, but it seems more likely well-adjusting Portland will tack a couple on here in the second half.

SECOND HALF: Timbers heading toward the South end. No changes for the Timbers. For NE, Caldwell on for Cisse.

47th—Futty with a near turnover and Bengston goes down in a heap. No whistle there, but a dangerous move by Futty there.

48th—A little one-touch fanciness from Nagbe and Chara is cleared out and gathered by Harrington and Will Johnson is fouled for a free kick just inside midfield. Nothing doing on the free kick, and Chara is a bit slow to get up.

51st—Valeri with some nice dribbling and plays a long switch to Harrington. It's a bit too hot, though, and Harrington mis-judges and can't come up with it. Pity for the Timbers, as Harrington had some space in front of him.

53rd—Shuttleworth with a great save after Wallace crosses a beauty into the box and an unmarked Johnson strikes it right in front. But NE's keeper is right there for the quick-reaction save, then leaps and gathers it before the ball trickles over the line. Best chance of the night for Portland there, and that's saying something.

55th—Timbers earn a corner after Valeri goes tearing down the field and finds Johnson in the box. He does a nifty back-heel to himself and knocks it off a defender and over the line. Corner comes in and it's ping-ponged around a bit. Silvestre goes down hard, holding his left knee after landing a bit awkwardly after an attempt at a bicycle kick. Not good for a thin-at-the-back Timbers.

57th—The stretcher is on its way out, and from the looks of the replay, Silvestre's foot might have gotten stuck in the turf and twisted his leg. Jean-Baptiste will come on for Portland, who comes on for an injured player for the fourth time this season. Silvestre carried off, and man, that's not a good sign for Portland. After a shaky start to the season, Silvestre has been more than solid.

59th—We're back at it and after Nagbe slips, Valeri fires from the corner of the 18. Shuttleworth is there to get a piece of it and the Revs breathe easy.

60th—Chara called for a foul at midfield and the Revs do pretty much nothing with it. Fans cheer sarcastically.

62nd—Timbers will bring on Piquionne for Ryan Johnson. An early entrance for the Frenchman, who's gone back to the dreadlocks for this home match.

65th—Valeri sends a cross into the box after he, Nagbe and Harrington work the ball down the right side. No danger on the cross as Portland looks a bit out of sorts. New England is in prime position to steal one here with one counter attack, because it doesn't like they're particularly interested in possessing the ball.

67th—A nice look by Nagbe, who finds Piquionne streaking down the left side. He shoots high along the goal line, and it'll be a throw for Portland. NE makes a move, bringing in Sene for Fagundez.

68th—Timbers have a free kick in a dangerous spot here, just about 35 yards out. Valeri chips a nice one into the box and Wallace gets a chest(?) on before Shuttleworth gathers it.

70th—Timbers are really pressing on the NE defense here as the ball ping-pongs around the box. Harrington and Jewsbury take big swings, but it's deflected over the line for a throw. Here comes a swinging cross and Piquionne is there for an on-frame header, but Shuttleworth with the save.

71st—Wallace with a hard foul on Duckett and it'll be yellow card for Rodney.

72nd—Sene with a blast from 40 yards out, but it's just over the bar. Way too much space given up there by Portland. That was close—it's a goal if Sene's standing about three yards back.

73rd—Valeri with a cross far-post for Jewsbury, but Will Johnson skies and gets a piece of it. Miscommunication there, which is hardly a rare phenomenon in this stadium.

75th—NE on the counter and Bengston gets a nice through-ball from Rowe. He's behind Jean-Baptiste for a moment, but the youngster does well to shield him a bit and let Futty and Ricketts take it away.

75th—On the counter, Piquionne sends one for a cutting Johnson, but again it's high. Harrington throws his arms up—he was wide open in the box there. Lots of opportunities for the Timbers here, will they cash one in?

79th—Lots of action at midfield leads up to Portland pressing forward inch by inch. Piquionne gets deep and tries to drop one back to Harrington, but NE clears for a throw-in. It comes for Piquionne, who heads it to Valeri. He flicks it backward toward the goal, but nobody's there.

80th—Johnson surprises everyone had has one from about 25 yards. It's high and wide, but appeared to scare Shuttleworth plenty.

81st—Timbers sub: Alhassan on for Jewsbury.

82nd—Valeri dribbles all the way down and tries to do it himself, firing one low and just wide right. Shuttleworth caught a bit flat-footed and dives to his right, but if that one was on-frame, it might have been the game winner.

83rd—Dangerous moment as the ball stays loose in the box and Bengston appears to line one up, but Futty grabs his jersey (allegedly) and no call.

85th—Chara gets behind the defense and fires a shot, but Shuttleworth dives to knock it away. NE on the counter and Sene is on the break. He fires and Ricketts with yet another game-saving diving save. He's grabbing his arm a bit after that one, but wow, talk about potentially saving points there. Corner comes in and Futty heads it in the air. Here comes the break, but Portland pulls back.

86th—Valeri sends one into the box for Piquionne, but he's dragged down in the box and can't quite get a foot on it. Shuttleworth is there and it'll be a goal kick for the Revs.

87th—For NE, Boele on for Bengston.

88th—Alhassan dribbles forward and finds Valeri, who touches one back to Nagbe. He shoots, but again Shuttleworth is there. Time running out for Portland, who just can't quite break through despite many more opportunities in this second half.

90th—Alhassan speeds into the box and tries to cross for Piquonne, but it's off-target and no problem for Shuttleworth. Timbers back to it and Valeri finds Chara in the corner of the box. He shoots and it's knocked over the line for a corner.

Five minutes of stoppage ... Great pass form Boele to Sene right in the top of the box, but Chara and Baptiste take it away ... Rowe shoots from the top of the box with a lot of room and Ricketts tips it over the bar. Corner kick sent in and deflected off Johnson for another corner... Rowe sends it through the box and now NE is possessing well. They try a long switch and it's deflected off Baptiste for another corner... Nothing doing...Long switch to Harrington and here come the Timbers. Ball sent in for Piquionne, but it's knocked over the sideline for a throw. .... Tick tick tick ... Baptiste gathers and fires from distance, but it's right at Shuttleworth.

FULL TIME: A scoreless tie. Meh. The Timbers dominate the action/possession and fire off plenty of shots, but can't quite break through with the goal they needed. New England does well to nab a point with a piecemeal back line and plenty of dangerous moments yielded.

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Timbers And Their Army Grant One Kid's Wish, Make 3,000+ Fans Misty

Brian Gjurgevich — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:42:19 -0700

Three-thousand people packed the North End of Jeld-Wen Field this morning for one reason: Atticus Lane-Dupre wanted to play.

The eight-year-old learned he had cancer last fall. After missing his team's last soccer match of the season, Atticus hooked up with Make-A-Wish Oregon to put together a pick-up game between his side—The Green Machine—and your Portland Timbers. Word spread, and soon, signs were being painted, chants were being re-written, and for one day, loyalties of supporters considered the most rabid in North America were cut.

I walked west on Morrison at around 11:15 a.m. and saw a view that looked more like a late Saturday afternoon: A line of fans rounded the corner from Timbers Army's usual entrance clear to the east grandstand. Walking into the stadium felt like a typical gameday—music in the air, flags placed at the end of rows, chants randomly rising left and right, people milling about excitedly with colorful banners and signs in hand. Sure, I figured TA would be organized (these, after all, are the same folks who regularly gather on weekends to rebuild fields around town and force the Red Cross to bring in second shifts for blood donations) but clearly they'd prepared to pull out all the stops.

The team, too: "THE GREEN MACHINE" lit up the visitor's side of the scoreboard. The video screen was on, and as the team's familiar public address announcer read off the names of the kids, their pictures flashed amid chants of "GM-FC" (a play on the team's typical pre-game chant of "PT-FC" for "Portland Timbers Football Club." The teams walked out of the tunnel side-by-side and onto the pitch as they do during MLS matches. The national anthem even had a color guard.

It was before noon on a Wednesday, but for the next half-hour or so, it felt like one of those endless summer days when time didn't matter—y'know, like when you were a kid? Timbers Will Johnson, Jack Jewsbury, Darlington Nagbe, Mikael Silvestre, Futty Danso, Jake Gleeson, Ryan Kawulok and Sebastián Rincón took on the Green Machine in shifts of four wearing grins that matched their opponents'. The Green Machine jumped to a 3-0 lead before the game eventually pulled even behind Rincón, who seemed to especially embrace the "faux-villain" role by scoring four goals and egging on the crowd of yes-I-said-3,000 people. On this day, Timbers Army was clearly backing The Green Machine, modifying every chant and mercilessly booing every bit of success the home team enjoyed. At a certain point, Johnson (who traded jerseys with Atticus postgame) received a red card and was shooed off the pitch by Portland coach Caleb Porter.

And with the match tied at nine, the ball somehow found its way to Atticus for last-minute breakaway. He dribbled toward The Green Machine's nemesis—Rincón—while the 6-foot-1, 175-pound pro waved his finger. Atticus shot, and wouldn't you know, the ball went through Rincón's legs and into the net.

Game-winner. Green smoke. Tetris. Is it dusty in here?

UPDATE: Atticus grabbed the No. 1 spot on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays last night, and other outlets nationwide (yes, even Seattle) have picked up the story.

More after the jump from a too-heart-swelling-for-snark (so don't even try it, buster!) event, including video highlights and more on Atticus' day.

It's shit like this, Portland...that makes me proud to call you home.

From the Timbers' official recap:

In front of more than 3,000 Portland Timbers faithful—converted for a day to support a special wish made possible by the club, the Timbers Army and Make-A-Wish Oregon—eight-year-old Atticus Lane-Dupre netted four goals, including the game-winner in the waning moments of the match, to power The Green Machine to a 10-9 victory over the Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field Wednesday afternoon.

The Timbers teamed up with Make-A-Wish Oregon to grant the wish to Atticus, who learned he had cancer last fall and missed his last soccer game of the season with his teammates on The Green Machine. When Atticus had the chance to make a wish, he chose to scrimmage the Timbers at JELD-WEN Field, home of the Timbers. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Atticus was outfitted with his own locker next to Timbers captain Will Johnson, while he and his family were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Timbers locker room and workout facilities. Additionally, head coach Caleb Porter introduced Atticus to the team before the Timbers pre-training meeting. Team captains Will Johnson and Atticus exchanged jerseys after the game.

“Trading jerseys is a fun thing in the game," Johnson said. "I’ve actually never asked anyone to trade jerseys, so that was probably the first and only time in my career I’ll ask for somebody’s jersey. I’m glad it’s that way because he’s a special kid and I’m quite proud to own his jersey.”

Keeping with tradition, Timber Joey rewarded Atticus with a slice off the victory log for his four-goal performance and victory.

Why did Atticus choose to play the Timbers for his wish, and include his teammates?
“Because usually kids just choose to go to Disneyland with their family or getting something," he said, "and I chose something that lots of people could do.”

Said coach Caleb Porter: “It really puts things in perspective. We’re trying to win games and we have goals here as an organization. There’s nothing more meaningful and valuable than to touch a young kid’s heart and to make his wish come true today. To play a part in that is absolutely incredible. It’s something that brings our community closer, brings our organization closer, and brings our team closer. When we brought Atticus into the video [session] before training today and I introduced him to the team and talked about what he was going to be doing today, it was hard not to get choked up, it was very touching. He’s a good kid, a special kid, and we’re just happy to be a part of it.”

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Timbers 1, Earthquakes 0, Saab owner -1

Dirk VanderHart — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:12:00 -0700

San Jose Earthquake fans don't yet have a legitimate stadium of their own to trash, so they've apparently taking to messing things up around here.

The Portland Police Bureau is looking for a contingent of Earthquake fans who—while headed to watch their team's defeat yesterday—decided to make a brief pit stop to wreck a Saab.

According to a news release, a 40-year-old Lake Oswegoan named James Decker was en route to yesterday's game in that Saab. But he either forgot or wasn't privy to what is apparently a rule: You don't taunt Earthquake fans on game day.

While waiting at a stop light on West Burnside, Decker spotted a group of rival fans headed to the game. Most of them had their faces obscured ominously by scarves. Decker taunted them anyway, telling police he "held up his Timbers scarf and yelled to the group," the release says.

A woman from the group ran over to try and snatch the scarf and, when Decker attempted to drive off, was knocked over.

From the release: "Decker told police that a group of 10 to 12 males then ran over to his car and jumped on the hood and smashed the windshield. Decker told police that one male punched him through the open car window. Decker told police that someone opened the passenger side door of his car and punched him also."

Police are asking for information on the suspect—the woman who rushed Decker is described as "Hispanic female in her 20s, 5'6" tall, heavy build"—and would love to see any pictures you might have taken.

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Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes: High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:20:44 -0700

UPDATE: The Timbers prevailed in yet another testy match, defeating San Jose 1-0 on Sunday night behind a timely a pregame text message, an on-field homophobic slur and a world-class bender from Capt. Will Johnson.

The fiery Canadian's 78th minute free-kick-goal came after Earthquake forward (and former Timber) Alan Gordon called Johnson a "fucking faggot" prior to being sent off the field for his second yellow card of the night. Johnson responded by throwing up three fingers—one for each of the games Gordon figures to be suspended by a league with little tolerance for such hateful garbage.

"I think it's probably better I don't comment on that," Johnson said to reporters post-match. "It's a very sensitive matter."

Gordon was escorted out of the locker room by team officials and didn't speak from the press. The Earthquakes, did, however, issue a statement on Gordon's behalf: "I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who watched tonight’s match on NBC Sports Network. The language I used came during a heated moment and does not reflect my feelings toward the gay and lesbian community. I made a mistake and I accept full responsibility for my actions."

That ugly moment marred an otherwise great night for Portland, which won consecutive matches for just the third time in MLS franchise history. Porter, who noted Johnson spent 20 minutes after practice on Thursday booming those bending free kicks, said he texted Johnson and told him he had a "weird feeling" his on-field captain would deliver the same come match-time.

"I said, 'Why don't you smack a free-kick-goal today?'" Porter said postgame. "So when he hit it, I couldn't believe it."

Believe this: With the win, the Timbers vaulted from eighth to third in the MLS Western Conference table—a full seven points ahead of winless Seattle (oh by the way). And for the second staright week, Portland won by standing its ground in a chippy home match.

"[San Jose has] got a group of guys that roll up their sleeves and fight," Porter said. "We have no problem with it. We'll fight, too. We're not going to back down."

Click past the jump for minute-by-minute HOT LIVE BLOG ACTION, plus full video of Porter's postgame presser. Go!

We're LIVE at The Jelly, where streaking will be encouraged at 7:30 tonight when your Portland Timbers host the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Timbers seek consecutive wins for just the third time in their Major League Soccer history, once again shuffling their lineup after injuries to midfielder Diego Valeri and defender David Horst last week. Things worked out just fine for Portland then, thanks to a revitalized Darlington Nagbe moving into Valeri's space and an evolving Kalif Alhassan helping spur the Portland attack. Such makeshift moves may have looked smooth on offense, but the cog installed by coach Caleb Porter to shore up the back line—young Andrew Jean-Baptiste—is out tonight with an abductor strain. Former USL Timber Futty Danso makes his first start of the year, but the defense enters as thin as its ever been against 2012 Golden Boot champ Chris Wondolowski.

By the time these teams had met three times last season, they'd had about enough of each other. Due to a scheduling quirk, this year's squads will see one another again next week.

STARTING XIs:
San Jose (2-2-2, 8 pts)—Jon Busch in goal. Justin Morrow, Victor Bernardez, Ty Harden and Dan Gargan on defense. Rafael Baca, Ramiro Corrales, Chris Wondolowski and Sam Cronin at midfield. Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart.
On the bench: David Bingham, Nana Attakora, Adam Jahn, Brad Ring, Abu Tommy, Cordell Cato, Michael Fucito.

Portland (1-1-3, 6 pts)—Donovan Ricketts in goal. Jack Jewsbury, Futty Danso, Mikael Silvestre and Michael Harrington on defense. Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, Capt. Will Johnson and Kalif Alhassan at midfield. Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace up front.
On the bench: Milos Kocic, Frederic Piquionne, Ryan Miller, Ben Zemanski, Michael Nanchoff, Jose Valencia, Dylan Tucker-Gagnes.

San Jose fans were out packed their small section in the Southwest corner of the stadium more than an hour before pregame. I'd say there's more than 100 of them here tonight.

Big boos for Wondo and Lenhart pre-game. I'm told by press box neighbor Mike Donovan that the last time that pair started alongside the former Timber Gordon, Wondolowski had a had trick en route to a 4-1 SJ win over Colorado last year.

Big cheers pre-game for Alhassan, including the longest rendition of the "Kalif, Kalif—put your hands up!" chant I've heard. Soak it up, kid. A large "NO DIVING, LENNY" sign in the South end. Timbers clad in their home white shorts and green tops, while the 'Quakes are rocking their blue shorts and blouses. Ricketts sporting all black.

If the Timbers win tonight, they'll leap five teams all the way to third place in the West.

FIRST HALF: And away we go! Timbers heading South to start.

1st minute—Futty gets tested twice early as San Jose plays direct right from the whistle. His first right-footed clearance is sent quickly back into the box, but Futty shows no rust with a header away less than 30 seconds later.

3rd—First foul of the night and Porter isn't happy with the call. Cronin will line one up just inside of midfield. It's sent in and headed by Lenhart toward Wondo, but the Timbers clear. They bring the crowd up a bit with their first counter of the night, but San Jose defends.

5th—Clash of styles early as SJ keeps thumping it forward and Portland looks to slow things down and establish its possession style. So far, neither side establishing its preferred way.

7th—Johnson with a short diagonal ball for Nagbe, but it's a bit long. Cronin hammers it back to Busch, who's a bit surprised by it and lasers it back toward his bench. Nagbe is so caught off guard that he doesn't react a ball nearly as his feet. It'll be a throw-in for Portland, but that awkward could've been much more.

9th—Timbers with about a dozen consecutive passes, but they just can't complete the one that puts the Quakes in danger. Some good-looking ball movement early out of Portland, however, which is just what Porter is looking for.

10th—Timbers on the counter and after Johnson finds some space outside the top of the box, he finds Jewsbury working his way back to the middle. The Club Cap'n fires from distance, but it's knocked down immediately. Seconds later, Alhassan draws a foul, and it'll be a free kick coming from Jewsbury.

12th—Baca with a poor pass right to Johnson, who's so surprised by his good fortune that his attempt to dink it back to Chara is short. Gift received, gift given.

13th—Wallace earns a corner in the Southeast corner, and quickly throws into Harrington. He attempts a cross toward the far post, but Busch is there to leap and collect it.

15th—Nagbe runs ahead into the attacking third and switches to Wallace, who knocks it down, cuts back and hits a change-up to the far post. Busch lets the Timbers' best chance of the night go past, but a nice strike nonetheless from Wallace starting his second straight match.

17th—Ricketts knocks one the length of the field for Johnson, but it's just a bit too long for him. Nice through-ball for Ricketts, who stretches the SJ defense there. That'll keep 'em honest, right?

18th—Jewsbury with a ball into the box for Johnson, who tries to get around Bernardez but fouls him in the process. Fans booing, thinking Bernardez flopped there, but he's staying down and milking it a bit. Replay shows Johnson just did get his arm, but a pretty iffy foul there. Bernardez will jog off for a moment and Portland will have an advantage when we get going again.

20th—It's a short-lived advantage as Bernardez gets right back out there. Miracle recovery!

23rd—Corrales tries to send a cross in, but Chara steps right in front to wear one LIKE A BOSS. San Jose controls and sends another in, but Silvestre is there to craftily knock it off his chest and into the waiting hands of Ricketts.

25th—After the Timbers have a short-lived counter attack, Lenhart flicks on a header toward Baca in the box. He fires one low and Ricketts steps in front to knock it down in front of him and leap on top of it.

26th—Will Johnson fouled at midfield by Cronin. Borderline yellow there, but not enough to merit a card.

27th—Nagbe with a steal on Cronin and goes a back-and-forth with Will Johnson. He passes ahead and finds Nagbe heading toward the box. His left-footed shot is low, and Busch collects. On the next possession, Jewsbury streaks down the West sideline and fires a cross, but Busch is again there to leap and grab it.

30th—Timbers sneaking down the West sideline with three straight throw ins. They finally break through and find Nagbe running ahead, and he's taken down hard in the box by Baca. Awkward challenge from behind, but it looked like it was all ball. Portland will have a corner kick, and Jewsbury lines it up.

31st—Corner goes far post and eventually finds its way to Wallace, who dances and attempts a shot from 30 yards. No problem for Busch, and it'll be a goal kick for SJ.

33rd—Corrales takes a left-footed blast that screams off Futty's leg, but on the follow through it looks like his shoulder catches Futty in the head. Futty is still down, and that's not good.

34th—Futty back on his feet and they'll walk him off for a moment. Looks to be OK.

35th—We're back at it, and after the Timbers quick play it forward, Alhassan chests one down and fires well over the goal.

36th—Free kick coming for San Jose, and it'll be Cronin. He sends it in toward the penalty spot and it somehow finds the foot of Gordon, who gets a foot on it but sends it wide. Looks like Alhassan might have missed his mark there, and that's a good chance wasted for the Quakes.

38th—Chara with a nice little ball up ahead to Nagbe, who looks for Johnson. It's deflected down in front of Johnson, but not close enough to get a shot away. Portland remains the aggressor, playing both the direct balls ahead and looking strong with the possession-with-a-purpose style they've showcased over the past couple matches.

40th—Chara fouled hard by Gordon about 35 yards out and he's rolling around, grabbing his right ankle. No foul called. Just like last match, this one is getting quite chippy down the stretch of the first half. Chara is helped off, and it'll be a yellow card for Gordon.

42nd—Chara back on, and we're back at it.

43rd—Silverstre sends a long ball into the box for Johnson, and he heads it forward. Doesn't mater, though, as the flag goes up and he's called offside.

44th—Nagbe goes screaming into the box, but can't quite get the handle on it for a shot. On the clearance, Chara called for a yellow card just outside of the midfield circle. Fans hate the call, but the always-physical Chara isn't exactly known for taking it easy.

Five minutes of stoppage ... After Alhassan tries a bicycle kick the ball finds its way to Jewsbury, who sends one in. Busch rises to grab it, no problem ... Wallace tries a left-footed cross for Johnson, but it's won by Harden. Timbers with a throw-in in a dangerous spot, but before Johnson can manage a shot, he's surrounded. Portland plays it back and Harrington plays another into the box for Nagbe and Johnson, but SJ clears.... Johnson tries a cross in the waning seconds, but it's chested down by Morrow and Busch collects.

HALFTIME: We're scoreless after an increasingly physical first half. Portland dominated possession 62.5% and out-passed San Jose 285-172 but couldn't quite manage the last pass they needed to notch one on the scoreboard. No outstanding chances for either side as San Jose hunkers down on defense a bit. Eight of the Timbers' nine goals scored this season have come in the second half—will that trend continue?

SECOND HALF: Timbers playing toward their Army, looking for that one last touch.

46th—Long ball played immediately to Nagbe, but Busch beats him to the ball in the box. Timbers almost strike right out of the locker room there.

49th—Timbers with some possession just outside the box and Ryan Johnson has a couple chances to head it forward, but San Jose will defend. Timbers regain possession and RJohnson is tackled very hard in the Southeast corner. Ouch, that was a very dangerous challenge there, a yellow for sure. Timbers Army rains boos and Johnson's teammates run over to get up in Bernardez's grill. Silvestre, in particular, looks upset.

50th—Timbers' corner is cleared immediately and here come the 'Quakes. They run ahead on the counter, but Portland snuffs it out. Timbers now try their counter and play ahead to Alhassan, who looks for Harrington running down the East sideline. It's just long, though, and it'll be San Jose ball. Physical play has continued here, as both teams look to establish their desired pace.

53rd—Chara and Lenhart really mixing it up in the Northwest corner. Lenhart waving his arms and Chara knocks him down. It'll be a corner for San Jose. Cronin sends it in and it's headed toward the goal, forcing Wallace to boot it high and out of play. Another throw-in in the attacking third coming.

55th—San Jose manages to keep it in Portland's end with another corner. It's sent in low and knocked away by Chara. Again knocked out and another throw coming. This time, however, Gargan is called for an illegal throw and it'll be a throw-in for the Timbers.

58th—Alhassan with a header ahead to Ryan Johnson who works against Bernardez. He tries a shot but it's knocked over the line for a corner. Jewsbury sends it in and Silvestre tries a header, but again it's knocked over the line for another corner. Here comes another corner and Nagbe with a touch-and-volley that screams right past the post.

59th—Another one finds its way to Johnson, whose cross goes all the way across the box, but it's just long for Nagbe. Timbers will have another corner.

60th—Timbers send it in short and try to put it toward the a dangerous area on a second service, but Busch is there to grab it out of danger.

61st—San Jose on a free kick after a Futty foul. Cronin sends it in and Futty dives to clear it away. Harden serves one into the box and Ricketts fields it like a center fielder nabbing a routine foul ball.

62nd—Alhassan working on the San Jose defense, dancing a bit before attempting a chip shot. Busch skies to grab it. Nice idea by Kalif, who's certainly tried that shot before.

63rd—Wallace tries a mighty dangerous ball that goes through the box. It's meant for Ryan Johnson, but it's just a bit long. Good look there by Wallace, and the Timbers appear to be getting closer to striking here.

64th—San Jose subs: Cato for Leonard, Attakora for Harden.

66th—Nice give-and-go between Alhassan and Wallace leads to another corner. Johnson quickly bends one in, and Busch gets in front of his defense to grab it. Timbers still knocking at the door, window and shed, but they just can't break through just yet.

67th—Harrington with a steal and Wallace is quick to cross it toward Johnson, who leaps but just can't stretch enough to get a foot on it. Another very dangerous ball by Wallace.

68th—Gordon elbows Silvestre in the face on a 50-50 ball and he comes up shoving Gordon. For good reason: He caught Silvestre with the elbow, now Silvestre's lip is bleeding. He's fired up and so is this crowd. It'll be another yellow card for Gordon, and he's off.

69th—San Jose will play a man down the rest of the way after Gordon picks up his second yellow. Silvestre comes back on and the Timbers have a huge advantage here—you have to think the way they've been controlling the action, a goal is imminent.

71st—And Chara looks pretty fired up to have that advantage. He sends a cross halfway to Hillsboro there. Goal kick for San Jose coming.

72nd—Will Johnson fires from nearly 40 yards out, and it's wide left of the post. Busch wouldn't have had much of a problem with that one.

74th—San Jose doing a very nice job keeping its shape with 10 men. Harrington dancing around the top of the 18 and blasts, but Bernardez heads it down and over the goal West sideline. Some nifty moves for Harrington, and the Timbers have yet to get a real good chance since going a man up.

75th—Nagbe gets a little space and attempts a shot, but it's well high. Not the worst idea, but not the best execution.

76th—Another corner kick after Johnson gets around Attakora, who is forced to knock it over the goal line. Corner sent in and Ryan Johnson heads one ahead for Alhassan, who gets a header on it, but it's over the bar. Knock, knock, knock.

77th—Nagbe separates from a trio of defenders and somehow gets it to Alhassan, who's tripped up just outside the 18. Dangerous spot and the 'Quakes are furious.

78th—TIMBERS GOAL What a strike by Will Johnson! He bends it beautifully over the wall and into the upper left corner to give Portland a 1-0 lead. That ball had net written all over it, and an outstretched Busch had no chance. The Timbers are finally rewarded after knocking on the door for this entire half.

82nd—Timbers sub: Zemanski will come on for Nagbe.

83rd—Timbers content to knock it around the pitch a bit now that they have this lead and an extra man. Portland would be quite happy with a boring 10 minutes to close this out.

84th—The former Timber/Sounder Fucito checks on to a chorus of boos. He's on for Corrales. For the Timbers, Piquionne is on for Alhassan. Fans give Kalif a big cheer, and he's earned it.

86th—Chara running and gunning down the East sideline like we're in the opening minute. Does he ever get tired? He finally gets it back in the box and knocks it off a SJ defender for a corner. Jewsbury sends it in out-swinging, and Johnson gets a rising header on it—just over the cross bar. That one didn't miss by much.

88th—Long throw into the box headed forward by Baca and Ricketts just beats Fucito to the the ball. They collide and the latter is called for a foul.

89th—Cronin sends one into the box, but Ricketts is there to sky and nab it. No problem for Ricketts, who cracks one all the way down to Busch.

90th—Cronin levels Wallace, who spins off him and goes down. He looks like he'll be fine and we're heading to extra time now.

Four minutes of extra time ... Timbers not done yet, as Piquionne plays one ahead to Chara, who gets away a nifty pass into the box for Zemanski, but it's just long. ... Ryan Miller will come on for Ryan Johnson...Long header sent into the box and Wondolowski has a wide-open header from seven yards out, but Ricketts is there to grab it. Wow, that would've been huge. How did Wondo get that open?...A minute later, San Jose again sends it for Wondo, and Cato is there to mix it up with Miller, but not before Wondo is called for a handball.

FINAL: Timbers win, 1-0! Back-to-back wins for Portland for the first this season as they secure a clean sheet for the second straight match. Portland started the night in 8th place out west—90 minutes and three points later, they're in sole possession of third.

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Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo: High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:15:26 -0700

UPDATE!: The Timbers defeated a bunch of ruffians from Houston 2-0 behind a pair of goals from Ryan Johnson and despite an equal number of nasty injuries to key starters.

Midfield magician Diego Valeri and burly defender David Horst left the field in the first half under varying scary levels of others' power—a wobbly Valeri on the shoulder of a trainer after being elbowed in the cheek and Horst laid out on a stretcher after an ugly ankle/knee/leg twist. With two starters down for the count in the first 30 minutes, the all-out-alpha-dog-scrap predicted by Porter ensued between the Dynamo and Timbers, with the halftime whistle seemingly throwing a bucket of cold water on a match ready to roar past chippy.

With the rest of Portland's starters still in the locker room before the second half started, Johnson emerged from the North End and jogged onto the pitch. He stood almost statuesque in the midfield circle looking South toward the goal he'd soon be attacking for nearly two minutes, seemingly ready to go.

Ten minutes later, he'd be celebrating the first of his two goals, sticking his tongue out to taste the driving rain as he ran to celebrate.

"I'm always pretty eager to get out there and play," Johnson said in the locker room after scoring in the 55th and 73rd minute—his first career brace. "I got a bit of a dead-leg and just kind of wanted to get out there and see how it felt. It felt alright to keep on going, but it doesn't feel very good right now."

What likely felt just fine was Porter's first victory as an MLS coach, though the rain-soaked, Timbers-Army-scarfed skipper didn't show it in his post-game press conference. After beginning by telling the media he'd "been a little long-winded in these" Porter spoke for 9+ minutes about "fantastic" performances from sudden offensive focal point Darlington Nagbe, superb sub Kalif Alhassan and a blossoming-before-our-very-eyes Rodney Wallace. He talked about a team gaining confidence in itself and the system and a coach learning right along with a new cast of players. He praised Jack Jewsbury's "mature" play on the back line and Johnson's "workmanlike" pressure, while noting midfielders Will Johnson and Diego Chara are "starting to figure out how to play together."

It all adds up a word Porter's used a lot since arriving in Portland.

"It really looked like what we want our identity to be here with the Portland Timbers," Porter said.

So much more after the jump, including locker room thoughts/quotes, a minute-by-glorious-minute live-blog of the Timbers' first win of 2013 and full, unedited video of Porter's postgame press conference. Go!

Jewsbury said the win—and the full 90 minutes of intensity displayed by the Timbers—was something the team had been searching for. Having not played with a lead all season, it was clear the Club Cap'n liked what he saw when Portland struck first.

"When we got one, we didn't sit back and let them come at us," Jewsbury said. "We continued to play our type of game."

Johnson said Porter kept an even keel at the half (shocker!), telling the team to keep within itself after Houston clearly wanted to compliment the sloppy conditions with a scrappy physical element—a strategy previous Portland teams wilted under.

"He kind of calmed us down, just said, 'Hey, keep playing your game,'" Johnson said. "We're a good second half team and we showed it tonight."

And according to Porter, the Timbers continue to show themselves something more.

"It's important to get results for the players to realize what they're capable of doing and realize how powerful this way of playing can be," he said. "This was a big step in the right direction. This was that breakthrough that I've been looking for."

LIVE BLOG:

Leave it to Caleb Porter to make a dogfight sound downright technical.

We're LIVE from Goose Hollow as the Timbers return to The Jelly for the first time in nearly a month, sniffing around for a clash of aggression with two-time defending Eastern Conference champ Houston.

"It’s going to be a bit of two alpha dogs looking to go toe-to-toe,” said the Timbers head coach in the buildup to tonight's 7:30 p.m. match. “In the end, we hope we’re the one that comes out on the winning end.”

Indeed. Houston is already thinking playoffs, and barking plenty about landing the first bite of the night. The Dynamo's confidence is high after two straight victories, says star midfielder Brad Davis, despite just one road win in their last 17 tries.

"We want to go there and get after them," Davis said this week. "Let them know from the first whistle that we’re there to play."

Portland has done well to begin to steer its reputation toward resilient after coming from behind to earn results in three of its last four—something the club only accomplished four times in its first two MLS seasons. Porter called Portland's tendency to give up the first goal "a mental thing" earlier this week, but insisted the Timbers were on the cusp of a much-needed breakthrough.

“[Houston is] going to come in here ready to fight, ready to press, ready to attack," Porter said. "But we’re not going to back down either."

Fightin' words, unleashed! There's a steady rain falling and the West Hills have a certain mist about them. So click past the jump and follow along as I deftly describe the action, on and off the pitch.

STARTING XIs:
Houston (3-1-0, 9pts)—Tally Hall in goal. Jermaine Taylor, Corey Ashe, Bobby Boswell, and Kofi Sarkodie on defense. Brad Davis, Adam Moffat, Andrew Driver, and Ricardo Clark at midfield. Cam Weaver and Giles Barnes at forward.
Also available: Luiz Carmago, Tyler Deric, Omar Cummings, Warren Creavalle, Brian Ching and former Timbers Mike Chabala and Eric Brunner. Not available? 2012 leading scorer Will Bruin.

Portland (0-1-3, 3pts)—Two-time Save of the Week winner Donovan Ricketts in goal; Club Cap'n Jack Jewsbury, David Horst, Mikael Silvestre and Michael Harrington on defense; Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Capt. Will Johnson at midfield. Darlington Nagbe, Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace up front.
Also available: Jose Valencia, Milos Kocic, Frederic Piquionne, Kalif Alhassan, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Ryan Miller, Ben Zemanski.

PRESS BOX SPREAD: Grilled tri-tip, pasta salad, New Mexico chili-marinated chicken breasts, Not-so-little smokies, roasted red potatoes, grilled veggies, brownies.

PREGAME: A "Little Timbers" player set the bar for celebrating tonight during the mini-game that entertains Timbers Army about an hour before each home match. The yellow-pinny-clad ~~little shit~~ youngster pulled off a fairly impressive rendition of "The Worm" after netting a goal, much to the delight of North End. ~~Insufferable little brat~~. What a great moment.

Brunner, who played two seasons with PTFC but faded late last season with a series of injuries, said earlier this week that Portland's home-field mystique is helped by simple acoustics.

"The way the stadium's set up, the sound stays inside, there's a giant building in the back that keeps the vibrations and noise bouncing off," he said. "It stays pretty loud so you have to be on your toes when you're playing there."

The North End is pretty well filled in, but there's a quite a few empty seats around the rest of the stadium. The weather—and maybe the Winterhawks' playoff game at the Rose Garden tonight—might have something to do with that.

Porter again sporting a Timbers Army scarf as he steps into the coach's box seeking his first win as an MLS gaffer.

FIRST HALF:
And away we go ... Timbers heading toward the North End to start this one.

2nd minute—Horst takes down Davis 40 yards out and it'll earn Houston its first free kick. Davis bends it in and Ricketts comes out to punch it away as Portland survives its first bit of danger of the night.

3rd—Ryan Johnson is taken down hard about 25 yards out as the crowd gasps. It'll set up a free kick for Valeri as Johnson is slow to get up.

4th—Valeri swings it in low and Sarkodie slides to knock it away. Physical start already, which was expected.

5th—Another stoppage as Horst takes down Sarkodie. Not much rhythm to this one so far as physical play sets the tone early. Alpha dogs!

8th—Chara with a strong sliding tackle at midfield eventually leads to a nice back-and-forth between Nagbe and Valeri at the edge of the box. Davis is there to poke it away from Nagbe, but Portland shows a little danger in the run of play for the first time tonight.

9th—The Diegos come together for some more combination play, and that leads to Valeri taking the first on-frame shot of the night for Portland. It's a bit off the side of his foot, and that's no problem for Hall. Timbers winning the possession battle so far.

12th—Driver with a decent run into Portland's attacking third and leaves a nice ball for Barnes, but Jewsbury is there to chop it away. Big defensive play right there from Jewsbury, who played a bit on the back line last year but starts there for the first time in 2013 tonight.

14th—Nagbe with a little run into the box and finds Valeri, who tries a rather chippy-little-chip into the box. Houston clears, but an early exhibition of Valeri's creativity there.

15th—Barnes and Horst go hip-to-hip all the way down the field and Horst does well to deny Barnes a good look. But Horst goes down in a heap and the replay shows a pretty bad right-ankle turn. Cringe. They're bringing the stretcher out for Horst, and that'll probably be it for him tonight. Shitty for Horst, who just cracked his way back into the starting lineup last week at Colorado after battling back from a hip injury.

18th—Horst is carried off as TA chants his name. Andrew Jean-Baptiste (now listed as just plain old "Andrew Baptiste" in the official lineup) gets set to come on, but Portland will play a man down in the meantime. Portland forces a goal kick and here comes AJ-B.

20th—Barnes is upended by Baptiste about 35 yards out, straight on and it'll be dangerous free kick. It always is when Davis is a possibility to take it. Five-man wall for Portland. Davis back-heels, Moffatt takes it and drives it hard and low, but Chara is there to knock it away.

22nd—Driver makes a run right and knocks one off Harrington and over the goal line for the first corner of the night. Houston sends it near-post and it's knocked out for another corner. Davis sends it low and near-post again, and again Portland's defense stands firm. Houston starting to gain the upper hand offensively.

25th—Valeri draws a foul just inside midfield and goes down hard, grabbing his noggin. Teammates are calling for the trainer, and the replay shows Valeri taking an elbow to the face. Yikes.

27th—Valeri on his feet but getting his right cheek worked on. They're trying to walk him off and he looks like a boxer staggering out of the ring. Not good. He looks woozy and Timbers Army is raining boos on the field. Porter is screaming at the refs and gesturing with his elbow as if to say, "Motherfucker elbowed our best player in the face and no yellow?!" Alhassan getting ready to come in, and Portland is forced to go to the bench twice in the early going here.

29th—We're back at it and Portland will play a man down. Houston elects not to kick it out and let Alhassan come in, and Will Johnson is not pleased with the breach of etiquette. Barnes runs into the 18 and crosses to the middle, but it's just behind Davis. Good opportunity there for Houston, but Harrington clears it over the east sideline.

32nd—Houston misses a point-blank shot on goal after a cross goes right in front for Weaver, but he airmails it. That could've been huge. Dynamo certainly missing Will Bruin right there as Weaver somehow gets a few strides ahead of Silvestre for a wide-open look. Portland fortunate to escape without giving up a goal there.

34th—A great chest pass by Houston finds Davis running diagonally into the box. He fires low and right, but Ricketts is there for a diving save. The Dynamo are really controlling the action at this point. Timbers trying to regain their composure and figure things out after watching two key cogs get carried off the pitch.

36th—Driver with a hard tackle on Harrington right in front of the Timbers' bench and that'll earn him a yellow card. Porter is livid over seeing Driver come in cleats-up, and it'll be a free kick for Portland. Will Johnson sends it in toward the upper right corner and Hall has to backpedal to grab it. Great looking free-kick from Johnson, who put a bit of a scare into Hall.

38th—A couple of slippery moments for Ricketts, and he goes to the towel to dry the gloves. On the other end, Harrington sends one right in front for Wallace, but Hall comes out to grab it. Timbers regain possession and Chara and Johnson go back and forth in the box. Houston holds them off, but the ball ends up at the foot of Alhassan, who chips one craftily toward a couple green jerseys before Hall comes out to nab it. Portland has settled in after losing two starters, and now the Timbers are controlling the pace here.

40th—Jewsbury sends a long ball into the box for Nagbe, who collides hard with Hall. A great pass and run there, but Hall beats the speedy Nagbe to the ball and hangs on after the collision. Timbers not shying away from the longball now, as Valeri's exit has somewhat neutralized the possession style Porter loves.

45th—Johnson with a run up the middle but he waits a bit long to attempt a pass to Nagbe in the box. Missed opportunity there and Johnson looks frustrated.

Three minutes of stoppage ... Alhassan finds Nagbe in the box, but before he can shoot, he's stripped from behind. Barnes goes down on a Silvestre tackle and play goes on ... This game is getting pretty physical and Silvestre will pick up a yellow for the frustration tackle there. Porter jawing at the official and the Houston bench as Barnes hobbles off the pitch. Slap-happy finish to the half as players on both teams are not decidedly not forging lasting friendships.

HALFTIME: We're scoreless in a physical, increasingly chippy match. The Timbers looked a bit shell-shocked after losing a pair of starters to ugly injuries, but they managed to pull themselves together to survive a 10-minute-or-so stretch dominated by Houston. Five fouls for each team. Called fouls, that is. The Dynamo out-shot Portland 5-1, but the Timbers won the possession edge with 61%. Can they keep their emotions in check and steal one in what's sure to be a scrappy second half?

SECOND HALF:
We're back at it, with the Timbers heading toward the South end.

48th—Moffatt runs forward and fires one in stride, but it's well left. Teams are feeling each other out in the early going after an emotional end to the first 45 minutes.

49th—Nagbe takes on a couple defenders and pulls off a give-and-go with Wallace right in front. Nagbe shoots, but it's just wide right. Best chance of the night for Portland, which is the aggressor out of the locker room thus far.

50th—Ricketts shows off some dribbles as the big man pulls off a cut move, comes out of the 18 and drives it forward. Timbers Army loves/hates the showcase of foot skill from their veteran keeper. As in, "Sweet moves, dude, now never do that again."

53rd—Barnes drives a cross into the box for Ricketts, who skies for the ball and lands hard on his side after Weaver undercuts him. It'll be a foul on Weaver, and the crowd is booing him. Ricketts a bit slow to get up, but he looks fine.

55th—TIMBERS GOAL Hey now! Chara with a run down the west sideline and plays an absolutely great ball into the box for Ryan Johnson. The Jamaican is there to chest-knock it right into Hall, who can't find the handle. Johnson runs to the sideline and sticks his tongue out to taste the rain. He'll taste green smoke in a second, as Portland leads 1-0. An assist to the Portland rain there, as Hall simply couldn't hang on to the Johnson bump. Portland with a lead for the first time this season.

58th—Nearly another for Portland as Wallace absolutely tattoos a shot past a diving Hall and into the crossbar. It ricochets off the post and nearly over the line. Wow, Wallace just smashed it, but it was a few inches too high. Portland spreading the field and possessing well now, as they play with a lead for the first time in 2013.

60th—Johnson with a shot as the Timbers' dominance of this second half continues. A lead looks good on 'em.

63rd—Chara and Driver bump heads and Driver gets the worst of it. Houston will bring on Creaville for Moffat as Driver gets to his feet.

66th—Timbers taking their time and possessing with confidence. They're kicking it back and forth along the back line seemingly without a care. That's what a goal lead will do for ya.

67th—Jewsbury with a steal and lands in front of Alhassan. He curls one high into the box for Wallace, but it's a bit long.

68th—Wallace nearly has another one as Alhassan gives-and-goes with Nagbe before sending it in front for Wallace. He fires, but Hall is in good position to smother it. He can't quite find the handle, and it'll be a corner for Portland.

69th—Jewsbury sends the corner in low and it's knocked away. No problem there for Houston.

70th—Nagbe is fouled 30 yards out and it'll be Johnson with the free kick. He again fires it on-frame, but Hall is there to collect it on the skip. That shot was cooking.

71st—Houston sub: Veteran Brian Ching on for Weaver.

72nd—Chara coming forward and gets a great pass off to Ryan Johnson just before he's dragged down. Johnson gathers it and looks to Nagbe in the middle, but it's just past him. Another great chance for Portland there—they're not resting on this one-goal lead at all.

73rd—TIMBERS GOAL Portland on a counter and Ryan Johnson somehow stays onside on long pass from Nagbe down the east sideline. Johnson dribbles into the box and fires on a diving Hall, and the right-footed blast is in the top right corner. Timbers lead 2-0 behind a brace from Johnson. Book it.

76th—Houston desperate now and trying to pick things up here. Driver sends one in that's wide of the goal, then a minute later, the Dynamo cross for Ching, who heads a blooper into the box for Ricketts.

79th—Barnes draws a corner kick after fighting off both Chara and Jewsbury. Davis sends it in and Ching gets a header on it, but it's knocked away. Another corner coming. Davis sends it toward Ching again and Johnson finds Alhassan, who clears.

81st—Final sub for Houston: Omar Cummings is on for... someone.

84th—Timbers still pressing Houston with a two-goal lead. Dynamo can't get much going, especially after Portland re-gains possession and takes its time.

86th—Wallace dribbles into the box before going down and maintaining possession. He plays it back to the midfield as time continues to tick away on Houston.

88th—Final sub of the night for Portland: Piquionne for Johnson, who comes off to a roar. Huge game for him—his first career brace.

89th—Piquionne with some lovely footwork near midfield as he sprints past two defenders and down the sideline. He looks for Nagbe running in the box, but his cross is knocked away.

Three minutes of stoppage ... Ball gets through Silvestre and Cummings has a shot at it, but he's called offside just as he attempts a shot. Either way, Ricketts was right there. ... Portland has a counter opportunity, but they wisely pull it back toward midfield. Smart to bleed some clock here, and the Timbers are on the verge of their first win of the season. ... Nagbe almost makes it 3-0, but Hall is there to get a fingertip save to it.

FINAL: Timbers win, 2-0! The first victory for Caleb Porter as an MLS coach and the first home win for Portland in seven months. Despite injuries to a pair of key starters, Portland again shows its resiliency—this time to get past a physical Houston squad en route to its first victory in 2013.

HIGHLIGHTS:

FROM THE TIMBERS:

The Timbers held firm defensively in the first half despite having two players leave the match due to injury, as the Dynamo attempted just one shot on goal. Houston is one of the league’s best defensive teams in second half, but the Timbers unlocked the Dynamo back line for two goals in the second half on Johnson’s strikes in the 55th and 73rd minutes on their way to their first win of the 2013 campaign.

Portland’s defense held Houston, which ranks among the Eastern Conference's goal-scoring leaders, to just two shots on goal – a season-low by an opponent – on its way to securing its first shutout of the season.

Johnson recorded the first two-goal performance of his MLS career, midfielder Diego Chara and forward Darlington Nagbe logged assists and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made two saves to pick up the clean sheet for the Timbers, helping head coach Caleb Porter earn his first victory as an MLS coach.

With the victory, the Timbers (1-1-3, 6pts) extend their unbeaten streak to three matches and are one of just seven clubs with one or fewer losses this season. Portland has earned a result in four of its first five matches of the season.

Goalkeeper Tally Hall made four saves and midfielder Adam Moffat attempted a team-high two shots for Houston (3-2-0, 9pts), who was held scoreless for the first time this season in the loss.

Portland struck for the opening goal 10 minutes into the second half. From the right wing, Chara delivered a pinpoint cross into the box for Johnson on a run at the back post, and Johnson one-timed the ball from close range. Johnson’s second goal of the season lifted the Timbers to a 1-0 lead and gave the club their first lead of the season.

A well-played ball from Nagbe from midfield to Johnson running down the left channel led to the Timbers second goal of the night in the 73rd minute. Johnson attacked the left side of the penalty area and drove a shot by Hall and into the back of the net. It was the eighth second-half goal scored by the Timbers this season, the second-most in MLS.

The Timbers were forced to make two substitutions in the first half due to injury. Defender David Horst sustained a right knee injury early in the match after colliding and tangling with Houston forward Giles Barnes in the box. Midfielder Diego Valeri took an elbow to the face from Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor while challenging for an aerial ball near midfield and left the match in the 29th minute.

The Timbers play host to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

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Another Moral Victory Proves A Victory For Morale

Brian Gjurgevich — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:14:00 -0700

Last Saturday, after the Timbers outplayed but ultimately fell at home to Montreal, Portland captain Will Johnson wasn't exactly eager to accentuate the positive.

"The moral victories around here," he said, "are getting a little old."

Starting next week, of course. Because one more moral victory couldn't hurt, right? Especially when rivalry is afoot. Or when a dramatic ending gobsmacks rival fans prepping for an all-out celebration. Or when one second in time flips the perception of a team's first derby from "dud" to "dandy." The Timbers drew 1-1 with Seattle on Saturday night, making their point just in time and stunning a crowd of 40,000+ going away. It was a tie, but felt like a win for the way it happened. For a team just beginning its journey toward gelling, pulling even with Seattle was more than a moral victory—it was a clear victory for morale.

"It gives us a lot of belief moving forward," said coach Caleb Porter. "This team has a lot of mettle. I’m most proud of our effort defensively. We dug deep."

Rodney Wallace, who subbed on in the 80th minute, said his focus coming in late was to try to make a difference. Check. After spotting Andrew Jean-Baptiste with the ball and an opportunity to cross, Wallace knew he was open and made sure to stay onside. Check again, and with one lofted ball into the box, Jean-Baptiste went from the defender culpable for Eddie Johnson's early goal to the heads-up passer behind an equalizer Wallace snuck past the Sounders and into Cascadia lore. He ran toward the largest swath of Timbers Army at CenturyLink stadium, pulled his shirt to his lips, kissed the Timbers' crest and pointed at the fans.

“It just shows that everybody’s tuned in," Wallace said. "Everybody is ready to compete, from the starting 11 to the guys that come in, the coaching staff, the training staff, everybody is on the same page. This year we want to be successful and points like this is what gets us there.”

Johnson called snatching a point in Seattle promising, positive and something that's taking the team in the right direction. Still, he said, three games in, there's plenty of work to be done. But rest easy, Portland—there's time: Without a match until March 30, Porter has nearly two weeks to tinker with a squad reverberating on a high note.

"We’re fighting ourselves," Johnson said. "We’re fighting a lot of adversity. We could easily be 0-3 right now. This group could be sitting on zero points, getting ready to blow this thing up. We never panicked, we never wavered."

The Timbers return to action next Saturday, March 30, at Colorado. They return home on April 6 against Houston.

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Good Match Day, News!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:06:30 -0700

Build a bonfire—Seattle is atop the minds of Timberland. The crown jewel of North American soccer rivalries kicks off at 5 p.m. today with the first salvo in a heated rivalry renewed for the 80th time. It's derby day in Cascadia. Let's go to press!

Cast those road-weary woes asunder, comrades. The Timbers have certainly stalled along their fair share of MLS journeys, but this new-look bunch is optimistic they can kick-start the season with three points away at the arch-rivals.

Portland and Seattle? Yeah, hate's the right word.

The attack looks fine and all, but...Portland needs to show improvement in an aspect of the game that hasn't exactly been the Timbers' calling card this young season. This guy knows what I'm talkin' about.

Will Seattle fall into a little lull after a big win over Mexican side Tigres on Tuesday? The Timbers shouldn't count on it, even if Sounders coach Sigi Schmid says it's only human nature for his team to let up a touch today.

Caleb Porter knows plenty about DeAndre Yedlin, and not just because the 19-year-old has been one of Seattle's best in the early going. Porter coached the Seattle native at Akron, along with midfielder Steve Zakuani, who described Portland's new coach as intense, headstrong, and a little chatty: “He would never, ever change his style. Never, ever. He believes in it so much. (In December 2011), a few of us were back at his house—we went to see him for a bit—and he spoke for three hours on his soccer philosophy, and he just wouldn’t stop. He’ll never change that style."

Portland looks more dangerous than last year, says Seattle supporters blog Sounders at Heart, which, in related news, sounds scared.

Trademark-up! MLS' offseason attempt to put a stamp on the Cascadia Cup is the silver elephant in the stadium this evening. After an offseason of lawyering up and careful conversation, Paul Kennedy of Soccer America says the whole issue boils down to trust: "It's an important test of how MLS handles the delicate balance of protecting its 'corporate' interests and nurturing the independent or alternative soccer culture that thrives in the Northwest."

Hey, nice timing there. Newly signed Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins' first match as a Sounder could be today.

How's your Caleb Porter impression coming along? Impress your friends by reading aloud from the transcripts of his Thursday media teleconference! You're welcome.

Need more time to get into the groove of the season? Not feeling so jacked about this one? Still getting adjusted to daylight savings? You're officially out of excuses.

I'll just leave this article about former Sounder Roger Levesque right here.

Know thy enemy. 5mTKO offers its weekly assessment of opponents' shortcomings, and it certainly lives up to the billing during rivalry week. You'll be bule if you miss it.

They'd much rather have six points, but after Donovan Ricketts won MLS Save of the Week 2 following Diego Valeri's Goal of the Week 1, Portland is atop of the table in online poll victories.

And speaking of Valeri, find out more about the Timbers' new Argentinian star in this profile. I don't care for the writer, but the psychedelic illustration of Valeri pretty much rules.

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POLL: Should Timbers Army Have Cheered Troy Perkins?

Brian Gjurgevich — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:59:25 -0700

Former Portland goalkeeper Troy Perkins was a fan favorite in the Rose City before being unceremoniously swapped last season for current goalie Donovan Ricketts. He's still a tad touchy about the whole thing, and on Saturday night, Timbers Army was quick to show the 2011 Supporters Player of the Year there were no hard feelings coming from the North End.

During pregame warm-ups, the Army mistook Montreal backup Evan Bush (and his shaved head) for Perkins, and began chanting the latter's name. Oops. The actual Perkins then got a hearty cheer when lineups were announced and an even heartier boo when he took his time over the ball (read: stalled a bit) while Portland was scrambling to find a way to tie late during Saturday night's 2-1 loss. But it was after the game that TA's feelings for the ex truly surfaced, when just after the final whistle, Perkins immediately turned toward the Army had applauded them.

Again, the Army chanted: "PER-KINS, PER-KINS, PER-KINS." How nice, right? That old friends can re-connect?

Not every Timber thought so: Injured defender David Horst (another fan fave, it should be noted) took to Facebook and gave his candid assessment of the spontaneous love-fest, saying it was "frustrating" to see fans cheer for an opposing player right after their own team just ran their asses off for 90 minutes.

Timbers Army's Garrett Dittfurth responded later that evening, reminding the team that if they remember the name on the front of the jersey (Alaska Airlines? Oh, right, Portland Timbers!) the fans will remember the name on the back.

So whatdya think, Blogtown? Should TA have cheered Perkins or given him the cold shoulder? Let's put it to a poll!

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Timbers vs. Le'Impact de Montreal: High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 19:15:31 -0800

It's pretty well established that disliking Canadians can be difficult.

You want to—especially tonight, when the Timbers welcome the Montreal Impact to The Jelly for a 7:30 kick—but it's no easy task. Canadians (or, more specifically to Quebec, Canadiens) are such a friendly sort; they season our steaks something fierce, they gave us Leonard Cohen, and just last week, they delivered Soccer City, USA the gift of a Seattle loss.

And they're tickled pink to be in the Rose City for the first time as an MLS side, having trained in Portland all week following their win at the CLink.

"Playing in front of good crowds like this one," said Montreal captain Davy Arnaud, "is always fun and easy to get up for."

So friendly! And, of course, familiar: Former PTFC keeper Troy Perkins returns to J-WF, still a bit bent about being unceremoniously shown the door and dubbed the wrong end of an "upgrade." Since the great goalie swap of Aug. 2012, it's clear each side has improved for the better—and what would've been a snoozer of a matchup a year ago is perhaps the most intriguing tilt of the MLS schedule this week.

*UPDATE!* Montreal's defense hunkered down and held off the Timbers 2-1, despite being walloped in nearly every offensive category.

"The moral victories around here are getting a little old—everybody realizes that," said Timbers captain Will Johnson after Portland out-shot (19-9) and out-possessed (63%-37%) the Impact but couldn't rally from a two-goal deficit. "We're starting slow. It's frustrating."

Montreal's Hassoun Camara bicycled his side to 1-0 lead in the 30th minute off a set piece, while Felipe Martins scored unmarked in the 60th minute following a long ball to fresh-off-the-bench sub Andres Romero. Portland got on the board in the 80th minute when Ryan Johnson ran into the end of a lovely Ben Zemanski cross, but former Timbers keeper Troy Perkins and the Montreal defense held firm to win their second road game to start the season.

"It's disappointing to dominate like we did and not get the result," said Timbers coach Caleb Porter. "Stats are stats, they don't always tell the story. In the end, we've got to get results."

Click past the jump for all your live-blog needs, along with FULL, UNCUT VIDEO of Porter's presser and more reaction from the locker room.

STARTING XIs:
Montreal (1-0-0, 3 pts)—Troy Perkins in goal. Alessandro Nesta, Matteo Ferrari, Jeb Brovsky and Hassoun Camara on defense. Davy Arnaud, Partrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Andrea Pisanu and Sanna Nyassi at midfield. Marco DiVaio up front.
Subs: Justin Mapp, Andres Romero, Evan Bush, Andrew Wagner, Dennis Iapichino, Calum Mallace and Collen Warner.

Portland (0-0-1, 1 pt)—Donvan Ricketts in between the pipes. Michael Harrington, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Ryan Miller and Mikael Silvestre on defense. Diego Valeri, Diego Chara and Will Johnson at midfield. Ryan Johnson, Kalif Alhassan and Darlington Nagbe up front.
Subs: Ben Zemanski, Michael Nanchoff, Jack Jewsbury, Rodney Wallace, Jose Valencia, Jake Gleeson, Dylan Tucker-Gangnes.

Two 2012 non-playoff teams showed they're at least capable of being intriguing after week one: As mentioned, Montreal knocked off Seattle 1-0 at the CLink behind an Arnaud goal—and Portland coach Caleb Porter certainly took note of their clean sheet. And yeah, it's been a week, but Portland leads the league in shots (21), passes (553), pass-completion percentage (84%) and second in overall percentage (63%). The question is, can they match those numbers against a stout Montreal D?

PREGAME: The Timbers Army attempted to cheer for Perkins twice pre-game. First when they mistook backup keeper Evan Bush for the former Timber, then when Perkins finally ran out on the field and the PA/pre-game video was on full blast. I'm sure they'll get him during player intros. Update: In fact, they did.

Tonight's press box menu: Green beans almondine, Assorted pasties, chicken cacciatori, beef stroganoff, veggie plate, Caesar salad, chips with French onion dip.

Now, I'm as red-blooded as the next American, but AS A SONG the Canadian national anthem wrecks the SSB. Sorry, grandpa.

A bit of a delay at the start. Timbers Army chanting, "Blow the fucking whistle!"

FIRST HALF: And away we go! Timbers headed toward the South End to start.

2nd—Will curls one in for Ryan in our first attempt at a Johnson&Johnson connection, but the latter is offside. Perkins with a first touch, running forward to punch it out.

3rd—Nagbe dribbling forward (which always looks dangerous) and passes it ahead to Valeri at the top of the box. He fires, but it's knocked down right away.

6th—The Timbers have completely dominated possession early. The Impact have barely touched it.

8th—Di Vaio plays a ball in early and catches the Timbers' D napping a bit. It finds Martins right in front, and his full-footed strike slides juuuuuuuust wide of the goal past a diving Ricketts. Portland gets away with one there.

10th—Timbers really dominating possession, as most of the action is at midfield.

11th—Just when I say that, Di Vaio dribbles past two Portland defenders and crosses in front. Silvestre with a classy slide in the box to prevent it from bouncing dangerously to the back post. Well done for the veteran defender, who struggled in the opener. Montreal corner comes in and RICKETTS WITH A HUGE SAVE. Di Vaio had a volley right in front, but Ricketts somehow gets one of those big paws on it, and Portland again is lucky not to be down a goal.

16th—Valeri triple-teamed in the midfield. Looks like the word's out on what he can do, and the scouting reports have been drafted. Nagbe dribbles forward near the 18 and looks for Johnson, who goes down in the box. Fans don't like it, but probably a good no-call.

18th—Nyassi gets around Miller, but Jean-Baptiste comes screaming around the corner for a lovely slide tackle. He gets right up and chases the ball down and is fouled by Nyassi. Timbers Army loves it.

19th—Valeri finds a bit of space and cuts back to fend off a defender. He finds Nagbe in the box, who dribbles once and has one from inside the 18, but it's knocked down and out.

23rd—Timbers with another long stretch of possession, culminating with Nagbe dribbling through the Montreal backline and firing from just outside the box. Again, it's knocked down and cleared, but a good sign for Portland fans that Nagbe's trigger finger appears to be itching tonight.

27th—Valeri-Johnson-Nagbe-Valeri-Johnson c-c-combo breaker! Lovely one-touch passing ahead to Johnson, who hits the circle button to beat his defender and find an angle to fire from. Perkins is in perfect position though, and makes the save.

30th—MONTREAL GOAL Nagbe is booked for a yellow card (first of his career), which sets up a free kick from near midfield. It comes in and Portland fails to mark up, letting Ferrari get to it first. He hits it and it bounces around in the box a bit while Portland fails to clear. Camara with a ridiculous bicycle kick that shocks this crowd. Wow, classy stuff there, and Ricketts really didn't have a chance. Impact lead 1-0.

37th—Nagbe finds himself 1-on-1 with Kamara (because Valeri finds him) and blasts from just outside the box. It has some heat on it, and Perkins punches it straight up in the air. Ryan Johnson comes in hot looking for the rebound, but Perkins collects.

38th—And now Johnson is fouled right in front, 20 yards out. Big moment here as Valeri lines it up in front of a five-man wall.

39th—Valeri cracks one low and it's knocked away immediately. Jean-Baptiste tries to float it back in, but Perkins is there to field it.

40th—Valeri with a great ball to find Miller running down the right side. He goes down in the box, but no penalty is called. That's a real tough non-call there, and Miller is heated. Perkins has to step in front of him as he screams at the ref/Montreal reserves warming up in the Southwest corner.

41st—Nagbe gets around two defenders and earns a free kick along the goal line. It's sent in, and again, immediately knocked out. Timbers starting to get in a bit of a groove.

42nd—Harrington puts one into the box for Valeri, who goes for the bike. He doesn't quite get all of it, and it's wide anyway. Portland would love to net one in the closing minutes of the first half here, and they're pressing hard for it.

HALFTIME: Montreal leads 1-0. For the second time in as many regular season matches, Portland goes into the locker room lugging a deficit. Can they respond like they did last week? Montreal looks especially stingy on defense, so it could prove difficult.

Some stats! Portland out-shot Montreal 8-5, but each side had two shots on target. Portland dominated possession (61.2%) and had 289 passes to the Impact's 181.

SECOND HALF: Ben Zemanski makes his Timbers debut, coming on for Alhassan. Timbers working toward their Army.

47th—Ryan Johnson fouled 35 yards out and Valeri sends it in low for Will Johnson, who pops it up in front of the net. Perkins rises to grab the floater and it'll be a goal kick.

49th—Chara leaves one for Nagbe, who passes on a shot and looks to pass inside to Will Johnson, but it's knocked away. Nagbe wins it back, but Miller is called for a handball as he loses his footing while trying to receive a pass. Unlucky for Portland—if Miller doesn't slip, he probably would've been able to send a dangerous cross in.

52nd—Valeri can pass, man, I tell ya. So many pretty touches come off his foot, it's uncanny. The latest gets into the box for the Johnsons, and after Montreal steps in front, the ball trickles to the feet of Zemanski, who lets one rip, but it's well right.

55th—Will Johnson with a steal and run the length of the field, giving it up to find Harrington running down the east sideline. He attempts a cross to the back post, but there's nobody home.

57th—Harrington bends/lofts one into the box for Ryan Johnson, but Perkins beats him to it and punches it away. Timbers corner kick played short and eventually ends up at the top of the box for Jean-Baptiste, who has one from 25 yards. Not exactly his strong suit there from that range, and the shot sails on him—the young defender might have been good to have a touch and let things develop a bit.

59th—For the Impact, Romero on, Pisanu off.

60th—MONTREAL GOAL Long ball played ahead and into the box for Romero, who gets just enough of a touch on it to slow it down. Timbers break on him and he passes back for a wide-open Felipe cutting toward goal, and he easily finishes near-post. Poor, poor marking by Portland, and the Impact lead 2-0. The way Montreal's defense is playing, this one might be all but over.

64th—Impact almost get another one as Di Vaio finds Romero in the box, and he chips toward the goal. It's on-frame, but Harrington is there for a save. Pardon the pun—Romero is having an instant IMPACT off the Montreal bench.

65th—Valeri gets it at the top of the box and he somehow beats a triple team and fires a shot. It's just wide.

66th—Perkins with a quality save after Jean-Baptiste with a nice touch in the box to earn a shot. Timbers with some momentum here, but Montreal's D is holding firm. Corner kick for Portland and Valeri bends it in over the wall, but into Perkins' gut.

68th—Trencito on for Miller. Porter looking to inject some life into an attack that's been well-contained by the Impact this year.

72nd—Timbers on the counter after a low cross is punched out by Ricketts. Valeri with a full-field run but doesn't see any cutters, opting to try his foot at a shot. Nesta steps right in front of him, though, and the Impact clear.

73rd—Martins shown a yellow card after tangling with Will Johnson at midfield.

75th—For Montreal, Wenger on for Di Vaio.

76th—Zemanski earns a corner in the Northeast corner after a crafty play off Nyassi. Corner comes in and AJ-B has a head on it, but it goes the wrong way. A quick cross comes into Johnson, but he's stuck in traffic and can't get a clean pass off. Timbers again with prospects, but Montreal again holding firm.

79th—Chara with a volley from the top of the box after a throw, but it's stepped in front of once again by the Montreal defense.

80th—TIMBERS GOAL And here we go! Zemanski with a great ball from distance that lands right in front, and Ryan Johnson comes sliding in for left-footed knock past Perkins. Impact lead 2-1, but the Timbers have breached Montreal's armor. First goal as a Timber for RJ and we have ourselves a match.

84th—Montreal will have a corner and they're taking their time. Crowd doesn't appreciate it very much. Corner comes in and Portland clears with a Silvestre header.

86th—Valeri with a crafty little flick foward, but nobody except an offside Will Johnson is near it. Timbers will bring in their last sub—Wallace for Harrington. For Montreal, Warner is on for Felipe.

87th—Romero gets past Zemanski and derps his way into the box, nearly tripping over the ball. He manages to get it back for a shot, but Ricketts with another fantastic diving save to keep this game within reach.

90th—Trencito with a steal and dances near the goal line to rile up the crowd, but Montreal clears.

Four minutes of stoppage...Long pass ahead to Johnson, who chests it down and gets 1-on-1. Camara with a nice defensive slide to put it over his own goal line. Valeri sends a screamer into the six-yard box and Perkins with a big-time punch to knock it away. Wallace is on the wrong end of that and lands square on his back. He takes a second to gather himself and we're back at it...Timbers again on the attack and Valeri with a lovely side-volley in the box that just sails a bit on him...Wallace plays one into Will Johnson, who turns on it and tries to knock it on goal, but he can't get much power on it with the fallaway...After Montreal nearly scores, Nagbe dribbles around Camara and into the box and finds Valencia for an open look, but he hesitates and by the time he shoots, Perkins is there to grab it. Wow, what a finish.

FINAL: Impact win, 2-1. Perkins immediately turns around and gives a round of applause to Timbers Army, and they return the favor, serenading the keeper by chanting his name (Something injured Timber David Horst didn't exactly appreciate). A number of Timbers laying on their backs after they nearly equalized a half-dozen times in the final minutes. They looked wiped, and the disappointment was just as evident in the locker room.

"We're starting slow—it's frustrating," Will Johnson said. "This is our home field, we've got to defend it like that for 90 minutes, not 45."

Porter said it's simply too early to to get too worked up.

"There' s a lot of points on the table, there's a lot of games left. We can't get too low here," Porter said. "I believe in this team. I told them after this game they've got keep focused on the process. You can't point fingers or panic—we gotta keep a steady hand here."

Portland now heads North to face arch-rival Seattle, and Ryan Johnson says they need to stick with the program.

"We've just got to be a little bit sharper around the ball when it comes to those final passes," Johnson said. "As time goes on, it's early season, everyone's getting accustomed to each other. We'll be fine, I'm not worried at all."

And Porter apparently isn't any more worried about the Sounders than any other team, a sentiment might irk fans a bit after a slow start.

"The games are the games," Porter said. "Every game's important. Obviously, Seattle is a derby. But for me, it's no bigger than any other game."

The games may be equal in size, but after managing just one point at home in two chances, the pressure to win will only grow.

PORTER'S POSTGAME PRESSER:

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Good Match-Day, News!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 08:18:03 -0800

[INSERT FRENCH GREETING HERE] Here's a sentence that would've seemed laughable a few months ago: Tonight's 7:30 meeting between the Montreal Impact and Portland Timbers at J-WF may very well be the Major League Soccer's game of the week. Oui c'est vrai! Let's go to press!

Don't call for a comeback. The Timbers won't have to rally if they find their rhythm faster and avoid "silly mistakes," says PTFC coach Caleb Porter. That might mean an extra dose of early patience, says Paul Danzer of The Columbian, who suggests the Timbers settle down and settle in against the opportunistic Impact.

Troy Perkins runs into his ex for the first time tonight, as the scorned former Timbers keeper faces his former club/replacement Donovan Ricketts (awkward) in front of the Army that loved him so. Awwwkward. "The way I had to leave there was tough for me," Perkins told the AP. "One day, I get the phone call and the next day, I'm gone and I haven't been back since." Awwwwwwwkward.

After his jet-lagged debut had Timbers fans reaching for the Dramamine, seasoned defender Mikaël Silvestre is looking to keep the wings level following his first full week of training.

"You could feel on Sunday that [the Timbers] were going to at least equalize," said Montreal coach Mauro Biello, who was at Jeld-Wen Field last week for the Timbers fierce rally and draw with New York.

A clash of styles with a litany of intriguing match-ups awaits, says Kamal Hylton of Red Nation, who predicts a 2-1 Timbers win.

Club Cap'n Jack Jewsbury trained on Thursday and could suit up tonight. And here is a picture of him being a swell dad, courtesy of teammate Michael Harrington. Awwwwwwwwwesome.

Red Bulls coach Mike Petke wasn't pleased with Porter's postgame comments last week about gifting goals and jamming the ball down New York's throats. Huh, can't imagine why. "If you want to do motivating," Petke said, "do it behind closed doors, don’t do it in the press." Yeah, I disagree.

Depth at right back will be a touch shallow for the next four weeks after Sal Zizzo underwent left knee surgery to fix up a torn meniscus.

Need to build up some irrational hatred for Montreal? 5mTKO's weekly "Know thy enemy" is a good place to start. Then, scooch over to Slide Rule Pass to find out how to beat 'em

Need even more words about soccer? Check back later tonight for some High-Pitched Live Blog Action! Awwwwwwwwwyeah.

Until then, immerse yourself in Argentinian import Diego Valeri's runaway Goal of the Week:

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Timbers vs. New York Red Bulls: High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:15:32 -0800

Chants fill westbound MAX trains. The lines on a widened pitch are a fresh, bright white. Eight ropes hang from the roof of the North End.

We're LIVE at Jeld-Wen Field for an opening night of Major League Soccer that feels a bit like a "do-over" for the Portland Timbers. Reset, reboot, revamp—whichever way you slice it, a franchise is about to be reborn.

Caleb Porter makes his MLS coaching debut while 13 new faces dot a roster built to thrive in his pass-happy, possession style. Designated Player Diego Valeri and veteran defender Mikael Silvestre make their league debuts, while new captain Will Johnson and fellow offseason additions Ryan Johnson and Michael Harrington give their first listen to Timbers Army. We know we'll hear from them, but what sort of team will the TA be cheering for?

Porter has talked plenty about creating a new identity for Soccer City, USA, one that echoes a certain song that's often heard reverberating across the stadium this time of year.

We’ll sing for you Timbers
‘Til you finish the fight
There’s a party in Portland
No one’s sleeping tonight

“We have a group of guys who aren’t going to quit this year,” Porter said. “If we’re not playing good soccer, we’re going to fight."

And I'm going to blog. Click past the jump and follow along, as I deftly describe the action, on and off the pitch.

PREGAME: The tifo display being loaded up covers two sections east of the main capo stand. Looks to be very green.

Here it is, rising from the North End:

The Red Bulls of New York feature star power that burns brighter than any other club in MLS. Thierry Henry and newly acquired Brazilian star Juninho are the headliners, but there are subplots aplenty. New York also has a new gafer in Mike Petke, a 13-year MLS vet who also makes his head coaching debut tonight. Two former Timbers, Eric Alexander and Kosuke Kimura, return to the Rose City, with Kimura slated to start.

What's there to eat in the press box today? Steelhead, a prime rib carving station, baby greens, Charcuterie with crackers, grilled vegetable crudite, jumbo shrimps, roasted red potatoes with garlic bread, baby greens and chocolate covered bacon. Legit.

A new banner marks the seat of Gisele Currier, the "Queen of Timbers Army" who passed away in April 2011.

STARTING XIs:
New York (0-0-0, 0 pts)—Luis Robles in goal. Roy Miller, Heath Pearce, Jamison Olave and Kosuke Kimura on defense. Dax McCarty, Ruben Bover Izquierdo, Juninho and Tim Cahill at midfield. Fabian Espindola and Thierry Henry up front.
Subs: Brandon Barklege, Santiago Castano, Josue Martinez, Eric Alexander, Markus Holgersson, Connor Lade and Jonathan Steele.

Portland (0-0-0, 0 pts)—Donovan Ricketts in goal. Ryan Miller, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Mikael Silvestre and Michael Harrington on defense. Diego Chara, Diego Valeri, Will Johnson and Kalif Alhassan at midfield. Ryan Johnson and Darlington Nagbe up front. Will Johnson is the Captain.
Subs: Jake Gleeson, Dylan Tucker-Gangnes, Rodney Wallace, Michael Nanchoff, Ben Zemanski, Sal Zizzo, Jose Valencia.

FIRST HALF: And away we go... Timbers working toward the South end to start.

2nd minute—Nervous touches on both sides in the opening ticks. Ryan Miller and Roy Miller (no relation...I don't think) collide near the Red Bulls' bench, and Roy is staying down a bit longer than Ryan. I guess we know who the tougher Ryan is, now don't we?

4th—Valeri with his first free kick and it's not his best work. It comes in low and hot, which is no problem for New York. Red Bulls regain possession.

6th—Espindola gets past a defender and takes a boot to the shin. He goes down hard just outside the box. Dangerous free kick opportunity, especially from a dead-on, dead-ball specialist Juninho, who's lining it up.

7th—Juninho curls it on-goal around a five-man wall, but Ricketts is there to knock it down and collect it. Portland dodges one there. You can't give a cat like Juninho too many chances from there.

9th—RED BULLS GOAL Silvestre attempts to drop one back to Ricketts, who can't handle it. Espindola is right there to knock it in the back of the net. Ugh. Likely a miscommunication there between two new teammates in a loud environment—after all, Timbers Army was going nuts. In any case, a big mistake there for Silvestre, and the Red Bulls lead, 1-0.

10th—Timbers come right back at 'em, and a Valeri free kick is nearly one-timed in by Will Johnson. Nice response for Portland.

12th—Portland's longest bit of possession ends with Nagbe dribbling it out of bounds under increasing amounts of pressure. Not sure what the scouting report said, but so far it's working.

14th—TIMBERS GOAL Unbelievable individual effort by Valeri, whose MLS debut is officially ridiculous. Alhassan one-touches to the Argentinian, who chips it off his chest, juggles through the box and lightly touches one past the keeper and into the far post. Classy. What a gorgeous goal after some nice buildup by Portland, and we're tied 1-1.

16th—Valeri is fouled 35 yards out and will have a free kick. He bends it in, but again, it's low, well wide and over the goal line. It looked like it caught a Red Bull defender before it went out, but New York will have a goal kick—much to the dismay of Timbers Army.

19th—Alhassan picks off a pass 35 yards out and has one from just outside the box. It's a nifty little poke, but it just rises just over the bar. Missed opportunity there, but Portland is controlling the action at the moment.

22nd—Red Bulls try a little quick-touch passing, and Henry knocks one straight out of bounds in front of the New York bench. And the crowd loves it.

23rd—Jean-Baptiste bails out the Timbers as Henry nearly gets behind the defense off a nice ball into the box. AJ-B is there to cut it off, though, and things are settling down after a frenetic opening few minutes.

24th—RED BULLS GOAL Uh-oh. Silvestre with another mistake in the backfield. He takes his eye off the ball and lets off a bit of a lackadaisical pass that Espindola cuts off, runs all the way down the pitch and curls past Ricketts. Ouch. Silvestre's debut has not exactly been a smashing success. Jet lagged? New York leads 2-1.

26th—RBNY foul called just outside the box and Valeri crushes a free kick that goes just wide. Nobody can get a deflection on the screamer, and it sails over the line for a New York goal kick. I think we just saw Valeri's fastball there.

28th—RED BULLS GOAL Pearce crosses to Olave after Will Johnson's attempted header clearance falls to the feet of Pearce. He slides the ball into the box and once again, the Timbers' defense breaks down in a very costly manner. New York leads 3-1 and the crowd is stunned.

33rd—Ryan Johnson cuts off a poor McCarty pass and finds Nagbe running into the box. He drops it back for Will Johnson (so many Johnsons!), who settles it with his left foot before shooting from the top of the box. It's no problem for Robles, and it'll be a goal kick. Timbers trail by two goals but you get the feeling they could score at any moment. At the very least, we'll have some exciting footy this season—no matter which side is scoring goals.

36th—Valeri with a corner kick that finds the swinging right leg of Ryan Johnson. Red Bulls clear for a moment, but Valeri gets it back and breaks down the New York defense like a point guard. He fires a shot, but it's right at the gut of Robles. New York again clears, but it leads to Alhassan running to the corner of the box before being upended. Free kick coming, again from a dangerous spot.

37th—Valeri sends it in low and Silvestre heads it away from goal.

38th—Great through-ball by Chara for Ryan Johnson, who lets one rip. But a New York defender steps in front, and the Red Bulls regain possession.

44th—Foul by Alhassan near midfield after a nice ball by Espindola. It's sent in quickly but Harrington is there to take it and go. It eventually finds Nagbe up the middle, but Darlington can't quite find the handle and New York clears.

Two minutes of stoppage ... Timbers will have a corner kick form the Southeast end, and the crowd rises to its feet. It comes in low and is popped up and back to Will Johnson. He crosses for Silvestre, but Robles comes up strong and pushes Silvestre out of the way to collect.

HALFTIME: Red Bulls lead 3-1. Obviously, this Timbers defense is a bit of a work in progress (three goals yielded in 19 minutes... yikes). Can Portland adjust in the second half and get back into this one? They've looked dangerous on the attack while possessing 61% of the time, so I certainly wouldn't put it past them.

SECOND HALF: We're back at it. The Timbres heading toward their Army.

47th—Portland on a counter attack and Ryan Johnson fires one in stride just over the cross bar. Good chance at the start there for Portland, who leave the locker room like a house on fire.

49th—Alhassan serves one into the box for Johnson, but Olave skies to head it over the line. Portland corner kick coming.

50th—Ryan Johnson sends it in and it's knocked away by the Bulls. No worries there for NY.

55th—Alhassan dribbles into the box and finds Johnson, but Olave is there once again to save New York's bacon. Corner kick sent in and Jean-Baptiste gets a header on it while being pulled to the ground. No foul called. Borderline at the very least.

56th—TIMBERS GOAL Nagbe follows an Valeri shot and buries one, and the Timbers right back in this one. Alhassan leads the charge to get Valeri the shot, and Darlington is cool and collected on the rebound. Red Bulls lead 3-2, but the crowd is back in this one. Former Timber Kimura culpable on that one (not the first time you can say that about him on this field). He stood there and watched as Nagbe finished the job.

59th—Robles taking his time and we have some stoppage. Will Johnson is all over it, screaming at the ref as Robles stalls a bit.

61st—Johnson lays one ahead for Valeri, who looks for Nagbe over the middle. He collides with Pearce and both are slow to get up. Valeri continues to impress. The man has some serious vision and looks exceedingly calm over the ball.

65th—Ricketts with a huge save after Henry takes a no-look pass from Espindola and cracks one. Massive save there for Ricketts, who stands up claps for his defense. They might return the favor.

67th—Miller chips one after another great move and pass by Valeri frees him up on the east side. Robles goes up and grabs it, but another glimpse of Valeri's tremendous skill there.

72nd—Trencito and Zizzo check in for Portland. Miller and Alhassan off. Portland beginning to dominate possession a bit here and Porter makes a pair of aggressive subs to try to equalize this one.

75th—Chara called for a foul just outside the midfield circle. A bit soft, probably a reputation call there. The free kick is immediately knocked down by Johnson. It makes it back to Henry, who looks for Cahill, but he's offside.

77th—Barklage with a hard foul from behind on Nagbe, who comes up screaming at the ref. Valeri sends it in from 40 yards out, but Olave is there to head it away.

79th—Play stops as Henry is being attended to by the New York training staff. Took a bit of a knock in the shin.

80th—Cahill and Harrington mix it up a bit and after a bad free kick gets past Valeri, New York plays it ahead. Henry finds himself all alone with the ball at his foot. His first touch is a bit heavy, and Ricketts smartly comes out and slides to knock it away. Heads-up play from Ricketts there—this one was very close to being over. And now it's even closer to getting quite chippy.

82nd—Valencia with a long cross into the box for Nagbe, who rises to get a header on it. It's over the bar, but well done by Nagbe to get to it.

83rd—TIMBERS GOAL An own-goal equalizes it. Nagbe takes it right to the top of the box and unloads. Robles with a great save to deflect it out and Valencia puts it back in the box with a cross that deflects off a New York defender and into the net. We're tied at 3. And we can officially say, "Holy shit, what a match."

85th—Timbers with a free kick coming just outside the box. Valeri lining it up. He fires and it gets past the wall, but Will Johnson's attempt is just over the bar. Timbers nearly have another there, and they're not done yet. Can they complete a ridiculous come-from-behind win?

88th—Jean-Baptiste with a great chip into the box that Ryan Johnson gets a head on, but it deflects off a New York defender. Didn't matter—Johnson was offside. Still, Portland is definitely the aggressor. Red Bulls are bracing.

89th—Valeri with a beautiful chip for Ryan Johnson, who blasts a shot. An even more beautiful save by Robles to keep this one tied. Wow, what a finish we're seeing here. Action on top of action.

Four minutes of stoppage ... Red Bulls are totally pushed back. They're holding on for dear life. Timbers are pressing as Porter waves his arms forward. The crowd is really getting into it. Valeri gets tangled up at the top of the box and is called for a foul ... Nagbe plays one into the box for Ryan Johnson and HIS BICYCLE KICK MISSES BY A FOOT. Wow. This game is officially insane. We would've had a legit seismic episode had that one gone in. I'm talking West-Hills-sliding-into-the-river seismic.

FINAL: It's a 3-3 draw. A tie, but oh, what a tie. The Timbers rally from two goals down to equalize and start the 2013 season with a point. If nothing else, this season will be an exciting one for lovers of offense.

Porter's full postgame presser:

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Good Match-Day, News!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 08:39:50 -0800

Third time's the charm? The Timbers officially hit reset on the franchise at 4:30 this afternoon, as Portland hosts the club sponsored by Red Bull from New York to open its third Major League Soccer season. Opening day! Let's go to press!

While PTFC is all but starting over with a new coach, style and personnel, RBNY's star power burns even brighter this year.

He's practiced just twice as an official member of the team, but 35-year-old Portland defender (and Manchester United/Arsenal alum) Mikael Silvestre is taking a probable start and ongoing role as mentor in stride.

New coach, new captain: It'll be Capt. Will on the pitch and Cap'n Jack in the locker room as Johnson and Jewsbury tackle leadership duties in tandem this season.

Former Timbers Eric Alexander and Kosuke Kimura return to the Rose City, and the latter is encouraging his new 'mates to soak in the atmosphere and use it to their advantage.

Of course Timbers Army has its own beer, which, shockingly, is not a spiced IPA.

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson wants the 2013 season to be less about him, says Merritt Paulson in an intriguing profile of Merritt Paulson by Geoffrey C. Arnold of The O.

Get ready for a 2-2 draw tonight, says Chris Rifer of Timbers Army, who (spoiler alert!) looks into his "crystal log" to predict the result of every regular season game ahead.

The Red Bulls play in Harrison, New Jersey. Hey, did someone say "new jerseys?" because the Timbers have some new jerseys.

Dept. of Housekeeping: The Timbers chose the services of French striker Frederic Piquionne over hometown kid Danny Mwanga, while officially parting ways with creative midfielder Franck Songo'o and defender(/franchise leader in community events attended) Chris Taylor.

Dept. of Know Your History: Roberto at 5mTKO dribbles down memory lane for some great moments of home openers past while dusting off an obligatory image of Pelé running onto the pitch in Portland because a New York team is in town.

Dept. of Shameless Self-Promotion: Check back at 4:30 p.m. for some High-Pitched Live Blog Action! Until then, feel free to watch this on repeat:

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Timbers Army: Do Ask, Do Tell—Loud And Proud

Brian Gjurgevich — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:14:27 -0800

Searching for one chanting, cheering example that the world is a more tolerant place?

Look no further than the North End of Jeld-Wen Field this season, says HuffPost writer Steve Clare, who highlights Portland's own Timbers Army as just the sort of crowd that would accept an out athlete in professional team sports. Clare's Monday piece is an open letter of sorts to former US National Team star Robbie Rogers, who simultaneously came out and retired from professional soccer earlier this month. Clare hopes the 25-year-old Rogers returns to the game, confident that fans will focus more about his on-pitch play than off-field life. And he cites Portland's supporters as a group who'd be, well, supportive. One case in point? The rainbow flag that hangs from Sunday White's capo stand, which sports more colors than green and white.

"I am an out and proud lesbian in a committed relationship," White told Clare. "I bring that flag to every match because this is my home and I am proud of my community, family and support. I have only had positive responses from team, the town and the Timbers Army. If there are negative responses I would like to hear them. When there are negative comments on social media I am very active at educating that it is unacceptable."

It goes beyond social media. As Timbers Army's Andrew Brawley reminds ~~n00bs~~ new fans who venture into the North End this season, there are rules for properly backing your team. The first?

Nothing racist/homophobic/sexist/etc. should come out of your mouth, fingers, whatever. We do not tolerate this AT ALL! The best way to not say anything racist/homophobic/sexist/etc. is to not be a racist, homophobe, sexist, etc. You will get tossed, and you won’t be welcome back. Ever.

The Timbers kick off their third MLS season against New York at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

h/t @BourbonCrew

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AIK 1-1 Portland: Ready (Or Not), Here Come Porter’s Timbers

Brian Gjurgevich — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:49:25 -0800

Caleb Porter had a fresh “NO PITY” scarf draped around his neck when he stepped into his postgame press conference following the Portland Timbers’ 1-1 draw with Stockholm’s AIK. As is the 38-year-old’s custom, three preseason home matches into his tenure as a professional coach, Porter didn’t wait for questions.

“Well,” he said, the slightest of grins breaking across his face. “I think we’re ready.”

With a lineup close to one that'll kick it during March 3’s Major League Soccer season opener, the Timbers’ attack looked increasingly dangerous on Saturday night while doubling up its Swedish guests on shots (22-11) and shots on goal (12-5). The scoreboard showed a tie, but it was Portland’s quick passing, movement away from the ball and touches galore that won the day. That, and what seems to be the new-look Timbers’ new-found ability to stay cool after conceding a goal.

“We're just not panicking,” said midfielder Darlington Nagbe after AIK’s Henok Goitom sidestepped Portland keeper Donovan Ricketts’ aggressive challenge and converted from a thin angle in the 28th minute. “I like the way we're playing now. It's just more natural. You're doing what you know is right and what you feel is right.”

Nagbe and fellow midfielder Diego Valeri—a revelation thus far in a position of need for Portland—combined for nine shots, and the third-year player who shared a national title run with Porter at Akron assisted on Michael Harrington’s 75th minute equalizer.

“The attack's been great so far," Nagbe said. "Just tighten things up defensively a little bit, and we'll be good.”

Such tightening is sure to involve veteran newcomer and slated starter Mikael Silvestre (“We didn’t sign him to sit the bench,” Porter quipped), who’s awaiting visa clearance. With 2012 holdovers David Horst and Hanyer Mosquera injured, Porter threw rookie Dylan Tucker-Gangnes into the mix alongside second-year defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste a center back. Knowing the only thing at stake should AJ-B and DT-G experience growing pains in front of the announced J-WF crowd of 14,968 was an exhibition match, Porter saw opportunity for his young defenders to gain.

“I thought they grew up,” Porter said. “I've been seeing this team respond positively when their backs are against the wall. That leaves me with a great feeling moving forward. They're playing with a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence and a lot of mental toughness.”

Will Johnson, another veteran newcomer to a midfield already patrolled by the craftily stingy Diego Chara, said building fluidity on both sides of the ball will take time. There will be some games Portland gets it right, he said, and others where Timbers Army will leave disappointed. But the Canadian national teamer who wore the Captain’s armband on Saturday (and noted it’d be a “great honor” and “massive responsibility” should he wear be chosen to don it next week or beyond) said the team is in the right frame of mind as the the third-year franchise prepares to hit the reset button on its MLS experience.

“This group's got charisma, it's got character,” Johnson said. “It's a winning group. And when we finally get this thing sharp, it'll be fun.”

As Porter wraps up his press conference, bounding into the hallway and razzing a reporter about a headline choice, it’s clear he’s already having fun. I ask him how he likes his new scarf—given to him and other new players by Timbers Army as the team left the pitch. He can't help but gush a bit.

“I love them all, man, I love those guys,” Porter says, his voice dipping a bit. “Honestly, I want to win for them. I want to win for them so bad.”

Click past the jump for full video of Porter's postgame presser, along with the official recap and notes from the preseason finale.

From PTFC:

Defender Michael Harrington delivered the late equalizer and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made four saves as the Portland Timbers closed the 2013 preseason with a 1-1 draw against Swedish first-division club AIK before 14,968 fans in the final match of the Portland Preseason Tournament on Saturday night at JELD-WEN Field.

The Timbers put AIK under pressure the entire match, taking 22 shots and forcing AIK goalkeeper Ivan Turina to make 11 saves. But it was AIK who struck first, staking a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute on a goal by forward Henok Goitom. Portland’s pressure eventually paid off 15 minutes from time when Harrington was able to deliver the equalizer to help the Timbers (3-2-2 preseason) cap preseason with a 1-1 draw. Goitom gave AIK the lead just before the half hour, with a well-placed shot from inside the box. He was on the receiving end of a through ball down the left side of the penalty area and was able to get around Ricketts near the end line. Goitom then slipped a shot from a tight angle just inside the far post and into the side netting for the goal. It was AIK’s first goal scored during the Portland Preseason Tournament.

The Timbers opened the second half with six consecutive shots on goal – all saved by Turina. In the 75th minute, Harrington was able to unlock the AIK defense to pull the Timbers level. He started the play with a pass to forward Darlington Nagbe deep in the box on the left side, and Nagbe returned a pass to Harrington cutting into the penalty area. Harrington then placed a sharply hit ball under Turina’s diving effort and inside the right post. His strike was the only goal conceded by AIK during its three matches in Portland. Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri took a team-high five shots, putting four of those on goal. In the 51st minute, he nearly struck for his second free-kick goal of the preseason, dropping a shot from 30 yards out on the left side at the base of the near post, but Turina was up for the task and made the save.

Ricketts recorded three of his four saves in the second half to keep AIK at bay. He tipped another shot by Goitom from inside the box over the crossbar in the 53rd minute and then made a diving save on a shot by midfielder Nabil Bahoui from close range five minutes later. The Timbers thought to have secured the game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time as midfielder Will Johnson tapped the ball into the back of the net following a sequence of chances inside the box, but the goal was waived off due to an offside call.

The Timbers open their third Major League Soccer campaign on Sunday, March 3, as they play host to the New York Red Bulls at JELD-WEN Field, presented by Alaska Airlines, at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific) on ESPN2.

Notes:
—Portland finished the 2013 preseason with a 3-2-2 record and has an overall record of 9-2-11 as an MLS side in preseason matches since 2011.
—The Timbers are 1-0-1 all-time against AIK. The two sides met during the Portland Preseason Tournament in 2012, with the Timbers earning a 1-0 win in that first meeting.
—AIK goalkeeper Ivan Turnina made 11 saves against the Timbers, including eight in the second half.
—In seven preseason games in 2013, the Timbers scored 11 goals, matching the club’s MLS mark for total goals scored in a preseason. Portland also tallied 11 goals in seven preseason matches in 2012.
—Defender Michael Harrington became the ninth different goal-scorer for the Timbers this preseason with his goal against AIK.
—Midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe recorded an assist in his second straight preseason match. He and midfielder Diego Valeri were the only Timbers players to record multiple assists during the 2013 preseason.
—Forward Jose Valencia entered Saturday’s match as a second-half sub and was the only Portland player to appear in all seven preseason matches in 2013.
—Midfielder Kalif Alhassan led all Timbers players with 351 minutes played over six preseason matches in 2013.
—Forward Ryan Johnson was the Timbers preseason scoring leader with three goals, scoring all three in a 3-3 draw against San Jose on Feb. 17.

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Good Match-Day, News!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:46:54 -0800

We're almost there. But first, the marquee match of the preseason is set for 5(ish) tonight, when your Portland Timbers host Swedish side AIK to close out an offseason of change in Soccer City. New coach Caleb Porter said he'd put his best foot forward in tonight's finale, with a group similar to what we'll see when Portland officially kicks off its third Major League Soccer campaign on March 3. But before you scarf yourself—let's go to press!

Remember Sunday's starters against San Jose? Expect a similar crew, says Stacy Neve of Stumptown Footy, with the possible addition of former USSF Timber Futty Danso filling in for the banged up Hanyer Mosquera.

As former Jeff High star Danny Mwanga struggles to fit in as a "'tweener" in Porter's sytem, The Trib's Stephen Alexander reports the former No. 1 overall pick is taking a politically correct line on his difficulty earning playing time.

After Porter's pass-happy system debuted to rave review on Sunday, a backup-laden lineup Wednesday reminded Timbers fans of what the not-so-beautiful game looks like.

The Timbers leading scorer in 2012—Kris Boyd—is on the verge of returning to former club Kilmarnock in a move The Scottish Sun is calling "sensational." But not all Killie fans are thrilled by reuniting with a 29-year-old striker coming off a "hugely disappointing" stint in Stumptown, says The Scottish Express.

It's been quite an overhaul for the Timbers roster this offseason, as the club's depth chart has morphed around Porter's vision. Timbers Army's Chris Rifer says Porter's midfield makeover could create a "defensive nightmare" for opponents, but the team's own D is still hardly the stuff of dreams.

Portland bolstered its backline this week with the addition of veteran defender (and rum aficionado) Mikael Silvestre, a French World Cupper and Manchester United stalwart who trialed with PTFC in Arizona. They also nabbed another one of 68 (that's a rough estimation) players with Akron ties former Zips coach Porter tapped in the offseason, midfielder and dangerous free kicker Michael Nanchoff.

While Timbers Army is once again busy bloodletting, pitch-building, tree-planting and food-gathering in the name of community, one of its leaders will be sidelined from her seat in section 108.

The Army will honor legendary mascot Timber Jim during a pregame presentation on the main capo stand.

Check back Sunday for a full recap and uncut video of Porter's postgame presser. Until then, a bit more from our Swedish visitors:

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Timbers Bolster Midfield While MLS Battles Supporters

Brian Gjurgevich — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:12:18 -0800

If you manage to get Timbers, Sounders and Whitecaps supporters to agree, you must be doing something right. Or, y'know, something terribly wrong.

On the same day the Timbers announced a major addition to their midfield, a slow-boiling disagreement between Major League Soccer and the folks who created the Cascadia Cup finally runneth over.

Members of Timbers Army, Seattle's Emerald City Supporters and the Vancouver Southsiders—who collectively created the Cup in 2004 to commemorate the top team in the Northwest each year—recently joined forces to buck an attempt by MLS to trademark "Cascadia Cup." As Prost Amerika reported on Sunday, the league attempted to register the term in Canada, raising the ire of fans who'd dreamed up the trophy before their teams' MLS eras even kicked off—when all three clubs played in the United Soccer League.

Today the TA, ECS and Southsiders' new joint entity—the Cascadia Cup Council—announced they'd filed a trademark registration application of their own here in the States.

"The three supporters groups have jointly used the Cascadia Cup mark for many years and have been the rightful owners of the mark," said a CCC press release. "Not only does the Cascadia Cup Council believe they rightfully own the trademark to Cascadia Cup but they also are of the belief they are the appropriate entity to protect the mark from third parties that are unaffiliated with the supporters groups in the Pacific Northwest."

MLS responded, saying it understands supporters' concerns and would meet with them in the near future. They insisted their trademark try was merely meant to put the league "in a position to protect the brand from exploitation by parties unaffiliated with the League and its supporters."

However that all shakes out, the Timbers' Cascadia Cup hopes for 2013 were certainly boosted today by the official addition of playmaking Designated Player Diego Valeri. (Yup, that's my segue) The 26-year-old attacking midfielder comes to Portland on loan from top-flight Argentinian side Club Atletico Lanus, where he's played nine seasons. Valeri has also picked up three Argentinian national team caps and played professionally in Portugal and Spain.

“We expect he will be one of the better playmakers in the league," said Timbers coach Caleb Porter. "But more importantly Diego fits our identity and his play should boost production to help the club win games."

In a Q&A posted on the Timbers' web site, Valeri had nice things to say about his new home:

What are your initial impressions of Portland as a city?
DV: Amazing. So beautiful. Today, I had my physical exams and we traveled all around the city. It is amazing. All the forests! It’s beautiful.

Timbers Scheduled To Drop Cascadia Cup, Make Playoff Push

Brian Gjurgevich — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:40:07 -0800

If the Cascadia Cup is to stay in Portland, the Timbers will need to leave Vancouver and Seattle with a few more points this season.

Major League Soccer released the Timbers' 2013 schedule, and with it, a home field disadvantage for Portland's supporters to retain the one thing that brought them joy in 2012.

Portland is away on four of six Cascadia dates in 2013, invading Seattle on March 16 and Aug. 25 and visiting Vancouver on May 18 and Oct. 6. That puts the Timbers—who won the Cup last year behind eight points in four home tilts—decidedly in the passenger seat for a repeat. In total, MLS slated 34 matches for PTFC—17 home and 13 nationally televised—between the season opener March 3 vs. New York and the season finale at Chivas USA on Oct. 26.

Holy Halloween, it's a haul—and one of the longest seasons in professional team sports (35 weeks!) stacked atop a North America's worth of travel make the rigors of MLS unique to any league. At his introductory presser on Tuesday, newly unveiled coach Caleb Porter emphasized that experience helps along the journey, which is why his biggest offseason moves have been adding MLS vets like Michael Harrington, Will Johnson and Ryan Johnson.

Ah, but did the schedule deliver any literally-on-paper advantages for Portland? Indeed, the Timbers are set up for a potential late-season playoff push, with no travel east of Salt Lake City after July 20 and five of their final eight MLS matches at home. This would be a good time to mention that a) The whole "Home vs. Road" thing matters because Portland was 1-12-4 away from J-WF last season, and b) That shit doesn't matter at all because there are moves to be made, matches to be played and identities to be built. In any case, Porter said he'll look to establish more consistency in Portland's gameplan, no matter whose pitch is involved.

"When you're adopting a completely different philosophy home and away, I personally don't think that's the right thing to do," he said. "Because you're sending mixed messages to your players. At home you're confident and playing to win, and on the road you're nervous [and] you're tentative. Maybe some of that played into the lack of road success [in 2012]. Perhaps."

Full schedule here. Portland hosts Cascadia Cup rivals Vancouver on Aug. 3 and Seattle on Oct. 13. Individual game tickets go on sale Feb. 18.

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Timbers' New Coach Sketches Out Vision For Redesigned Club

Brian Gjurgevich — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:42:07 -0800

Caleb Porter is more than a man with a plan—he's a builder with a blueprint.

So go the hopes of the Portland Timbers, who unveiled their new head coach in a morning press conference that introduced the serious and often-reflective Porter, 37, to Soccer City USA four weeks after his arrival in town. One of the most accomplished college coaches in the country, Porter offered this vision of a club that can now officially be called his:

"It's about winning," said Porter, who leaned forward and adjusted his scarf with a slight smile after being introduced by General Manager Gavin Wilkinson. "The most successful teams have continuity, a formula they follow, and a clear identity.

"We'll have a clear formula that we'll follow, and ultimately, every decision we make will be based on the way we're going to be playing."

That new way to play, Porter hinted, involves controlling the ball and dominating possession, and his style—labeled "aesthetically pleasing" by some, he #humblebragged—will require the right players. And no, that doesn't appear to include striker Kris Boyd, who Porter said "will have a hard time playing the way we want to play." Quick to note Boyd could fit nicely elsewhere, Porter went on to describe his system's ideal striker as "a bit more pacey, athletic, powerful..." Yes, that sounds a bit more like Bright Dike, who emerged as a starting forward late last season and whose stock has continued to rise in the offseason. Of course, any system on any pitch could find a use for seemingly emerging superstar and former Akron Zip Darlington Nagbe, a soon-to-be-third-year pro Porter said he expected bigger things from in 2013.

"I know what makes [Nagbe] tick and what buttons to push," Porter said. "My understanding of him and my ability to maybe manage and motivate him the right way will hopefully help—there's a trust there."

And trust me, there's much more after the jump. Go!

Can one get a sense of a coach after a 45-minute press conference? Probably not, but I'll give it a go: Porter seems like a serious guy, perhaps less affable on the surface than Spencer (who isn't?) but certainly just as blunt and reflective in assessing himself, the Timbers and their collective challenges.

Say what you want about Spenny; he was a straight talker—a trait Porter seems to share despite the difference in delivery. Like Spencer might, when Porter was holding back a touch and choosing his words carefully this morning, it was clear as day. And while the phrases "Kris Boyd is obviously contracted to be a member of the Portland Timbers...[long pause]" and "Darlington has...[short pause]...progressed" seem innocuous enough when read here, in context and delivery, they were the two most interesting (read: revealing) moments of the presser.

Another word that kept popping up? Hunger.

Wilkinson mentioned it three times in his introduction of Porter, and the new coach made it clear that this day and the many matches ahead are something he's envisioned since retiring from MLS after "a rash of knee injuries" in 2000. With that bit of unfinished business in mind, Porter's longest answer of the day followed a question on what he'd learned from his failure to qualify the United States U-23 National team for the 2012 Olympics. The reflective response included lessons (he prepared an extensive technical report on the program after his departure), a touch of defensiveness (he pointed out the team's 6-1-2 overall record and "tricky" qualifying format) and a bit of philosophy ("I look not at what could go wrong, but what could go right," he said).

Porter pointed out that he'd had other opportunities to jump to the pros, but that Portland was a destination he'd kept tucked in the back of his mind for some time. Admitting he was somewhat "uncomfortable being comfortable at the University of Akron—where he built the Zips into perennial national title contenders—Porter said coaching the Timbers was one of the few gigs that could lure him from Ohio.

"I was ready, antsy, eager for that next step," Porter said. "I felt like I belonged here in Major League Soccer as a coach. I couldn't fully execute the vision I had until I joined the professional ranks."

He said the ever-ardent Timbers Army played a role in his decision, calling Portland home matches a "top-class environment" and its supporters the best in Major League Soccer and, perhaps, North America.

"If I'm going to be a pro coach, I want it to feel like a pro job," Porter said, noting recent signees are eager to play their home matches with the North End behind them. "It's not a tough sell to get players to want to be members of the Portland Timbers."

That statement yielded a nod from Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, who walked into the Timbers' Community Room at Jeld-Wen Field and sat front-row-center, iPhone in hand and red-soled shoes on feet. With a hushed room filled with media awaiting Porter and tapping away at smartphones, Paulson jokingly likened the scene to "a funeral" and assured reporters, "this isn't the [press conference] where we fire the coach."

In fact, it was quite the opposite. And if you listen to Porter, such a scenario isn't part of his master plan.

"My vision is to build the Portland Timbers into a club that is competitive with the top clubs in Major Leauge Soccer," Porter said. "We have a methodology. We have a blueprint in place that will act as our daily road map to get that accomplished."

Full video of presser:

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My, What A Busy Day(!) For The Timbers!

Brian Gjurgevich — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:24:11 -0800

When Major League Soccer's transfer window opened Monday morning, the Timbers showed they were eager to jump.

Results of the flurry of telegraphed, then-trickled-out activity for Soccer City, USA? Three new players, five (maybe six?) farewells and various sums of allocation money exchanging hands. For those keeping score at home (just me?)—five press releases between noon and 3:35 p.m. Here's how it all went down:

—At high noon, the Timbers announced they'd swapped defender Kosuke Kimura and a second-round 2013 draft pick for homegrown rights to New York defender Bryan Gallego. Portland drops an earnest, but wildly inconsistent defender for a youngster who's already familiar with incoming coach Caleb Porter. And it's on...
—At 12:51, the Timbers said they'd acquired six-year vet Michael Harrington, who PTFC GM Gavin Wilkinson called "versatile" and "expected to fight for a starting position.” No pressure, though.
—At 1:20, the Timbers sent center-back Eric Brunner to back-to-back-MLS-Cup-runner-up Houston for an untold sum of allocation money. The owner of the Rose City's best celebration face—dogged by injuries/a concussion this season—said to fans, "it has been a pleasure playing for you." Timbers Army responded by simultaneously making this face.
—At 1:30, the Timbers announced they'd declined contract options on two players whose 2012s were highlighted more by their international play than games in green—Jamaican Lovel Palmer and El Salvadoran Steve Purdy. Say what you want about their quality (or the former's Bridgetown-burning via Twitter), but Palmer was never (ever) afraid to shoot and Purdy, I still contend, would be handy with a scythe in the event of the zombie apocalypse.
—At 1:51, Portland defender Steven Smith tweeted the Scottish equivalent of "bon voyage," thanking Timbers fans he called "by far the best in MLS." OK, Steven, you too.
—At 2:57, Timbers owner Merritt Paulson lamented the Michael Corleone-like elimination of the Timbers' fullback corp, twalling it "one of the worst parts" of his job.
—At 3:35, the deal of the day: The Timbers announced they'd acquired Salt Lake midfielder Will Johnson—a 25-year-old Canadian international who reached career highs in goals and assists last season. Wilkinson said Johnson "brings a winning mentality that we feel will be very important to our culture," but perhaps more important to Timbers fans was an exuberant endorsement from beloved former captain Ian Joy, which is akin to Teddy Kennedy endorsing then-Sen. Obama back in '08 (when Johnson was winning MLS Goal of the Year honors).

So what did we learn today? For one, it's clear Porter wants a new defense, and like much of Portland, he's recognized the need starts at fullback. Smith came on strong at the end of the season, and Costa Rican national/probably-better-suited-for-midfield Rodney Wallace is reportedly on a deadline to reach a deal. But there's little doubt a defensive unit many fans were forced to watch through their fingers at times last season will be a group to keep an eye in early 2013.

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Nagbe Up For Second Straight Goal Of The Year

Brian Gjurgevich — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:14:03 -0800

To borrow a line from Timbers Army, Darlington Nagbe's goal-scoring may best be described thusly: Quality over quantity.

Nagbe—Portland's second-year midfielder/forward/wherever coach needs him—didn't have the breakout season many expected, but his artistic flair is again being recognized by Major League Soccer. The 22-year-old is a finalist for a second straight goal of the year honor for his off-the-knee rocket wundergoal against Salt Lake on March 31.

Nagbe scored just six goals this season, his inconsistent play mirroring the varying lineup and strategy offered up by ousted coach John Spencer and interim caretaker Gavin Wilkinson. Nagbe's brace against RSL looked like it might be his breakout moment—"This kid has looked in the mirror and decided, 'it's time I came alive,'" analyzed Timbers TV commentator Robbie Earle right after Nagbe's nifty strike—but Nagbe followed that moment with 18 straight games without a goal.

Seemingly snapped out of a daze, Nagbe recorded points in the next four matches, the longest point streak by a Timber this season.

“He has all the tools and talent to become the best player in the league,” said Spencer about Nagbe prior to the 2012 season.

Spenny may still be right, but he's also no longer around the Rose City. The hiring of Nagbe's former college coach, Akron's Caleb Porter, not only promises a shift in playing style, it represents a doubling down by the Timbers on their biggest superstar.

The Porter era (unofficially) began on Sunday when he (and Nagbe's) Zips fell to Creighton on the NCAA men's soccer tournament's Round of 16. How the new coach develops his old player will be a key storyline to the 2013 season, when Porter will try to usher Nagbe's game beyond the highlight reel.

Voting for the MLS Goal of the Year ends Tuesday night. Video of the four finalists (including two lads who play their footy in Seattle), after the jump.

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Portland vs. Chris Wondolowski—High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:30:05 -0700

From most any perspective, it's clear history won't look kindly on the 2012 Timbers.

A shocking loss to an amateur team. A (hasty?) midseason coaching change. Hell, there's even talk of the Bitter End closing down.

Taking the Cascadia Cup last weekend dulled some of Timbers Army's pain, but there's definitely a feeling that Portland will be starting from scratch in 2013 as a third-year Major League Soccer franchise.

Tonight, in their final match of a shaky year, the Timbers once again face being on the wrong side of history. The Supporters' Shield-winning San Jose Earthquakes enter tonight seeking a postseason tune-up and an MLS record for "red-hot" striker Chris Wondolowski.

How will the Timbers counter? Well, with little to play for but impressing the omnipresent Caleb Porter, expect to see a lineup peppered with players fans see as the future of the franchise. That includes 2012 SuperDraft pick Andrew Jean-Baptiste, whose season comes full circle. The 20-year old defender was the hero of his first MLS start (Portland's opener against Philly) and now will face the task of helping prevent Wondo from getting the record as injuries have forced Hanyer Mosquera, Futty Danso and Eric Brunner to the bench.

The weather is fitting of this season's finale: Mostly awful, with occasional misery. But let's see this thing through, shall we? So click past the jump and follow along, as I deftly describe all the action, on and off the pitch.

LINEUPS:
San Jose (19-6-8, 65 pts)—Jon Busch in goal. Steven Beitashour, Victor Bernandez, Jason Hernandez and Justin Morrow on defense. Marvin Chavez, Rafael Baca, Sam Cronin and Shea Salinas at midfield. Chris Wondolowski and Steven Lenhart up front.

Portland (8-16-9, 33 pts)—Donovan Ricketts in goal. Kosuke Kimura, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, David Horst and Steven Smith on defense. Sal Zizzo, Eric Alexander, Diego Chara and Darlington Nagbe at midfield. Bright Dike and Danny Mwanga up front. On the bench: Sabastian Rincon, Brent Richards, Mike Fucito, Rodney Wallace, Kalif Alhassan, Ryan Kawulok and Joe Bendik.

No Jewsbury or Songo'o tonight.

PREGAME: Timbers Army chanting "WE WANT THE CUP!" as the rain swirls around Goose Hollow. Well kids, you got it. Fans gave a nice, healthy boo to Wondo when he was introduced. And after a testy final minutes in their last meeting, I'm thinking Portland's piecemeal back line might have a few more things to say.

Will we see the Horst rage face (which is a slight variation of this)?

About 30 fans holding up two-sticks with players' numbers. Classy.

FIRST HALF: And away we go ... Timbers heading toward their Army for the final time in 2012.

1st minute—Action in Portland's end at the start. Horst knocks it back to Ricketts after Wondo's first touch. Kimura clears and after a throw, Zizzo knocks one over the end line.

3rd—Smith with a run down the west side and puts one in the box for Mwanga, but it's a bit strong. San Jose clears ahead to Salinas, who passes ahead looking for Wondo, but it's no issue for Ricketts.

4th—On the other end, Smith sends another one into the box for Mwanga, but it's a bit high. Timbers earn the corner kick, but Zizzo airmails the pack.

6th—Zizzo plays one forward for Dike, but Bright's about 60 feet offside.

7th—Ricketts with a long goal kick that's misplayed by Bernandez nearly over the goal line. But Busch goes into a full sprint to slide and avoid the corner. Dike and Salinas come together just outside the box and it'll be a free kick for SJ.

8th—On a SJ throw-in in front of their own bench, Lenhart knocks down Horst in the box. Free kick Portland it's officially taken seven minutes for this thing to get chippy.

10th—Smith finds some space and dribbles ahead. After a back-and-forth with Nagbe, Smith gets it to Mwanga in the box. His left-footed shot isn't struck very well and it's no problem for Busch.

13th—Horst and Wondo come together at midfield and San Jose's striker gets the worst of it. No foul, but the ref is talking to Horst after Kimura knocks one over the east sideline for a Quakes throw. Action picks up and Salinas breaks free to get 1-on-1 with Ricketts. But Horst slides in to knock it away. Goal-saving tackle there.

14th—Corner comes in and it's headed on goal, but Salinas tries to re-direct it. Nope. It sails wide, but those are two unmarked headers in the box for SJ.

17th—Mwanga tries to play one in for Dike, but it's long and headed toward the west sideline. Dike tries to chase it down and comes together with Busch. The keeper goes down and that'll be a foul every time when it's a goalkeeper on the other end.

19th—Portland with some crisp passing a decent footwork on San Jose's end, but nothing comes of it. Alexander looking calm over the ball and Zizzo making some good decisions thus far.

21st—Baca fires from just outside the box, but Ricketts goes sliding to his left for the stop.

23rd—Zizzo comes screaming up the side and sends one into the box, but it's punched away. On the counter, Lenhart with a dangerous run that forces Ricketts out. They collide, and it'll be a PK for San Jose. Hmm... I wonder who will take it?

24th—EARTHQUAKES GOAL Wondo slams it left past a diving Ricketts, and he's tied the all-time record for goals in a single season on a penalty kick. Give Lenhart the (unofficial) assist on that one. We've seen history here today, as Wondo ties the record. Will he break it? Either way, San Jose leads 1-0.

29th—Zizzo with a terrible clearance attempt and Chavez nearly makes him pay. He fires, but it's high and wide. Timbers dodge one there.

31st—Earthquakes with a corner. Chavez sends it in, but Dike is there to head it away low.

36th—Timbers pass one through for Smith, who attempts to find Dike in the box. Busch comes out to grab it, but nice hustle by Smith.

37th—Wondo and Smith collide at midfield and the Scotsman got the worst of it. He's down at midfield getting looked at, and the ref is giving Wondo a talking to.

38th—Timbers with corner that's popped around the box and makes its way to Jean-Baptiste's head. He settles it, turns and fires a beautiful curling shot, but it JUST misses the top corner. Great strike there for the rookie, who nearly bookended his season with an equalizing goal.

40th—Lenhart and Horst running in stride as San Jose picks up the pressure. They're really going at it. I think we're in for a chippy second half.

43rd—Long pass goes into the box for Wondo, who takes a perfect touch before Horst comes flying in for the record-saving tackle. Great play by Horst, as that would've been easy pickings for Wondo.

44th—Smith sends one in for Nagbe, but it's knocked away. Appeared to be close to a handball (according to TA), but San Jose knocks it away. Zizzo sends a lofting ball into the box, but Busch is there to nab it.

One minute of extra time ... Zizzo gets behind the defense after a great pass from Jean-Baptiste. He has Dike coming up the middle, but Zizzo's cross is nuked over everyone. Yikes.

HALFTIME: San Jose leads, 1-0.

SOME STATS: San Jose out-shot Portland 5-2 and had the only shot on target. Portland won 55% of the duels, but San Jose had 53% of the possession.

SECOND HALF: We're back at it with no lineup changes. Timbers heading toward the south end. I can almost hear the screams of agony/rain of boos that will commence should Wondo net another one ... right in front of Timber Army.

47th—Zizzo with a run down the west side and crosses. It's high over Mwanga's head, but Lenhart is forced to volley it over the line for a Portland corner. Zizzo sends it in, but Morrow heads it away.

48th—Mwanga knocks it back to Smith on the overlap and he sends it in the box. San Jose forced to head it over the line, and again, we'll have a corner in the south end.

49th—Zizzo sends it long but it's over Horst's head. It's headed down and gets back to Horst, who fires it from 25 yards. It's apparently not deflected, and it'll be a goal kick for San Jose.

51st—Smith with a nice ball down the line to Nagbe. He runs into the box and fires, and it's deflected over the line by Chavez. Zizzo with a low corner, and it's cleared for a moment. Horst and Lenhart come together and it'll be a foul on Lenhart.

53rd—Kimura takes one into the box and shows why he's a defender, promptly dribbling it out of bounds.

55th—Nagbe fouled from behind by Salinas. They'll have a free kick in a dangerous spot, straight on from 35 out.

56th—Zizzo fires the free kick and it's deflected by the wall and over the goal line. Here comes another corner for Portland, but before we do that, Morrow is tended to by SJ trainers.

57th—Zizzo sends in the corner but Lenhart knocks it away. Timbers maintain and Nagbe looks for Mwanga, but it's a touch strong.

61st—Timbers controlling possession and keeping it in San Jose's. Ricketts looking a bit bored out there.

62nd—Mwanga with a lazy pass that Beitashour takes away. He then sends a beautiful long ball for Lenhart in the box. He's all alone with Jean-Baptiste and squares up, but his shot is right at Ricketts.

65th—Wondo gets one in the box and fires left-footed. Ricketts dives to his left and knocks it away for Jean-Baptiste to clear.

66th—Portland can't clear and Lenhart finds Wondo in the same spot. He'll have a header, but it's just wide. So very close to the record there. Khari Stephenson checks in for San Jose, and the man he's replacing, Lenhart is booed as he spins and claps (sarcastically) for the fans. Dude definitely relishes the villain role, and Timbers Army is happy to play along.

67th—TIMBERS GOAL Dike ties it up after a bad San Jose giveaway in their own end. Dike's first shot is knocked right back to him and he doesn't miss a second time. We're tied at 1.

69th—Smith with a cross meant for Mwanga, but it's just long. Timbers are dominating the action in the second half. Can they translate that into a goal?

70th—Beitashour lofts one toward the goal and Ricketts is there with a diving tip over the bar. Great play there. Corner comes in and knocked away, and Nagbe is off to the races.

72nd—Mwanga picking things up with a nice run. He chips ahead to Zizzo in the box, but Busch with a nice read to come out and grab it.

74th—San Jose sub. Ike Opara on for Bernandez.

75th—Earthquakes are picking things up in this second half. Mwanga with a long ball ahead to Dike, but he can't get a soft touch on it. Timbers will make their first change—Kalif Alhassan comes on for Alexander.

76th—Alhassan draws a foul right away. Zizzo sends one from 45 out and Horst skies to head it, but collides with Busch. Big collision there between two big dudes. San Jose will take over possession.

78th—Baca sends it in for Opara, but he's well offside as he jumps up for a header. Ricketts will have a goal kick.

79th—Smith plays one long into the box for Zizzo, but he can't get a good header on it thanks to Morrow breaking first on it. Goal kick coming for SJ.

80th—Subs for both teams. For San Jose, Sam Garza comes on for Chavez. For Portland, Mike Fucito is on for Dike.

81st—Paid attendance tonight is 20,438—Portland's 34th consecutive MLS sellout.

84th—Final singing of "You are my Sunshine" by Timbers Army this season as it looks like Brent Richards is preparing to check in. Wondo fires one from 40 and the TA cheers loudly as the ball sails into the stands.

85th—Salinas with a corner kick that's sent out to Hernandez. He knocks it forward but Ricketts is there to grab it. Fans raising their voices a bit as they notice Chara with a clear run up the sideline. Unfortunately for them, Ricketts doesn't notice.

87th—Richards is in for Kimura. Timbers with an offensive-minded sub to try to pull out a win here.

88th—Timbers with lots of possession here. Smith sends one into the box for Fucito, but San Jose heads it away.

89th—Richards with a long throw that ends up at Chara's feet, but he holds off on the shot. Fans groan a bit.

90th—Mwanga and Beitashour come together just inside midfield and Mwanga is called for the foul. Free kick is sent in and immediately knocked away. San Jose gets it back and fires in again, and Ricketts is there to knock it over the bar. On the corner, Opara has a free header, but it's right at Ricketts. Wow, that was close.

Three minutes of stoppage ... Richards goes ahead to Nagbe, but he can't get a good angle. It's knocked over the and it'll be a corner for Portland ... Zizzo bends it in and Jean-Baptiste gets the top of his head on it, but the ball bounds away. ... Richards takes a shot that deflects off a SJ defender. Here comes a corner, the final chance? Zizzo sends it in, but it's waaaaaay over everyone. That should do it.

FINAL: It's a 1-1 draw. Wondo ties the record and Portland dominates the second half, but the Timbers' season ends in a tie.

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Kings of Cascadia

Brian Gjurgevich — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:14:48 -0700

The Timbers had nothing else to fight for. Their fans had nothing else to hope for. Both have something new to drink from.

The Timbers captured the Cascadia Cup last night with a hold-on-for-your-life 1-0 victory over rival Vancouver—Portland's first road win of the season. Yes, the Timbers are hopelessly out of playoff contention and near the bottom of the MLS table. Certainly, their sophomore campaign didn't exactly live up to fans' expectations. And sure, at the end of the day, an eighth-place team shouldn't hoist anything but tickets out of town.

Ah, but when Seattle's Matrix-dwelling supporters—sweet indoor shades, jabronies—handed the Cup over to 107ist board member and King LARPer Abram Goldman-Armstrong, all the letdown was left behind. Ardent Timbers fans—even if they have to hold their noses a bit—can now label the 2012 season a success. The Cup is unequivocally theirs.

"It was our third chance at it, and to get it at this point it means a lot to this group," said Cap'n Jack Jewsbury, who netted the game-winning goal with a 30-yard strike in the 39th minute. We never put our heads down, we continued to fight and work hard for one another and it’s a tribute to everyone on this team because we’ve been through a lot this year.”

And while those who headed north paraded it around Vancouver and were the first to taste the Cup's supple, rounded lip, countless more Portlanders eagerly await their chance to swig on some glory. But what should they be drinking?

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Timbers Owner Dinged $25K For Berating Officials

Brian Gjurgevich — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:44:02 -0700

It's a good thing Timbers owner Merritt Paulson is just as flush with cash as he is passion for his club.

Paulson is $25,000 lighter in the wallet after Major League Soccer fined him Tuesday for confronting, then tweeting about officials following Portland's 1-1 draw with DC United on Saturday.

Most of the offending tweets have since been deleted, but Paulson likely irked the league office most with his assertion that "nfl replacement refs have nothing on mls primary refs. Sick of this garbage" and "I will happily take the fine. Its atrocious. Should balance out. Guess policy is to balance JWF atmosphere."

While Paulson's post-game confrontation was youth-soccer-dad entertaining, his assertion that there's somehow a conspiracy against the Timbers—"All season long...not a single damn pk awarded to us. Numerous cut/dry blown calls...," read a tweet he didn't delete—is laughable. It may be coming from a place many Timbers fans can relate to—namely frustration and anger with a promising season gone horribly awry—but for Paulson to insinuate an inside job does more to damage the credibility of the league than any bad call.

He's since promised to stop tweeting angry, but with the Cascadia Cup in the balance on Sunday, we'll see if that pledge lasts through the weekend.

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Portland vs. District of Columbia—High-Pitched Live Blog Action!

Brian Gjurgevich — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:15:00 -0700

DC United is far too good a footy team to be overlooked, so let's go ahead and do just that.

Mired near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and all but officially eliminated from playoff contention, your Timbers are eight days away from the only match left that matters to Portland—the deciding tilt of the Cascadia Cup in Seattle. That game could define this season and set the tone for next, when new head coach Caleb Porter takes the reins and turns the page on what's been a disappointing second Major League Soccer campaign for the Rose City.

Am I getting ahead of myself? Probably, but with tonight's match being framed as a tryout for both next Sunday and next season—the stakes, according to Portland GM/interim coach Gavin Wilkinson, are no less than "self-preservation and personal pride and [players'] personal integrity"—forgive me for being forward-thinking. I'm certainly not the only one.

"We're playing for our livelihood and we're playing for contracts," Timbers defender David Horst said this week. "You have to kill yourself for every game. Guys realize that."

UPDATE: The Timbers fought back from a controversial handball call and stay (mathematically) alive in the playoff race for at least another week with a 1-1 draw. Bright Dike continued his hot streak with an equalizing strike in the 79th, and Portland held on to earn the point.

"They didn't sink into the game, they didn't sit back and feel sorry for themselves, they responded positively," Wilkinson said. "Especially where we're at in the table right now, to have that sense of pride and to have that urgency to come back from behind is very important."

Click past the jump for a full match log, plus more locker-room reaction and FULL VIDEO of Wilkinson's post-match presser.

PREGAME:
The Timbers' playoff hopes are toast. But for science, here's how the Timbers can officially be eliminated tonight from postseason contention:

—Portland loses AND Vancouver beats or ties Seattle
—Portland loses AND Dallas beats San Jose
—Portland ties AND Vancouver beats Seattle

On the other side of the country, DC has solidified itself as a legit Cup contender despite the loss of 2011 MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario to a season ending injury earlier this month. They've won three straight since to vault within three points of the Eastern Conference's No. 2 spot, making this one—on paper at least—look like a gimme.

STARTING XIs:
DC (15-10-5, 50 pts)—Bill Hamid in goal. Dejan Jakovic, Chris Korb and Brandon McDonald on defense. Perry Kitchen, Marcelo Saragosa, Lewis Neal and Nick DeLeon at midfield. Andy Najar on defense. Chris Pontius and Lionard Pajoy at forward. Pontius is the captain and the United are sporting black shorts and white blouses.

Portland (7-15-8, 29 pts)—Joe Bendik in goal. Kosuke Kimura, Rodney Wallace, Hanyer Mosquera, David Horst and Steven Smith on defense. Darlington Nagbe, Jack Jewsbury, Franck Songo'o and Sal Zizzo at midfield. Bright Dike up front. Jewsbury is the Cap'n and Portland is wearing green jerseys and white shorts.

On the bench for Portland: Danny Mwanga, Eric Alexander, Eric Brunner, Brent Richards, Futty Danso, Mike Fucito and Jake Gleeson.

Timbers Army chanting, "You're shit, you're white, you're gonna lose tonight" pregame.

FIRST HALF: And away we go ... the Timbers will work toward the South end to start this one.

1st minute—DC immediately knocks a long ball into the box that Bendik comes out for. Can't blame them for forcing the young keeper into a decision early, however routine.

3rd—Pontius is ridden down just outside the 18-yard box and it'll be a dangerous free kick for United.

4th—Pontius sends it far-post for Pajoy, but his header is soft and over the goal line. No worries for Bendik, but DC possessing well early here.

6th—Timbers looking a bit disorganized at midfield—no surprise with Chara on the sideline. Long ball sent in to Pajoy, who beats Kimura to the ball. Kosuke recovers and knocks it over the goal line for a DC corner.

7th—Corner comes in long and is sent back into the box for Pontius. He leaves it back for Pajoy, who gets under his shot and sends it flying into the North End crowd for a Timbers goal kick.

9th—Nagbe looks for Wallace, but Kitchen picks him off near midfield. That's one Akron Zip ripping another. DC dominating possession thus far and Portland not exactly pressuring their guests.

12th—Timbers with a bit more possession, but they can't get it anywhere dangerous just yet. DC brings it down and Kimura and DeLeon battle in the Northwest corner, and it'll be a goal kick for Portland.

13th—Dike takes down Pontius and it'll be a free kick from just inside the midfield line. It's sent in and Korb gets a head on it, but it's well over the crossbar.

15th—Wallace steps up for a steal and a nice run. He finds Nagbe in the box, and after a twirl, Darlington shoots just wide of goal. Portland's best chance of the night there.

17th—DC earns a corner after Najar deflects one off Smith's side. It's sent way far post to Korb, who tries to sneak it in but earns another corner. Fans don't like the call because it came from the ref on the other side of the pitch, but it's the right call. Corner sent in low and fast and Mosquera with a strong header to knock it away.

18th—Zizzo a run down the sideline and after it's knocked out, a quick throw to Dike. It's mis-hit and sails wide left, but gets Hamid to dive to his right. Another decent chance, but not a lot of sustained offense for Portland to this point.

19th—DC on the break and Pontius has a clear path to Bendik. But Horst comes in for a beautiful sliding tackle to steal it away and clear. Fantastic play from the big central defender there. That could've easily been the first score of the match, but Horst denies it.

22nd—Another DC corner coming after Nagbe knocks it over the line on a deflection. Mosquera taking a knee at the top of the 18, but it appears he's OK. Corner sent in to the far corner and Horst is there to head it away.

23rd—Mosquera goes to the turf and here comes the training staff. He's limping off the pitch and now is headed back to the locker room. Futty warming up for Portland, but they'll play a man down.

24th—Wallace picks up a yellow card for a hard tackle near midfield. Futty comes on for Portland, and it looks like Mosquera's night is done.

25th—DC tests Futty right away with a long ball into the box for Pajoy. But Bendik is there and it'll be a Portland free kick. Wallace called for another foul just over the midfield line, and we'll have a free kick for DC.

27th—Timbers giving DC a bit too much possession in the North End. United with a couple passes within the box and after a Smith header, Pajoy tries to volley one from the top of the box. He whiffs and Timbers Army breathes a sigh of relief. Too many open looks for their liking.

28th—On the counter, Songo'o cracks one from the top of the box and brings Hamid to the turf. Timbers maintain possession and Zizzo sends one in for Dike, but it's nearly knocked in by Jakovic right in front. Almost an own-goal, and Portland appears to be picking things up.

29th—Dike gets one to Songo'o at the top of the 18, but Franck hesitates a bit and can't get a clean shot off. Portland really pressuring DC now with the ever-active Zizzo.

30th—Jakovic plays one back to Hamid, and he can't control it. It bounds off his foot and it'll be the first corner of the night for Portland.

31st—Header is sent in low and DeLeon heads it away easily. Timbers get it back and Zizzo plays one to himself and tries to flick one, but Hamid is there to nab it. Momentum is firmly on Portland's side as the pace of the game stays hectic.

34th—Timbers earn a free kick after Dike is chopped down just inside midfield. Jewsbury sends it in for Futty, but it stays up and Hamid skies to grab it.

35th—Dike with some nice footwork on the East sideline to beat Jakovic and get into the box. He leaves it back for Wallace, but it's taken away. On the counter, Pajoy ends up with it in the box and gets around Kimura, but his shot it wide right and over the goal line.

38th—Songo'o and Kitchen get into a bit after Kitchen comes in a bit hot on Songo'o. Franck stands over him and Kitchen stands up and gives Songo'o a shove, but play continues.

40th—Korb with a terrible back pass that goes right to Dike in front. He makes a move and fires a shot from point-blank range, but it's wide. Dike didn't quite catch all of it, and probably wishes he'd put it on-frame at the very least. Almost a gift for Portland there.

44th—Timbers with a corner and Jewsbury floats one into the box. It's knocked away for a moment, but Nagbe ends up with it in the corner of the box after it catches the ref. He takes a step and fires, and Hamid nearly lets it in on a deflection. The ball bounces off his hands and spins high, but Hamid is there to grab it. Crazy sequence and Portland nearly gets one before the half.

HALFTIME: We're scoreless. DC dominates the start, but Portland turns it on a bit midway through and gets the majority of legit scoring chances to close out the half.

Some stats: DC with 53% of the possession, but Portland wins 58% of duels. Timbers out-shoot United 7-6 and had three shots on target to DC's zero. Six fouls each.

SECOND HALF: And we're back at it ... Timbers headed toward their Army for the second half.

46th—Kitchen draws a foul on Jewsbury just outside the 18 in the far corner. Similar to the free kick that started the first half. Ball served in low and headed away by Songo'o.

47th—Word is Mosquera suffered a right-hamstring strain.

48th—DC earns a free kick after Saragosa is tripped up by Nagbe. United controlling in the early going. Neal sends one in low and it's knocked away. That springs Songo'o, who is taken down from behind near midfield for a Portland free kick.

50th—Zizzo puts one into the box for Songo'o, who fires one high and into the Army. Play was set up by a run from Horst, who's been very active tonight.

52nd—Pontius gets clear and plays one ahead to Pajoy. He gets around Futty, but Bendik with a great read to come out and grab it before anything too dangerous goes down. Some frantic, somewhat sloppy soccer in the early going of this half as each team is trying to establish themselves. Not exactly pretty.

55th—DeLeon cracks one from about 40 yards, but it's well over the crossbar. Goal kick coming for Portland. Who will establish rhythm first?

57th—DeLeon with another shot from distance, and Bendik goes low to knock it over the goal line. Way too much time for DeLeon, who's showed he's not afraid to give it a ride. Corner comes in quick and Portland clears.

58th—Pontius beats Smith to the ball on the West sideline and makes his way into the box. Futty is forced to defend it over the line for a DC corner. It's sent in and the refs award DC a penalty kick after the ball supposedly is deflected off Horst's arm. Horst is pissed (rage face!) and is right up in the ref's grill, with Jewsbury holding him back. Futty joins in on the conversation to earn a yellow, and the crowd is raining boos on the pitch.

60th—UNITED GOAL Pontius slams the PK past a diving Bendik, and it's a 1-0 lead for DC. Fans are going nuts, and chants of "Bullshit!" have begun.

63rd—Songo'o frees up Dike at the top of the box and Bright gets a bit of room to roam. But Jakovic comes in with a nice defensive play to rip it away.

65th—Pajoy gets behind everyone and someone is not called offside. Horst comes flying in and makes another goal-saving tackle right in front. Bendik cleans it up and keeps the ball on the field of play and Horst clears. What a play by Horst there. On the counter, Timbers earn a corner.

66th—Jewsbury sends it in for a leaping Futty, but his header is just over the bar.

67th—Wallace with some nice hustle to keep the ball in play and earn a Timbers corner kick from nothing. Jewsbury sends it in and it's headed out to the foot of Zizzo. He takes a swing and it's well wide. Goal kick DC.

70th—Kimura gets around Neal in the Northeast corner and centers for Dike, but Hamid is there to cut it off. As Hamid goes to punt, Songo'o gets his foot in the way and knocks the ball over his head. That's not allowed, so it'll be a yellow card for Songo'o. Twenty minutes left, and this game is getting pretty damn chippy.

72nd—TA chanting "You're so shitty it's unbelievable!" I believe they're directing that chant toward the officials.

73rd—Timbers with a bit of possession in DC's end, but can't quite find the handle to set up a shot. Ball is deflected high and Hamid goes up for it with Songo'o giving chase. Hamid dives and hits his head hard on the pitch. He looks a bit woozy and throws the ball out. Training staff coming over to give him a concussion test. He'll stay in, but Hamid will have a headache tonight.

76th—Timbers earn a corner after Songo'o tries to cross left-footed. It's played back to Smith, but he can't quite get it into the box. DC on the counter and they'll set up shop in Portland's end. Way too much space and DC will have a corner after a Pajoy shot attempt is deflected out. Lots of hands on hips for Portland.

77th—Corner is sent in and headed away by Futty, but right at DeLeon. He tries to chip one in, but it lands on top of the goal. Goal kick coming for Bendik.

79th—TIMBERS GOAL Dike scores from what looked like an impossible angle. Nagbe springs Smith down the line, who crosses in front. It's knocked down by a sliding DC defender, but Dike is there to absolutely blister it from 5 yards away near-post for the goal. A crazy angle to shoot from, and Dike nails it. We're tied 1-1.

81st—Danny Mwanga checking in for Kimura. A forward for a defender. Timbers are going for it.

82nd—DC sub: Hamdi Salihi checks in for Pajoy.

83rd—Timbers are picking up the pace. Smith sends one in from the Northwest corner, but it's a bit too high for a leaping Dike. He got way up in the air and was undercut by a DC defender. He'll take a second to get up, but looks to be OK.

84th—Another DC sub: Branko Boskovic is on for Neal.

86th—Timbers will have a free kick after Wallace's hustle on a steal amps up the pressure and Smith deflects it off a DC defender.

86th—Jewsbury sends it in far-post, and Futty heads it down. Songo'o gets a boot on it from less than five yards out, but his shot pops over the bar. A great angle there for Songo'o, but it came after a quick touch and he can't convert.

87th—Songo'o sends a curler in from 30 yards out, but it bounces right into Hamid's chest. That one had some pace on it, though.

89th—Korb with a nice run and makes his way into the 18. He crosses, but it's just behind Boskovic. Nice opportunity for DC, who now works to slow this one down.

90th—Dike and Neal battle all the way down to the North End and muscles his way to a Timbers corner.

Four minutes of stoppage ... Jewsbury sends it in, but it's too tall for Dike. Ball bounds out to Zizzo, but his chip attempt flutters over the bar ... DC brings on Robbie Russell for DeLeon ... Wallace with a sliding steal near midfield and gets it to Zizzo. He makes his way down the sideline, but Korb with a wonderful tackle to take it away. Timbers get it back and Songo'o lines one up from 25 yards, but it's wide left. .... For Portland, Brent Richards comes on for Zizzo ... DC taking its time with possession. One last chance for Portland as Nagbe makes a steal, but DC gets it right back.

FULL TIME: It's a 1-1 draw. The Timbers stay mathematically alive in the playoff hunt with an equalizer from Dike after a controversial penalty-kick call. I haven't seen a replay, but it appears Portland got hosed on that handball—a notion that was certainly the talk of the postgame.

"I really don't know what to say," said Wilkinson. "I gotta be careful 'cause I'll get fined again."

Speaking of, Timbers owner Merritt Paulson might be hearing from the league after he ran over and let the refs have it on their way off the pitch. Fans may love his passion, but something tells me the MLS brass will love his fine even more.

Still, despite the setback, Portland responded well, or as Wilkinson put it: "I think they were more pissed off than annoyed."

Horst, who was called for the phantom handball agreed, but noted the Timbers channeled the anger.

"It got the guys fired up a bit," he said. "We got after them even more."

Dike said the call motivated the team to "fight back [against] what was done to [them]" and that they wouldn't need any such spurring next Sunday, when they travel to Seattle hoping to bring back the Cascadia Cup.

"I'm always ready for that game," Dike said. "I don't need any help getting any motivation for that game."

Wilkinson's post-match presser:

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