107 Independent Supporters Trust 107IST Blog

Attention Members - You’re Invited! Join us for the 107IST Annual General Meeting!

Gabby Rosas — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:14:05 GMT

We are thrilled to invite all our members to the 107IST Annual General Meeting (AGM)! This is one of the most important events of the year, a chance for all of us to come together and celebrate the collective impact we’ve made over the past year!

Look Back and Look Ahead

The 107IST AGM is designed to give you, our members and our community, a comprehensive look at the amazing work that has been accomplished in the last year. You’ll get to hear about successes, see the results of our efforts, and understand the real difference your membership makes.

That’s not all!! Each committee will also be providing a preview of what’s coming up this year! Learn about the 107IST’s goals, upcoming events, and the exciting direction we’re headed!

Get Involved: Volunteer Opportunities

The AGM is also the perfect opportunity to learn about new ways to get involved in the 107IST, the Timbers Army, or the Rose City Riveters! Each of our committees will be sharing information about their current projects and - most importantly - opportunities for more volunteers to participate!

It’s a great way to meet your community, get to know the dedicated people driving our work, and get stuck in! Whenever you have an hour a month or a few hours a week, if you want to paint tifo or help on the administrative side, there’s a place for your energy and passion.

Event Details

Join us on Saturday, March 21 in Legends. Doors open at 1:30pm, programming will run from about 2pm to 4pm and we’ll close up around 5pm.

We recognize that not everyone can attend in person, which is why we are offering a hybrid option. If you’d like to join virtually, please register here so we can email you the link before the event!

We look forward to seeing you there!

2026 107IST Board Election Results!

Sam Prince — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:00:21 GMT

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s elections:

Dominique Whittaker
Gab Rosas
Sunday White
Alex Staller

Their terms began on February 1, 2026, and end either January 31, 20228

We’re also pleased to announce this year’s committee-nominated candidates to one-year terms on the board:

Tina Ettlin: Rose City Riveters Steering Committee

Nick Rider: Timbers Army Steering Committee

As their terms come to an end — on behalf of the board, the steering committees and the members — thank you to Lindy "Hollywood" Lacson, Stephan Lewis, and Jonathan Everett for their dedication to the organization. As she moves away from her board tenure, the organization owes a great debt of gratitude to Dawn Bauman for her service as treasurer.

This year 24% of our eligible members voted, which matches a six year high in turnout percentage.

Historical turnout percentages look like:

Year:	Turnout %:
2026	24
2025	13
2024	23
2023	13
2022	14
2021	7
2020	11
2019	24
2018	19
2017	21
2016	29
2015	20
2014	28

Community Support: How We Can Show Up and Take Action

Gabby Rosas — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The last couple of days have hit us hard with the horrific news of state violence against our communities. We are heartbroken about the shooting of two individuals by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in our city yesterday and the murder in Minneapolis on Wednesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These events aren’t just news clips to pay attention to - they demand action and we are providing ways you can get involved.

The fight for a humane society continues. As individuals, we have to let the pain of this week be the fuel for our commitment to join in and help our collective liberation, in a host of different ways. As a community, we are standing in full solidarity with the victims, their families, our communities, and the tireless organizers who are leading this charge.

Call to Action: Follow and Join Those Doing the Work

In times of crisis, we must support the groups that have been fighting these systemic injustices before they made headlines. These are the local organizers, the grassroots advocates, and the community defenders who have the expertise, the relationships, and the immediate capacity to respond effectively to these issues.

We urge 107IST members and our broader community of supporters to look to and follow the leadership of local community organizing groups. Our goal here is to amplify the incredible work and resources that already exist so you can jump right in.

How you can help

If you can dedicate your time, money, or voice to this critical work, here are organizations and upcoming events where you can plug in:

Events to Attend & Amplify:

Vigil: We Protect Us - For Victims and Survivors of ICE & Border Patrol Violence; Saturday, January 10 4-6pm at Terry Schrunk Plaza (SW 4th between Madison & Jefferson). English/Spanish/All Ages/Candles Provided
Training: Non-cooperation 101 by Protect Oregon; In-person January 10 and January 13, register here.
Training: Community: Migra Watch | Ice Watch by PIRC; Virtual on January 14, register here. They need help with Migra Watch in these communities: McMinnville, Woodburn, Forest Grove, Oregon City, Salem, Happy Valley, Lake Oswego, Eugene, Gresham, Beaverton, Tigard
Town Hall: Federal Oversight & Accountability with Oregon AG Dan Rayfield; In-person January 21 from 6-8pm at Revolution Hall (1300 SE Stark Street), register here.

Volunteer Your Time:

Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) - more information here.
Pueblo Unido PDX - more information here.

Community Education (videos or downloads):

Know Your Rights Recorded Training by Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC) available here. Note: The 107IST hosted an in-person version of this training at the Axe & Rose in November, planning to host more sessions in the future.
Know Your Rights If Approached By ICE, printable flyers by OJRC. Flyers are available in both English and Spanish.
Asylum Solidarity PDX, Links and Resources available here.

Financial Donations:

Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) - donate here.
Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC) - donate here.

Local Organizations to Follow

Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC) Legal representation for communities that have been underserved: people living in poverty and people of color - https://www.ojrc.info/

Protect Oregon A collective of organizations including ACLU of Oregon, Rural Organizing Project, Northwest Health Foundation, Western States Center, PCUN, Coalition of Communities of Color, and more - https://www.protect-oregon.com/

Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) Rapid response, legal support, and community organizing since 2005 Report ICE activity: 1-888-622-1510 pircoregon.org

Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) Wraparound services including legal help, housing assistance, and family support - irco.org

Innovation Law Lab Immigration legal services and advocacy behind Oregon's sanctuary - protectionsinnovationlawlab.org

IMIrJ (Immigrant and Refugee Justice) Volunteer to accompany community members to ICE check-ins and court hearings - https://www.imirj.org

Equity Corps of Oregon Free legal representation for immigration cases - oregonlawhelp.org

Models wanted!

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:00:52 GMT

(The Winter Sale is coming up, and this year is going to have the largest number of new items ever! Riveters Merch and No Pity Originals are collaborating on content and photoshoots this year, and we need some models.

We'll be having photoshoots on:

November 29, Axe and Rose, 1 p.m. (ten spots)
November 30, 10 Barrel Brewing, 3 p.m. (five spots)

*Pets welcome! Please note in your registration.

To sweeten the deal — and to thank you for your help — you’ll receive a special perk! Anyone who is an active 107IST member is welcome, including your pets (on a leash please)! You’re welcome to bring your kids, and we blur the full faces of children for safety and privacy. This is a great opportunity to support our org and our merch teams, get a sneak peak of new items, and meet amazing members of our community!

Please fill out the Google Form and register if you’d like to volunteer. This is required. If you have any further questions, please contact Johanna Winters.

To receive the special perk, you must:

Be an active 107IST member.
Fill out the Google Form and register for the event(s).
Show up to a photoshoot, check in, and participate.
Check in and shop during the 107IST member-only shopping window (11 to noon).

There will be a list of names at the door and checkout, confirming if you met the criteria.

If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive the special perk. This is a non-negotiable requirement, and no exceptions will be given.

#107ISTAllOfUsTogether

Recap: Recent food drives were a massive success!

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 22:44:46 GMT

Over the past two weekends, our incredible community truly showed up! We are thrilled to share the fantastic results of our recent food drives, held during the prefunks for the home matches and the watch parties over the last two weekends.

The energy both inside and outside the stadium the last couple of weekends has been amazing, especially as we have rallied to support those facing food insecurity in our region. Thanks to your generosity, we successfully collected hundreds of pounds of food and at least $500 in monetary donations to local organizations focused on helping us and our neighbors!

Community Impact

The true victory lies in the reach of your donations. We are proud to announce that the collected items have been and will be distributed to seven different organizations working tirelessly on the front lines of hunger relief in our community. These organizations include (with links to donate directly in some cases):

AWARE Food Bank (click here to donate directly)
James John Elementary School
Astor K–8 School
Chief Joseph Elementary School
APANO (click here to donate directly)
William Temple House (click here to donate directly)
Rose Haven (click here to donate directly)

Each of these groups plays a vital role in ensuring that families, seniors, and children have access to nutritious meals.

Thank You!

Whether you dropped off a can at the Axe & Rose, donated cash at the No Pity Van, made a donation directly online, or helped us spread the word, your participation made this effort a resounding success. Thank you for making match days about more than just the 90 minutes on the pitch—they were about making a tangible difference in our community.

From the Chief Joseph Elementary School newsletter

Donations from 11/1 and 11/2, sorted and ready to be distributed

Donations from 11/9 (home playoff and watch party)

Making the delivery to William Temple House

We Take Care of Us: Call to Action

Sam Prince — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:10:06 GMT

In these tumultuous times community can be the backbone that holds us together. As an org, the 107IST strives to help our neighbors when we can. This weekend we ask, if able, to help our community by bringing non-perishable items to be distributed to local food pantries.

This weekend our space, the Axe and Rose, will host food donations both days. Specifically, we are looking for:

Shelf-stable milk,
Canned soup,
Nut butters, Canned meats,
Whole grain Pasta
Gluten-free foods (i.e. pastas, soups, healthy snack items)
Breakfast foods (i.e. whole grain cereal, granola bars, oatmeal cups)
Dried beans
Tortillas
Rice

On Saturday from 3:30-5:45 we are collecting goods for AWARE Food Pantry. You can stop by the space and help us fill the No Pity Van with food. For the match on Saturday, the Timbers front office has donated 107 general admission tickets to the 107IST. If you donate goods mentioned above, and we have not yet distributed all 107 tickets, you will be given a general admission ticket at no cost.

On Sunday from 11-1:15 PM we are open, and will be continuing to collect goods to be distributed to local food pantries. These goods will be donated to the food drive already being conducted by the Portland Thorns front office, and you are welcome to contribute there instead of at the Axe and Rose if that better fits your game day schedule.

Click here for additional resources for those experiencing food insecurity at this time about where to find local pantries.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with our community, and will continue taking care of each other.

Thank you. #RCTID #BAONPDX

A Recap of the Membership Check-in!

Sam Prince — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 GMT

On September 14th the 107IST board assembled in the Axe and Rose to chat with membership, check in about organizational progress, and engage about the organization’s ethos statement. Below are some key takeaways from our discussions, and some highlighted themes:

Organizational Health & Growth
- Community rebuilding successfully with returning members.
- Average member tenure exceeds 8 years indicating deep connection with the Clubs and community.
- Axe and Rose investment has been validated through match day traffic in retail space and Legends.
- Away viewings at Legends are good, low-stakes gathering opportunities for members to interact

Operational Challenges & Solutions
- Communication gaps identified requiring improvements around newsletter format
- Org is currently working with an architect to have the space reclassified as an assembly hall, permanently raising occupancy cap rather than relying on monthly permits (which are expensive)
- Volunteer workload concentration requires new member integration, and our volunteer force has grown tremendously this year.

Member Experience Improvements (28:53 - 01:05:11)
- Discord integration has been successful, but needs to be advertised more and have some added resources for new members.
- Event planning requires advance notice, we’re navigating creating and publicizing scheduling
- Recognition balance sought between individual appreciation and collective culture.

During the second portion of the conversation, which was more free-flowing Q&A. Some of the highlights included:

Optimal newsletter frequency and format - should the organization move to multiple shorter emails?
- Newsletter restructuring - shorter, focused emails with specific timing optimization.
- Digital newspaper format - visual, infographic-style newsletter with minimal text.
- Landing page strategy - create a newsletter with brief hooks linking to detailed web pages.
Volunteer recognition approach - how to balance appreciation with culture?
- Behind-the-scenes content - social media documentation of match-day preparation.
- Job fair integration - combine appreciation events with volunteer showcases.
New member integration - what resources best support onboarding?
- New member primer - quick reference guide for newcomers.

The final portion of the evening was spent discussing the organization’s ethos statement, a draft of the statement can be found here. While this was a fantastic exchange, and included both validation and pushback from membership, much of it already being integrated, we want to use this portion of the recap to invite you into the fold.

What questions do you have about this ethos?
Do you feel as though it accurately reflects our ethos as an organization?
What would you add, subtract, or alter?
How would you want to see it ratified or shelved, a board vote? A member vote? Another way?

BYCAP 2025

Sunday White — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 16:51:14 GMT

~~~~~~ Please enjoy this slightly refreshed story of the birth of BYCAP with some #KnowYourHistory and new info! ~~~~~~

It started with a guy named Tim Birr and a Stuttgart jersey. See, ‘Uncle Birr’ had this pint rule: if he sees something that he thinks someone would like, he has a simple formula for whether or not he should buy it:
#1 - How much does it cost? If it is the price of a pint, then it goes on to the next round.
#2 - Would I buy this person a pint? If so, then the item could act as a gift.
The last consideration - step #3 - Is to consider… Would the person prefer the pint? (In this case, please don’t. That is not what we are going for here. Read on!)

In times before… Hermes and Pong (they were capos, some of you may have heard of them, or remember their antics) started talking about ways to get the people in the North End to say, “Thanks for yellin’ at me all season, asshole,” - but in a positive manner - when the idea of voice came up. We (the capos with the assistance of DnT) help this extremely passive-aggressive city to find its voice and collectively, when needed, be aggressive (even if all we do is sing-song melodies now instead of taunts).

They brainstormed this amazing thing. They were trying to create something new (then) that showed how we acknowledge our respect for each other, the volunteers, and the players, while realizing that no matter how good or bad things are within the season, we were part of something bigger. Whether or not they (and now, we) yelled at you, if you were part of the North End or elsewhere in the stadium, it matters that you were there, and it could be a whole lot worse. What makes it manageable is our shared experience. Our community.

Back in the aughts, who even thought about the fact that kids in wheelchairs didn’t have a treehouse before Harper’s Playground? Or realized that there were summer camps for kids with speech pathology support, or that there are so many kids in our own community that cannot afford to “pay to play,” or even have a pitch to kick around on.

We, the 107IST, TA, Riveters, Cascadia, Portland, empathetic and aware humanity, want to create a philosophy that is realizable. That is, we want to actualize our beliefs into actions. To be there for our community and those who cannot always step up.

We, the capos, strive to help people find their voice. Thus, BYCAP is born. “Buy Your Capo A Pint” is a chance for the people in our community, in the Axe & Rose, in the Park, and in our sections, to say, “Thank you” to the volunteers that pay for entry, turn their backs to the pitch, and give it their all, including broken bodies and voices to the attempt to conduct Portland’s largest performance art action to a deafening crescendo of passion and support for our players. We do this, BYCAP, so that we (capos) can help kids who experience speech, hearing, and communication challenges, or are in situations that systemically diminish them, get the help that they need to find their OWN voice.

In 2010, the capo crew passed a hat around the crowd while the Portland Punk Rock Collective played a gig in which they donated their share of the door fee/bar revenue to the Camp Meadowood Springs cause. With this, combined with a bump from the 107IST, we were able to fully fund one kid for summer camp. All of this with maybe a week’s notice.

In 2011, the cost of camp was $1,500 for new campers and $1,200 for returning kids. Instead of passing the hat at a punk show, we passed it among the TA during our penultimate match of the season. We aimed to raise enough for 3 kids to attend that year; it is always good to have a stretch goal, but in the end, we raised enough from our donations to fully fund one camper.

We have repeated this BYCAP fundraiser with varying outcomes during the final season match each year, expanding the effort to include a different BYCAP recipient for the Riveters capos/supporters starting in 2013.

This year, we are back at it again.

At the final regular season home matches, you will see the capos with donation buckets around the stadium, at the nests and on the stage, one with the DnT, and there will be a bucket at LEGENDS bar pre-match. All buckets will also have a QR code for those who don’t carry cash, but still want to donate.

During the weeks between the last regular-season home matches (Timbers and Thorns, respectively), you can also use (and share!) the provided QR code to direct you to this URL (https://107ist.org/107ist/donate) for the online donation tool. It will ask you which fund you want to donate to - please select the appropriate BYCAP option. If you want to support both, you will need to do each donation individually.

So, here we are - back to ‘Uncle Birr’s’ pint rule - for the cost of a pint, you can make a difference.

~~~~~~ See you in the stands ~~~~~~

A few basic (but important!) details about the BYCAP fundraiser.

100% of proceeds are donated. Not a penny is retained by capos, by the SGs, or the 107IST for any reason. This is quite literally FOR THE CHILDREN.

We call it the BYCAP fundraiser because throughout the season, kind folks buy us a pint now and then, often more as the season is wrapping up. Instead of that literal pint, put those few bucks into the donation bucket so we can collectively make a difference.

With the members-only bar at Legends at the Axe & Rose, we will also have a collection bucket at the bar, and as always, a QR code/URL so you have digital ways for you to donate, even if you aren't in the stadium when the buckets are passed around

This primary driver is that this is our chance to step up and help our community– please share this story with newer North End folks, or others who may not know what is going on. Every penny counts!

Timbers' final regular-season home match:

Sat. October 18th v. San Diego FC
100% of Proceeds to: Camp Meadowood Springs

https://www.meadowoodsprings.org/

Thorns' final regular-season home match:

Sun, November 2nd v. Houston Dash
100% of Proceeds to: Girls Build

https://girlsbuild.org

Donation URL for both events: https://107ist.org/107ist/donate

It’s Time to Renew Your 107IST Membership

Richard Hamje — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:56:42 GMT

With the end of the seasons approaching, it’s time to renew your membership in the 107 Independent Supporters Trust.

Renew Here

2025 was a breakthrough year. We opened the Axe & Rose facility. Now we have a place to do all the work that shows our love for the sport and our teams. Plus a proper store. And we remodeled the mechanic’s shop into the Legends pub – a place to meet up with friends and make new friends before every game. The response has been tremendous - our membership has grown to pre-COVID levels and our finances are back on track.

Looking forward, 2026 will see the men’s World Cup in North America for the first time since 1994. Legends could be the premier viewing spot in Portland. There will be four more dates on the Thorns calendar with the addition of Denver and Boston to the NWSL. All this in addition to the Timbers and Thorns normal seasons and our usual huge effort to support them. Altogether, 107IST will host almost 75 events over the next 16 months.

Your member dues and donations cover much of the costs for facilities and supplies. Dues are $30 for 2026. This gets you partner discounts, access to Legends, support for the gameday environment, community outreach, a fun member gift, and a lot more. We expect members will be invited to the Nike employee store in January for great discounts on their gear, with Adidas and Columbia passes during the winter.

Your donations help us keep memberships affordable and have been a major factor in our confidence to make big commitments like multi-year leases.

As in prior years, there are four standard donations at $25 each, a credit card processing fee recovery option for $1.17, and/or any amount you can give to a specific purpose or to just generally help out. The four core donations each earn you a special pin you can wear with pride:

Paint the Town… helps pay for tifo fabric, paint, brushes, etc.
Spread the Love supports our community outreach programs
Party in Portland covers gameday expenses like drum heads, smoke, flags
Axe & Rose goes toward our rent and facility improvements
If you donate all the above you will get a fifth, special thank you pin

The 107IST is a 100% volunteer-run organization. Every cent of your dues and donations goes directly to our mission: to support soccer from the grassroots to the highest professional levels.

Here's to an amazing 2026!

Renew Here

Prideraiser to benefit Rahab's Sisters

Jennifer Ingraham — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:13:59 GMT

Written By: Connor Magee, Rahab’s Sisters Volunteer & Community Relations Manager

Rahab’s Sisters is a drop-in day shelter for women, trans, and nonbinary folks experiencing systemic oppression at the intersections of poverty, houselessness, sex work, violence, and substance use in the Montavilla neighborhood of SE Portland. When you walk through our doors, the first things you notice are friendly smiles, the buzz of conversation, and a sense of community. We provide holistic services, meals, and connection, and at our gatherings, you’ll find a vibrant community where guests, volunteers, and staff are building authentic, lasting connections that transcend life circumstances.

Since 2003, Rahab’s Sisters has been a justice-driven community founded on the values of trust, radical hospitality, and inclusion. Our low-barrier gatherings feature nourishing meals, hygiene and survival supplies, peer support, eviction prevention and housing services, affirming case management, co-located holistic health services and more to more than 200 unique individuals each week.

We are thrilled to announce that starting this summer, we are expanding our services to include an additional day of holistic health and wellness service - including primary care - at Rahab’s Sisters. Guests will be able to access everything from wound care and annual exams to management of chronic conditions and gender-affirming care in a familiar, trusted, and non- judgmental setting. This means one more barrier is removed for guests to access the care they need and deserve.

Your support through this year’s Prideraiser will help Rahab’s Sisters’ services reach as many guests as possible. Please pledge as generously as you can to be a part of maintaining and growing the safety net for our most vulnerable neighbors. Many thanks to you, and to the 107IST, for your investment in our shared vision of a strong community, and a commitment to the belief that we all belong here and have value.

Donate here.

For more information about our mission, values, and work, please visit www.rahabs-sisters.org.

Elections updates

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 05:41:41 GMT

We’re quickly approaching our 2025 election cycle! So, we wanted to share some additional information and timelines.

Important dates:

January 7: Candidate applications due by 5 p.m. Pacific
January 8: Candidate announcements and launch of online candidate forum
January 19: Live candidate forum at The Axe & Rose
January 21: Voting starts
January 29: Voting ends at 9 p.m. Pacific
January 30: Election results posted

Also coming this month:

Onward! interview with current board members
Reddit AMA

In years past, we’ve received feedback that there are too many locations for candidates to monitor for questions (traditional 107IST.org forums, Discord, Twitter, etc.) and a lot of similar questions across those platforms. This election, we will be exclusively using Discord for online Q&A. If you don’t have access to Discord, please use this link to sign up or attend the in-person forum at The Axe & Rose on January 19 to ask questions.

The live candidate forum will be at The Axe & Rose on January 19. Doors will open at noon, and the candidate forum will start at noon. We will have a remote option for those who are unable to attend in person. Please come down, hang out and bring your questions for the candidates. As a reminder: Because of our OLCC licensing requirements, you must be a 107IST member to attend in person. If you aren’t a member, please sign up or renew here!

As in years past, we will continue to use Survey Monkey for our voting platform. Depending on your settings, sometimes this e-mail is delivered to your spam inbox. If you are expecting a ballot and haven’t received one by January 22, please email elections@107IST.org

Remember:

Submit your candidacy here! Remember: Applications must be submitted by January 7. What’s it like to serve on the board? Check out this link for some additional information.

This year we will have two seats open for two-year terms.
To be a candidate, you must be a member as of December 31 and have renewed through 2025, or be a new member through 2025.
To vote, you must be a member as of December 31 and have renewed through 2025, or be a new member through 2025.

If you have any questions in the interim, please email elections@107IST.org.

Your Favorite Portland Not-for-Profit Needs You!!!

Chris Spalding — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 21:07:00 GMT

The following is a post by Shawn Levy on behalf of OPI.

We could dazzle you with stepovers and dekes, but we want to get the ball in the net fast, so here goes: Operation Pitch Invasion needs your help.

We're the oldest of 107IST's charitable initiatives, and we need your time, your ideas, and, yeah, your money (well, some of it) to help our mission thrive.

WHO ARE WE AND WHAT HAVE WE DONE?
In 2008, when the Timbers Army organized itself to lobby for an MLS franchise in Portland, it composed a dream list of things it would do if it succeeded.

At the top of that list? Building, restoring, and maintaining local soccer surfaces, especially in communities where there was no access to quality places to play the beautiful game. That notion was the birth of OPI, and that inspiration still drives us today.

OPI pursues three initiatives:

FRIENDS OF FIELDS Every summer, we host volunteer days in Portland parks and schools in order to restore turf, repair sprinklers and goal frames, and generally spruce up run-down facilities; to date, we've done 40 or so events and touched on dozens of fields throughout the area.

Snake Court at Vance Park, Rockwood

OPERATION BLACKTOP We take corners of pre-existing playgrounds, slap down new lines, anchor some goal frames, and create permanent futsal courts; since 2015, we've built 20 courts in parks and schoolyards all over Portland, as well as in Beaverton, Vancouver, and Battleground.

Robert Grey School in SW Portland

FIELDS FOR ALL In partnership with the Timbers' Stand Together program, we've built side-by-side high-end futsal courts, with brand new asphalt, highway-quality surfacing, and durable fencing, in public areas adjacent to schools, parks, and recreation centers; two of these are in Portland, two in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham, and one each in Woodburn and Forest Grove.

Anyone can help fix up the park!

And then there's the one-of-a-kind Bless Field, a fenced-in turf field in the New Columbia neighborhood of North Portland, right next to an elementary school and a Boys and Girls Club.

(You can see all of the places where we've built something right here.)

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
1) We're broke. OPI is a lean beast: We've never had a dedicated staff or office; we're just three or four uncompensated volunteers, none of whom has a background in fundraising. Historically, we've received annual support from the 107IST, as well as occasional one-time grants from various organizations and individuals. But we have no regular sponsors. And since the pandemic, donations have fallen significantly while our building costs have more or less doubled.

2) And we're lonely. Our community used to turn out in overwhelming numbers to support our volunteer work, but that has thinned to a trickle. Field days once routinely enticed 50 or more folks; the past few years, we've been lucky to hit 20.

So: Our People: Help us!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Do you like merch? We're raffling some cool goodies at the No Pity Holiday sale at the Axe & Rose on December 7, and we'll be debuting some OPI-branded stuff in 2025, so keep an eye peeled.

Do you have experience in non-profit marketing or fundraising? Drop us a line and let's chat.

Are you doing any holiday giving, and/or does your employer have a program to match employees' charitable contributions? (We're a bona fide 501(c)(3), fyi.) You can donate here.

Do you have work gloves and some friends or kids who can join you for a few hours of fun outdoor work on a weekend morning in the summer? Subscribe to our email list (at the SUBSCRIBE button here) and we'll let you know when you can join us to restore some local fields.

In short: Reintroduce yourself to OPI, or come meet us for the first time, and…

HELP US KEEP SOCCER CITY USA SOCCER CITY USA!!!

2025 107IST Board Elections

Jonathan Everett — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 21:16:12 GMT

If you’re reading this, it means you’re interested — and it means that we’re interested in you! Many people sit in silence, wondering if board service is right for them (and for the board). Hopefully, this blog helps clear up some questions about the board’s responsibilities while also helping guide you in your decision to either run for the board, or not. This helpful link can be a good starting point: Board Readiness Assessment.

The 107IST board of directors is a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about our mission and our ability to help move the organization forward for our members, our teams and our community. We spend anywhere from 2 to 10 hours a week on work at the board level, but it often depends on a variety of external factors. There are a lot of misconceptions about what the board is responsible for and, more specifically, what are not.

Some things we are responsible for:

Meet monthly to discuss current topics and prioritize the organization’s efforts
Appropriately budget, continually manage, and monitor the use of funds in the organization
Commit to participate in at least one subcommittee
Meet and maintain relationships with partner organizations
Negotiate vendor contracts (rent, utilities, etc.)
Review our mission statement and corporation status to ensure compliance with our 501c7 designation
Establish a working relationship with the Timbers and Thorns front offices

Some things we are not responsible for:

The creation and artistic direction of merchandise
The creation and artistic direction of tifo
Game day operations or atmosphere

Below are some examples of board related votes and decisions made this year:

1737 SW Morrison Street: As a board, we voted in early 2024 to to move all the 107IST operations to our new location, The Axe & Rose. It took many months of internal discussion, planning, and debate about whether or not the organization should make the commitment and sign a long-term lease. As we all know, we eventually went forward and voted yes to make the move and consolidate all of our operations into one location.
107IST board terms and limits: We voted in 2024 to change board terms to be two years instead of three. We also voted to limit board members to no more than two consecutive terms. This move helps to ensure regular leadership renewals and creates more opportunities for new voices to contribute as we continue to work on fostering a more dynamic and inclusive board.
Re-engage Timbers Front Office: As strongly voiced by membership, the board took the action of re-engaging with the Timbers Front Office for the first time since 2021, to continue advocating on behalf of supporters while establishing a new working relationship rhythm.
Data management strategy: This year, the board prioritized building out a data management dashboard to provide visibility into org spend, cashflow, donations, and member growth to ensure decisions were being made using the data we already have. Working with a few volunteers who have the technical expertise, we now have a deeper understanding of our financial picture, with a monthly readout.
Event space funding: When budgets were due for fiscal year 2024, we had not yet made the formal decision to create an event space. While we knew there were plans to build an event space and beer garden, it wasn’t budgeted to make building improvements and investments (OLCC licensing, insurance, painting, networking, etc.). At a board meeting earlier in 2024, we debated what would be an appropriate amount to fund the new event space and agreed on a number that we all would be comfortable with to get the space up and running.

If you have experience in finance, marketing, communications, previous board experience, city planning or any other areas of general management, we would love to have you submit your candidacy for the upcoming election!

Buy Your Capo A Pint aka BYCAP - our annual tradition to save our livers and do right by our communities at the same time.

Chris Spalding — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 03:29:10 GMT

The following is a post from Tina on behalf of the Capos/DnTs for the Rose City Riveters and the Timbers Army.

We (Capos and DnT) love what we do. We love to make noise for our teams whether it's shouting into the woodwork, banging on a drum or playing horns. But we wouldn’t be able to do any of it without any of you. Our community is the backbone of who we are and what we are able to do.

On an annual basis, we show our love and passion through this BYCAP event. Our goal is to help amplify those voices in our community that are most vulnerable. Those that have been stifled, and muted, or are barely whispers because of oppression, assault, or abuse.

BYCAP funds raised will provide help to the voices of children and mothers in our neighborhoods, to aid them in becoming strong and confident, to provide them with the support they need to communicate their dreams, ideas, and opinions. I know I spend a lot of time yelling, but I also want to listen, to HEAR all of your voices and theirs, the chants and drumbeats of our community.

So - what is BYCAP?

As the season is wrapping up, many of our friends want to “buy us (Capos, DnT) a pint” to say thanks. Thanks for helping to hype the crowd, to keep us all on time, to provide eyes and assistance when there is an interloper or altercation, to represent good habits (drink water, use sunblock), and in general for each of us buying our own tickets to turn our backs to the pitch for the season, so the sound of the North End can roll across the pitch, resonate beyond the PP rooftop and through the neighborhood. All because we have passion for our teams on the pitch.

While we all appreciate the random beverage, our livers can only take so much at once. We want to accept your appreciation and do something powerful with it. Thus BYCAP was born.

*Buy Your Capo A Pint [or other thank you goodie]

It has been noted that our livers cannot take so much thanks… so… instead we have collection buckets out at our stage, nests and drums, and we ask you to donate that ‘pint’ (or soda, water, coffee) money to our fundraiser so we can help others find their voice the way we have. We get the “thank you” vibes and affection AND our community gets much needed help and support.

On the last regular season match for both the Thorns and the Timbers please take a few spare bucks, change, or whatever you would be willing to use to give us a ‘thank you’ and instead, put the funds in a BYCAP bucket, or donate online. Help us save our livers and make a big difference in the strength and volume of our community.

This year’s BYCAP proceeds will be going to two places: Camp Meadowood Springs (TA) and Raphael House (Riveters).

100% of proceeds raised (both in person and online) for BYCAP will be donated.

Please help us surpass prior years fundraising by donating and signal boosting this event.

>>> GOAL: meet and surpass the BYCAP best year <<<
>>> $6240 - the combined amount <<<
>>> TA and RCR 2019 BYCAP <<<

A donation link will be available on the open access part of the 107ist.org website through November 8th. This will provide time for both Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters BYCAP matches, and some extra time in case of budgets and paydays, for those that may not be able to make it to the stadium, but want to say “Thanks for your passion” to the Capos/DnT.

Timbers BYCAP in the stands - October 6th vs Dallas
Thorns BYCAP in the stands - November 1st v. Angel City

School Supplies Drive for Rose Haven! July and August!

Rachel Greenough — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 05:07:16 GMT

Please help us collect brand new school supplies for Rose Haven. As a bonus, everyone who donates will be entered to win some great player-signed items.

Rose Haven is located off of NW Glisan street and have been serving the Portland community for over 25 years. Rose Haven is the only day shelter and community center in Multnomah County specifically supporting women, children, and gender non-conforming individuals that are experiencing houselessness. Rose Haven is unique in that they understand domestic and sexual violence are main contributors of houselessness for women. They strive to meet basic needs, and improve the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of their guests. Rose Haven values equity and inclusivity, treating each person with dignity, and compassion. They offer community, belonging, safety, and resources to address the mental health concerns that houselessness and trauma can cause, by offering individual counseling services, wellness groups, and support groups. Rose Haven also assists their guests with reconciliation with themselves and others, when appropriate. They work to hold a space where all guests can connect, have a voice, and be empowered.

Rose Haven is also a long-time and beloved community partner of the 107IST. Please help us spread the love by donating school supplies this summer.

Items needed for the school supply drive include:

Backpacks!!!
Calculators
Glue Sticks
Index Cards
Spiral Notebooks
Colored pencils
Colored markers
Crayons
Rulers
Folders
Blunt nose scissors
Pens
Pencils
Highlighters
Pencil sharpeners
Pencil pouches

What: School Supply drive for Rose Haven.

When: All July and August home match days and member hours

Where: Axe and Rose, 1737 SW Morrison St.

Everyone who donates an item will also be entered into a raffle to win signed items from the Timbers and Thorns, including a scarf signed by Dairon Asprilla and a boot signed by Kelli Hubly!

The Fanladen Is Dead; Long Live the Fanladen

107ist Admin — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 14:47:44 GMT

Hey hey hey…!

The 107IST board and committees are really excited to finally break the news to you, our members, about something we’ve been working on for the past few months. We’ve been limited to whom we’ve been able to talk to about it, but we can finally get you excited about it, too: We are moving into the Rack Attack building! That’s right! We’re going to have all our facilities (and more) under one roof, right across the street from the stadium on 18^th & Morrison. Getting things dialed in is going to take a lot of work, and we want to get y’all hyped to pitch in.

The plan: The front retail space that engages so well with the street is going to be a mix of a museum of our history and who we are, as well as a space for both merch teams that is more like a normal retail storefront than what we’ve typically done. You’ll be able to buy RivetGear merch on Timbers match days and No Pity Originals merch on Thorns match days! *mind blown gif* The Booked! Library, the world’s largest soccer-specific library, will have a much more visible and cozy home, and there is a back room that will be perfect for the conference table that we currently use for all of our org meetings at the Fanladen. We’ll also have a dedicated space where we can collect donations for community partners throughout the year — so you’ll always know where to donate a used cell phone or the warm socks you found on sale. The second floor actually works better as a tifo space than the current warehouse space (although the ramp up is like the one to park above Powell’s Books). The No Pity Van will be parked in the recessed portico area where it used to live on match days (we may be slinging scarves there for those in a rush), and there is enough space to also host a rotation of our food cart partners.

While these are all amazing improvements, there is one major thing that we don’t currently have in our facilities: event space. The garage bay where they did the rack installations is perfect for us to host our own member events, from trainings and lectures to viewing parties both away and home matches (for those still not going into the stadium but who still want to be connected to the community), or big matches we’d want to watch as a big group. It will also serve as a low barrier event space for our partner organizations, which is a scarce resource around here. Not only is there a ton of space in there, but we can also roll up the garage door and expand into the portico. This, combined with the extraordinary location, is going to be a game changer for all of us. One of the major hurdles for all the events we do is finding a location, and this will eliminate that stress on our volunteers.

We have long had the goal of increasing our physical presence in the Stadium District, and this has presented an ideal opportunity for the 107IST to show our commitment to this city through the creation of this cultural hub and community center in the heart of Portland.

How we got here: As you may know, we had a pop-up merch spot last year across from the stadium at 1919 Morrison. This was a notable improvement in visibility to increase memberships and merch sales, especially RivetGear. Even though we had a great relationship with the owners, managers, and tenants, the lease proposal they offered to formally occupy the space was hard for us to justify financially for what it offered. We would still be on the hook for our current lease at the Fanladen and, with the lease for the warehouse still needed, we felt it wasn’t in the best interest of our membership to pursue, especially when this other opportunity presented itself.

First off, this new building is with our existing facilities owners so we can get out of our current agreements for the Fanladen and warehouse early. Second, we’ll be able to combine the administrative costs (such as power and internet). While it will still be costing us significantly more than we’re currently paying, we believe in and are betting on this community to grow to the occasion and this space’s potential.

One of the best things we learned with the 1919 Morrison space is the value of having known, handicap accessible facilities, especially restrooms. We are committed to continuing this basic amenity and have budgeted to have professional contractors come in to make it a reality. Most of the work, however, will be on all of us to pitch in with our time, skills, and resources.

We know it will take a few different weekends for us to move out of the warehouse and Fanladen, and we plan to get started right away. Our first moving party will be next weekend, Feb 17 and Feb 18. If you are available to help with the move, please fill out this form. We’re also on the lookout for anyone who has a box truck, dollies, or other moving tools.

As we get things dialed in, we’ll be doing a couple of soft openings with the seasons starting so soon, so pop in and check out the space if you haven’t by then.

If you want to check out the new space, swing through this Friday (2/16) evening (between 4 and 7) when we’ll have the door open for members to experience a "before" version of the space. The current plan is to get started working on the space this weekend, so changes will start very soon!

Be sure to track your weekly 107IST newsletter as we’ll be posting needs as we go. If you would like to join the 107IST, you can do so here.

With your help, Onward, Rose City!

#RCTID #BAONPDX

Anything is possible

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 04:09:00 GMT

What a wild few years it’s been. For those of us leaving the board this year after two terms — and for those remaining — we often reflect on all we’ve seen over the years: Front Office negotiations, MLS code of conduct struggles, a pandemic, many playoff runs, a Timbers Cup game at home with a week’s notice, The Athletic article, the Yates report and resulting fallout, and so much more.

Just before the elections process starts, we usually talk as a board about what we’re looking for going into the year. This year, a few things bubbled to the surface more than others:

Leadership. We need someone good at project management and organization. There are always a lot of things in process, and having someone with the power to herd cats is invaluable. Also, with the Front Office issues and new Thorns ownership, someone willing to lead the organization and work with others to reimagine the path forward is needed.
Financial experience. Budgets! Reporting! Fundraising! This is a large part of nonprofit work, and we always need people with this experience, especially as we grow.
Secretary role (nonprofit administration). This is an important role. We need folks who love managing the nonprofit side of the organization: legal matters, rules, trademarks, insurance, meeting minutes, documentation and all the things that keep us a 501(c)(7).
Communications. We’ve really worked to improve communications over the past several years through many forums — but we can always be better. What new ideas can you bring about how to communicate with our members about our activities and work? In what spaces?
Conflict management and people skills. The board deals with the Front Office, volunteers, members, the community, other nonprofits and more. People who can help navigate sticky situations and interact with new partners and our community are always appreciated.
Forward-thinkers and organizers. We have so many ideas and so many plans, but we need minds and hands to really make them a reality. Are you good with building community and organizing events? We need you!

Another item that came up regularly: Make sure people really understand the time commitment. Yes. It is more of a time commitment than you might realize. Between meetings (board meetings, committee meetings and other meetings as needed), there is constant communication and project work that happens. It requires a lot of time and mental energy to keep up. For some, it’s almost a part-time job; for others, it may be an hour or two a day. Still, it is something that requires dedication and it can be a lot.

An evergreen question that arises during elections is: “Are we a working board or a strategic board”? We would love to be the latter, but we need the folks to get us to that point. We need ideas and the people to make those ideas happen. It’s one thing to say, “What the board needs is [this]!”; it’s another to take that idea and run with it. People who have ideas and inspire folks to get involved and lead projects.

The board of today is not the same as it was 10 years ago, or even five years ago. Every year brings a new focus; a new challenge. We want you to take us to the next version of 107IST. We have a lot of things planned, and we need your energy to bring them to fruition.

Join 107IST in supporting community partners today (and everyday)

Rachel Greenough — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:00:00 GMT

On this Giving Tuesday, please join 107IST by supporting some of the incredible community organizations we have partnered with this year.

Portland Community Football Club and the Liberate Sports campaign stand for everything we value. Their commitment to equity and access in youth sports is unmatched, and is backed up by the unique work they do to support families who are part of their community. A competitive youth soccer org with a food pantry! That is gender-inclusive and affordable! We love PCFC and are so proud to be one of the first official sponsors for their Liberate Sports kickoff event in March 2024. Please join us and amplify the impact of your member dollars by donating today. Let them know you heard about it here by choosing “107IST” from the dropdown menu.

Operation Pitch Invasion and Giselle Currier Scholarship Fund are independent 501C3 organizations that grew out of our 107IST community. Both are also focused on the goal of providing access for everyone to be involved in the beautiful game. OPI builds and maintains soccer and futsal courts around the Rose City, and GCSF provides direct scholarships so individuals can continue to be involved in youth soccer. Visit OPI and GCSF donation pages to donate directly to these organizations.

In the realm of social services, we encourage your support to some trusted and effective local organizations. These folks have been doing the real work, on the ground, through some of the toughest conditions ever. With the politicization of poverty and houselessness, they have faced unprecedented backlash and hate while doing their best to serve all individuals with dignity and respect. Please show them some love if you can. Rose Haven, Blanchet House, Outside In, Hygiene4All, Street Roots, and William Temple House are just a few of the organizations we are proud to support.

Finally, all the support we share year round wouldn’t be possible without our members. The 107IST mission is to support soccer in the Rose City from the grassroots to the highest professional level, and our additional community connections are inherent to who we are as an org. While the 107IST isn’t a tax-deductible organization, we are a member-driven nonprofit.

Please renew today if you haven’t already. Once again, we are offering various membership add-ons because basic memberships just don’t cover the costs of all we do. Your additional donations allow us to keep the cost of a basic membership low, while continuing to spread the love throughout the community. Renew or join today or make an additional donation if you can!

Thank you all for your support. We’re extremely glad you’re here.

2024 renewals are now open!

107ist Admin — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:31:03 GMT

“For such as we are made of, such we be.” Twelfth Night, 2.2

Well, it’s that time of the year. The days are getting shorter. The weather is getting colder. The Timbers season has ended and, by the time this blog post is published, the Thorns may have either won their fourth star or bowed out from contention. One of the things about our organization is that tradition is a big part of the culture, and so this is a blog post that is as good as tradition: the call for you to renew your membership to the 107IST.

This year has brought a lot of change both for the clubs we support and for the organization itself.

On a club level, we eagerly await a sale of the Thorns, which we hope will be completed before next season. The Timbers turned over their head coach, and there have been numerous changes in the front office composition in the last 24 months. Both clubs look to be in a state of transition. The Thorns between ownership groups and the Timbers between roster orientations.

On an organizational level, we are a bit in a state of transition as well. This year we had a temporary store front in 1919 Morrison, and it was an amazing success. Both No Pity Originals and RivetGear put out merchandise that seemed to resonate with the public in a big way. People are finding us in a way that we haven’t seen before. So many new faces, new folks, are wandering into 1919 Morrison Street and asking who exactly we are. They’re buying things (often) but perhaps just as importantly, learning about who the 107IST is.

The thing that stuck out most to many of the folks working the space was that for a lot of folks, this was the first time they had heard of the 107IST. The amount of time spent on education was massive, and it gave us a chance to think critically about the role we play in the community of soccer fans in Portland. How many more folks would join us if only they knew who we were?

Now, as much as any year in recent memory, there is so much to be proud of when it comes to what the 107IST has accomplished. This year, through our monthly drives, we were able to support incredible local organizations like IRCO, Rose Haven, and Blanchet House. Both the Pride scarf co-sold by NPO and RivetGear, and the two tee shirts designed by Meghan Klingenberg and sold through RivetGear raised money for New Avenues for Youth this year. For New Avenues for Youth alone we raised more than $10,000 to support the purchase of gender-affirming clothing and other items for the youth they serve.

While the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters are two pillars of the 107IST, two spaces of amazing impact that close ideological and organizational alignment to the 107IST are the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund and Operation Pitch Invasion. The Gisele Currier Scholarship fund recently finished the application cycle for their 2023 applicants, and it looks like an amazing group of folks. Operation Pitch Invasion put on several well attended events this year.

So where are we headed next year? What are we hoping for? What are our dreams? What are our hopes for our membership base in the future?

We feel as though this is an important moment to announce that we have a big membership push coming up, we’re calling it 25% by 2025. By 2025 we want the 107IST to represent twenty-five percent of the stadium capacity. While this may seem to be an incredibly ambitious goal, we view it as something that is remarkably achievable. We also know that some of that 25% will include members who rarely set foot in Portland — those 107IST members who value and support this work from all over the world.

Since the 107IST was founded, the soccer market in Portland has grown. More people love the game and attend PTFC matches, University of Portland matches, and soccer at the grassroots level, such as PDXFC. Providence Park has expanded, adding capacity and increasing the amount of folks who attend both Timbers and Thorns games. While this growth has occurred within our stadium, our membership numbers have stayed relatively stagnant. We have a wonderful, consistent membership base, but we want to make sure that we continue to be a voice of the stadium. As we expand, so does our capacity to impact our community.

Put simply: We want to do more, and the more members we have, the more power we have to be a respected voice and enact change in the stadium.

This goal is achievable if we continue creating an environment of welcome for new folks. We need to continue to spread our mission of “support soccer in the Portland area from the grassroots to the highest professional level” to all corners of our stadium, and if we each take it upon ourselves to be stewards of this organization.

We cannot achieve this goal without you. For such as we are made of, such we be.

Have an idea about how we can grow our numbers and want to pitch it? Now is the time. Ever wanted to paint tifo, load membership packets, organize away travel, help organize a match day drive, and help bring the yielded donations to the organization? Now is the time. Have time to lend a hand in any way? Now is the time. Ever wanted to be part of spreading word of who we are and what we do? We want you. Now is the time. Attend a committee meeting, attend a board meeting, email us about how you can get stuck in. Learn more. Ask questions. Find a niche, a role. As we grow, our volunteer pool and the people passionate about helping the organization needs to grow too. We want to facilitate your involvement and help you feel seen.

We are nothing without our members. There is so much good that we can do, so much more that we can do, and now more than ever our mission is vital.

If you want to be part of the Timbers Army or Rose City Riveters, you already are.

Chris Spalding — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 18:20:28 GMT

The following is a guest blog post by Sunday White on behalf of the TA and Riveters’ Capos/DnT.

This is what I know in my heart. I shout it at the top of my lungs with my peers, my friends, my community. I feel that in my bones, with the beat of the drums, the blow of the horns, and the roar of the supporters. But what are we... without you?

We (the Capos and the DnT) are nothing without you. It is our love and passion for the players, for our neighbors in the stands, for our community here, in Portland and abroad that drives us to buy tickets to be here and volunteer to turn our back to the pitch, to hype everyone up and become a united wave of passion and support that our teams can FEEL on the pitch. With you we create a raucous, joyous cacophony that drives our players on, so they know they are not alone. They hear your community VOICE, your PASSION, and your LOVE for the beautiful game.

On an annual basis, we show our love and passion through this BYCAP event. Our goal is to help amplify those voices in our community that are most vulnerable. Children that for a variety of reasons cannot use their voices, are unable to get what is in your head or heart OUT to be heard. Those that have been stifled, and muted, or are barely whispers becuse of oppression, assault, or abuse.

So - what is this BYCAP thing exactly?

As the season is becoming extra tense (or wrapping up) often folks are feeling kind and nostalgic for the events of the season, and many want to “buy us (Capos, DnT) a pint” to say thanks. Thanks for helping to hype the crowd, to keep us all on time, to provide eyes and assistance when there is an interloper or altercation, to represent good habits (drink water, use sunblock), and in general for each of us buying our own tickets to turn our backs to the pitch for the season, so the sound of the North End can roll across the pitch, resonate beyond the PP rooftop and through the neighborhood. All because we have passion for our teams on the pitch.

While we all appreciate the random beverage, our livers can only take so much at once. We want to accept your appreciation and do something powerful with it. Thus BYCAP was born.

*Buy Your Capo A Pint [or other thank you goodie]

100% of proceeds raised (both in person and online) for BYCAP will be donated.

Please help us surpass prior years fundraising by donating and signal boosting this event.

>>> GOAL: meet and surpass the BYCAP best year <<<

>>> $6240- the combined amount <<<

>>> TA and RCR 2019 BYCAP <<<

A donation link will be available on the open access part of the 107ist.org website for the month of October. This will provide time for both TA & RCR BYCAP matches, and some extra time in case of budgets and paydays, for those that may not be able to make it to the stadium, but want to say "Thanks for your passion” to the Capos/DnT.

2023 BYCAP proceeds will be donated to:

Raphael House (Riveters) - Oct. 7th v. Gotham
Camp Meadowood Springs (TA) - Oct. 21st v Dynamo

It Did Happen Here Exhibit

Chris Spalding — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 22:54:48 GMT

Swing by 1919 SW Morrison this weekend for the soft opening of It Did Happen Here, an exhibit that chronicles the anti-fascist movement in Portland. Starting tonight, June 23 before or after the Thorns match, the exhibit will be on display through the end of July for everyone who swings by the space before or after matches.

It Did Happen Here: An Antifascist People's History is a 2020 oral history book by Erin Yanke, Celina Flores, Moe Bowstern, Mic Crenshaw, and Alec Dunn. The book tells the story of the anti-fascist movement in Portland, Oregon, in the late 20th century.

The book begins with the murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw in 1988 by white supremacist skinheads. In response, a diverse group of activists came together to form Anti-Racist Action (ARA) and Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP). These groups used a variety of tactics, including street violence, to combat white nationalist violence and right-wing organizing in Portland.

It Did Happen Here is a powerful and inspiring story of how ordinary people can come together to fight against fascism. The book is full of interviews with activists who were involved in the movement, and it provides a unique perspective on the history of anti-fascism in the United States.

The book has been praised by critics for its timely message and its powerful storytelling. It has been called "a must-read for anyone who cares about fighting fascism" and "a vital contribution to the history of anti-fascism in the United States."

If you are interested in learning more about the anti-fascist movement, we highly recommend It Did Happen Here. It is a well-written and informative book that will give you a deeper understanding of this important movement. They also have a podcast with eleven episodes, which you can access here.

For the hours of operation at 1919 SW Morrison, please check the calendar here.

Celebrate Juneteenth

107ist Admin — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:20:53 GMT

The following is a blog post from Dominique Whittaker in collaboration members of the BIPOC Advisory Board.

June is not only the month of Pride, the beginning of Summer, when we play our rivals in the fishing village to the North, but it also is when we reflect and celebrate Juneteenth. For millions of Americans, Juneteenth is Independence Day. Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and 19^th), also known as “Freedom Day,” commemorates the day, June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the abolition of slavery and the liberation of all enslaved African Americans who remained in bondage after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and instated in America, two-and-a-half years later.

In Portland, the first Juneteenth celebration took place in 1945, when shipyard worker and community leader, Clara Peoples, coordinated the first "Juneteenth" celebration at the Kaiser shipyards with her co-workers. Clara helped to make Juneteenth recognized by Portland in 1972 before becoming a statewide holiday in 2001. Juneteenth honors the resilience of Black People and to me, is about the freedom to live your life how you want, learning about the Black experience throughout history, and celebrating joy with community around you. If you’re interested, Juneteenthor.com hosts a ton of information on local events and is run by the non-profit organization created by Clara Peoples and her family.

Here are a few:

Freadom Festival (Portland)
Celebration of Black Lives (Portland)
Juneteenth Jubilee (Portland)
Juneteenth Celebration at Alberta Street Pub (Portland)
Juneteenth Celebration (Oregon City)
Juneteenth Celebration at Hush House Museum (Salem)

What does any of this have to do with soccer? Everything. Did you know, first Black professional soccer player in the U.S. was Gil Heron, who in 1946, debuted with the Detroit Wolverines in the NASFL (and is also the father of musician Gill Scott-Heron)? As the only Black player, he was often singled out for abuse by other players and fans. His wife shared that after matches, Gil had to rub his legs with alcohol to soothe heal marks from players’ studs. In a time where living while Black is fraught and dangerous, players not only have to deal with life off the pitch but deal with abuse on the pitch (here are just a few recent incidents: U.S.A vs Mexico match, Jeremy Ebobisse, Damion Lowe, and Diego Chara). Players, just like everyone else, lean on one another and their communities to navigate and weather those moments. Discrimination and hate doesn’t stop once you enter Providence Park, but what kind of person are you when you witness it or hear about it? Who are we?

#Juneteenth, #OregonHistory, #CelebrateJuneteenth, #TogetherThereWillBeChange, #RCTID, #BAONPDX

Watch Us Grow - Pop-up Location Announcement!

Darren Lloyd — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 16:25:07 GMT

Dairon Asprilla and Sophia Smith aren’t the only ones that can surprise a crowd--the 107IST is excited to announce our pop-up location at 1919 SW Morrison Street for the remainder of the 2023 Thorns and Timbers seasons!

For many it might come as a shock - to have such a close location to where we all enter into the stadium to cheer on the players. While the Civic plaza is a staple of many on match days, we've seen the loss of Uno Mas and most recently, Hot Lips Pizza. Through a serendipitous encounter, we were fortunate to be presented with the opportunity to rent a space for the season. Having a location so close to where many spend a significant portion of their match days, presents an abundance of opportunity -- to reintroduce ourselves to the broader PTFC community, reconnect with those we have not seen since the before times, and a place for 107IST members to gather.

As our occupancy of 1919 Morrison is a bit of an experiment, we'd like to take this chance to encourage folks who are in the neighborhood on match days to stop by--see RivetGear and No Pity Originals merch close up, talk to the folks who help our organization run, drop off Match Day Drive donations, and meet one another!

For those who are new to the game day experience, this new space serves as an initial welcome into the North End - for Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army supporters to learn about who we are, what we do, and how to get involved. We'll continue to utilize the Fanladen for meetings, Office Hours, membership questions (address changes, membership status, etc.) and the Warehouse for general operations and tifo creation, but this experimental space is an exciting opportunity and we'd love to welcome you by.

We are very excited for the opportunity to combine our storefronts of supporter made merch and bring our community even closer together. This experiment has brought a new level of collaboration to our organization and we are excited for what the possibilities are. And we hope that on Thorns and Timbers match days, you’ll stop by and see the growth and change as we work to make the space our own.

When will we be ready to open our doors? Starting today, before the Thorns take on Louisville FC, we’ll have the doors open and we’ll have a DJ, 107IST leadership present, and folks from the membership committee who will be able to answer questions. You can drop off your diapers for IRCO on the way to the match, too. Going forward, 100% of Riveters matchday activities will take place at the 1919 Morrison location. We're excited to welcome you to the new space, whether that's today or ahead of the Open Cup match on April 26th.

See you on SW Morrison and in the North End!

Game Day Announcement

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:13:10 GMT

Our stadium has evolved over time, but one thing remains constant—The North End. The supporters of today—and of the future—simply want leadership from our Front Office. That desire is an extension of why we are in the North End in the first place: Team, Town, and Timbers Army/Rose City Riveters. Even from our earliest humble days, we have always been here to support the players and celebrate our community, while also seeking and speaking truth.

While the Timbers Army, Rose City Riveters, and 107IST board continue to push for accountability and changes in our Front Office, we are going to use the celebration of the players to help heal our community. Supporting the players in the stands doesn't mean not holding the Front Office accountable. Rather, the two goals work in concert with one another. We want a Front Office as aligned and excited about our ethos and mission as we are; an organization that our community deserves. Our work is not finished. That work cannot punish the players who work day in and day out to produce results and go through the highs and lows of emotions—just like us. If we let the North End fall silent, those who abuse power will not face opposition.

We ask each of you—regardless of how long you have been a supporter—to bring the energy, the noise, the passion. Remember the reasons why you first started coming and returning to matches, and harness those reasons with the frustration you may have to make sure everyone knows the North End is not going away. A unified North End is a powerful tool to support the players and bring accountability.

We also recognize that, for some supporters, the transgressions of the Front Office cut too deeply to allow them to stand in the North End right now. Despite their deep love for Team, Town, and TA/Riveters, the pain caused by the actions of PTFC executive leaders is so profound and unforgivable that they cannot see themselves at Providence Park while the current owners remain. If this is where you are as a supporter, we recognize and empathize with your dilemma. We can be unified in other ways to support our teams. Together, we can assist with match day drives, organize watch parties, and be present and passionate supporters at away games. We know you love the Timbers and Thorns, and we want to join you in making sure players hear your voices and feel your support.

Let’s get stuck in with our hearts and voices to help heal and move forward.

Onward, Rose City!

Simply put: We’re all hurting

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 04:48:45 GMT

The following is a post from Stephan Lewis.

We know this past year has been taxing on all of us, and there is a crisis of faith that permeates the clubs. Even the most die-hard supporters have questioned their commitment among the slow drip of disheartening information oozing out of PTFC — ultimately leading to things being far worse than even the most pessimistic supporters had ever anticipated. It has been described as a rollercoaster year, both emotionally and spiritually. Everyone from supporters to long-time, committed volunteers is burned out.

Our community is in crisis. The question then becomes: How do we start to heal? How do we rebuild? And what does that look like for next year’s board?

As we roll into another election cycle, we’ve been pondering about the future and ruminating on the past. Last year’s post still seems relevant: What does it mean to be on the board today? Real talk: It's complicated. It’s safe to say that more of you have a deeper understanding of what we were talking about now — wanting to create a more healthy, professional relationship with the FO. That shit was toxic. (And, like at this point last year, we’re back to not meeting with them.)

One of the age-old questions in our elections is: Are we a working or strategic board? While that answer for a long time was "a working board with aspirations of being more strategic," we have actually made that transition for the most part. The 107IST board of ?the past few years is different from what many have past experienced or understood.

Thinking forward, and looking back over the past year, the org could really benefit from members with more professional services experience. Anthing from financial services/accounting, fundraising, data wrangling, to the management of complex relationships. While having these skills on the board would be great, we would openly welcome involvement on many of our committees from Finance to Community Outreach. We’re all volunteers, and many hands make light work, as we say. Maybe more so, however, we could use more help rebuilding our community. That’s likely to be an all-hands-on-deck situation, but someone may have unique skills that could help.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The Thorns lifted the championship trophy, and the Cascadia Cup is back home. We also saw a return in the number of people coming out to paint tifo this year. We’re hoping to be in a place where we can offer our sweat equity to some of the other organizations we support again.

We all have legitimate reasons for joining this community in the first place, and a reflection of those reasons and those moments may just be the key.

Everybody hurts. Hold on. We can get through this, but only if we work together.

https://107ist.org/Blog/12118181
https://107ist.org/Blog/12960780

FO relations update: October 19

107ist Admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 05:13:32 GMT

A lot has happened since the last home match at Providence Park. The Yates Report was made public by USSF, which resulted in positive changes: Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson were removed from the club and Merritt Paulson stepped down as CEO. While we acknowledge that Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports continue as majority owners of PTFC, we also want to call attention to the significant changes that have occurred in less than three weeks.

On October 3, the 107IST board, the Rose City Riveters steering committee and the Timbers Army steering committee issued the following statement:

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

Last night (October 18), members of our leadership teams met to discuss how the recent club changes affect our position with the FO. Many questions remain about the future of the club, what the NWSL/NWSLPA investigation report will reveal, and how the club’s new leadership will approach additional changes needed in the organization.

On top of all of these moving pieces, there is a playoff match this weekend at home. On Sunday, the Thorns take on the San Diego Wave at 2 p.m. at Providence Park. There are two rally events before the match that we want to be sure you are aware of:

Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m.: SCAN is hosting a rally on SW 18th and Morrison. More information can be found on their Facebook page.
Sunday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m.: The Rose City Riveters are hosting a rally on SW 20th near Yamhill. This event is to show enthusiasm and support for the players as they arrive at the stadium. Please note:
- This is not a photo op or chance for signatures. We will be working to create distance between the rally and the players so they can focus on the task at hand — punching a ticket to the NWSL Championship.
- This is a positive event for the players. We will ask any anti-FO banners or signs to be taken down while the rally is happening.

Yes, game days may look a little different — still. While we still need to navigate relationships today and prepare for what comes next, we are also individual supporters processing what has come to light.

We are committed to advocating for positive change with our club. We are committed to supporting the players. We want to bring our community together. Please be patient as we all sort out how to do those things: We have not been here before.

Announcing Early Renewals — Early

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 02:46:33 GMT

It’s October, which means it’s time to think about renewing your 107IST membership for the coming year (and it’s always a good time to sign up for the first time!). Normally we open up renewals November 1st, but we’re opening them up a little earlier this year.

In past renewal campaigns, I’ve written about the benefits of 107IST membership, with everything from supporting game day operations (tifo, flags, smoke, drums, trumpets) to community outreach (donation baskets, donation drives, direct financial donations to community organizations, both soccer-specific like StreetSoccerUSA, and others like IRCO and StreetRoots), as well as initial travel outlays allowing for direct access to away day tickets, and discounts with amazing local partner businesses. All of these reasons to renew still exist — but we’re also at a critical moment as an organization, and every single membership counts now more than ever.

We need you. And we need each other.

The mission of the 107IST continues to be to “support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.” This is who we have been since before MLS came to Portland and before the NWSL came to exist. As a nonprofit, independent entity, it is who we will always be, regardless of leagues or owners.

At this moment, leadership at both the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. As independent supporters of the game we love, our advocacy and our investment is an essential component of working to ensure that everyone who works for PTFC — both the players and the laborers on the business side of the organization — can expect transparency and accountability, and can be assured of a safe and welcoming work environment. Your voice matters.

At the same time, as an organization, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust faces challenges of our own. Just as we advocate for soccer for all, with access to reasonably priced tickets for supporters, we advocate for keeping membership costs affordable. Our dues have remained constant at $25 since 2011. Unfortunately, like most other things in life, the prices we pay as an organization have increased. Everything, from the cost of smoke and fabric to the monthly leases on the warehouse and the Fanladen, costs us much more than it did in 2011. And, following a record number of 107IST members the year after the 2018 MLS Cup, membership understandably waned in the last couple of years in the wake of both a pandemic and the scandals surrounding Timbers and Thorns leadership.

By choice, the board operated the organization in the red during the last couple of years because we felt that there were mission-critical things we still needed to undertake, even as we understood the many reasons that individual membership in a sports-loving organization might not be part of people’s plans in the midst of a pandemic. We continued to pay rent for a warehouse and the Fanladen, even when we had no games to attend, using these spaces instead to do things like distribute masks to those in need. We donated money in the form of microgrants to those hardest hit by the pandemic in the community, focusing on BIPOC community members as well as organizations who might not have access to federal or state grants.

While these practices align with our core values, it is obviously not a viable long-term strategy for a nonprofit organization, so we need to address our revenue issue head on. We have both short-term costs to consider (such as rent and utilities on two work spaces, day-to-day administrative expenses, and tifo and other game day expenses) and long-term bigger costs that will require something more substantial (e.g. a capital campaign targeted at securing permanent work space).

The membership team debated long and hard about whether to raise the cost of membership this year; most things that cost $25 in 2011 certainly cost a lot more now. At the same time, we want to make sure that we keep membership accessible for those for whom a cost increase would present a hardship. We also know that there are members who regularly donate extra membership dollars of their own volition, because they can.

We’d like to encourage additional donations as long as you can afford them.

This year, we are offering you a chance to direct your additional dollars to your organizational priorities. In addition to your $25 membership dues, you may opt to pay $25 additional dollars (and get an inexpensive, but very cool enamel pin) for any/each of the following “pay what you can afford” memberships:

Community Outreach: additional $25 directed toward outreach projects
The Rent Is Too Damn High: additional $25 directed toward administrative costs, like rent, software and utilities
Bring The Noise: additional $25 directed toward drums, trumpets, flags and smoke
Expose Yourself to Art: additional $25 directed toward the cost of tifo

If you select all four, you also get an Everything Bagel pin.

We’re piloting this model in the hopes that it keeps membership affordable for everyone, while at the same time giving those who can afford it a way to have some input into budgeting decisions. If it doesn’t hit the revenue targets we’re projecting, we will absolutely raise the base price of membership dues for everyone next year, because it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Will you still get that sweet Nike pass for early renewal? We certainly expect so. Will you still get happy hour prices at some of your favorite places around town? Sure. Will you get a cool lapel pin (or three or five) with your additional donation dollars? Absolutely. But more importantly you’ll be showing your support for Team, Town, Timbers Army and Riveters, while still keeping membership affordable for all. Sign up or renew now. And if you can afford it, now is the time to dig deeper.

And as always, thank you for all that you do for each other, and for soccer in and around Portland and beyond, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. Spread the love.

107IST Response to Merritt Paulson Stepping Down as PTFC CEO

107ist Admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 18:46:41 GMT

From the board and steering committees

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, we welcome the news that Merritt Paulson is no longer involved in day-to-day decision-making for the Club and that he has removed himself as CEO. The Timbers and Thorns are one club, and this change in leadership for PTFC is a long overdue step in the process to make this club safer and better for everyone who works there.

At this moment, it’s important to center the players and employees — both those who came forward and those who suffered in silence — and we hope their voices continue to be heard. We support and love the players and this town, and we want to express our ongoing commitment to ensuring that PTFC is a safe and welcoming place to work, both on and off the pitch. We hope that this is the start of the healing process, as well as an opportunity to advocate for the additional changes needed in the National Women's Soccer League, the Portland Timbers and Thorns organization, and our community.

While the personnel changes announced in the past few days are an important step in the right direction, as long as Merritt Paulson is an owner with a financial stake in the club, he is still in a position of power and control. We continue to call for the sale of both teams and for the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports. We acknowledge that this will likely be a long and complex process.

Change takes time — and we are in this for the long haul.

Onward, Rose City.

#BAONPDX #RCTID #CutTheRotOut

Want to help? Contact sponsors!

Chris Spalding — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 06:19:51 GMT

One way you can get involved is contact PTFC sponsors with your concerns. Let them know that you want real change. The firings of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub are a good start, but a change in ownership is the real way to save our club.

If you’re looking to help further, supporters have created a Google doc with a list of sponsors, their contact info, and a sample letter/tweets. (Be sure to check the different tabs.) Feel free to copy the text completely, use it as a starting point and adjust to your liking, or come up with your own letter.

Note: Some of the sponsors listed have already released statements. Contact them anyway! There's strength in numbers, and continued requests only keeps the pressure building.

We truly believe letting the sponsors know is one of the most impactful things we (that means you too) can do.

About recent changes to PTFC leadership

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:53:47 GMT

The following is a statement from the 107IST board, the Timbers Army Steering Committee, and the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee.

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers we welcome, at long last, moves toward concrete, visible accountability through the firing of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub.

We hope this sends a strong message to everyone working in sports, especially women’s sports, that — no matter your job title, salary, tenure, or share in ownership — the time for toxic, abusive, and coercive behavior in the workplace is over.

We recognize that Merritt Paulson has stepped aside from his duties with the Thorns. We hope that he has truly been removed from day-to-day operations of both teams. We acknowledge that while it may be a complex and long process, we will continue to call for the sale of both teams and the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports.

We remain aware that these actions have come only after the public disclosure of information that was previously known by this club, the National Women’s Soccer League, and United States Soccer Federation for years. These men and the individuals they protected and promoted were allowed to cause harm to players, staff, and this community for far too long. The findings in the investigation completed by the team led by Sally Yates confirms their persistent misconduct damaged the club, league, and game. They had no place in our club.

It should not have taken so many players and staff submitting reports multiple times and to multiple agencies before sharing their stories publicly because of a complete lack of action. It should not have taken several public investigative reports, in-depth articles and a documentary. It should not have taken relentless pressure from supporters. It should not have taken a year-long formal investigation.

We thank all the individuals who came forward — and we know that many more have been, and still are, suffering in silence. We support you and we believe you; you have always deserved safe and welcoming workplaces. We will not stop speaking out and pushing for improvements on your behalf.

#RCTID #BAONPDX #CutTheRotOut

You are my sunshine

Kristen Gehrke — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 16:31:59 GMT

A few words from John Nyen.

"Daddy, why didn't we get to move back and forward in the stands at the Timbers game like last time," she asked from the near slumber of bedtime.

"You mean Tetris?" I stated

"Yeah, Why didn't we Tetris," she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Well, because we didn't win. Sometimes we do, but we didn't this time,' I said as I moved to the door.

"I like when we do that. Can I have two more songs," she said.

"Sure."

"What about You Are My Sunshine and Twinkle Twinkle," she said.

"Ok, kiddo."

She settled back under her blanket resting her head on the pillow underneath her Little Timbers and Little Thorns scarf hanging above her bed and looked at me.

I started into the refrain, my voice still cracking from the game just yesterday.

"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine.... you make me happy, when skies are grey.... you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away...."

I lifted my hands like we do at the game and she smiled.

Closing the door softly I walked back from her bedtime routine past the banner I brought to the stadium to protest the stewardship of Merritt Paulson.

I finally told her today about the truth of the Timbers and Thorns. I told her that they are run by bad men. That the people who run her favorite teams aren't good people. I told her that we support the teams because they are our teams, but that they can be owned by people who aren't good people.

I've said to friends and to family that I run, in part, because if I keep myself healthy, I should be able to outlive the ownership of Merritt Paulson simply by age and attrition.

Honestly, though, outliving Merritt Paulson's reign in Portland isn't just for me because I want to give my children the joy of cheering for a team that doesn't contain an ownership group that is actively involved in a hideous sexual abuse and domestic violence cover-up. I want my daughters to have the option, if they are lucky enough in life, to play soccer for a team that isn't owned by a man who I know employed a sociopathic monster and stayed friends with him even after he knew that he harassed, abused and demeaned the players under his watch.

For a long time, I thought about it and I realized I didn't want to give money and time to a man who actively seeks to protect employees who endanger, belittle and sexually harass their employees. I didn't want my team to have a fixer who goes out on domestic violence calls to shield players from the police and justice.

So, I gave up my two season tickets in the winter of 2021. I stopped going to games unless I could get a ticket for free or buy one directly from a friend who already had a ticket. Even then it just felt wrong. I missed my friends, my passion for the team and one of my life loves. It was an enormously difficult decision but every single horrible thing that came out of the news in 2021 and 2022 reinforced that I did the right thing for me and my situation. I watched as, together, my friends grappled with what to do in their own life situations. Some gave up their tickets to one team or both, some made certain their voices were heard. All tried their best, as flawed human beings, to navigate a situation that they were put in by the feckless ownership group that runs both teams.

The reality is this, though.

Merritt Paulson does not deserve this city. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Thorns. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Timbers.

The only way forward is for Merritt Paulson to sell the Thorns and Timbers. No firing of executives, peacemaking or gladhanding will solve this situation. The relationship is broken beyond repair with Merritt Paulson and his cronies. The only way we can move beyond this horrific situation as a fanbase is after the moment we watch Merritt Paulson slink back into the slime and disappear from the city.

There will be no peace until he is gone and no reconciliation until the last vestiges of his bullshit are swept from both teams.

Until then, every sponsor, every partner, and every single financial institution that supports the Timbers and Thorns must be made aware that their money perpetuates a system that is designed to harbor and protect sexual, emotional and physical abuse of employees and players.

We will outlast him. We will outlive him. We will pass along our love of these teams to our children and they to their children and we will endlessly tell the stories of the time we watched Merritt Paulson ooze out of Portland.

And when I sing You Are My Sunshine and see that smile, I know that she will keep that hope alive. That one day she will stand in the North End and root for a Thorns or Timbers team that doesn't have a Paulson in the owner's box. And she will know that I did my best and that I stood up when it mattered.

Because you will not take our sunshine away.

Views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of the 107IST, the Timbers Army, or the Rose City Riveters.

A Joint Statement on Behalf of the 107IST, Rose City Riveters, and Timbers Army About USSF’s Release Results of the Sally Yates’ Independent Investigation

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:30:46 GMT

While we were prepared for the worst, nothing prepared us for what was contained in the USSF/Sally Yates report.

We are seething and we are heartbroken.

First and foremost: To all Portland Thorns players, past and present, you will always have our love and support. Words will never convey the pain we feel knowing that you had to endure anything less than the full support, respect, and encouragement of your coaches, staff, and club leadership. You were failed — multiple times and by many people.

As a supporters group, you are an integral part of who we are and what we do. We show up and show our support for you. The findings detailed in this report (and we know there will be more to come) aren’t what you, or anyone else, signed up for.

As a leadership group, we were lied to. Although we remained cautiously optimistic at each meeting and in each interaction with PTFC leadership, reading the report highlighted the multiple bold-faced lies we were told, both in meetings and in town halls.

They said they couldn’t speak freely until the investigation results were public. “Wait until the results are in before reaching any conclusions,” they said. Well, we honored that request. The results are in. And those results are far worse than even the initial reports had indicated.

The time for waiting has passed. The toxic culture that allowed these behaviors to exist and continue in our clubs’ organizations runs too long, too deep, and too high. Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson have no place in the Timbers and Thorns organization, or in Soccer City, USA; and Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports need to sell the teams.

In spite of the challenges, our members have told us repeatedly that they wish for us to remain in conversation with club leadership. Keep going to meetings. Keep the dialogue going. Having read the investigative report and its conclusions, however, we don’t see a way forward anymore.

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

The players make our clubs what they are. We, the supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, strive to make our support both in the stands and on the streets what it should be every day in Soccer City, USA. To supporters around the globe and to our regional supporters groups: This is it. This is the moment. We’ll need every one of us to come together to make our voices heard — from Providence Park to Portland, Maine, and from Paris and the Philippines. As each of us digest the information in this report and the forthcoming NWSL/NWSLPA investigative report, we need to answer the call: who are we.

We were here before the current leagues and owners, and we’ll be here long after. Our love for Team/Town/Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters runs deeper than any league or ownership.

PTFC Front Office relations update: September

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 16:11:31 GMT

On Monday, September 19, the 107IST board, along with members of the Riveters and Timbers Army steering committees, met with Merritt Paulson. (Chris Wilson, VP of Member Services and Ticket Strategy, and Karina LeBlanc also attended as observers.)

For many, this was the first meeting they'd ever had with Paulson. The board itself had not met with him since early 2020. For those who had met him before, some felt that those interactions were not always collaborative. For this meeting, however, everyone came to the table committed to actively and openly listen to each other.

The goal of the meeting was to be able to ask Paulson the questions our supporters have had and to share the frustration they have expressed over the past year. We wanted to hear from him directly what the clubs are doing differently today, how the internal culture is changing, and how he plans to repair the relationship with supporters.

We were able to ask direct questions and have a candid conversation about some tough topics — and most left the meeting feeling that the conversation was productive. While we cannot divulge what was shared with us for confidentiality and legal reasons, we can share what we discussed. Specifically, we asked the following:

Will you accept the findings and recommendations of the USSF, NWSL and NWSLPA investigations?
- The DLA Piper investigation, in what was reported, seems to be incomplete. Are there plans to circle back with the players and talk with them?
If we were to roll back seven years, what would you do differently? What do you feel like you have taken away from the past 12 months? As the PTFC CEO, what education are you receiving and what are you engaging in, specifically, to ensure that this series of missteps does not continue?
You have seen and heard the frustration that the supporters have about the investigations and the subsequent reporting coming out about the clubs. We recently conducted a survey. In it, nearly 81% of those responding as current members want us to increase pressure or push harder against the FO if no meaningful change happens. Many volunteers who contribute to the game day atmosphere and long-time supporters of both clubs feel disheartened with what they perceive as a lack of action and accountability. Many supporters who have been with the clubs since 2010 — or longer — are canceling their season tickets and/or are not attending matches. Many believe someone in leadership should be let go.
- What do those actions say to you?
- How do you think about repairing the relationship with supporters now and into the future?
- What are your thoughts on repairing views on the FO if folks don't see meaningful external improvements in FO behavior in light of what came out in The Athletic article about workplace behavior and folks' own interactions with you on social media?

Paulson was clear that the FO is not able to discuss the investigations until the results are made public. We have asked the FO repeatedly to be fully open and transparent about events and the investigations, and there was recognition that beginning to repair the relationship with the community will be easier to do in the coming weeks. Paulson acknowledged the damage done and apologized to the room, which is a step forward. We are encouraged that once the results of the investigations are public, the FO will articulate much of the information shared with us in private over the past year. The board and the steering committees feel confident that the FO has been listening to our suggestions and feedback over the past year and has been implementing positive changes within the organization.

We want to be clear about what this meeting and this message is not — and that is, “That’s it. We’re done, so let’s get back to soccer!” We are aware of the complexities and emotions supporters and our community have been experiencing over the last 12 months — from showing up to protest for the NWSL players to have better protections and support, to deciding whether to renew season tickets. Over the last year, many supporters have made the tough decision to step away from the club, and others have reconsidered their decisions as each new chapter came to light. We, as the board and the steering committees, fully understand that. This is emotionally taxing for everyone.

The board will continue to engage with the FO in monthly meetings, and we will always push for progress and express the voices of the supporters. We all volunteer and are supporters because we love and value these clubs, the players, and this community — rain or shine.

It is important to note: The U.S. Soccer Federation recently announced that their investigation is coming to a close and that they plan on publishing the full report in early October. The NWSL and NWSL Players Association investigation is ongoing and will be published once complete. We are looking forward to the results of these investigations, the E60 documentary and the outcome(s) for the FO. We may have more to say as those results are published.

#BYCAP TIME IS NOW

Chris Spalding — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 22:00:33 GMT

The following is a post from Sunday on behalf of the Capos/DnTs for the Rose City Riveters and the Timbers Army.

What is this #BYCAP thing you are just hearing about? Well, it is a way for our loud sassy selves to do some good and help those in our communities learn how to use their voices with power and passion. (for those of us that are acronym nerds: B - Buy Y - Your C - Capo A - A P - Pint )

We (the Capo/DnT crews of both the Timbers Army and the Rose CIty Riveters) are here to share our hearts, our hopes, our frustrations, our passions with you, the supporters of Portland’s beautiful game (both in the stadium and those not attending in person). We buy our tickets, just like everyone else (often from the Fanladen/Ticket exchange!). We wave our scarves and support the NPO and RivetGear. Like you, we have our own game-day traditions (including getting anxious or amped before a match) and when we enter the woodshed with you, we do the unthinkable, and turn our backs on the pitch. We shred voice and limb in an effort to bring passion and power out of you, the supporters, knowing we will eventually see a replay of the game. We work as a team to try to amplify and direct the emotions and excitement into chants that can be heard and felt far beyond the terraces and the pitch of Providence Park. Spilling over the walls and down the streets outside of the park into our larger community.

We do this because we love it. We have our collective voice and we share it with you and with the team. We are able to give power and strength to our voices as the Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters thanks to you, but there are many among us and around our community that do not have volume, or ability to be safe to speak, in their own neighborhoods, schools, or homes.

We want to use our voices to help others. Those that are younger and need a little assistance to find their own unique voice. Those that have so much heart and emotion, but are unsure how to express it, or may need more guidance or support than others to find their own voice.

You can help us by buying any of the members of the Capo & DnT Crews a virtual “pint” at the matches on September 25 (Thorns) and October 2 (Timbers). No, please, do not buy us each a literal pint. Not only has there been an ongoing concession ban that we have been a part of, but our livers cannot take that kind of ’love’. Take the funds that you would use to buy a “thank-you pint,” and instead put it into the BYCAP collection buckets.

* Don’t live in Portland, but you wanna help?
* Not going to be at the game?
* Don’t carry cash?
→ You can also donate online for a limited time - choose either TA or RCR when donating! ←

100% of the BYCAP funds will go to help local youth find their voices.

Timbers Army BYCAP funds will be donated to Camp Meadowood Springs
Rose City Riveters BYCAP funds will be donated to Skate Like A Girl: Portland Chapter

BYCAP is unique.
BYCAP is important.
BYCAP is all thanks to you.

BYCAP is how our team can give others the voice that we take for granted.

Response to PTFC in the News

Gabby Rosas — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 18:46:53 GMT

The following is a joint response from the members of the 107IST Board, Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and Timbers Army Steering Committee.

Over the last year, supporters have demanded accountability from the PTFC Front Office. The 107IST Board, the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and the Timbers Army Steering Committee have made these demands in the stands as well as in meetings between our leadership teams, in meetings with players, and as season ticket holders. To date, the club has made some changes and has instituted new policies, but we are concerned that without insight into the club’s operations, progress could be stalled. The Club’s commitment to an “action plan to bolster accountability, equity, and engagement” has been a major area of focus for the 107IST Board.

In March 2022, meetings resumed between the PTFC Front Office and the 107IST Board. The Board approached the initial meeting with two goals in mind - learning about the work and the plans the FO had in place and relaying the messages we received from our membership over the previous six months. This is where the Board first heard about the Club’s accountability initiatives and started asking questions, please see an update to the comparisons between the Club's initiatives and our demands. The Board provided suggestions to the Club regarding when and how to communicate these initiatives to the community. Since March, the Board has received updates on the initiatives and has driven conversations in relation to what else is going on with the club.

As a reminder, the 107IST board has been meeting with the PTFC Front Office, off and on, for over a decade and those meetings have varied in tone and outcomes. During these meetings, we are respectful of the confidentiality of some of the subject matter, but often encourage the FO to provide these updates to the broader community. The 107IST Board also uses this time to share out our own efforts.

The leadership of the 107IST, Riveters, and TA comprises over 30 individuals. These individuals come to the table with a variety of responses, hopes, and feelings about every new article or allegation. Past member surveys have shown us that our membership is also split on what actions or next steps are called for, and how best to move forward (Nov 2021 results, March 2022 results). Every statement or expression you see publicly is the result of days of back and forth internally, and we know that many of you are having these same discussions in your homes, workplaces, and internally. We are united in our disgust at what has taken place, and our frustration with the ongoing lack of concrete progress. We come from varied backgrounds, working in many different industries, and in none of those spaces would this kind of continued behavior or kick-it-under-the-sofa response be tolerated. Beyond accountability, someone must take responsibility. We are ready to see real action and progress being made, not just talk.

With that said, we are also doing our best to be patient while awaiting results of the different investigations, notably the NWSL/NWSLPA investigation as well as the USSF investigation. It is understood that those investigations are focused on the league, cover all teams, and we are hopeful that PTFC have been fully engaged and participating in those efforts. We also expect all club and league leaders, including those at PTFC, will support the findings of these independent investigations and will follow any and all recommendations that the investigators provide.

In the meantime, we will strive to support the players on the field, those who have spoken up and those who remain silent, and we will continue to build community the best way we know how.

We also want to better understand where you are at, either as a 107IST member, a season ticket holder, or a former supporter of PTFC. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey to help us gauge where our community is at.

To the brave staff and players, both current and former, who are working to make this a club worth believing in, we thank you. And to those who have come forward and shared your experiences and truth, we are grateful. The world needs more of your honesty and bravery and we regret the position a handful of leaders have put you in.

The 107IST board, the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and the Timbers Army Steering Committee want to express our gratitude to Ryan Clarke and The Oregonian for their reporting on the DLA Piper investigation of PTFC. We also want to thank the teams at The Athletic and ESPN for continued coverage of the issues surrounding this club.

Below are links to the articles and opinion pieces for anyone who is not familiar with the latest news coming out regarding our Club and the investigations:

Contextualizing the Timbers' Andy Polo saga, as questions remain among fans, published on 8/1/2022, may require a subscription
Former employees of Portland Timbers, Thorns, allege ’toxic’ work environment for women, working mothers, published on 8/14/2022, requires a subscription to the Oregonian
5 points to focus on from investigation into Portland Timbers, Thorns workplace culture, published 8/15/2022
Details emerge from law firm’s investigation in Portland Thorns’ handling of former coach Paul Riley, published 8/30/2022
Sources: Thorns owner Merritt Paulson urged Paul Riley to opt out of USWNT job, published 9/1/2022
Opinion Piece from Bill Oram: Portland Timbers, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson needs to get his organization in order, published 8/15/2022
Soccer Made in Portland podcast: The Athletic’s Meg Linehan discusses the PTFC investigation, published 8/17/2022
Full Time with Meg Linehan podcast: An Investigation Update and What Comes Next in Portland, published 9/1/2022

August Drive for IRCO!

Rachel Greenough — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 18:43:20 GMT

This August, we’ll be collecting items for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). We have a long-standing connection to IRCO, and we’re proud to support them again this year. Please consider picking something up on the way to a match or swinging by Fanladen during membership hours, so we can continue our support of this important organization.

IRCO is always in need of disposable diapers to share with immigrant and refugee families in Portland. This is an essential and high need item, so please buy a pack or two of diapers and donate if you can! Shocked by the high price of these items? So are the families that need them. Please, they will only accept new items at this time– please only donate new, full toiletries items. The other high priority needs are as follows:

Disposable diapers (all sizes- highest priority)
Socks (child & adult sizes)
Underwear and bras (all sizes)
Feminine hygiene supplies
Toothbrushes and toothpaste (child & adult)
Hand soap and cleansers
Shampoo and conditioner

IRCO provides support and empowering services for refugees from around the globe. Oregon has one of the fastest growing refugee and immigrant populations in the country, and IRCO is the main organization in Portland organizing services and support for new arrivals.

While IRCO has asked us to focus on specific items during this drive, they also have an ongoing need for other items to support refugee communities in Portland. Please see this document from IRCO about their needs. We will accept any of these wish list items as well, and you are welcome to support them via monetary donation or wishlist at any time.

Finally, Irco has some really cool events coming up! If you’re interested in learning more about what they do, or in volunteering with the organization, keep an eye on the newsletter and socials where we will be sharing more information as it is finalized.

Thank you for your support of the community.

What: Donation drive for IRCO

Where: Fanladen 1633 SW Alder (just a couple blocks from the stadium)

When: Match days in August; Wednesday membership hours; Check the newsletter for open hours

July School Supplies Drive!

Rachel Greenough — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 18:14:30 GMT

It’s July and time to pick up some extra school supplies for match day drives!

Please help us collect brand new school supplies for Youth Organized and United to Help (Y.O.U.th)! These items will be distributed to kids in east county at a neighborhood YOUth event in early September, to ensure that every child has what they need to be successful this school year. This organization is in the process of building an even stronger presence in the area as it moves into its first physical location this summer. This event will help build their physical presence in the neighborhood and provide services and support to their community. Let's help them get set up with some school supplies!

Items needed include: backpacks, binders, spiral notebooks, notebook paper, dry erase markers and erasers, sharpies, pencils, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, crayola markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, dividers, lunchboxes, and/or gift certificates to Fred Meyer or similar stores (to help purchase back-to-school clothing and additional supplies). Please donate new items only for this drive.

Drop off donations anytime Fanladen is open in July. Stop by before a match (Thorns: 7/16; Timbers: 7/17 and 7/23) or during membership hours on Wednesday nights (check social media and newsletter for specific hours to be sure we’ll be there!). Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder.

Thank you so much for your generous donations– You are helping to make an impact in the community and strengthen the 107IST partnership with local organizations.

What: School Supplies drive for Y.O.U.th

When: All of July! Match days and member hours.

Where: Fanladen, 1633 SW Alder

Board DEI initiative update

107ist Admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 21:34:38 GMT

We wanted to provide an update on the work we are doing as board members and committee members toward fostering a more diverse, inclusive and equitable organization and culture.

In July 2021, we formalized a contract with Dr. Roberta Hunte and Sally Eck of Heartwork Educational Consulting to work with the 107IST board, TASC and RSC.
In October and November 2021, Roberta facilitated listening sessions. Interested BIPOC community members were invited to participate in these listening sessions — without the board or steering committees present — to engage in a safe, facilitated space and to offer experiences and feedback on how to improve the culture of belonging in our community.
In November 2021, the board met with Roberta and Sally to hear a summary of the listening sessions’ feedback and recommendations.
In February 2022, the board conducted strategic planning. We identified the continuing Diversity initiative as one of the top three priorities for the organization to carry out this year.

Over the next few months, we have a series of four workshops with Roberta and Sally scheduled, which include board members, the BIPOC group, and committee leads and co-leads. In broad terms, the workshops focus on:

Recognizing oppression: what oppression is and isn't
Strengthening our ability to hear each other and work together
Recognizing what we each bring (as individuals) to community interactions as members (volunteers at large, as well as board and steering committee members)
Building skills for community members to have the conversations that can interrupt oppression

The workshops are organized as follows:

Introduction, understanding and unlearning oppression
Intersectional frameworks for a better organization
Who we are and why it matters
Interrupting oppression

We held our first of four workshops this past Sunday, June 26, which focused on understanding and unlearning oppression.

Members! We are also offering in-person workshops in August and September for up to 30 107IST members! Read more and sign up here.

We know this is a work in progress. As Roberta and Sally reminded us: Accept and expect nonclosure. We look forward to continuing to learn and grow together.

Reproductive rights are human rights: How to help

107ist Admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 21:24:39 GMT

Reproductive rights are human rights. Human rights are not — and should never be — negotiable. A safe and healthy abortion should be available to any person who wishes to have one.

Today's Supreme Court decision strips away bodily autonomy and basic human rights for more than half the country. It's unconscionable, and it will have deep repercussions and effects on our most vulnerable communities.

Abortion, contraceptives and gender-affirming care remain legal and available in our state. We encourage everyone to make your voice heard and lend a hand to the states being hit with the strictest bans.

Here are some ways you can support people needing abortion care.

Cohesive site with several resources:

donations4abortion.com

Resources for Oregon and the PNW:

Northwest abortion access (Twitter: @nwaafund)
Cascades Abortion Support Collective
Lilith Clinic (Twitter: @ClinicLilith )
Oregon Reproductive Health Equity fund (Twitter @seedingjustice)
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon (Twitter @PPAdvocatesOR)

Other state organizations where the trigger law immediately outlaws abortion:

Louisiana and region:
New Orleans Abortion Fund (Twitter @NolaAbortionFnd)

Kentucky:
A Fund, Inc.
Kentucky Health Justice Network

South Dakota:
Justice Empowerment Network (Twitter @JENSouthDakota)

Arkansas:
Arkansas Abortion Support Network

Other national resources:

State-by-state tracker:

Where abortion stands in your state

FO relations update: June

107ist Admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 03:36:27 GMT

The Portland Thorns and Timbers Front Office have been posting updates about their Accountability, Engagement and Equity Initiatives over the last few months. If you're not familiar with their plans, you can read them here. Our understanding is that the FO will update the website as shareable progress is made — and that an update coming in the next few days.

The Timbers Army, Rose City Riveters, and 107IST board have created a side-by-side comparison of the changes the PTFC FO have outlined or completed with the supporter demands posted in October 2021. We will update this graphic to help communicate the status of our demands in comparison to ongoing FO efforts as progress is made.

Take a look at the list here.

The 107IST board is meeting next with the PTFC FO on Wednesday, June 15, and we will continue to advocate for transparency, accountability, and updates to their initiatives. If you have questions or concerns you would like the board to address with the FO during these meetings, please email the board or fill out this form.

We also encourage supporters to email concerns or feedback directly to the FO through your ticket rep at members@timbers.com or members@thornsfc.com.

Raffle and donation match for Y.O.U.th!

Rachel Greenough — Thu, 26 May 2022 21:33:45 GMT

I’m going to be straightforward here. It’s a tough time for many of us, and there is a great deal of need everywhere we look. We’re also at a point where it has become difficult for some of us to engage with our clubs in the ways we are used to. We’re feeling that impact on our donation drives, and especially the book drive we have held the past two months.

The time has come to wrap up this drive for the young people of Portland, via Y.O.U.th and their Books not Bars programs. We need your help to increase the impact of this drive, so we're issuing one last challenge and multiple ways to donate!

1- Bring a new book to Fanladen during member hours on 6/1, leave your info with the folks there, and you’ll be entered in our raffle. You'll also get a donation drive merit badge just for fun.

2- You can also donate dollars directly to Y.O.U.th. A generous 107IST member has offered to match the first $250 raised for this organization! Please email a screenshot of your receipt to rachel@rosecityriveters.org. We’ll record your donation for the funding match and enter you in the raffle! Please donate by Saturday 6/4.

If you choose to donate books, please donate new books for ages 6–18 that support authors from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

A random donor will have their name drawn on 6/5 for prizes including a Christine Sinclair-signed mini soccer ball, a Timbers scarf, or other fun items TBD.

Let’s get it done!

May Match Day Drives: Street Roots!

Darren Lloyd — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 03:49:21 GMT

In May, support Street Roots! And see below for a bonus opportunity to continue supporting Y.O.U.th PDX.

We will be collecting donations any time that Fanladen is open. This includes membership hours, pre-game, and (in some cases) post-game. Check the weekly newsletter or social media for updates and open hours.

Since 1999, Street Roots has been publishing a weekly newspaper in Portland, and employing vendors to sell that paper. Street Roots vendors are independent contractors who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. By selling papers for Street Roots, these vendors not only make an income, but they become a part of the organization’s advocacy. Their voices and experiences heavily influence how Street Roots advocates for systemic change. This organization also publishes the Rose City Resource, which exhaustively lists resources and services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

We’re collecting in May this year to help Street Roots prepare for the heat of summer. Specifically, please donate: sunscreen, sun hats, reusable cooling towels, misters/personal fans, aloe vera, sunscreen chapstick, reusable water bottles, and bottled water. Please only donate new or like-new items.

Tina Drake, vendor liaison for Street Roots, says "We at street roots strive to create a comfortable environment for our vendors at all times. This sometimes includes them selling in inclement weather. Any donations brought by you ... will be made available to our vendors to keep them safe during these strange and unusual times during the Portland and Oregonian weather changes. Thank you from street roots."

If you’re not attending games or it’s tough to get to Fanladen, you can also donate to Street Roots via their Amazon wishlist or donate financially online.

Bonus opportunity!

We are also continuing to collect books for Y.O.U.th. This organization runs many local programs for young people, and focuses on literacy with programs like Books not Bars. “Y.O.U.th mission is to motivate, inspire and empower youth, family, and educators to dismantle the school to prison pipeline by challenging existing systems and structures.” They are collecting books to put directly into the hands of young people in Portland. Please donate new books that are culturally specific and relevant, and support authors from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. New fiction and nonfiction books are needed for ages 6-18. We are continuing the drive through May in hopes of getting some additional donations to support their programs.

What: Donation drive for Street Roots and Y.O.U.th

Where: Fanladen, 1633 SW Alder

When: Anytime it’s open, usually Wednesday nights and match days

Survey Results - 107IST & PTFC Front Office Relationship

Wendy Broussard — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 22:26:51 GMT

In February, we sent out survey to 107IST Members about the relationship between the 107IST and the Front Office. Relations right now are in a challenging place and a survey is a good way to understand where members are at and influence actions the 107IST takes. We want to share the results of the survey with you. Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective!

Key takeaways from the survey:

Trust is very low with the Front Office.

85% of respondents don’t trust the Timbers and Thorns Organization (Front Office) to be transparent with supporters
83% of respondents don’t trust the Front Office to hold employees accountable for their behavior
88% of respondents disapprove of the Front Office halting meetings with the 107IST Board.

There is caution about NWSL and MLS’s willingness to act if the Front Office violated league policies.

17% approve of the NWSL’s handling of the league’s abuse investigations, 33% are neutral (3 on the scale of 1-5). Only 20% think the league will act if violations are found and 27% are neutral
35% of respondents think MLS will act if violations are found and 35% are neutral

The next question asked about the importance of the demands the 107IST made to the Front Office are to you. Thoughts on what is important can change over time, so this is a good temperature check to see where supporters are at:

All the demands continue to be important
Player safety is the most important consideration and the implementation of a player approved safety and accountability plan is top of the list
Transparency continues to be an area of concern; vetting personnel, disclosure of who is leading investigations, demonstration of player involvement in hiring of coaching staff, and other areas
Most of you do not believe the 107IST’s demands are met. This highest agreement comes from the Thorns hiring of a separate general manager at 38%

Many of you took the time to provide comments which we appreciate.

Very few respondents said the 107IST to stop protesting
Midway through the survey, response window, it was announced a meeting was on the calendar and some of the respondents shared that they were encouraged by this shift.
Very strong sentiments about ownership and front office changes
Responses were mixed on keeping protests at the same level or escalating

The word cloud below represents the responses of the 107 respondents who offered their thoughts in a freeform box. The more words are used, the larger and closer to the center they will appear.

Survey background:

The survey was open February 16th-23rd and all 107IST members received an email link to the survey. 357 members responded to the survey, approximately 10% of the membership.

Member Code of Conduct

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:21:15 GMT

By Dominique Whittaker

One of the many strategic initiatives set by the 107IST board in 2021 was the creation of a Member Code of Conduct. This would be separate from the Away Travel Code of Conduct, and it would outline the expectations of members, behaviors/actions that are not tolerated, and what repercussions could be faced as a result. This effort kicked off by evaluating the existing away code of conduct, the PTFC Fan Code of Conduct, as well as independent research of other instances of codes of conduct across other supporters groups and within other sports.

At the 2021 annual general meeting (AGM), the Member Code of Conduct was a breakout session. Two separate groups of members provided their initial thoughts, reactions, concerns, and feedback about whether a Member Code of Conduct was warranted, and what the scope should be and what it shouldn't be. Many of these members then raised their hands to continue being a part of the effort to draft a code of conduct in the weeks following the AGM. In collaboration with a group of volunteers, including AGM breakout session attendees and the BIPOC Advisory Group, we produced a draft document that was shared with the Timbers Army Steering Committee and Riveters Steering Committee for feedback. It was also sent to 107IST members to view and provide feedback in the newsletters during May 2021. After a few additional rounds of feedback, as well as sharing it with the Front Office during monthly meetings, it was finally presented to the board to vote on adopting in October 2021 and presented at the 2022 AGM. You may have noticed the soft rollout recently as you browsed your member profile; going forward, when renewing your 107IST membership, you'll be asked to review and acknowledge that you have read the Member Code of Conduct and agree to adhere to it as a 107IST member.

If you haven't read the document recently, or just want a refresher of what the contents of the Code of Conduct are, you can read it here. This is intended to be the starting point that articulates who we are and what we expect from one another, and potential repercussions for being found in violation of this Code of Conduct. The next step is to contract with experts in grievance process work and to establish our grievance process. We are currently receiving bids on this work and will keep members updated on next steps in this regard.

Thank you to everyone across the Timbers Army Steering Committee, Riveters Steering Committee, BIPOC Advisory Group for their input and feedback. Special thanks to Nicholas Garner, Kris Goss, Marty Ochs, Marrion Skinner, Ashley Holmer, Dirk Bokeloh, and David Auxier for their time and thought in putting this document together.

Match Day Drives: A Triple-Header!

Darren Lloyd — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 21:31:37 GMT

In April, we are collecting items for three fabulous local organizations: Y.O.U.th, Rose Haven, and Portland Community Football Club. Truly, there is something for everyone here. If you’re not attending games at this time, you are more than welcome to drop items at Fanladen during member hours, or contribute directly to these organizations.

Love book shopping? We have the donation drive for you. We are collecting books for Y.O.U.th. The Youth Organized and United to Help (Y.O.U.th) mission is to motivate, inspire and empower youth, family and educators to dismantle the school to prison pipeline by challenging existing systems and structures. Please donate new books that are culturally specific and relevant, and support authors from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. New fiction and nonfiction books are needed for ages 6-18. Y.O.U.th will distribute books directly to families and students and via their partner organizations. If you also want to support a local black-owned bookstore, consider shopping at Third Eye Books.

Going by a Fred Meyer or Target on your way to a match? Looking for something quick and easy that will have a big impact locally? Rose Haven shelter needs deodorant, women’s underwear and leggings of all sizes, and bras sizes 32-38 A-C.

Are you a soccer player? Did your soccer playing kids recently outgrew their cleats? This donation drive might be the one you’re looking for. We are collecting new and gently used cleats, shin guards, soccer socks, indoor shoes, soccer balls, athletic tape, and shin guard holders for the Portland Community Football Club. A wide variety of sizes are needed to fit kids from ages 5-18. Your donations will support a larger drive for PCFC, organized by the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement at Lewis & Clark College.

Donate at Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) before matches, or during Wednesday night membership hours. Check the newsletter and social media for updates about opening times. With 2 home Timbers games and 3 home Thorns matches in April, there’s plenty of time to donate to all three. We’ll even accept your donations for April drives at the Thorns Challenge Cup opener on 3/30. Questions? Contact outreach@107ist.org.

FO relations update

Jennifer Ingraham — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 22:32:39 GMT

On Wednesday, March 9, the 107IST board met with the PTFC Front Office. Both parties came to the meeting to openly share and actively listen. The meeting was a hybrid of in-person and virtual.

The Front Office shared initiatives and action items they’ve started to implement over the last six months, since The Athletic article was published. While the 107IST board cannot share what the FO presented, we can say that the FO will be making these items public in the coming weeks.

They also shared their Supporter Engagement Plans for hearing from more folks throughout the season. They are planning to host more events to engage a wider range of fans. These events will be set up to increase the accessibility of the club’s leadership as well as more opportunities for season ticket holders to ask questions of the club.

The 107IST board shared a sample of the member feedback we’ve received over the last six months, as well as the results of surveys we have conducted. Our goal has been to represent members, and to emphasize that the reports of sexual assault and domestic voilence associated with our club has had a very significant negative effect on our community and the relationship with the club.

The 107IST board strongly urged that the FO communicate their plans to supporters and season ticket holders as soon as possible.

Overall, the meeting was a productive way for both parties to re-engage and be able to communicate face to face. While we have disagreements about past actions or inactions, we were able to have a civil discourse about the past and offer up suggestions on both sides for how to move forward. We are unsure what the cadence of meetings will be moving forward. That is something for both groups to continue to discuss, but the board will keep membership apprised of upcoming meetings, topics discussed, and anything else we can share.

The 107IST board remains committed to calling for transparency from the club and holding them accountable. We are engaged and are working to influence the systemic change we think will benefit the club.

We support LGBTQ+ communities. Here's how you can, too.

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 18:00:54 GMT

Discrimination weakens our communities. Oppression creates needless suffering. Cruelty has no place in modern society.

The 107IST, Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters strongly oppose state or local government actions that deprive a group of equal protection under law. While states and other jurisdictions create needless laws, ordinances and executive orders that ostracize, discriminate, bully, intimidate and terrify, our members will continue to stand with the groups, individuals, families and children who are affected. We stand opposed to racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism and discrimination of any kind, no matter where it may be occurring. We are the Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army — and our voice is strong, consistent and nationwide.

Specifically, we condemn the anti-transgender actions, laws and orders that are currently in place in Florida, Texas and Tennessee, because they actively suppress and harm the transgender population and families in those states. We are alarmed by the growing number of laws and policies that prevent participation in sports, block access to gender-affirming medical care, and take away basic rights from transgender individuals. We oppose any legislation or executive actions that harm transgender children and adults.

To support efforts that counter this harmful and tragic legislation, the 107IST, Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters have committed to the following:

107IST has made a donation of $107 to the following local transgender advocacy organizations in each of the three states:
- Florida:
- - Zebra Coalition
  - Equality Florida
- Tennessee:
- - Just Us
  - Tennessee Equality Project
- Texas:
- - Transgender Education Network of Texas
  - Equality Texas
107IST Away Travel is including links to these transgender advocacy organizations on Timbers Army or Riveters away travel ticketing events that are held in these three states. This will inform and allow donations to be made by individuals who choose to do so.
The Rose City Riveters will send a trans-supportive banner to hang alongside our travel banner at away NWSL matches.
The TA doesn't have a travel banner that is sent to away matches and Timbers-centric Regional Supporters Groups (RSGs) often design their own banners to show support for the team. RSGs should feel empowered to support the trans community in ways that are meaningful and impactful based on their locality. Requests for assistance from the Timbers Army Steering Committee (flags, tracing of banners, etc.) will be honored as best possible given potential time/cost constraints.

For supporters who have decided not to travel to these states, we encourage you to make a donation to one of the above organizations.

The initial version of this post did not contain the TA's offer of assistance to RSGs looking for help in constructing their own banners in support. We apologize for the error.

Operation Pitch Invasion 2021 Update

Darren Lloyd — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 13:59:16 GMT

A message from our friends at OPI

Greetings, fam!

Well, if 2020 was the deep freeze for our work in the local soccer and fustal community, then 2021 was the start of the thaw. We didn't achieve 100% of our pre-pandemic speed, but we got some good stuff done.

We brought two crews of volunteers into Portland parks during the summer, visiting (actually, in both cases, revisiting) Ed Benedict Park in SE and Knott Park in NE. And we got back to work on Project Blacktop by installing permanent futsal courts in the schoolyards at Peninsula Elementary in North Portland and Capitol Hill Elementary in Southwest. In total, that makes 13 blacktop futsal courts that we've built in parks and schoolyards in Portland and Beaverton.

For 2022, expect a similar slate of volunteer days, a similar round of Project Blacktop works, and a restart of Fields For All, our collaboration with the Stand Together initiative of the Timbers and Thorns.

And keep an eye open for announcements of a fundraising event sometime in the spring: a special screening of a footy film with a strong local component that could turn into something very positive for a community new to our projects.

Onward!

Match Day drive supporting the Urban League Project HAVEN!

Darren Lloyd — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:35:09 GMT

Match day drives are one of the ways 107IST members give back to our community all year. Every time there is a home match for Timbers or Thorns, many of our members stop and pick up something to donate. These drives benefit local community organizations. Last year, donation drives benefited Blanchet House, IRCO, Janus Youth Services, Outside In, Street Roots, and Rose Haven shelter. As always, the generosity and care of this community is inspiring and important. Please consider making this part of your match day routine in 2022.

Our first drive of the year will support the Urban League of Portland’s project HAVEN. Project HAVEN offers permanent housing, support services, workshops, and culturally specific services for folks who need it. They have an ongoing need for household items to support their residents. They are requesting new or very gently used items, and do not have the ability to sanitize or launder them before distribution, so please donate items that are high quality and ready to use. If possible, items still in their packaging are the easiest for them to store and use! See the lists below for details:

New items:

Bedding and bath: toilet paper, full/queen sheet sets, pillowcases, standard pillows, towels, hand towels, washcloths, blankets, shower curtains and plastic laundry baskets
Cleaning supplies: sponges, dish soap, cleaners, paper towels, toilet brushes, brooms or dust sweepers, laundry soap (single packets are best!) and cleaning buckets
Kitchen items: dish towels, potholders and reusable shopping bags

New or very clean like-new items: microwaveable plates and bowls, glasses, placemats, flatware sets (for two people), saucepans/fry pans with lids, paring knives, can openers, measuring cups/spoons, and serving spoons.

Please consider picking something up on your way to the match! The Urban League told us that your donations in 2020 helped get them through some tough times at the start of the pandemic. Let’s keep it up!

Donations will be accepted anytime Fanladen is open, including match days and member hours. Check the newsletter for the most current information.

As always, if you’re interested in helping plan a drive, or have any questions, feel free to contact the Outreach team by email: community@107ist.org

Racking up losses

Kristen Gehrke — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:14:21 GMT

The following is an email sent from Timbers season ticket holder Aaron Brown to the PTFC ticketing team, posted here with Aaron's permission. It may not reflect the views of the 107IST Board or the organization at large.

Last November, after celebrating a delightful end-of-season victory in the North End with my friends, I walked out of Civic Stadium to find that someone had cut through a lock and stolen my messenger bag off my bike parked on the temporary racks on SW Morrison.

I was really distraught - while the the bag and contents were of minimal value to anyone by myself, I had a decade ago spent what was then to me a good amount of money on the bag and considered it one of my most prized possessions. At the time, after returning from college to move back to my hometown, I went out of my way to ask the local company making the messenger bag to use specific green and gold fabric, and gave them patches from the No Pity Van and of the club crest itself to sew onto the front. This rugged, delightful bag was literally designed to my exact tastes - the local company specialized in waterproof bags perfect for getting around town, and I took a certain amount of delight in knowing there wasn’t a single one like it anywhere on the planet.

The same year I bought the bag, with what little money I had returning from college, I ponied up to buy a season ticket for the inaugural MLS season. It was at the time among the largest non-essential purchases I had ever made on my own dime - and I was rapt with enthusiasm that winter eagerly anticipating spending the next years of my life both biking around in my hometown and watching my plucky little club play in the top league in America.

Until this fall, I do not believe I have missed a single regular season Timbers home match that I have been in town for since I went to my first match in the General Admission section in 2005. That’s just shy of half of my life at this point, and likely represents something close to 250 matches. I can't even begin to express the extent to which I've routed my life around supporting these teams, traveling thousands of miles (and lord, spending untold thousands of dollars) to sing for the boys in green and the girls in red. New York, Vancouver, Columbus, Atlanta, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Chicago, at least a dozen trips to Seattle... and why? Because in supporting these soccer clubs, I found community. I found people who enjoyed the beautiful game, the ecstatic thrill of spending ninety minutes together, watching the fortunes of our favorite club rise and fall. It's been so captivating to belong to something larger than myself, in an institution with deep, historic roots in my beloved hometown. That couple of days in 2015 when my dad surprised me with last minute tickets to fly to Ohio and watch the club put a star on the crest remains probably the greatest weekend of my life. I've recruited dozens of friends, colleagues, and family members to join me in the North End over the years, and probably gifted at least two dozen scarves over my life, usually successfully welcoming a new person into becoming a fan and supporter of these two cherished soccer clubs (and for the Front Office, new paying customers).

If soccer is the most universal language on the planet (what Swedish writer Fredrik Ekelund called the “Esperanto of the feet”), being a supporter of the Timbers and Thorns and the community around it has always felt like Portland’s local dialect, and it’s an accent I assumed I would be glad to keep for the rest of my life. That the fans understood love of the sport and the club as an extension of love for the community itself is an ethos I’ve only grown to further admire in my own professional career in nonprofit advocacy spaces that prioritize using place to unite across differences and cultivate belonging.

It should be noted that while I was standing this fall in front of my bike, morose about the loss of my messenger bag, a nearby fan unlocking her own bike insisted I borrowed her extra rear light to get home safely since mine had been lost in the theft. It was a reminder that in times of trouble, the supporters of the club always seems to look out for each other, even strangers, because the beauty of supporting your soccer club is that there are no strangers when you’re all wearing the same colors.

So when I tell you that reading that ESPN article this weekend led me to consider that I might already regret renewing my season ticket for the 2022 season, I hope you understand how patently absurd I would find this sentence as recently as a few years ago. To find myself so disgusted with the reckless, arrogant leadership that I’d consider no longer planning my life around the fixtures is a helluva indictment on how deeply betrayed I feel from the past few years. It’s not too much to ask that the club recognize the values and priorities of the community who rearrange their lives to find opportunities to support them.

To be candid, I’ve had iterations of this email in my inbox for years, starting with the Iron Front debacle in 2019 (which, by the way, given how the summer of 2020 played out in Portland with the whole “federal goon squad occupying downtown thing,” it sure seems prescient that in 2019 the Timbers Army was trying to warn about creeping fascism!). I was horrified by the possibility of letting Diego Valeri go in 2019, remain uneasy about the clubs deep ties to revanchist municipal business leadership, and remain astonished the club that consistently boasts about its sustainability bonafides continues to take a massive corporate sponsorship from 76, an oil company. That the owner of the club was boneheaded enough to take to twitter to complain about losing money hand over fist during a pandemic that created economic havoc for so many in the community and has so far seen 800,000+ deaths and counting only reaffirms how different a bubble the FO live in from the everyday Timbers fans, let alone the Portland community at large.

So, I was already a bit frustrated with the front office when the news broke this fall that the club had essentially covered up sexual assault for years, allowed the perpetrator to get off without ramification, and then acted puzzled that the community was so outraged at the news. The obliviousness to the hypocrisy - support women’s sports by giving us your money, but please don’t hold us accountable to supporting women’s sports by making sure women have a safe workplace! - and the desperate PR attempts to try and quell the outrage through performative social media gestures. I just don’t understand how the club that sees itself as perhaps the largest and most important women’s soccer club in North America if not the world doesn’t recognize the responsibility it holds to set precedence that such trespasses are unacceptable, and that the club needs full transparency and accountability. I think about how many supporters in the Riveters section carry with them everyday all sorts of awful trauma related to sexual assault, and it makes me miserable to imagine that their beloved Portland Thorns was incapable of rising to the challenge of setting the tone and proactively showing it will do everything possible to exorciate assault from women’s soccer.

Other than a single cup of coffee the day of the cup final, I’ve maintained a concession and apparel boycott since the news broke, and honestly can’t imagine myself spending another dime inside the stadium anytime soon. I also take umbrage with the grotesquely out-of-touch statement that the club issued in response to the ESPN article, which noted the whole “90% season ticket holder renewal statistic” - we all know that was overwhelmingly driven by a desire to be present to hopefully watch Diego Valeri be sent off with a trophy. I myself only renewed my season ticket (and even so begrudgingly) because the original announcement suggested I’d be able to buy four tickets to the cup final, which of course was immediately cut down to two. I feel kinda tricked into renewing, to be honest, and I’m wondering if it’s not time for me to officially break up with this club and find other social institutions that actually seem to share my values, or at least care to listen to what my values are. The club’s decision to dismiss the monthly check in with the 107ist, a democratically elected representation of fans (certainly more democratically chosen than anyone in the Timbers higher leadership), only reinforces a gut decision that the club remains oblivious to who lines their pockets, who vouches for their values, who carries the team through good years and not-so-good years, rain or shine.

I hope the front office is taking seriously the possibility that that organic, word-of-mouth zeitgeist that keeps bringing fans into the stadium might disappear, forever doused by a greedy and clueless attitude towards the folks lining the pockets of the FO. What happens when you don’t get the free advertising of supporters proudly wearing your scarves across town, asking to put the match on at the local bar, feeling proud to be part of something bigger than oneself because it reflects one’s larger ethos and values? Will the corporate sponsors be as excited to renew when the general admission section doesn’t keep the stadium’s energy flowing through the season? Do fans across the stadium really show up to watch this team hunker through a rebuild without any coordinated trumpets, tifo or singing? Forget the moral and sentimental angle - I'm astonished the Front Office thinks that breaking off meetings with the 107IST is somehow an economically wise decision. Since I did renew my season ticket and you do already have my money, I suppose I look forward to continuing my concessions boycott and gleefully participating in whatever direct action the 107IST has in mind for the upcoming season to go on strike and make explicit their contributions to the community. I want to see Gavin Wilkinson fired, I want to see more accountability and transparency around the investigations of assault underway, I want to see a front office that sees their biggest supporters as accomplices in celebrating our club and community instead of adversaries.

So yeah, in some ways, having that messenger bag stolen from my bike during a Timbers match was a pretty fitting representation of the season. I’ve written multiple emails and filled out plenty of surveys over the years pleading with you to set up an outside-the-stadium bag check as i’ve seen at most other MLS stadia I’ve visited, which would be massively helpful for anyone trying to bike or transit to the match (especially after enforcement of the clear bag rule). I also noticed that it appears the cheery woman on Timbers/Thorns match day operations staff who since 2011 has watched the bikes during the match to deter theft no longer holds that job. It’s honestly a wonder that more folks haven’t had bike lights stolen. (There were multiple cops nearby, but they literally laughed at me when I expressed frustration that their presence didn’t deter petty theft). Can’t help but wonder if her absence is a sign of the club once again cutting costs.

Something that meant an awful lot to me, that represented the things I cared about most in this world, that I was overjoyed to talk about at endless length, that I had repeatedly asked for support to keep and cherish, feels like it’s been taken from me due to indifference and neglect from the very entities of which I consider myself the biggest of supporters. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected otherwise, given how the front office ignored Mana Shim in 2015 and now both unceremoniously showed Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri the door in 2022 despite these individuals’ overwhelmingly significant contributions to the club and the community.

Given all of that, I suppose it's foolish to assume this email will have any impact on the club's front office. Just another supporter audacious enough to believe they are entitled to have the club they care about maybe care about them in return.

Last month, despite the cost, along with my season ticket I bought myself a replacement new messenger bag. Although it’s a slightly different shade and updated looks, when asked to choose a color I of course inevitably chose green.

Please restart listening to and collaborating with the 107IST to allow me the opportunity to someday be eager to cover it in Timbers patches while I carry it around town.

Are you happy now?

107ist Admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 03:53:34 GMT

The following is a post from Rachel Greenough, 107IST member and Rose City Riveters Steering Committee member.

Am I happy the Timbers are playing for a cup at home? I sincerely wish that weren’t a complicated question.

I’m a Thorns supporter through and through, but I love when the Timbers win. My friends have given their blood, sweat, and tears to support this team, and they deserve moments like this.

Except this isn’t really that moment, is it? For anyone paying attention to the broader soccer landscape in Portland or the U.S., this isn’t really that moment we’ve been waiting for. This moment is much, MUCH more complicated.

I wasn’t able to watch the game or get updates on Saturday, so I checked in anxiously around the time of the final whistle, expecting to feel elated if the Timbers had won. Instead, I felt sadness.

I felt sad because it felt like this win had come at the expense of NWSL players, the expense of our protest, the expense of momentum in the movement for more transparency. That’s not the fault of Timbers players (though seriously, where have those voices been these past two months?), nor is it the fault of supporters who are understandably thrilled to be here at the end of this season. But it sucks.

It hurt so badly watching the Thorns lose in semifinals. It hurt so badly every time we watched them gut it out the final month of the season before that. I made the choice to show my caring through being there, screaming, holding signs and waving flags — but I know others who couldn’t bring themselves to do that. We all took our stands where we could. We knew how much the team was hurting. Their world (and league and club) had been rocked. That they managed to pull through it with some semblance of unity was incredible.

This semifinal loss was heart-wrenching in a manner that was even deeper than the infamous 2016 end to the season. Worse than 6-0 to the Courage in 2019. Because this loss spoke of deeper pain and deeper hurt. I don’t claim to speak for any players, but as a supporter my heart hurt for the players on the field as they played through the end of this season. Even more, it hurt for those who weren’t there. For Mana Shim and Sinead Farelly and Kaiya McCullough and everyone else — identified or anonymous — who has left this league over the years due to abuse and harassment.

It bears saying again. Paul Riley abused players. He used sexual coercion and harassment to make their lives living hell. He is an asshole and an abuser.

The club’s current owner, the current GM of the Portland Timbers, and others in the highest positions of power knew that this occurred. No, they didn’t know everything, but they knew enough to know that Riley no longer deserved to work here. They knew enough to know that they should look into it further. But they let him walk away and take the next job that came along in the league. They congratulated him. They maintained those relationships. Because that is what powerful men do for each other all the damn time.

The Thorns have a new GM and a new coach. I am excited about those hires. I love this team. But this is not over as long as these men are in charge and as long as they maintain an absolute brick wall of silence around the club — BOTH clubs. As long as they are the names and faces listed as being the top of the hierarchy on timbers dot com (which is also the website for the Thorns. Weird, right?). As long as the Timbers win and they coerce everyone into renewing season tickets on their timeline. As long as they sit silently and hold all the power, while women and non-binary players are playing in a league that has systematically disempowered them from the start.

I’m just extremely tired of men winning everything and women and non-binary players giving up their dreams. So am I being overly sensitive, feeling sad as I watch the end of a remarkable Timbers season? Probably. But my heart is broken and I am tired and I just wanted to say it out loud.

It's not me, it's you.

Kristen Gehrke — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 17:00:00 GMT

The views of the author are not necessarily those of the 107IST or its Board of Directors.

“This is soul-crushing.”

That’s what I told my wife before my son and I headed down to the stadium Sunday afternoon. She had helped me put together one last sign just a couple of hours before kickoff — “Do the right thing.”

It had been 45 days since Meg Linehan’s article was first published and we all learned about the horrible acts inflicted upon two former Thorns players by a former Thorns coach. It was appalling. How does this even happen? In this club? Our club? And how had no one been held accountable for six years? Six years!

Parting ways with Paul Riley in 2015 was the right thing to do. That said, he continued coaching — in the same league, no less. I believe that Portland had an obligation to bring this to the league and take whatever available steps there were to prevent him from continuing to coach in the NWSL. It is mind boggling to think that a coach could do these things, a team could find out, and he would still coach at all, let alone in the same league.

The piece of the story that has not been addressed by the club are the actions – or lack thereof – of Gavin Wilkinson, Nancy Garcia Ford, Mike Golub, and Merritt Paulson. Part of being an employer is to make a safe work environment for your employees. Disregarding a player is not making a safe work environment. Keeping people safe goes beyond physical injury. It means taking steps to protect a player’s physical safety, mental and emotional wellbeing. It means being human to other humans.

I have been a season ticket holder for the Timbers and Thorns since they joined MLS and the NWSL respectively. For more than a month, it has been difficult to hold tickets to either, especially the Timbers. While Gavin Wilkinson has been on administrative leave from the Thorns, he has remained in his role for the Timbers. This is not the “One Club” that has been touted by the front office for the last eight years. One Club would remove Gavin from his role in both teams.

I’ve realized how little joy I am finding in my relationship with One Club when I received the “Know before you go” email ahead of the match against San Jose. One, I had forgotten there was a game, so that says something. But more importantly, I didn’t see attending the game as something to look forward to. It was an inconvenience. Why would I want to attend a game for a club that appears to be doing so little despite the voices of so many. There are many actions that can be taken, and many demands to be met. There is one that is the simplest of all, and would be felt immediately:

Fire Gavin Wilkinson from the entire organization.

I desperately want to want to renew my Timbers and Thorns season tickets. Right now, I don’t think they want me to want to. If they did, they would listen as One Club. To the supporters. To the players. To Mana and Sinead.

Right now, they are barely hanging on to two Half Clubs. They need to make a choice. As it stands, what the Timbers and Thorns are telling me is that I am not a valued season ticket holder, fan demands are not a priority, and player safety does not matter. Three things that can quickly end in No Club.

Like I said, this is soul-crushing.

-- Kyle Jones, Timbers & Thorns supporter

Portland is not the shining city upon the hill I thought it was

107ist Admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:53:48 GMT

The following is a post by Sarah Gehrke.

I moved to Portland, Oregon, three years ago. As an avid supporter of women’s soccer, I was in awe to finally be in the city I considered to be the home of the pinnacle of women’s professional soccer. After spending five years supporting the Washington Spirit, I was finally in a place I thought gave women’s soccer the environment it deserves. I thought Portland had it all — a gorgeous downtown stadium that regularly boasts tens of thousands of fans, a large and passionate supporters group, significant brand awareness throughout the city, and much more.

However, Portland is not the shining beacon of women’s soccer I thought it was. One month ago, we learned that Paul Riley was accused of sexually coercing multiple players, while the Thorns Front Office quietly placed Riley on leave and then declined to renew his contract without any mention of the investigation or administrative leave. Both Gavin Wilkinson and Merritt Paulson publicly continued cordial interactions with Riley. On top of that, Wilkinson allegedly dissuaded Mana Shim from speaking openly about her sexual orientation.

An environment where players aren’t protected, where they are made to fear speaking openly, and where a known abuser is allowed to move on without consequence is not acceptable. Despite the extensive reporting and follow-up stories, the Front Office has done little more than pay lip service to the calls for accountability, including only placing Wilkinson on administrative leave from the Thorns while allowing him to continue in his capacity as GM of the Timbers. This decision stands in contrast to a recent sexual abuse scandal in men’s hockey, where the GM who mishandled sexual assault allegations stepped down from his role. While we need to wait until the results of the investigation before terminating Wilkinson, he should be placed on administrative leave from the team — full stop.

Closure and moving forward doesn’t happen wIthout accountability and consequences for the people in positions of power in the Thorns Front Office that 1) fostered an environment where this type of abuse could occur and 2) allowed an abuser to move on from the team without acknowledgement of the circumstances of his departure.

I am cautiously optimistic about the recent hiring of Karina LeBlanc as Thorns GM and rumored hiring of Rhian Wilkinson as the next head coach. I’m thrilled to see women who played the game in Portland coming back to the organization; however, it is also true that both lack experience for their future roles. If one of the goals of bringing R. Wilkinson and LeBlanc into the organization is to improve treatment of players and culture within the club, then there needs to be clear policies in place to give that power to both of them. Without explicit empowerment and guardrails, I believe existing, powerful members of the Front Office — including Paulson, G. Wilkinson, and Mike Golub — will control the real levers of power within the organization, which is part of what has created an environment of silence and disempowerment of players.

I love this city. I love my community of supporters. I love to support the players of Thorns FC. I will not back down, and I will not give up until we’ve seen the safety and environment for players of Thorns FC protected (as outlined by the demands published by both Thorns players and the Rose City Riveters).

Supporter survey results

107ist Admin — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 05:45:37 GMT

The news of how the Portland Thorns handled learning of former coach Paul Riley’s abuse hit many people hard. We continue to be awed by the strength shown by Mana and Sinead in sharing their stories, and we follow the lead of the players in designing the 107IST response.

We recently conducted two surveys to see how people feel about 107IST actions in response to the revelations. We did a members-only survey first, and then followed that up with one for the wider community.

We heard from a lot of people — and we appreciate everyone who took the time to give feedback!

274 members responded to the member survey, and 461 to the community survey.
Of those 461 who responded to the community survey, 42% were 107IST members. We asked folks to only fill out the community survey if they had not done the member one, but it is possible some people responded to both.
We ran the member survey for two weeks before the community survey, so that time gap may have affected people's opinions either positively or negatively.
We’re breaking out results as “Member Survey,” “Members in Community Survey,” and “Wider Community.”

Respondents representing the full range of the PTFC community. Most survey-takers follow both the Timbers and Thorns, though some follow just one team.

Note: Numbers in all charts may not add up to the total number of survey respondents because all questions were optional.

Not surprisingly, folks who took the survey have been following the 107IST response to the news. Three-quarters of members and more than two-thirds of non-members have been following our actions “very closely.”

We asked two similar questions: How has the 107IST response been so far, and how hard should we push moving forward? It’s a similar question, but we wanted to ask it in both a backwards-looking and forward-facing way.

For the backwards-facing question, results were very split. Overall, around half of respondents think the 107IST response has been about right, with the rest fairly split between wishing we had pushed harder and wishing we had a softer response. Notably, members taking the more recent community survey softened a tiny bit: While 48% still said we've been doing well, 29% said we've been pushing too hard. There are many things this could mean, but without additional research, it’s difficult to read too much into the directional changes in this question.

How hard should 107IST push moving forward? The bottom line of this is similar to the previous question: Roughly a quarter of respondents think the response should be tempered, and nearly 75% think the organization should continue pushing for change. A very small portion of respondents — 3% overall — think the organization should stop all work on this issue.

Gavin's future: Like everything else, people are split. About half of folks have already seen enough and think he should be fully removed from the PTFC organization. A third want to see how the investigation goes. Timbers supporters are slightly less interested in his ousting. In the member survey, only 43% of Timbers Army folks wanted him gone, compared to 56% of Riveters and 66% of people who identified as being part of both supporters groups.

Thanks to everyone who took time to participate in the survey. We’re also looking at all the thoughtful comments you left. Your responses will help shape our future work on this important issue.

What does it mean to be on the board today? Real talk: It's complicated.

107ist Admin — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 06:27:19 GMT

The following is a post from Stephan Lewis, 107IST board member.

For those of you who actively engage in the elections process for the 107IST board of directors, you know that it has for years been a process in which members can help set the priorities for the future of the org. You know that the process has been daunting at times with the depth of questions and responses. While we’ve worked to make the process smoother through appointments from the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, the Timbers Army Steering Committee, and the BIPOC group, it can still be overwhelming for members to run for an at-large position. It takes a lot of personal and mental preparation to be willing to throw your hat in the ring.

I was asked to write this because, historically, I’ve been good at long-range recruiting for the board. A lot of this is planting the seed in people that have the potential to be effective in a specific role, coupled with encouragement and support. Honestly though, it’s been hard recently. Who wants to do this? While it does honestly have some enjoyable moments, it’s not like it’s that frequently fun or free of stress anymore (if ever). Just calling it like it is and looking straight at the elephant in the room.

We’ve said, “Well, in a normal season…” a lot over the past few years — but what is a “normal season”? I barely remember at this point. These past few years, we’ve had 107IST board members go their entire terms without experiencing whatever a “normal season” is. Between compressed schedules for construction, a friggin’ pandemic, and struggles to get the PTFC Front office to understand some of the most basic elements of who we are and what is important to us within the diaspora of our broader community, maybe this is just the way things are. Regardless, we will always put the work in to be standing at the ready, even if it feels like it’s always on the struggle bus.

In the past few election cycles, we’ve been using this space to talk about what skills we think we’ll need as a board with a lot of success. We’ve been blessed with truly solid people — people who are committed to serving and who bring valuable skills to the table. The best laid plans don’t always shake out, however — especially given the issues we’ve collectively faced over the last years.

At this point, we could probably use someone with conflict resolution experience, to be honest.

There is an inherent symbiosis between the 107IST and the PTFC Front Office. We spent the better part of this last year working to strengthen the relationship with the FO in the hopes of making it “more healthy.” None of us got into this to “stick it to the FO.” That’s not why we’re here. We do this to sustain and grow support for the Beautiful Game and this place we call home. We’ve been talking to them about some topics for the entirety of our existence that are just now getting traction, and others that have fallen on overly confident, yet unqualified ears, more consistently than any of us would like. (Tweak your business model and hire qualified people to help you through some of these issues already.) It seems to be the nature of professional sports, where big egos and swagger rule the day, to use confidence to get through things one doesn’t understand or are qualified to address. What other professional sports don’t have, however, is a supporters culture like what we have.

It’s not all bad. We’ve done a lot of great things through our relationship with the FO and will do more in the future. But, holy shit, they pissed me the fuck off talking about their “ethos” in their statements and saying they share ours without even understanding what ours means. Or, using the phrase “proven track record” to absolve themselves of doing the continuous, often difficult work of striving for improvement. Look, we obviously aren’t perfect, but our ethos against hate and intolerance means we will constantly strive to improve. It’s a cornerstone of who we are. At this point, we don’t even know when, or even if, we’ll meet with them again. Our last monthly meeting was pushed before ultimately being cancelled, and this month’s wasn’t even scheduled. Some form of communication will continue, but it may just be … different … moving forward.

And look, it’s not all about the FO. Most of what we do as an organization has little if anything to do with them. However, what we understand through personal experiences and hearing from you, our members, is that there is a lot of disillusionment with the FO, and the effect on our passions is leading to a crisis of faith in many — if not just apathy.

We know that we are blessed with so many talented and passionate people within our membership. We may have worked with you on projects, read your well crafted emails to the FO that you cc’d us on or, you’ve engaged in high-level discussions we’ve been privy to. We see you. We know that there are almost endless other local organizations doing amazing work in our community that are worthy of your volunteer time and effort. We would even encourage our members to look at other organizations we support that would benefit from their skills and passions without as much frustration. We get it.

Why does this sound like I’m trying to persuade you not to run for the board? Well, we know where you are because you're not alone. It is through an understanding of the elephant in the room that we learn to tame it and ride it into battle like the soldiers of Hannibal. As One Club.

Being a PTFC supporter has never been about winning. Don’t get me wrong, winning is great and sharing it with you people makes it even greater. Just as having you people there to share in the frustrations of loss; the embrace of pain and suffering for our support, we have each other; we have this place on earth. Attending matches and growing the game is opportunity to take your joys from the week or your sorrows and frustrations from the week and give them all freely as an offering to this place on earth through a tangible, visceral experience empowering our Club through dance and song and ecstasy and yes, shared despair. Even if it’s only a fleeting moment like that Dairon bicycle last week, I’m reminded of what we’ve created together. That’s what brought us here. That’s what drew us in. That’s who we are as a community. That’s what we need to work to protect. That’s what we need to rebuild. That’s where our past, present, and future reside.

That’s why we need your help.

This thing we’ve all created together is in crisis, along with our collective faith. It’s long been said that owners, staff, and players come and go but we, the supporters, will always be here. I’m here to assure you that we will indeed be here — and we want you to be, too. Together, we can make this into what it needs to be. Together, we can stand shoulder to shoulder for what we love. You can play a role in that. Your passion is worth fighting for. Your skills and experience can contribute.

Do you have something to contribute by running for the 107IST board? You’re damn right you do.

I still am sick to my stomach

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 02:58:03 GMT

The following is a post by Matt Cleinman.

It’s now been a month since Meg Linehan’s article about Paul Riley’s abuse has rocked the NWSL community — and especially the Thorns. As a long-time supporter of the Thorns, those first few days were really difficult. Hearing the news was one of those “time stops” moments. Disbelief. Tears. Unable to focus on anything else. More crying. Holding tightly to every update that trickled out over those first couple days. And then thinking about how I’m a man, and how this news is hitting even closer and harder for many women and non-binary supporters.

A few weeks later, there are still aspects that make me sick. My stomach knots up each time that I remember Paul Riley traded for specific players he had coached for years. And while I’m incredibly awed by the strength and courage that Mana, Sinead, and Kaiya have shown in coming forward to transform our league, I still cry every time I consider that there are likely more victims out there. More than anger, though, these days I’m mostly disappointed and worried.

Disappointed: The Thorns leadership still has not shown that they understand why their response in 2015 — or 2021 — is completely inadequate to many of us, how it fully misses the mark. Merritt Paulson’s kind tweets to Paul Riley over the past few years are infuriating: They are overtures to an old friend, not the words of someone who is irate at someone who abused his employees. (Further anger-inducing: The day the article was released, as I was sobbing, Merritt’s priority was deleting these old tweets.) Merritt’s recent open letter reads extremely false, especially when compared to his kind pre-article tweets. It seems like he’s trying to save face now that his dirty secret is out. Leadership and attitude starts at the top. If Merritt doesn’t understand, it’s hard to think that his deputies will.

Worried: I’m worried that the changes being promised won’t be enough to transform our team and our league into a place where our players can feel safe and supported. Every day that Gavin Wilkinson remains employed makes me worried that real change isn’t coming. The fact that he is still actively working for the Timbers makes no sense, and it betrays the lack of concern this organization has about his conduct. If you’re worried enough to put him on leave from Thorns duties, why aren’t you worried enough to remove him from his Timbers duties? Why are Timbers players safe with him, but Thorns players are not? It seems like you’re setting up to clear him after a cursory investigation.

(Update: Karina LeBlanc has been hired as the general manager of the Thorns. She is extraordinarily qualified, and I look forward to her return to Portland. However, this underscores that the Front Office’s process has been a sham. After weeks of insisting that they were waiting for a complete investigation before making any decisions, they reverse themselves and hire KK. It’s almost as if it’s not about the investigation, but instead about other factors.)

I bought season tickets before our inaugural season kicked off, and I have been a dedicated Thorns supporter ever since. I’ve traveled to most of our postseason games, even when it seriously stretched my budget — and saw our team lift the trophy in both 2013 and 2017. In two weeks, we have a semifinal game at home. But I can’t bring myself to purchase a ticket from the Thorns organization. There is one other thing that presently gives me a pit in my stomach: The thought of sending more of my money to this team’s owners and leadership.

Announcing the 2021 107IST board elections

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 05:09:30 GMT

We are now accepting candidate submissions for this year's 107IST election cycle! To run for the board, you must have been a current member as of October 31, 2021. The deadline to submit your application is noon on November 19.

This year, there are two member-elected positions that will serve three-year terms. The Timbers Army Steering Committee, Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and the BIPOC Committee also nominate candidates for one-year terms. You can read more about the board composition and the elections process in our bylaws.

If you’re considering running, we recommend you join us at our next board meeting on November 9. Over the next few weeks, we’ll also be publishing some more information about day-to-day board life and the things we’re working on to give a better idea of what being on the board is like.

Important dates

Applications for candidates will be open until noon (Pacific) on November 19.
We will post the list of candidates and their statements on the website on the afternoon of November 20.
After the slate is announced, all current 107IST members will be able to post questions to candidates in the member forums on the website.
On December 4, from noon to 2 p.m. (Pacific), we will host a virtual forum session for all candidates. This session is moderated, and the questions will come from members.
We will post a recording of the forum on December 5 to all 2021 members.
We will also email ballots to all 2021 members on December 5.
Voting will take place from December 5 through December 12, and we will announce the results on December 13.

What are our needs?

As always, we are looking for professional, committed people to join our board. The main requirement is always people who can put in the time needed for board initiatives. (The time commitment can vary depending on what members take on, but the average is somewhere between 6 to 10 hours a week.)

We continue to work towards becoming more strategic in focus, empowering the steering committees to take on SG efforts, so we are definitely looking for individuals with organizational change experience, as well as administrative, project management, and strategic thinking skills.

As the board continues to evolve and grow, and we continue our capital campaign for a permanent home, it would be great to have people with fundraising experience on the board.

There is no age requirement or residency requirement — those who identify as part of an RSG should consider running!

About the board

Our board members help shape the organization and work to make the Timbers and Thorns supporter experience bigger and better, as well as contribute to initiatives in the Portland soccer community. You can find out more about the current board, the positions and committees they serve on, and the initiatives they manage here.

If you have any questions about the election process, please email us at elections@107ist.org.

What you need to know for Timbers and Thorns match days

107ist Admin — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 22:54:06 GMT

Boycott concessions and merchandise

Three weeks ago, our leadership teams called for our members to boycott concessions and official team merchandise until significant changes are made to our club’s organization — changes that will focus on the players and increased transparency. We continue to ask for your support in this boycott.

You can read more about our demands here.

The Portland Thorns players have also listed out three demands for the club:

That the investigations proceed immediately, and that our GM, Gavin Wilkinson, be placed on administrative leave until the process concludes.

That there be an increase in the diversity of voices within the club’s board of executives.

That we, the players of the club, gain seats at the table in order to increase transparency, accountability, and cooperation between the players and the front office.

The NWSLPA have provided their own list of demands for the league, which can be found on their website.

24th-minute activities

The Riveters have published more information about the protest, the players’ asks, and how to participate here. The key pieces for the Timbers match today are:

Smoke at the 24th minute will continue. The 24th minute was chosen because Sinead Farrelly’s original number with the Thorns was 24 and 6 (2+4=6 ) was Mana Shim’s number.
During the 24th minute, TA or Riveters capos may be on the main stage waving Riveters flags while we chant “Protect the Players.”
Bring in two-sticks or signs showing your support of the players or your displeasure with the current situation. We have been told that as long as signs do not violate the PTFC code of conduct and do not have profanity or threats, they will be allowed in.
Pick up a flyer or two from the 107IST membership table located on the concourse in the North End that gives more detail about what and why we are doing this.

Beyond what we are currently doing, we are working on next steps that can increase pressure for systemic change. We are not taking this lightly. Stay tuned. If you have suggestions for additional actions we can take as an organization, please let us know. We are stronger together.

What’s going on in PTFC?

107ist Admin — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 22:47:08 GMT

[Originally published in the member newsletter, on October 13.]

Background information

Over the past month, our organization has been responding to reporting in The Athletic about events that occurred in 2015, when Mana Shim reported Paul Riley’s behavior to the PTFC leadership team, including Merritt Paulson, Gavin Wilkinson, and HR.

We also learned about how Wilkinson talked to Shim behind closed doors, essentially telling her to “just stick to soccer” and not be publically out and proud. Reporters have also confirmed that the Timbers/Thorns leadership had unexpected reactions to stories that told us about the whole player. Wilkinson has said that Shim’s claims are “bullshit” when initially asked for comment. He later walked back that comment.

Merritt Paulson’s open letter, posted three weeks ago, further demonstrated that the organization has yet to make concrete changes to address their past failures. While Wilkinson has been placed on administrative leave from the Thorns, per the players’ request, he is still performing his duties as GM for the Timbers. There have been no further updates from the organization in the past three weeks. This is unacceptable.

The Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, the Timbers Army Steering Committee, and the 107IST Board believe that the incident recounted by Shim describes a toxic culture and should not be ignored. This reporting calls into question the credibility our club has with future players and forces us to ask the question: Who else has been silenced or did not feel they could be their authentic selves here? We believe that systemic change is needed to restore the reputation of the club across both NWSL and MLS, and that Wilkinson needs to be terminated.

The 107IST’s mission is to support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest level. As such, we stand behind the players, and we believe that immediate and meaningful action is necessary for our club to thrive. Soccer is more than a sport: It’s a community of people who collectively pour their blood, sweat, tears, and passion into something they love. We have learned that there are players whose safety and identity was threatened, and players who continue to fear retaliation. As supporters of PTFC and members of the 107IST, now more than ever, this is our time to support and stand behind the players of today and tomorrow.

It's That Time! Buy Your Capo A Pint (BYCAP) 2021

Darren Lloyd — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 03:48:20 GMT

The following is a guest post from the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters Capos & DnT teams.

We (Capos & DnT as a unit) are nothing without you!

The limited season, and needed COVID limitations to provide some small feeling of health and safety have affected us all this season, especially following the extra distance from last season. We haven't had the usual tension, loss, joy, irritation at the refs, of standing with you in passion and love.

The Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters Capos & DnT have joined forces in our annual tradition of BYCAP this year. We work to amplify those voices that have been muted, stifled, and ignored. Those voices of the survivors of abuse. Traditionally, BYCAP funds provide help to the young voices in our neighborhoods, to aid them in learning how to be strong and confident, to provide them with the ability to communicate their needs, dreams, ideas, and opinions. There is no greater way to help them than to show that we listen to those who are in the places they dream to be. To make sure our players are HEARD and the pro soccer pitch is a place they can dream to be.

We refuse to ignore or minimize the long term and systemic effects of the human rights abuses of our communities locally, nationally, and globally.

We are again joining forces for a single BYCAP event, with a single entity recipient, instead of the traditional tandem, team-specific BYCAP fundraisers.

100% of funds raised in this online BYCAP will be donated to Raphael House. In this way we support our community, provide help to those whose voices have been muted and marginalized. To provide any aid we can to break the cycle of violence.

About Raphael House: Thanks to community support, the families we serve are ending the cycle of violence and building lives without abuse. Together we are working toward a future without domestic and sexual violence, and where oppression in any form is not tolerated. We are proud to offer immediate safety and a wide range of supportive services for survivors, while working to create lasting change through prevention education.

Please help us surpass prior years fundraising by donating and signal boosting this event.

>>> GOAL: meet or surpass our current BYCAP best year of $6240 <<<

A donation link will be available here from 10/30 - 11/15. Please make sure to select the BYCAP fund!

You can also use the QR code below for easy donation both in and out of the stadium, and we will happily accept cash donations too!

*Buy Your Capo A Pint: For those of you who are unfamiliar with BYCAP, it usually happens on or near the last match of the regular season for Timbers and Thorns. As the season is coming to a tense point (or wrapping up) often folks are feeling kind and nostalgic for the events of the season, and many want to “buy us (Capos, DnT) a pint” to say thanks. Thanks for helping to hype the crowd, to keep it on time, to provide eyes and assistance when there is an interloper or and altercation, to represent good safety habits, and generally for us needing to buy tickets to turn our backs to the pitch for a whole season, so the North End volume can resonate beyond the PP rooftop to roll across the pitch and through the neighborhood. All because we love providing focused passion for our teams. It has been noted that our livers cannot take so much thanks… so… instead we have collection buckets out at our stage, nests and drums, and we ask you to donate that ‘pint’ (or soda, water, coffee) money to our fundraiser (particularly when there is a concessions boycott) so we can help others find a voice the way we have. We get the “thank you” vibes and affection AND our community gets much needed help and support.

A statement on behalf of the Rose City Riveters, the Timbers Army, and the 107IST

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 23:06:54 GMT

Effective immediately, the Rose City Riveters, the Timbers Army, and the 107IST call on our members to boycott all concessions inside Providence Park and PTFC official team merchandise across all platforms.

The Rose City Riveters and the Timbers Army support the players of the Portland Thorns, Portland Timbers, NWSL, MLS, and worldwide.

This past week has been harrowing as we learned the extent of abuse and suppression that has taken place in Portland. It is clear that the Portland Thorns organization is complicit in the NWSL’s failures by actively sweeping incidents and complaints under the rug and passing issues off to others without holding offenders accountable. It is also abundantly evident that the PTFC leadership team knew about the incidents when they were reported in 2015. This is inexcusable.

This week’s message from owner Merritt Paulson further demonstrates that the Thorns organization has yet to make concrete changes to address their past failures.

Our hearts and our actions are with Portland’s players — one hundred percent. Our trust, however, is utterly shattered, and it cannot be repaired until significant changes take place across all levels of the PTFC organization.

We call for the immediate and complete removal of Gavin Wilkinson from the PTFC organization, including the youth academies. We also demand the following:

Implement a transparent and proactive safety, training, and accountability plan that is approved by the players.
Create an executive-level Diversity Officer position, which will be filled by a candidate with more than 10 years of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) experience and a proven track record of building and implementing an organizational inclusion roadmap.
Demonstrate transparency that players’ voices will be prominent in the hiring of the next Thorns coach — and any future coaches — as well as information about who will be responsible for background checks and vetting of any new staff.
Hire separate general managers for the Thorns and the Timbers.
Create a Club Culture and Player Liaison position for each team whose sole purpose is to mentor and support players from the academy on up. This role should also help transition any new players when they are signed.
Disclose who has been secured to complete the new investigation of the 2015 events and subsequent investigation.
Influence the league’s fulfillment of the NWSLPA demands and take local action to satisfy these demands, including immediate suspension of any staff member who violated the current anti-harassment policy or failed to report the alleged violation.

We will purchase nothing in the stadium or online until the PTFC Front Office meets these demands and any additional demands that are shared by the NWSLPA or players individually. We encourage supporters of the team to donate to the NWSLPA any money they would have otherwise spent at a match. The NWSLPA continues to fight for the players to take their power back, and we wish to support them in any way we can.

On game day, we will continue to show up and safely support our teams. Our remote supporters and those not attending games will continue to support from afar. The players deserve our loud and visible support — and to withhold it would send an incorrect message to the players. We want to make it abundantly clear that we are there for the players, but that we remain in protest against the PTFC organization until such time as demands for transparency and change have been met.

We encourage those attending Thorns and Timbers games to wear red in solidarity with the Thorns players and to bring signs that show support for the players and amplify the demand for changes.

We stand ready to change or pivot our actions at any time should there be further requests or information from the NWSLPA or individual players.

The players know their rights and are fighting for their rights. We support them in taking their power back, and we are fully behind them.

#ProtectNWSLPlayers #ProtectOurPlayers #BAONPDX #RCTID

September donation drives

Jennifer Ingraham — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:42:56 GMT

This September, we’ll be collecting items for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). We have a long-standing connection to IRCO, and we’re proud to support them again this year. Please consider picking something up on the way to a match or swinging by Fanladen during membership hours so we can continue our support of this important organization. This year, they have specifically asked us to gather items for K–12 students in Portland. They need the following new items in all sizes:

Backpacks
Headphones
Shoes
Clothes
Socks

From IRCO's website:

IRCO’s youth programs seek to break down barriers facing youth. Youth Programs ensure that students (ages 6+) receive a quality education to overcome the obstacles that perpetuate inequality and poverty. From one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, academic advocacy and after school activities, to gang prevention and intervention for at-risk youth, IRCO provides culturally and linguistically specific support to help close the achievement gap, improve 3rd grade reading, ease middle school transitions, and increase the number of youth graduating from high school and pursuing college or career opportunities.

We also must acknowledge that Oregon and its community has a role to play in the events unfolding in Afghanistan. We aim to support the organizations here in Oregon that exist to support our immigrant and refugee neighbors.

There are many ways to help, and many incredible voices out there sharing information on how to do so. Many of us are familiar with Shireen Ahmed from her sports journalism and activism. She wrote an article for InStyle magazine that has a list of voices to follow and some steps we can take. She also encourages us to educate ourselves. Her work is a great place to start.

Here at home, Oregon non-profits and lawmakers have been seeking ways to welcome refugees to the state, and one of the organizations working on this is, as always, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

Other ways to help: While IRCO has asked us to focus on youth items during this drive, they also have an ongoing need for other items to support refugee communities in Portland. Please see this press release from IRCO about their needs. We will collect any of these wish list items as well, and you are welcome to support them via online donation or wishlist at any time.

Bonus opportunity

For the rest of this season, we will also be collecting blankets for Janus Youth Program, our upstairs neighbors at Fanladen. They can accept new and gently used blankets, which will go directly to the youth who seek their services. Bring these to Fanladen anytime it is open (match days and membership hours) for the rest of the season.

Remember that all donations via 107IST will entitle you to receive a special donation merit badge! We now have five different designs available, so come on down and continue your collection.

Thank you for your support of the community.

What: Donation drive for IRCO (and blankets for Janus)
Where: Fanladen 1633 SW Alder (just a couple blocks from the stadium)
When: Match days in September and regular membership hours
Check the newsletter for open hours.

For the Rose City, Mask Up!

Gabby Rosas — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 04:39:46 GMT

The following is from the 107IST Board of Directors:

The Delta variant is here and it is having a significant impact on our community already. Hospitals are full and the Governor is deploying support in anticipation of the situation getting worse. While local officials are working to develop public policies to combat the spread of Delta, the 107IST board is urging our members to mask up, wash your hands, keep a safe distance, and get vaccinated if you are able.

If you are going to the stadium, it is especially critical that you are masking up throughout, even in your seats.

The 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters have many medical and research professionals in our mix and they have been advocating for our community to follow the most recent OHSU recommendations issued in a statement this week.

OHSU is asking for Oregonians to take immediate action by changing our behaviors back to mask-wearing, social-distancing, and getting and encouraging the vaccine.

… both vaccinated and unvaccinated people who need to interact with the community should follow at least two of these three precautions:

Wear your mask indoors in all public spaces or with people outside of your household; wear your mask outdoors where physical distancing is not possible.

Limit gatherings; if you do gather, do it outside.

Physically distance whenever possible.

We support the PTFC Front Office’s proactive approach to have a mask mandate as opposed to the mere recommendation to wear masks. This is a good first step but the board feels this policy should apply throughout the stadium, including in your seats. The 107IST board has asked the PTFC Front Office to extend the current mask protocols by requiring masks be worn throughout the stadium and at all times. We should follow OHSU’s recommendations for individuals to wear masks during outdoor activities when social distancing is not possible. With the stadium open at full capacity, social distancing is not possible.

The 107IST is advising its members, the Timbers Army, and the Rose City Riveters, to wear masks throughout the stadium. We have face masks available at the Fanladen pre-match for those who need one. Starting this weekend, the seats closest to the capo nests and the main stage will be taped off to give our volunteers more clearance from other supporters. Please respect this buffer.

In addition to the mask mandate, we have let the PTFC Front Office know we support a vaccination requirement for all upcoming matches. Variants of the virus continue to emerge; as long as the stadium operates at full capacity, there will be a risk of a major outbreak. For those who are not medically able to get a vaccine, we asked that they are able to provide refunds or credits to accounts. By maintaining this protocol for the rest of the year, it also alleviates the need to repeatedly update procedures and minimizes confusion for attendees.

The 107IST is also putting a hold on additional Away Day planning at this time. We are facilitating refunds as needed for any matches that are actively on sale if your plans have changed. Please email awaytravel@107ist.org to request a refund to any upcoming match for which you have already purchased tickets.

We have updated our 2021 Matchday FAQs to reflect these changes as well as update on our other activities.

August match day drives

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 01:27:16 GMT

It’s August and time to pick up some extra school supplies for match day drives!

During the first half of August, match day drives will support Rose Haven shelter in their effort to collect school supplies for homeless and at-risk children in the Portland area. Last year the state of Oregon reported that there were 21,080 students experiencing homelessness. In Portland, Rose Haven provides supplies to hundreds of kids each year. Info on this year’s drive can be found on their website.

Please help us collect new school supplies for Rose Haven Shelter! Items needed include: backpacks, hand sanitizer, notebooks, calculators, folders, binders, pencils, pens, coloring utensils, washable face masks for kids, headphones with a microphone, battery-operated timers, lunchboxes, notebook paper, dividers, glue and glue sticks, tape, scissors, combination locks, highlighters, index cards, rulers, pocket tissues, laptops, tablets, and children/teen clothing and shoes.

Please donate new items only for this drive. Backpacks are among the most-needed items, since these can also be used throughout the year to provide items to individuals served by the shelter.

Drop off donations anytime Fanladen is open between August 1st and August 15th. Stop by before or after a match (Thorns: August 1st; Timbers: August 4th, 7th, and 15th), or during membership hours on Wednesday nights (check social media and newsletter for specific hours to be sure we’ll be there!). Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder, just a couple blocks from the stadium.

If you prefer, you can also donate remotely to Rose Haven via their online wishlist and registry.

As in June and July, limited edition donation merit badges are available for folks who drop off donations! We know you don’t need an incentive to do something good for the community, but you get one anyway! There are three designs available, so get them while you can.

If you're out of area and wish to receive a donation merit badge, donate via wishlist or financial donation, and then send a screenshot of your receipt to community@107ist.org with the subject “Donation merit badge” and your mailing address. We ask that you only use the shipping option if you can’t get your badge in-person at Fanladen, but you’re also welcome to bring electronic proof of donation to Fanladen if that’s how you prefer to donate.

Thank you so much for your generous donations!

Volunteers needed to help move the C3PO camp

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 21:47:16 GMT

It’s moving week for the C3PO BIPOC Camp! They have needs for each day, and they are asking for our help to pull it off.

On Thursday at 1 p.m., they will need around 20 volunteers to assist with breakdown of a couple of carports, as well as the loading of our miscellaneous items (water dispensers, water jugs, propane tanks, chairs, tables, tools, ladders, wheelbarrow, EZ ups, storage closet, insulation rolls, clothing racks, buckets, food pantry items) onto U-Haul trucks.

On Friday starting at 9 a.m., they will need 20 volunteers to help villagers clean and sanitize their homes. We may also need support to give villagers rides, if possible. People can also go to the new site to welcome villagers and help with any set up.

We will also need around 20 volunteers to help pack up the bigger items around the village, put them on trucks. Sign up for that here.

Depending on how the move goes, they will likely continue to work on Saturday and might need volunteers again at that time.

While villagers are moving, they would like to have two people signed up for two-hour shifts to support with security at the villages, verifying residence and keeping things moving smoothly.

To sign up, choose one of the sites:

Current site (41 SE Main St)
New site (84 NE Weidler St)

Reach out to Stephanzy if you have any questions. Hope to see you out there!

July Match Day Drives: Street Roots

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:30:02 GMT

In July, support Street Roots!

We will be collecting donations any time Fanladen is open. This includes membership hours, pre-game, and (in some cases) post-game. Check the weekly newsletter or social media for updates and open hours.

Since 1999, Street Roots has been publishing a weekly newspaper in Portland — and employing vendors to sell that paper. Street Roots vendors are independent contractors who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. By selling papers for Street Roots, these vendors not only make an income, but they become a part of the organization’s advocacy. Their voices and experiences heavily influence how Street Roots advocates for systemic change. This organization also publishes the Rose City Resource, which exhaustively lists resources and services for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

They are specifically asking for items to help combat the heat of summer: sunscreen, sun hats, reusable cooling towels, misters/personal fans, sun hats, aloe vera, sunscreen lip balm, reusable water bottles, and bottled water.

Tina Drake, vendor liaison for Street Roots, says:

We at Street Roots strive to create a comfortable environment for our vendors at all times. This sometimes includes them selling in inclement weather. Any donations brought by you ... will be made available to our vendors to keep them safe during these strange and unusual times during the Portland and Oregonian weather changes. Thank you from Street Roots."

As with last month’s drive, limited edition donation merit badges are available for folks who drop off donations! We know you don’t need an incentive to do something good for the community, but you get one anyway! There are still three designs available, so get there while you can.

You can also donate to Street Roots via their Amazon wishlist or donate financially online. If you are out of area and wish to receive a donation merit badge, send a screenshot of your receipt to community@107ist.org with the subject “Donation merit badge” and your mailing address. We ask that you only use the shipping option if you can’t get your badge in-person at Fanladen, but you’re also welcome to bring electronic proof of donation to Fanladen if that’s how you prefer to donate.

Work with youth in our community this summer

107ist Admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 20:48:04 GMT

As an organization, the 107IST is actively working to strengthen our youth engagement. We have an exciting opportunity to partner with another local nonprofit, Elevate Oregon.

Elevate Oregon is hosting free summer activity camps for kids in grades 1 through 8. We're looking for any volunteers who have recent or current experience working with kids. We're also looking for anyone interested in leading an intro to soccer clinic for one afternoon during the June 21—24 activity/sports camp.

Elevate Oregon builds relationships with at-risk youth to promote education, self-reliance and leadership. You can learn more about this organization on their website.

Pride is a riot!

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 16:50:59 GMT

The following is a post from Rachel Greenough, a member of the Community Outreach Committee and the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee.

Happy Pride, everyone! It means so much to me to announce that the 107IST will be collecting donations for the community in person this month, and that our Pride Month collection will support Outside In. To add a little extra hype, we will have donation merit badges available for folks who drop donations at Fanladen on match days! Please see below for details, and check in on social media for match day information — plans are evolving quickly and we’ll do our best to keep information current. Update: Fanladen will be open before all Thorns and Timbers home matches in June!

Here are some details of what you can do to support our community during Pride month:

Pledge to a Prideraiser! The Rose City Riveters are supporting Outside In, and the Timbers Army are supporting TransActive. Pledge to one or both, with amounts as low as $1/goal or as high as you want!
Bring material donations for Outside In on home match days for both teams! Please bring new items only, including: socks (larger sizes), underwear, toothbrushes, deodorant, sunscreen (travel size), chapstick, reusable water bottles, and shorts (size M+). Check the newsletter and social media for fanladen open hours before matches.
If you’re out of the area, you can also donate to Outside In via their Amazon wishlist. If you wish to receive a donation merit badge, send a screenshot of your receipt to community@107ist.org with the subject “Donation merit badge” and your mailing address. We ask that you only use this option if you can’t get your badge in-person at Fanladen.
Buy Pride merch items from RivetGear and No Pity Originals! A new item (and some from past years) are available now, both online and at the Fanladen before thorns matches. This year's pride item benefits The Living Room, an organization that supports and celebrates LGBTQ+ youth in Clackamas County.
Keep watching the 107IST channels for more.

So why, specifically, is Outside In our chosen recipient for the Riveters Prideraiser and the 107IST donation drive in Pride Month? Outside In has been here for as long as I can remember. In fact, they’ve been operating in Portland since 1968. They provide medical and other services for anyone who needs them, but their roots are in service to the youth of Portland — providing shelter, medical care, job training, food, and so many other needed services to young people. About 20 to 40% of the youth experiencing houselessness in this country identify as LGBTQ. Trans youth, in particular, find themselves at incredible risk of violence and harm if they are on their own, and the gender-affirming medical and other care provided by Outside In is one important way to support these young people. We need to stand up in support of trans and queer youth — and Outside In has always done that.

This Pride Month, we'll do our best to actively support our LGBTQ+ community members. In particular, we recognize that legislation targeting trans individuals is on the rise across the country, and violence toward trans individuals has already taken too many lives this year, including in our own state. We also recognize that intersectionality means that the overlapping aspects of an individual’s identity might make them more susceptible to inequality, discrimination, violence, and harm.

Please feel free to send things our way or help the community engage further with these topics.

Volunteers!

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 12 May 2021 23:31:57 GMT

Over the last year we’ve worked on reimagining how we do things as an organization to foster a more open and inclusive environment. In doing this work and making these changes, we’ve identified areas where we know we can do and be better.

One of those areas is volunteerism.

The 107IST, the Timbers Army, and the Rose City Riveters would not exist without the thousands of hours of volunteer work done by our community. And, in turn, our community has benefited from the work our volunteers have done outside of the organization.

But we recognize that we can go bigger and that we can address the changes needed to open our volunteer spaces to folks who may not have been comfortable stepping up in the past.

From the outside, it isn’t always easy to find a way in and when people have said this in the past, we haven’t responded in a way that opens doors.

So maybe we just take the doors off.

When you think of volunteering for the org, what do you think of? Capos. Drums and trumpets. Tifo crew. Merch. But where do you go if none of those is a good fit?

We’ve had good luck with the Bad Knees Brigade over the last few years, creating a space for folks to do less physically strenuous work. What other groups can we gather and for what purposes?

One of the next steps we've taken is changing the volunteer form on the 107IST website. It still has the traditional areas of interest, but we added space to dream: We’re asking you what talents you can bring to the table.

Maybe you’re really good with spreadsheets. Let us know. Maybe you’re an excellent baker. Let us know that, too. Electricians, plumbers, dentists. People who are good at gardening. IP or civil rights lawyers. Tell us what your skills are, and we’ll see how we can put them to good use in the future.

We’re also looking at ways to reach outside of our organization to lend a hand to our community partners. Do you know of a local organization whose work we might be able to complement? Speak up. We’re listening.

There are more pieces to the 107IST volunteerism puzzle that we’re still talking about and will continue to talk about.

Recognizing volunteers
Keeping occasional volunteers engaged
Welcoming new volunteers and those returning after an absence
Encouraging folks to find or create opportunities, both within the org and without

If you're willing to help out, fill out the form. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email kristen@107IST.org. I’d love to hear your past experiences and challenges, as well your ideas for how we can dream bigger.

Match day drives are back — but they look a little different for now

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 06 May 2021 02:53:07 GMT

We’re so glad to announce APANO as our first Match Day Drive recipient of 2021!

About APANO

March and April were devastating months for AAPI communities across our country, but the hate and violence experienced were not new. The history of this country, and this region, are rife with exclusionary, discriminatory, and harmful actions toward these communities. The pandemic has only made this worse. The Portland area has seen many incidents of anti-AAPI events over the past few months, including physical assaults, use of slurs, and intimidation.

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) organizes to change this. The organization unites communities and organizations across Oregon in an effort to achieve social justice and advance equity. Their work is widespread and impressive, from youth organizing via ONYCS (Oregon’s Nesian Youth for Change in Society) to events, workshops, arts and culture support, political organizing, and beyond.

About Match Day Drives

As many of you know, the 107IST made the decision in November to put a hold on in-person donation drives. Until Fanladen opens back up, we are continuing to focus our Match Day Drives on supporting local organizations through financial means or other community support. We'll be highlighting a couple of organizations each month to bring attention and resources to these community partners. When we have a match at home, we’ll have an organization for you to support — whether you’re headed to the stadium or continuing to support from home.

On match day, many of you make it a habit to swing by the store and grab supplies for the match day drive. For now, we ask you to do the same, but by making a direct donation of any size to these organizations. Your generosity is always so impressive — and our community needs it this year more than ever.

If you’re not in the position to donate financially, we totally get it. You can also visit their websites, see what events or projects they’re doing, write a letter on their behalf to a newspaper or politician, spread the word, or support them in any way you feel helps.

What you can do for APANO

APANO has two funds you can donate to, and they both support the goal of advancing social justice through organizing and community support. Please consider making a donation today or on match day to show support for this community.

APANO is also hosting a series of antiracism workshops. These events are free and open to BIPOC community members. If you don’t identify as BIPOC, there is an event celebrating AAPI heritage and solidarity on May 14th from noon to 1:30. Click here to learn more or register for these events!

Thank you, as always, for your generosity as we support the organizations working toward social justice in our community.

A Letter to Providence Park

Darren Lloyd — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 20:29:41 GMT

Dear Providence Park,

Well, this is awkward. We miss you. We can’t wait to fill you to the rafters, make the roof reverberate with the noise of drums and trumpets, and stir up billowing smoke bombs with frantically waving flags. There is no better place on Earth than Providence Park on match day.

This is different. This will be different. There will be no flags, no trumpets, no fervent encouragement from capos extolling the North End to drag our beloved teams across the line to victory. This is a time where the dedicated volunteers that make each match day happen have to make decisions about their comfort level. Decisions based on when vaccinations are available to them. Decisions based on the needs of themselves and their families. Decisions that will change the way the North End looks, feels, and sounds.

It will be the same, too. It will be the same because at the end of the day, all those things we do we do for the men and women representing the Rose City. Our City. Soccer City, USA. The passion, love, and support for our players is unwavering and while it might seem a little different in the stands as we support from distance, know that we sing wherever we go — we sing for you, whether we’re inside Providence Park or not.

We look forward to the day where we can all be united, 25,000 strong, in one voice. We’re still figuring it all out and intentionally not rushing things.

This year will be weird. Embrace it. This is Portland, after all.

Always,

The Timbers Army & The Rose City Riveters

To our supporters: If you’d like to help us figure it out, reach out. If you have more questions, start here. We’ll be adding more information as the season moves along and we know more.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 05:15:11 GMT

We continue to provide updates to broader membership on the progress we are making across the five areas of focus we have committed to improving this year. As a board we are taking intentional steps to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

This week, we’d like to focus on Increase accountability, specifically looking at hiring a DEI consultant and creating a 107IST code of conduct.

What we’ve accomplished

DEI consultant: This effort, with advisement from the BIPOC group, has been an ongoing effort to shortlist and request bids for engagement from organizations and individual consultants in the PNW region. With the events taking place last year on both a national stage and also within our organization, we are prioritizing this effort to make sure we continue to foster an inclusive, equitable organization and culture.

Next steps: We have held conversations with multiple individuals, articulating our needs and scope of efforts, and plan to make a decision in the coming weeks.

Code of conduct: Related to creating an inclusive organization is the establishment of a Code of Conduct. This effort was mentioned during our February monthly board meeting and a breakout session during our March 6 AGM. While we have an away travel code of conduct that outlines expectations for members attending away matches, a 107IST code of conduct would plainly state the norms and expectations in alignment with our ethos and the accountability to uphold these. We heard rich feedback and recommendations during the AGM session as well as those of you who reached out via email.

Next steps: We are taking the feedback received over the last few weeks and drafting an initial code of conduct to socialize with membership before broadly adopting.

To read previous initiative updates click here.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 05:39:22 GMT

As we have discussed in several past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’d like to focus on Hear from members.

This Saturday, March 6, is the 107IST annual general meeting for members. We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight what the AGM is, why we have them, and why you should join us.

What is an AGM?

The annual general meeting, or AGM, is pretty much what we make it. As stated in our bylaws, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust holds an annual meeting in the offseason of the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns. It is generally a place for members to hear reports about the work of the organization over the past year, discuss future plans, and for you to give us input.

What can we expect?

In the past, board members have reported out activities in various areas of work, from game day operations to community outreach to away days and more. Because 2020 was a year like no other for all of us, some of the activities we typically talk about clearly will have different sorts of reports. (What do you say about game day operations during a pandemic, for instance?)

On the other hand, because this is a remote event, members who may have not otherwise been able attend before now have the opportunity, which is pretty exciting.

We’ll still be reporting to the general membership about where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. You can expect time to hear from board members and committee leads, and you can also expect time to talk to and listen to fellow 107IST members.

What will we talk about?

To some extent, that’s up to you! While the board has some ideas, we’d really like to hear from you! Let us know what you’d like to talk about at the AGM by contacting Kristen Gehrke. Be sure to sign up to attend so you get the link in your inbox before the meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing all of you!

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 04:54:10 GMT

As we have discussed in several past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’re going to look further at our next steps to Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities, this time looking at our recent strategic planning sessions.

Every year, as the board is re-formed following elections, the 107IST board of directors meets for strategic planning. This year, instead of meeting for several hours on a weekend day, the board held three separate sessions over the course of three weekends, to renew and review our mission and values, and to evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

What we’ve accomplished

Roles and responsibilities defined: Over the years, the board has had a rotating set of executive officers, not always composed of the same offices and without clear guidelines for the roles and responsibilities for officers. In one of the strategic planning sessions, the board worked together to clearly define roles for president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and to spell out these responsibilities in the board handbook, so future board members will not have to start from scratch or rely on institutional memory when determining how best to fulfill these responsibilities.

Committee structures refined and documented: Over the past year, the board has worked to more clearly define the structures of committees, as well as the relationships among them. At another of the strategic planning sessions, the board reviewed the work from the past year around committee roles, responsibilities, and relationships, and worked together to refine and document these new structures.

Next steps

During strategic planning, the board discussed areas of focus for the organization for the short term, medium term, and long term. We will be evaluating these with respect to their relationship to ongoing initiatives from last year, and determining which of these fits under existing initiatives and which rise to the level of a new initiative for the coming year. We’ll share this work in coming blogs, as well as at the upcoming annual general meeting.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 05:56:18 GMT

As we have discussed in several past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’re going to look further at our successes and our next steps to Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities, this time looking at the structure of our online presence.

What we’ve accomplished

As we have grown and evolved as an organization, with two supporter groups for two local teams, it is critical that we structure our online presence to reflect the relationships among the Independent Supporters Trust and our two supporter groups: the Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters.

Domain name change: As we noted earlier this week, the place where 107IST lives online is no longer timbersarmy.org; it is now 107ist.org. Content on our website that is specific to the Timbers Army is now found under 107ist.org/timbersarmy; content on our website that is specific to the nonprofit organization is found under 107ist.org. When you sign up for events with 107IST, the event addresses will also have 107ist.org links.

Everyday communications: In alignment with the work on the website, we have also spent the last several months reviewing how we use our social media and blogs. We realized the need to communicate similar messages, while also maintaining a distinct voice and presence for each branch. Our communications team has broadened its scope and increased its focus, giving each branch a dedicated group within the comms team, while also ensuring that each branch communicates within the committee regularly. This ensures messaging from each group maintains its unique identity, while also keeping the broader message consistent across groups and platforms.

Next steps

Next steps include a migration of Rose City Riveters content so that ultimately it “lives” online under 107ist.org in the same way that Timbers Army content does, as well as continuing to build out content specific to each branch on the organization’s website.

Domain Name Update

Darren Lloyd — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 19:30:16 GMT

As we shared in November, one of our long-term goals has been to revamp our website to equally reflect 107IST and our supporters groups, growing beyond 107IST being synonymous with only “Timbers Army.” We’re excited to announce that as the most recent step of our ongoing website renovation, we’ve made 107ist.org our primary domain, with timbersarmy.org redirecting to 107ist.org/timbersarmy. This change allows us to have separate sections with Timbers Army content and 107IST content.

Next steps in this ongoing project include a migration of Rose City Riveters content and a completely revised travel and away day section — for when we can travel again, that is. Thanks to our talented team of volunteers who made these changes possible!

If something looks wrong or links are broken, please let us know!

107IST Micro-Grant Recipient: Brown Hope

Stephan Lewis — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 21:38:28 GMT

This week, the 107IST Community Outreach Committee is highlighting Brown Hope as a recipient of the Fall round of micro-grants. While one of their programs, the Black Resilience Fund, was awarded funds during our Spring micro-grant distribution with funds meant to support organizations doing work with those effected by the pandemic, we’d like to celebrate/acknowledge their broader work. While this is one of the newer organizations in our community, it is worth noting that their staff are far from newcomers with many having moved over from other highly effective organizations to create an amazing capacity. We enjoy a stronger relationship with Brown Hope than some of the other recipients as we’ve spent time with their leadership in both formal and informal spaces and are knowledgeable about who we are and what we do.

Brown Hope is a culturally specific non-profit organization that develops Black, Brown, and Indigenous leaders to create powerful strategies that build community resilience and inspire transformational change. Guided by their 12 Principles of Hope, they organize four programs which help to advance our goals to transfer power and capital to Black, Brown, and Indigenous Oregonians: Blackstreet Bakery, Power Hour, Black Resilience Fund, and Equity & Beyond. As a nonprofit incubator, their programs evolve to meet critical needs in the community.

Oregon’s culture of racism began during statehood and fueled exclusionary policies, such as redlining, that forced Black Portlanders into neighborhoods that lacked basic services, including financial institutions and supermarkets. Despite these discriminatory practices, a self-supporting Black community eventually flourished; culturally specific schools, churches, small businesses, and community centers provided resources that Black Portlanders could not access elsewhere. The absence of City investment contributed to many challenges of poverty and crime, which persisted until the 1970’s, when decades of urban renewal and gentrification began. Tens of thousands of Black residents in North and Northeast Portland were forced to relocate away from the City core and into areas with fewer equitable opportunities, a lack of city investment, and no cohesive community as they had once developed and benefited from.

The consequences of systemic racism and displacement have resulted in devastating disparities within Portland’s Black communities. In Multnomah County, 35% of Black families live below the poverty line and the Black community experiences an unemployment rate more than twice that of their white neighbors. These staggering poverty levels have an undue impact on educational, health, and social outcomes.

Brown Hope’s mission is centered around trauma-informed activism for Black, Brown, and Indigenous Oregonians by building radically inclusive spaces for healing, community building, and leadership. Historical trauma is the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding of an individual or community, caused by a traumatic event and is passed on to the next generation. Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities have survived several psychological, sociological, and material shockwaves of historical trauma, which contribute to perpetuated systemic inequities. Sue Coyle’s essay in Social Work Today entitled, “Intergenerational Trauma-Legacies of Loss, describes how treatment for historical trauma is similar to that of any trauma-informed practice, including the need for clinical therapy, further education, and community empowerment.

At Brown Hope, they take this treatment one step further, by centering the power of peer-based healing and leadership activities to recognize, support, and uplift in a manner that is accessible to as many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people as possible. Brown Hope is committed to reversing, not just ending, systemic racism in order to achieve an empowering community-centered future where we all can thrive.

With the 107IST's support, Brown Hope is investing in the healing and resilience of 6,000 Portlanders who are surviving the ongoing shockwaves of racism and historical trauma. Their initiatives respond to urgent community needs, such as: Black Resilience Fund, which has provided immediate financial relief to 4,000 neighbors, Power Hour, which has alleviated isolation and socioeconomic disparities for 600 community members, and Blackstreet Bakery, which has sustained livable wages for 5 Black Portlanders. Brown Hope organizes for lasting impact by advocating for policies that promote community resilience and inspire transformative change.

Much of the work done by Brown Hope is thanks to their many volunteers who deliver food boxes and use their skills to help develop/implement strategies. They are also hiring into some key positions. If this is something you’d like to help with or would like to learn more about, check out their site at brownhope.org.

107IST microgrant award: SEI, Inc.

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 01:55:10 GMT

Our next recipient of the 2020 Black Lives Matter microgrants is North Portland’s Self Enhancement, Inc. SEI is a comprehensive, one-stop resource for youth and families, primarily African Americans and others living in poverty or seeking culturally responsive services. It is also one of the city’s leading multi-service organizations, providing thousands of youth, families, and adults with a wide array of education and social services on an annual basis. SEI’s strength is in its ability to meet the complex needs of the children and families it serves, including helping people to overcome cultural, educational and economic barriers.

SEI was originally founded in 1981 as an upstart basketball camp to provide support and structure for kids in the neighborhood. The group quickly grew into an organization and began branching out into other areas of need, partnering up with local schools and organizations to embed and amplify their support inside the very communities that needed them. SEI is now nationally recognized for their innovative programming and partnership models.

The money from the Black Lives Matter micro-grant will go toward support of these SEI focus areas:

High school education support, graduation rates and a continuum of service from 6th-12th grade
College scholarship support
Culturally & population-specific “wrap around” support for families
Food, energy and housing assistance for families
Community-building and entertainment for youth
Free COVID 19 testing

If you are interested in getting involved and volunteering with SEI, you can find more information here.

For more information about SEI and its mission, please visit their website at https://www.selfenhancement.org.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 01:51:50 GMT

As we have discussed in several past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’re going to look further at our successes and our next steps to Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities, in particular the documentation and board member onboarding.

What we’ve accomplished

Board handbook: In the early days of the organization, day-to-day information was passed on to new board members in an ad hoc fashion. While individual files and documents have been stored in shared locations, there was no central location for all the essential, day-to-day board information (such as contact information, passwords, policies and processes, and other basic board member documentation). We’ve now created a working copy of a new board handbook to put all this knowledge in a single, central location, which contains enough necessary information for new and existing board members to have a more successful start.

Documentation: While individuals and groups have passed on knowledge and information to those who come after them in committees and in board work, in the past this sharing of knowledge has been dependent on individuals’ will and ability to pass it forward. Similar to the board handbook, we have systematically begun to document best practices, policies, and other documents to help keep “institutional knowledge” more available for future board members and others who serve on 107IST committees.

Onboarding of new board members: In the past, there has been no formal “onboarding” process for new board members. We have developed a checklist for onboarding new board members to ensure all the correct accesses are granted on day one, setting up meetings with the president to answer questions during the first few weeks, sharing the handbook, and communicating ahead of time what is coming up and what to expect further down the road.

Next steps

We will continue to add to both the handbook and the documentation of organizational best practices this year, as well as refine the onboarding process for future board members.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 07:09:48 GMT

As we have discussed in past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’ll look at our successes and our next steps to Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities, in particular the changing of 107IST board structure and member representation.

What we’ve accomplished:

Created pathways for participation and representation: We have evaluated board structures and processes to create more pathways for participation and representation of 107IST members who identify as BIPOC, as well as formalizing processes to ensure pathways for board representation from both Timbers Army and Riveters 107IST members.

In the past, the eleven 107IST board members have either been elected by voting members, or — in some cases — appointed by the board to complete the term of a board seat that has been vacated early. Because we recognize the structural barriers to participation inherent in this system, we’ve changed the way some board seats are filled.

To create more pathways for participation and representation, the board now consists of seven elected members serving three-year terms, and (up to) four additional appointed members serving one-year terms: one appointed from the Timbers Army Steering Committee, one appointed from the Riveters Steering Committee, and two appointed from the 107IST BIPOC Committee. (Read more about the changes to election and appointment processes here and see who next year’s elected and appointed board members are here.)

The following committees forward their recommended candidates to the board for one-year appointments:

(Note: If a committee does not have a recommended candidate for a seat, that seat will remain open for the following calendar year.)

Timbers Army Steering Committee (one board candidate): Along with many volunteers, the Timbers Army Steering Committee leads tifo, game day operations (capos, drums and trumpets, and flag crew), merchandise (No Pity Originals), and communications for the Timbers Army. It works closely with other committees under the 107IST umbrella. The Timbers Army Steering Committee comprises members of core aspects of the gameday experience — capos, drums and trumpets (DnT), flag crew, tifo crew, and merch (NPO) — with board resources and support from key committees. This year’s board candidate is Darren Lloyd, who will be serving on the 107IST board in the 2021 calendar year.

Riveters Steering Committee (one board candidate): Along with many volunteers, the Riveters Steering Committee leads tifo, game day operations, travel, merch, communications, etc. for the Rose City Riveters (Supporters Group for the Portland Thorns). The Riveters Steering Committee did not forward a candidate for board consideration for the 2021 calendar year.

107IST BIPOC Committee: (two board candidates): The BIPOC committee is made up of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Members of the 107IST BIPOC committee are volunteering their time and knowledge in order to ensure the 107IST is a more inclusive organization where all members’ voices are heard and respected. This year’s board candidates are Dominique Whittaker and Lindy Lacson, who will be serving on the 107IST board in the 2021 calendar year.

Next steps: We are continuing to identify the means to creating pathways to leadership for more of our membership, both through the above-named committees and through work in other 107IST committees.

107IST Board Election Results

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 02:57:35 GMT

Congratulations to wonderful board members that will joining and continuing to serve on the 107IST board! Dawn Bauman, Gabby Rosas, Jennifer Ingraham, and Stephan Lewis have been elected to 3 year terms on the board. And a big welcome to Darren Lloyd, Dominique Whittaker, and Lindy Lacson as they join the board in the new committee nominated roles for 2021.

Thank you to everyone that participated in this year’s election and sticking with us as we navigated some new waters.

About the board

If you have any questions about the election process, feel free to email our elections committee at elections@107ist.org.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 09:50:42 GMT

As we've discussed in past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’ll look at our successes and our next steps to Increase accountability.

What we’ve accomplished

Create accountability measures for board members. Board members now have regular, one-on-one, mid-month check-ins to report on individual progress toward our improvement objectives.
Adopted a Statement of Understanding for board members. Board members now agree to adhere to the documented expectations for fiscal responsibility, legal responsibility, health and well-being of the organization, seeking out new members, seeking feedback, ensuring regular attendance at board meetings and at meetings with the Front Office, active promotion of the 107IST and its activities, adherence to agreed-upon deadlines, and engagement in online communication.
Survey, evaluate, and formalize current committees. In the past, committees worked in a variety of ways; some did not have clearly defined members, roles, meeting dates/times, minutes, and so on. It also wasn’t clear which committees were open to visitors always, at certain times, or not at all. We’ve now formalized these aspects of committees, improving accountability accessibility for committees and for committee work.

In progress

Research grievance processes, and then establish a formal grievance process and reporting.
Create a board member handbook. including expectations for board members, established routines, and procedures. This will assist with onboarding new board members and providing accountability measures for current board members.

Ongoing

Expect regular mid-month accountability check-ins (see above).
Update board meeting minutes to include monthly action items.

107IST micro-grant award: Black United Fund of Oregon

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 03:20:11 GMT

In a previous post, Community Outreach committee member Dominique Whittaker announced the board’s approval to award $10,000 in micro-grants to community organizations that are focused on critical issues to the Black Lives Matter movement:

This year, 2020, has brought societal issues to the forefront of the American consciousness — from having frank conversations about systemic racism and police brutality, to asking what diversity and inclusion means and what the expectations of allies are. The 107IST itself has been called upon to reflect on the ways in which it has historically not been perceived as inclusive and how that can be changed going forward. Community, inclusion, and action are more paramount than ever and, while more can (and will) be done, the 107IST and the Community Outreach Committee are awarding $10,000 in micro-grants to community organizations whose mission and efforts center on furthering local efforts central to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Our second micro-grant recipient is The Black United Fund of Oregon, an organization serving BIPOC youth and young adults, with an emphasis on first-in-family college students and students from families with socioeconomic barriers. They also work to address systemic inequity through community-driven solutions for youth, both during and after high school, working to guide them to postsecondary success. About 65% of the individuals served identify as Black or African Diaspora, more than 80% identify as persons of color, and nearly 100% qualify as low-income. These individuals face the trauma of generational poverty, racial inequity, unequal opportunity, and — for immigrant students — a potentially painful and uncertain adjustment to life in a new country.

The Black United Fund’s primary activities include:

One-on-one postsecondary support and workshops for 1,000 students annually using the culturally congruent Path to Scholarships^®️ curriculum
Community outreach events, such as large-scale workshops and college fairs
Culturally specific professional development for BIPOC young professionals (“BUF Talks” and their alumni program)
Postsecondary scholarships for students of color (funded through workplace giving)
Mentoring BIPOC-led nonprofits to help them leverage resources and become more sustainable
Grassroots grants (funded through workplace-giving) to smaller organizations reaching youth of color in creative and meaningful ways
No- and low-cost rental space for female/queer-identifying and majority BIPOC-led nonprofits and groups, addressing the root causes of inequity to meet, rally, and organize in a safe space

Funds donated to the Black United Fund will support these activities, as well as others specifically geared to meet community needs in the midst of a pandemic, including:

Exploring how the community has been impacted by COVID-19, making materials available remotely
Increasing staff time to manage an expanded virtual program for program participants
Providing educational materials and supplies for students, parents, and volunteers
Remaining responsive to the community as they navigate the economic and educational consequences of the pandemic

In particular, the Black United Fund is concerned with the multimonth gap in education that is occurring, which will have long-term effects on BIPOC and low-income communities, setting our most vulnerable students up for failure. The Black United Fund is stepping up during the coming school year to give BIPOC youth the resources their white peers access to ensure they are on track next year — advancing to college, trade schools, careers, and more.

If you’d like to know more about the Black United Fund of Oregon, check them out here. If you’d like to support their work, you can donate here through December 31st as part of Willamette Week’s Give!Guide.

A new crest for the 107IST

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:24:01 GMT

Since 2010, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust has been advocating for supporters’ rights, supporting the activities of the Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters, and giving back to our communities through charitable donations and volunteer organization.

As the organization has grown and evolved over the years, the 107IST has been working through organizational changes as well. What started out as a leadership group born out of the Timbers Army, the board now comprises supporters from both of Portland’s professional clubs. We recently announced the formation of the Timbers Army Steering Committee, a formalized leadership team that can steer the day-to-day, match-to-match activities of the Timbers Army, much like the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee. With two steering committees working with the 107IST board, the 107IST can focus on activities that deepen our relationships with members to be better representatives, expand our relationships with our communities, and focus on our mission.

A key part of this change was to update our crest to reflect our future, and to give a nod to our city and our supporters. We’ll be updating the website and our member materials to include the new crest going forward.

About the crest:

At the base, rests the distinctive arches of our cathedral, Providence Park, the birthplace and nexus of the 107IST. Light from inside illuminates and welcomes all who wish to join us in our support. The 107IST text advances above the stadium, which like our organization is always moving forward. Over this is the hyperbolic star from the iconic City of Portland flag, which serves to remind us of our incredible city and its place within the Cascadia region. An equilateral triangle encases the entire design, the strength of which symbolizes both our strength together and approach to our work with its three equal sides. The left represents the teams we support, the right side our supporters, both of which support the top, our mission: to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.

Site updates in progress! Please pardon the smoke.

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:18:48 GMT

Since 2010, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust has focused on supporting soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. As an organization, we continue to grow and evolve: “107IST” used to be synonymous with “Timbers Army” and only Timbers Army; however, the 107IST has also been the engine behind the Rose City Riveters since 2013. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be updating our website to more accurately reflect the organization. Coupled with a fresh new look and updated crests, we’ll be moving content around to create sections with Timbers Army content, Rose City Riveters content, and 107IST content.

If something looks wrong or links are broken, please let us know! The best place to reach our website team about changes is the Website Help members forum (login required).

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:19:23 GMT

As we have discussed in past posts [scroll down to see several], the board has committed to improvement in five areas this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’ll look at our successes and our next steps to Communicate more.

What we’ve accomplished

Audited our email groups. As the organization has matured, we’ve realized that we have had legacy email groups that were forwarding to the wrong people, which meant we had a broken chain of communication in some cases. We reviewed, analyzed, sorted, and reorganized email groups under 107ist.org.

Posted committee and board meetings on the website and on social media. In the past, not all committees and work groups publicly posted dates and times for meetings. We have been posting these to the website, with the option to sign up to attend those that are open to membership and/or to the general public. We also post reminders of these meetings on social media, along with links for members to sign up if they wish to attend.

Created a process for members to be able to submit questions/feedback to the Front Office. While the 107IST board has had regular monthly meetings with the PTFC Front Office for years, we hadn’t formalized ways for members to submit questions. Now we do, and we follow up with members after the fact.

Updated the newsletter to include contact information for the board, as well as reminders of board meeting dates and times.

In progress

We are in the process of organizing TA and 107IST website and blogs to reflect the organization’s structure.

Ongoing

We post the 107IST board meeting agenda ahead of every meeting, we post board meeting minutes after every meeting, and the Comms team follows ongoing processes for communicating weekly meetings and events via the newsletter and social media channels.

107IST Awards Micro-Grants to Local Organizations Making an Impact in Response to Black Lives Matter Movement

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 05:37:19 GMT

The following is a post from Dominique Whittaker.

This year, 2020, has brought societal issues to the forefront of the American consciousness — from having frank conversations about systemic racism and police brutality, to asking what diversity and inclusion means and the what the expectations of allies are. The 107IST itself has been called upon to reflect on the ways in which it has historically not been perceived as inclusive and how that can be changed going forward. Community, inclusion, and action are more paramount than ever and, while more can (and will) be done, the 107IST and Community Outreach Committee are awarding $10,000 in micro-grants to community organizations whose mission and efforts center on furthering local efforts central to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The first recipient of micro-grant funds is the Black & Beyond the Binary Collective, an organization dedicated to the advocacy and healing for transgender and gender-variant Oregonians who are Black and have lived experiences as a member of the African Diaspora. While the Black Lives Matter movement has brought racial inequality, systemic racism, and police brutality/abuse to the forefront of the conversation, Black Trans and non-binary folx are often left out of the conversation, even though they are at the forefront of every major Civil Rights movement, dealing with homophobia, transphobia and misogyny. The Human Rights Campaign reports that, in 2020 alone, more than 36 transgender or non-conforming people have been fatally short or killed by other means, and too often these stories go unreported or in some cases, misreported. This monetary award will enable them to provide deepened support for the Trans and Nonbinary community, specifically around harm reduction and suicide prevention and enable them to start providing many of the needs of Black Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary Portlanders.

How can you help support Black & Beyond the Binary Collective? They are planning a Trans Day of Remembrance Event on November 20. This is an opportunity to connect, create joy, break bread and collectively heal as they highlight those who have been lost to anti-trans violence. They are looking for volunteers for security and specifically look to white allies to redirect other white folks who show up as this event is POC only. Additionally, they have other needs, ranging from a mini-fridge, microwave, full-size refrigerators and a paper shredder. If you are interested in volunteering or donating please contact Babatunde (Ze/hir) at babatunde@bbbcollective.org.

Our greatest asset as an organization is our dedicated, empathetic, and passionate membership. If you wish you help with other outreach efforts from donation drives, group volunteer activities or want to get involved in the Outreach Committee, please contact community@107ist.org. We want to hear from you and connect on ways to help our community near and far. Thank you for supporting the work of these and other organizations.

107IST Board Elections Update

Kristen Gehrke — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 04:14:29 GMT

107IST Board Elections Update

After a thorough review of the organization’s election by-laws and procedures, and consultation with our legal advisors, it has been determined that a formal election will be held as originally planned.

On November 15, from noon to 2 p.m., we will host a virtual forum session for all candidates. This session is moderated, and the questions are sent in by members.
After the virtual forum, all current 107IST members will be able to post questions to candidates in the member forums on the website.
Ballots will be sent out on Sunday, November 29, to all 107IST members who renewed their 2020 membership before October 31.
Voting will take place from November 29 through December 12, and we will announce the results on December 13.
We request that all candidates attend the December 8 107IST board meeting.

Important: You must have been a member of the 107IST by October 31, 2020, to be eligible to run for the board and/or to vote.

Virtual Forum:

More about the candidates can be found here. If you would like to attend the forum please check your email for a link to RSVP. A link to join will be sent out to registrants by 10 a.m., Sunday morning. Questions and comments you would like addressed can be submitted through the link in your email.

If you have any questions about the election process, feel free to email our elections committee at elections@107ist.org.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 05:41:24 GMT

As we discussed in previous posts (original post and our first update), the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

This week, we’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken to Hear from members.

What we’ve accomplished

Member town hall: We held a town hall on September 19, where — instead of board members setting the agenda — the conversation focused on what members brought to the table. The plan is for the board to continue to hold these town halls mid-year, so members can ask questions, raise concerns, and share their ideas face-to-face with the board.
Member survey: We recently sent an updated membership survey to 2019 and 2020 107IST members to better understand who we are as an organization. Results will be shared with membership and with the board, workgroups, and committees.
Board meet-ups: Board members have given stakeholders the opportunity to meet up online and engage in dialogue with individual board members. To date, there have been board meet-ups with Joshua, Dawn, Zach, and Gab; Sheba is next on the schedule in November.

Ongoing

Grievance process: We’re still working on establishing a process to hear from members about past grievances, ensuring that there is a safe space and process for members who wish to address past issues. This may involve contracting with outside experts for assistance, and we are engaging in research on that front.
Neutral ombudsman or listening committee: In addition to addressing past grievances, we are working to determine how best to have ongoing means for members to bring concerns to the board.
Volunteer recognition: We have had volunteer-recognition systems in the past; we are researching ways to establish and implement a volunteer recognition program.

Still to come

Mingle events in the warehouse: This will be revisited once we can gather in larger groups post-COVID restrictions.
Social events or gatherings to help foster a social club environment: We will revisit this once we can gather in larger groups post-COVID restrictions.

107IST elections begin soon!

Jennifer Ingraham — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 21:35:06 GMT

It's election season again! Once you've cast the most important ballot of 2020, consider turning your eyes toward your next ballot: 107IST board of directors.

This year, we're introducing some changes to the election process and board setup. Check it out here.

For elections, we'll have candidates vying for one of four open positions for a three-year term (2021 through 2023).

Applications for candidates will be open from October 28 until 11:59 a.m. on November 11.
We will post the list of candidates and their statements on the website on November 11.
On November 15, from noon to 2, we will host a virtual forum session for all candidates. This session is moderated, and the questions are sent in from members.
After the virtual forum, all current 107IST members will be able to post questions to candidates in the member forums on the website.
Ballots will be sent out on Sunday, November 29, to all 107IST members who renewed their 2020 membership before October 31.
Voting will take place from November 29 through December 12, and we will announce the results on December 13.
We request that all candidates attend the December 8 107IST board meeting.

Important: You must have been a member of the 107IST by October 31, 2020, to be eligible to run for the board and/or to vote.

What are our needs?

As always, we are looking for professional, committed people to join our board. Non-profit experience is a definite need. The main requirement is always people who have a history of committed and reliable work with the 107IST and who can put in the time needed for the board. (The time commitment can vary depending on what members take on, but the average is somewhere between 6 to 10 hours a week.)

We continue to work towards moving away from being a working board to being more strategic, so are definitely looking for organizational development skills, as well as proven project management, leadership, and strategic thinking..

We also absolutely recognize the need for the organization to grow in its work toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities to put their names forward.

As the board continues to evolve and grow, and we continue our capital campaign for a permanent home, it would be great to have people with financial or real estate experience.

To apply to run for election to the 107IST board, go here.

About the board

If you have any questions about the election process, feel free to email our elections committee at elections@107ist.org.

New Donation Drive for Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers

Rachel Greenough — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 15:00:00 GMT

Update: Donation drive is postponed until such a time as we can open up again safely and be in line with the governor's orders to slow the covid spread. Fanladen will be closed at least through the end of the year. If you have items, hang on to them. If you wish to contribute directly to FSSW, we will be publishing an address to send donations via check. Thanks for your support!

New donation drive: Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers

In November and December, we'll be supporting Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers. FSSW has supported low-income workers for nearly forty years, providing material support for self-organized groups of Washington County farmworkers and workers in the Medford. They believe that those of us in the Portland area have a responsibility to help our entire state-wide community, and we're honored to support their mission.

We'll be collecting goods that are especially helpful as Oregon heads into our rainy season:
- New socks and underwear (including kids sizes)
- New and like-new clothing for kids and teenagers (especially teenagers)
- Dried pinto beans
- White rice
- Cooking oil
- Non-perishable snacks for kids: granola bars, Goldfish, etc.

- Dishwashing soap - both regular and for dishwashers

As always, donations can be dropped off in the doorway of Fanladen to maintain social distancing and ensure safety. Please wear a mask. If you are doing grocery pick-up or otherwise shopping in a careful and distant manner, these are easy items to add to your order!

Donation drop-offs are temporarily on hold, at least until January 2021.

Board initiatives update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 06:07:13 GMT

As we discussed in past posts, the board has committed to improvement in five areas of focus this year. We have promised to:

Improve accessibility.
Hear from members.
Communicate more.
Increase accountability.
Evaluate the organization’s structure and activities.

We’d like to share some of the steps we’ve taken in these areas with our members and with the general public.

This week, we’ll look at our successes and our next steps to Improve accessibility.

All 107IST board meetings are now available by video conferencing. While this has been a necessary step during the pandemic, it also has the added benefit of allowing those who do not live close to Portland to attend board meetings. To avoid meeting-bombing, we do not publish the links for the general public, but anyone who wishes to attend a board meeting by video conferencing may do so by signing up at timbersarmy.org. All registered attendees receive a link to the board meeting by email ahead of time.

Ensure that virtual meetings are properly subtitled. When we hold meetings, we do so using Google Meet, with the captioning option, so that attendees can access the conversation through captioning as well as by audio.

Establish protocols and procedures for accessibility. It’s true that the pandemic has meant that we hold meetings online, which allows for captioning. We have established that this is not only a practice to undertake during a pandemic, but have also added procedures and protocols for accessibility to the board handbook for both in-person meetings (ASL interpreters) and for remote meetings (captioning) going forward.

In progress:
We are in the process of adding alt text to our (prodigious) collection of photos to make them accessible to persons with visual impairments or with low or limited vision.

Look for more information about our efforts in the few weeks!

Advice from Australia - Fire Response

Darren Lloyd — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 00:32:32 GMT

The following is a guest piece from Sarah Groube (@groubes), a friend and fellow footy supporter from Australia. She writes to those who are impacted by closing in fires or those dealing with smoke in their homes. I thought we could learn from her experiences during the massive fires in Australia earlier this year. Please continue to monitor evacuation levels and follow advice from local authorities.

In southeast Australia, the fires burned from November 2019 to mid February 2020. It took a flood to put them out. Covid was in the country within weeks.

Given the magnitude of the fires, we had power and cell phone tower failures for hours, days, or weeks at a time during the fires. We’re really not used to living without those services, and rely on them for information.

This was different to anything we had ever experienced. Friends reported evacuating time and time again: back home, out again, back home. Our clothes smelled like a campfire for four months. P2 Masks weren’t available to help with the smoke because there was so much fire, and because China needed them for a pandemic that was taking hold.

This is not official advice, I’m not a Medico or firey, and do not offer these as life saving tips. You should follow the advice of local professionals for that. These are tips that helped us, or that we learned in the aftermath in hindsight. We didn’t lose our property (thanks to a wind change), nor were we in the path of the fire, but we left when ‘watch and act’ warnings came, because we could. We found that when evacuation orders were given, sometimes roads out of the region were already closed and the only options were evacuation centres, so we chose the ‘leave early’ option. We totally appreciate that not everyone has that option. Even if the fire doesn’t impact you directly, it might affect you through smoke and loss of services.

An evacuation warning is more stressful than you think it will be. Prepare a checklist of actions/items to grab so you don’t have to think at the time. We prepared our go-bag and safe at the back end of the fires. It’s fair to say that despite the annual warnings we really weren’t prepared.

Tips

If your home is smoky, wet some towels and hang them around your house. We pegged them to clothes hangers and hung them in doorways. Some say the smoke particles cling to them - I don’t know the science but it helped.
Don’t assume that because you’re ok that people know you’re ok - try to give regular updates to your loved ones. We didn’t hear from close family for nearly a week after the fires burnt through their town. They were totally fine. We were totally beside ourselves. Yes, land lines and mobile phones were down, but Red Cross usually have a comms service of some type - please check yourself in as safe.
Make sure you fill your car with Petrol (gas?). If an evacuation is called you don’t want to be queuing for hours or stuck on empty.
With the power failures, none of the credit card or EFT/POS facilities worked and people couldn’t withdraw cash. So withdraw some cash now.
While you have power, keep your phone charged, and charge your portable phone chargers.
Make sure you have lots of water in containers in case the water supply is affected.
A tip from a guy who was in the Christchurch earthquake and wished he knew this one, so we put it to good use which helped us in our recent floods - Put 1.25 litre bottles of water in your freezer so that when the electricity and water goes out you have freezer blocks to keep your food fresh, then you can drink the water when it defrosts.
Don’t overburden the electricity grid. Turn off non essentials.
Again - plan for comms and electricity to go down. And know that, even at midday, if the fire is nearby, there will be no daylight because the smoke will block the sun. We had some family who were ‘ready’... except they couldn’t find their shoes, torch or cat because it was unexpectedly pitch black at 10 a.m..
Listen to local radio - our community radio station had check ins with people on the ground near fire areas. Official sources take some time to verify info before they can broadcast or update apps, so this direct intel was invaluable.
Reverse park in your driveway so that when you need to leave you can literally drive straight out.
Have multiple plans to leave - roads close and the navigation systems you rely on in normal times won’t keep up with fire and emergency needs.
Have plan A, B and C for an evacuation. The Evac centre you plan to go to might be fire impacted. If you’re in a household, plan together. Communicate what you will do if you get separated.
Great quote I read after many in my family had spent new year in evacuation centres sleeping on hard basketball court floors “Evacuation centres are a life raft not a cruise ship” - take your own bedding, camp mattress, sleeping bag - and food.
If you can’t evacuate in time, make sure you are wearing long natural fibres - wool preferably. A pure wool blanket might be your best friend if confronted by fire. And fully enclosed shoes goes without saying. We had friends who were surrounded by fire on a beach - as well as good clothing and face masks, they had the foresight to grab some swimming goggles which protected their eyes from the smoke.
Don’t be complacent about how quick, and in which direction the fire can move. At the coast the fire came on New Year’s Eve which just didn’t compute with people, and they weren’t listening in to warnings as they were on holiday, and the fire wasn’t ‘expected’ for a few more days.
If/when you donate money, check to see who is on the ground helping. There are some big charities with big fundraising drives but there are some very worthy practical charities on the ground helping people and wildlife.
When grey ash is falling around, it’s a sign the fire is near (enough) and the wind is coming your way. Where we are, the ‘fire brand’ got heavier - burnt bark and sticks - the closer the fire was. No doubt it then feels hot, and then embers, but I don’t know because we left when it was ash.
Apps to download - windy - wind direction and speed is the most important intel and our fires created their own weather, air quality, s**t!ismoke
Pack a Go-Bag and have it in the car or easy to grab. Google it for what to include. Our essentials would be a battery operated radio, woolen clothes, underwear, toiletries, medication, water, torch (flashlight or lantern), phone charger, cash, long life food. Essential documents (in a fireproof safe if possible).
We prepared our go-bag and safe at the back end of the fires. It’s fair to say that despite the annual warnings we really weren’t prepared.

It feels like it will never end, but it will.

Update on the Las Cruces project

107ist Admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 03:45:10 GMT

During 2016, the 107IST embarked on a fundraising project in conjunction with Tanager coffee to help build a soccer field in El Salvador so the families of workers in local coffee fields would have a place to play the beautiful game. As always, our members and supporters were generous, purchasing special-edition scarves and coffee, and raising $20,000 for the project.

Since that time, we have been working with coffee farmer partners in El Salvador to get the project underway, but it has been slow going. In late 2018/early 2019, we received initial drawings and estimates for the project. We communicated with our contacts in El Salvador regularly to see where we stood with breaking ground, but unfortunately made little progress.

In early 2020, the board decided that we couldn’t wait any longer, especially given the pressing needs in our own community at home. We again communicated with our project contacts in El Salvador, explaining that we needed to see some kind of communication or plan by June 1, or we would need to move the funds to other endeavors. The coffee-farm owner we spoke with was understanding and promised to get back to the board promptly. After many weeks, we still had no update, despite repeated attempts.

Therefore, the board voted to move $10,000 of the funds initially allocated for this project to other outreach efforts — particularly those focused on Black Lives Matter and local organizations (particularly those serving the BIPOC community and LGBTQIA+ members) who have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We remain firmly committed to supporting soccer in and around Portland and beyond, from the grassroots to the highest professional level, and we truly appreciate the support from the community for the project. In the interest of transparency, we wanted to share the current status of the project and of the board’s redirection of a portion of the funds raised to meet local community needs.

September drop-off donation drive for JOIN PDX to help individuals experiencing homelessness

Rachel Greenough — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 12:34:47 GMT

This month's drive supports JOIN!

Mission statement: "JOIN exists to support the efforts of individuals and families experiencing homelessness to transition into permanent housing. Our efforts are directed at individuals sleeping outside or in their car in the Portland Metro area. Our service provision is not dependent on age, gender, race, ethnicity, faith, culture, language, sexual identity, specific diagnosis, or identifiable issue."

In addition to their other work, JOIN has recently been involved in the creation of Portland's C3PO camps, which started operating in April to mitigate effects of covid, and prioritize BIPOC, trans, gender non-conforming, and queer individuals who often have a more difficult time in the shelter system.

Many items can be gently used or open, please check the list (below or found at their website) for details:

Cold Weather Items - New or gently used

Socks
Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Tarps
Jackets
Hats
Gloves

Hygiene Items –New or partially used/open

Shampoo – large or small size
Conditioner – large or small size
African American hair care products
Feminine Products
Razors & Shaving Cream Soap (bar and liquid)
Lotion
Deodorant

First Aid Supplies- New or partially used/open

Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Aspirin
Band-Aids
Anti Bacterial Wash
Neosporin
Ace bandages

Basic Service Center Food items

Coffee
Sugar
Creamer
Peanut Butter

Clothing- Gently used or New:

Men’s and women’s functional clothing
Men’s and women’s underwear & bras
Men’s and women’s boots and shoes

Miscellaneous:

Headlamps
Pet Food & Supplies
Trimet Bus Tickets
Fred Meyer/Safeway/Albertsons Gift Cards
Stamps
Bike Locks
Bath Towels
Books & Periodicals
Backpacks
Paper & plastic bags

We do NOT accept: Furniture, Dress clothing and shoes, Toys

Donations can be dropped off at Fanladen during the following hours:

Wednesdays - 6pm to 8pm
Fridays - 3pm to 6pm
Saturdays - 12pm to 3pm
Sundays - 12pm to 3pm

Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder. All donations are accepted at the door to maintain social distancing. This drive will run through September.

JOIN also needs financial donations to purchase additional items. If you wish to make a donation, please visit this link. We know some folks are not currently leaving their homes, or are supporting from afar. A direct financial donation is currently the best way to support this effort.

Thank you for your support and donations!

If you have any questions about this drive, please contact Evan Taylor. If you wish to help out with this or future drives, please contact Rachel Greenough.

School Supplies Donation Drive for Operation Back to School!

Rachel Greenough — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 04:11:11 GMT

Operation Back to School provides fully loaded backpacks of school supplies to students throughout Multnomah and Washington counties. The organization was founded in 2018 in memory of Kim Ellsworth, a long-time teacher in Hillsboro. Operation Back to School works with trusted community partners that provide culturally-specific services to BIPOC students and families. This allows these organizations to self-determine the best way to distribute supplies and provide support to students and families.

This year, Operation Back to School has a goal to provide 2,000 (!!!) backpacks of supplies to students in the area. They need all the supplies they can get. With schools closed, students will depend on their own supplies for school work this year.

All of the below items are needed!

Backpacks
2” Binders
1” Binders
College Rule Paper
Wide Rule Paper
Boxes of regular pencils
Boxes of large pencils
College Rule Notebook
Wide Rule Notebook
Paper Binders
Plastic Binders
Ruler
School Scissors
Giant Glue Stick
Boxes of Pens Black
Boxes of Pens Blue
Dual Head Pencil Sharpener
Large Eraser
Index Cards
Highlighters Box
Box of 24 Crayons
Box of 24 Multicultural Crayons
Large 8 count Crayons
Large 8 Count Multicultural Crayons
Box of Color Pencil
Box of Color Markers
Large Color Markers
Plastic Divider
Pencil Pouch
Primary School Notebooks
Packet of Construction paper

Donations can be dropped off at Fanladen during the following hours:

Wednesdays, 8/12, 8/19, 8/16 - 6pm to 8pm
Fridays, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28 - 3pm to 6pm
Saturdays, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29 - 12pm to 3pm
Sundays, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30 - 12pm to 3pm

Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder.

Operation Back to School also needs financial donations to purchase additional items. If you wish to make a donation, please visit this link.

Thank you for your support and donations!

If you have any questions, please contact rachel@rosecityriveters.org

Buy Your Capo A Pint: The Socially Distanced 2020 Edition

Kristen Gehrke — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 03:38:42 GMT

Posted on behalf of Capo Sunday and the Timbers Army and Riveters CDnT:

While it has been a tumultuous year, you, the membership of the 107ist, with your network of family, friends, and fellow supporters, have stepped up time and time again to donate goods, help out, and send money. Bravo! You are amazing! There is always more to do and more to learn, and you keep doing and keep going. THANK YOU!

We (Capos DnT as a unit) are nothing without you. The lack of seeing all of your faces in PP this season, sharing in the experience as we deal with tension, loss, joy, irritation at the refs, of standing with you in passion and love, well, it has made it an odd and long offseason.

The CDnT are still dedicated to providing support to the youth in our community through our annual tradition of BYCAP*. Our longstanding goal with BYCAP is to provide help to the burgeoning young voices in our neighborhoods, to aid them in learning how to be strong and confident, to provide them with the ability to communicate their needs, dreams, ideas, and opinions. To be able to leverage the power of their voices the way we, the CDnT, do on match days (oh, how we all miss them...le sigh…) and to that end, we are continuing to have our annual BYCAP fundraising event.

We acknowledge that this is an unusual season. We refuse to ignore or minimize the effects of the two pandemics happening all around us - Covid-19 and the long and systemic history of human rights abuses of our BIPOC communities locally, nationally, and globally. This season we are turning tradition on its ear so we can have a stronger, greater positive impact on our local BIPOC youth. We are joining forces of the TA and the Riveters for a single BYCAP event, with a single entity recipient, instead of the traditional tandem team specific BYCAP fundraisers.

100% of funds raised in this online BYCAP will be donated to Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI)**.

SEI is a comprehensive, one-stop resource for youth and families, primarily African Americans and others living in poverty or seeking culturally responsive services. SEI believes that every child has a gift and that is our shared responsibility to help every child find his or her gift.

Please help us surpass prior years fundraising by donating and signal boosting this event.

>>> The 2020 joint BYCAP goal to meet, or surpass, <<<

>>> is $6240 -which is the combined amount <<<

>>> of TA and RCR 2019 BYCAP events. <<<

A donation link will be available on the open access part of the 107ist.org website from August 8th through August 22nd. Make sure you click the BYCAP button.

*Buy Your Capo A Pint [or representational thank you goodie]

**Self Enhancement, Inc. https://www.selfenhancement.org/mission

Post Script -

For those of you who are unfamiliar with BYCAP, it usually happens on or near the last match of the regular season for Timbers and Thorns. As the season would normally be coming to a tense point (or wrapping up) often folks are feeling kind and nostalgic for the events of the season, and many want to “buy us a pint” to say thanks. Thanks for helping to hype the crowd, to keep it on time, to provide eyes and assistance when there is an interloper or and altercation, and generally for us needing to buy tickets to turn our backs to the pitch for a whole season, so the North End can resonate beyond the PP rooftop to roll across the pitch and through the neighborhood. To aid in providing focused passion for our teams. It has been noted that our livers cannot take so much thanks… so instead we have collection buckets out at our stage, nests and drums, and we ask you to donate that ‘pint’ (or soda, water, coffee) money to our fundraiser so we can help others find a voice the way we have one. We get the “thank you” and our community youth get much needed help and support.

Questions for the Front Office? A new tool to ask them!

107ist Admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 01:58:10 GMT

The 107ist is seeking additional member input for topics we discuss with the Timbers and Thorns Front Office. The board meets with the Front Office (FO) the second Tuesday of each month, barring any scheduling issues. Past discussions and topics can be found here or by reaching out to the board via email. We are working to do a better job of communicating the topics in our weekly newsletters after the meeting, too.

During these meetings, both the FO and the board bring topics to the table. The board is generating topics throughout the month, based on committee meetings or what we are seeing other teams or leagues doing (or not doing).

To make it easier to ask questions, we have created a new form form for members to solicit questions or feedback to the FO. This form is exclusive to members and we are asking for your contact information so we can close the communications loop with you.

If you are not a member and have a question for the FO, please email board@107ist.org and we will work to get answers.

The 107ist board & committees are working to better represent our members, non-members, and all PTFC supporters. Your input is important and we hope you share your perspective with us.

Medic Donation Drive

107ist Admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 01:00:00 GMT

Recent BLM marches & protests have been met with violence by local police and federal officers. On June 30th, Portland United Against Hate sent a letter to the Mayor to condemn police brutality and a list of demands for City Council. The 107ist is proud to be a signer on the letter and to be a member of the PUAH coalition.

Our volunteers have also been helping to support PUAH by distributing information during marches and protests about the Report Hate program as well as passing out water, earplugs, and helping medics attending to those injured during the protest. You may have noticed that the No Pity Van has been in different parts of Portland area throughout the marches and protests.

In June, the 107ist ran a Donation Drive to provide medic supplies for Rosehip Medic Collective. Those supplies have been used and there is a large demand for additional supplies so we are asking our members and our community to aid in providing more medic supplies to those helping protesters.

Full list of items needed for the medics at the protests in Portland (listed in order of priority/need):

NeilMed - NasaMist Extra Strength Nasal Mist (Neutralizes CS Gas)
Arm & Hammer - Extra Strength Nasal Mist (Neutralizes CS Gas)
Surgical Masks
Ace Bandages
Instant Cold Packs
Rolled, Pad, & Hemostatic gauze
Medical Tape
Sports Tape
Bottled Water
Butterfly Strips
Flash Lights
Boost Oxygen Natural (Canned Single use 02)
PD101 Gas Masks (for medics)
Leaf Blowers
Goggles & Helmets (For Protesters)
Respirators & Cartridges (For Protesters)
Sugar (Chemical Wipes)
Baby Shampoo (Chemical Wipes)
Citric Acid (Chemical Wipes)
Shop Towels
Individually wrapped, non-perishable snacks

Donations can be dropped off at the Fanladen during the following windows:

Wednesday, 7/29 - 6pm to 8pm
Friday, 7/31 - 3pm to 6pm
Saturday, 8/1 - 12pm to 3pm
Sunday, 8/2 - 12pm to 3pm

Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder.

If you would like to make a monetary donation directly to medics providing support to protesters, please do so via Rosehip Medic Collective.

Please keep in mind that we are also collecting items for the Native American Youth & Family Center during the same windows of time.

NAYA Donation Drive - Final Push!

107ist Admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 17:00:00 GMT

This weekend is the last push for our Donation Drive for the Native American Youth and Family Center. They provide education opportunities and drive community involvement of Native youth and families in the Portland metro area. NAYA’s mission is to enhance the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education.

The 107ist Donation Drive is intended to help them collect items that their programs are low on at the moment. NAYA has a high need for more baby items at the moment, so please focus any shopping efforts on diapers, pull-ups, wipes, and formula.

A full list of the NAYA Donation Drive items is below:

Diapers
Pull-ups
Baby wipes
Baby formula
Cleaning supplies
Disinfecting wipes
Toilet paper
Face masks
Hand sanitizer
Laundry soap
Sponges
Canned goods: salmon, tuna, spam or chicken; soups: tomato, vegetable beef, chicken noodle and broths; chili beans, beef stew; spaghetti sauce, garbanzo beans, green beans, pumpkin and corn; canned milk.
Shelf stable: milk, almond milk, rice milk; peanut butter and almond butter. Boxed mixes for cornbread and biscuits.

Donations can be dropped off at the Fanladen during the following windows:

Wednesday, 7/29 - 6pm to 8pm
Friday, 7/31 - 3pm to 6pm
Saturday, 8/1 - 12pm to 3pm
Sunday, 8/2 - 12pm to 3pm

Fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to NAYA, please go to this link to donate directly to their organization.

30 Day Report Out from the 107ist Board

Gabby Rosas — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 21:55:16 GMT

On June 1, a longtime Timbers Army capo and member of our gameday ops committee, posted a blog about his experience as a Black member of the 107ist and it has put our own systemic, institutional racism front and center for the board of directors. The experience detailed in the blog was not a one-off experience, and the board has been confronted with the hard truth that we have biases and have not been doing nearly enough to be actively anti-racist and radically inclusive. We apologize to our friends and fellow supporters for failing them, leaving them to do the work of pointing out our mistakes and the hurdles that have been in place.

On June 4, the board asked for 30 days to develop a plan to start restructuring and identify steps that will bring us closer to the organization we want to be. We realize we have not centered BIPOC voices in our decision making or created sufficient pathways to participation or leadership.

Since then, several BIPOC members of the 107ist have volunteered to form a committee. Here is an update from the team:

The team has met twice in person to discuss the current issues and introductions.
The team is working on a mission statement and figuring out the structure within the team. Duties have been split amongst the team members.
Currently working on creating a list of action items for the board, no current hard dates for delivery yet.
New volunteer committee members are being onboarded.

Today, July 4, the board is sharing our plans for changing the organization to be better. In the process, we have identified paths toward not only addressing the issues regarding racism and not centering BIPOC voices, but also toward other areas of improvement, including better communication, more transparency, and more inclusivity.

Below are the different areas that the board is working to improve over the next 5 months. We have identified Board Leads for each area so our membership can hold us accountable as well as know who to reach out to if able to help these efforts.

Improve accessibility: Virtual meetings with closed captions; and ASL interpreters for in-person events like the AGM and candidate forum.
- Board leads: Gabby, Jen, Zach
Hear from our membership: Create more opportunities to connect with members, such as meet-and-greets with committee leads and board members; update our member survey; add another annual meeting where members set the agenda; look for fresh ways to welcome newcomers and new volunteers; and evaluate ways to reach out to past volunteers to encourage re-engagement.
- Board leads: Drew, Joshua, Kristen, Sheba, Zach
Communicate more: Give more information and notice about board meeting times and topics; post invites to individual committee meetings as appropriate; evaluate our communication structure and strategy to ensure members are getting the information they need and in a timely manner; and add contact info to weekly emails.
- Board leads: Christin, Dawn, Jen, Gabby, Sheba
Increase accountability: Create accountability measures for the board and communicate them to our members; formalize processes such as blog posts and meeting participation; evaluate committees and their engagement levels; and maintain a running list of follow-up items and responsible board members.
- Board leads: Drew, Gabby, Maggie
Evaluate org structure & activities: Evaluate responsibilities of the board, election process, governance with a specific view to ensuring that underrepresented voices are centered as part of the org; increase partnerships with businesses and organizations that serve marginalized communities; and prioritize process documentation for board and committee activities.
- Board Leads: Christin, Maggie, Zach

In addition to the move forward plan, the board has also done the following over the last 30 days:

Consulted with experts on next steps to center BIPOC voices, including Eric Ward from Western States Center and Zakir Khan from CAIR Oregon
Contracting with Resolutions NW for future mediation services
Connected with Y.O.U.th to develop Implicit Bias training for the board and 107ist members
Board leadership changes to make room for fresh ideas and new voices as we work with the BIPOC team to find a replacement. Ray stepped down from the board and Sheba stepped down as president and Gabby was elected by the board as president for the remainder of 2020.

We want to do this work alongside our members, see an area that you want to be involved in? Email the board members responsible. All emails can be found here. We will also be reaching out for help in various ways over the coming weeks and months.

If you would like to join the BIPOC team, please email the team directly at BIPOC@107ist.org. This email address does not go to the board, but to the members of the BIPOC team.

For more information on any of the items listed above, please email board@107ist.org.

Members have also asked what we, the board, are doing to learn more about systemic racism, how to be an antiracist, and the issues with racism in the United States. Many of us have been spending time reflecting and discussing past and present issues regarding racism and privilege with friends, coworkers, and family. We are looking to bring these changes not only to the 107ist and our work on the board, but to our workplace and other community groups which we belong to. Below is a list of educational material we have been engaged with that focus on re-centering Black experiences and other diverse voices:

Reading: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Eloquent Rage by Brittany Cooper
- A free virtual talk with Ibram X. Kendi, Author of "How to be an Antiracist" on 7/20 at 4pm PT
Podcasts: BSI with Jeremy Ebobisse, NPR’s Code Switch, Scene On Radio: Seeing White - also engaged in a Podcast Club organized and led by The Flock
Movies & documentaries: 13th, When They See Us, Selma, 4 Little Girls, Just Mercy, Becoming, The Hate U Give, LA 92, Let It Fall, Reconstruction

Safe Standing in the North End

Gabby Rosas — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 04:16:33 GMT

General Admission and the North End go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. Like avocado and toast. Like Sinc and Tobin or Diego and Diego.

The North End should stay General Admission. In 2012, the 107ist board wrote down a long list of reasons why it is vital that the Timbers Army sections remain General Admission. Since 2013, the Riveters have also been rooted in the General Admission sections of the North End. When the North End is full to the rafters, our singing makes it easy for the whole stadium to join in.

Please take a few minutes to read the blog post and the comments.

Today the Timbers & Thorns sent out a “July Supporter* Survey” inside the June Gate E newsletter. The Front Office is looking to learn more about Annual Members’ feelings regarding Safe Standing terraces.

The 107ist board recommends that every season ticket holder fill out the survey and use this opportunity to let the Front Office know your interest in Safe Standing, like what is available in 8 other MLS & NWSL stadiums. In each one of these stadiums, the terraces have either been added or built to create a different kind of home field advantage and a unique supporter experience.

The 107ist board also wants to provide some additional context as to why we think the this survey is targeting your preference with regards to Reserved Seating as opposed to adding Safe Standing to the General Admission North End.

While the survey is being presented to inquire about how Annual Members feel about Safe Standing, many of the questions also relate to your future ticketing preferences, which also means ticket pricing. These topics are not new to the 107ist board, as Safe Standing has been discussed with the Front Office since 2013. Their original proposals for terraces called for the North End sections of the lower bowl (100 level) to be converted and then specific sections of the upper bowl (200 level) would become Reserved Seats. The board opposed the loss of General Admission seats. And Reserved Seats also means more expensive tickets. See below for the price breakdown for 2020 season tickets for Thorns and Timbers:

2020 Thorns General Admission season tickets: $150
2020 Thorns Reserve Seat season ticket, lowest price: $215
2020 Timbers General Admission season tickets: $475
2020 Timbers Reserve Seat season ticket, lowest price: $600

The 107ist board has been advocating for Safe Standing in the North End since 2013. Safe Standing should not equal more Reserved tickets as it would make it harder for new fans to experience their first Timbers or Thorns match. We already have issues with scalpers around Providence Park, and this would make General Admission tickets even more valuable on the secondary market. Most importantly, shrinking the number of General Admission sections would severely impact the gameday atmosphere for which Providence Park has become known. Safe Standing should not be an either/or argument. Safe Standing can happen while the North End remains General Admission.

We want Providence Park to have Safe Standing Terraces. But not at the expense of pricing out our current members or new fans. It is as important today as it was in 2012 that the Supporters sections remain General Admission.

*Note: while the survey is listed as a “supporter survey”, the survey was not administered in partnership with the 107ist board.

107IST Awards Second Round of Micro-grants

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 17:00:00 GMT

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust and Community Outreach Committee are pleased to announce the award of an additional $10,435 in micro-grants to community organizations. These funds are being dispersed to 22 organizations who are all working to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on individuals in our local communities. For many people, these organizations represent a lifeline, including access to food, utility payments, housing, technology, healthcare, translation services, job services, or other necessities. They also represent access to experiences like soccer, summer camp, books, and the arts. We are pleased to award this money, and encourage you to amplify our impact by visiting, learning, and sharing information about these organizations. Some organizations are large and established, others are newer to the scene, but all are doing remarkable work.

This second round of grants includes funding for the following organizations: Boise-Eliot/Humboldt PTA, Q Center, Woodlawn Farmers Market, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Camp ELSO, Black Resilience Fund, Portland Community Football Club, Northwest United Women’s Soccer Inc, Harmony Event Medicine, In4All, Girls Inc of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon Food Bank, Hillsboro Farmers’ Markets, and the Portland Chapter of the Alliance of the Guardian Angels. We were also able to provide additional awards to several groups that were partially funded during the first round of funding: Y.O.U.th (Youth Organized and United to help), Write Around Portland, Rosehip Medic Collective, JOIN PDX, Friendly House, Equitable Giving Circle, Howard’s Heart, and Grow Portland.

We encourage everyone to check out the fantastic work being done by these groups. If you have time or resources to donate, many of them have asked specifically for volunteers, dollars, and in-kind donations. You can find those needs on our community giving pages: timbersarmy.org/org-needs and rosecityriveters.org/caring. These sites will continue to be updated if we receive additional requests.

As we all know, our greatest asset as an organization is our dedicated and caring membership. If you wish to help with outreach efforts such as donation drives or group volunteer opportunities, please contact rachel@rosecityriveters.org. We’d love to hear your ideas or connect you with ways to help. Thank you for supporting this work.

List of BLM resources

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 21:05:19 GMT

The following is post from Todd Diskin.

The list of BLM Resources started with a callout from Nando on Twitter a little more than a week ago. I’d been helping create resource lists for my job at Hands On Greater Portland and with a similar list of anti-racism resources from members of the Rose City Riveters, so I offered to help out.

The resources list is organized with information about how to support the protests in Portland at the top. Next are organizations you can connect with, other ways you can help, and then, finally, a long list of ways you can educate yourself. It’s organized this way to emphasize the importance of direct action as a means to advocate for change.

Now that we are in our third week of protest marches in Portland, the results of taking to the streets have significantly shifted the conversation at City Hall and the state capitol. Our community is making itself heard in response to the calls from Black leaders for justice and changes to policing in Portland. White folx need to keep supporting this movement, keep showing up, and be led by Black organizers.

The BLM resource list also includes many ways to support organizations who have been doing the work in the Black community, as well as ways you can spread some cheddar around to help out Black-owned businesses, community farms, and other groups.

Finally, we have a number of ways for you to get educated: reading lists, podcasts, training, and even more lists of resources are at your disposal to help you learn. Start where you feel comfortable and push yourself to get uncomfortable. Build your knowledge. Then ... do something.

This is “the start of a list” because information is fluid and dynamic. It began with what a small group of us have collected. We welcome and need your feedback, additions, and edits to help broaden how we can take action. You’ll find a link at the top of the document to follow to provide any new resources, edits, or input.

I’m grateful to those who’ve contributed so far; I’m inspired daily by the outpouring of support. We have a long way to go, but the daily work adds up.

Keep it up, Rose City.

Thank you for volunteering!

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 19:28:42 GMT

The following is a post from Rachael Travis.

We’ve all seen it … someone has an idea on Twitter. No, really! A good idea. An “Oh, dammmmmnnn. Why didn’t I think of that?!” kind of idea.

There’s a kind of cycle that happens: An idea is thrown out there, people get really excited, we all brainstorm in an abstract way, someone @’s a board member, and then … “That’s a great idea! Thank you for volunteering.” I used to think those seven words were a metaphorical door slammed in the face of ideas. Boy howdy, was I wrong.

Earlier this year, Dawn had the amazing idea that there should be some kind of Riveters’ version of the front office’s Axe photos. She articulated that she didn’t have the capacity to be the task manager behind the project, so I jumped in and, before I knew it, Rose Poses happened. I’m being a little hyperbolic, but this project that I thought would take months to plan took mere weeks with a lot of support.

Roses Poses wasn’t the first 107IST-supported event I helped organize. In 2018, I came to the board to pitch the idea of bystander intervention training — and I came prepared. I had multiple options for what a training could look like, I had researched different groups from around Portland that could lead them, and I also a fundraising plan. I was ready to come in and have to do all of the heavy lifting. I wish I had footage of my face when the board told me that they would be fully funding the trainings and that they already had a space in mind. Having an idea, especially one so deeply personal and rooted in pain, be supported and encouraged is a rare gift.

Having had the bystander intervention training experience in my pocket, you’d think I would’ve remembered that 107IST members almost never have to reinvent the wheel. But repetition is the key to learning, and apparently, I needed another event-planning experience to truly learn about all the resources this organization makes available to us.

Back to Rose Poses …

When I agreed to take on the project, I truly thought I’d be on my own: I’d be setting up a black sheet in my garage and taking everyone’s picture by myself, while hoping people wouldn’t mind hanging out in my yard for hours. Instead, I put out an ask on Twitter for some volunteers to help plan and run the event. All of a sudden, I had a team to help.

Then, while we were trying to figure out where to hold the photoshoot, Gabby reached out and let us know we could use the Fanladen. That’s when I learned that members can ask and reserve that space — because it is our space. Y’all might already know that, but my mind was blown. Through the 107IST network, we found a few great photographers who volunteered their time and talents, even a couple backup photographers when Covid changed our original plan. It felt like magic when snacks, a professional lighting setup, and a background showed up. Of course it isn’t magic — it’s the support and resources of this community.

107IST is a member-driven community, not a board-driven one. Without us, this doesn’t exist. I want to acknowledge that I am speaking from a place of white privilege, so when I say “Oh, just pitch an idea, and it’ll come together!” I know that my experience is not universal, and that not all ideas are embraced and supported as enthusiastically as mine have been. Three months ago, when I was originally planning this post, I wanted to share the privilege of my experience planning events, something that feels even more important now than it did then. I imagined a laundry list of all the resources hidden in the Fanladen (did you know we have a button-maker?!), instead I want to uplift the truly endless resource that is a community with endless expertise and passions.

The board probably can’t write a blank check for a passion project, but when you hear “that’s a great idea! Thanks for volunteering.” I hope you hear what it really means “That’s a great idea! Thank you for volunteering. Please let us know how we can support you!”

If you have an idea you want to pitch to the board, email contactus@107ist.org. If you aren’t sure where to start, my DMs are open (@rachael_with2as)

I didn’t know how to do any of this until I tried. I want to support you while you try.

Raffle for Urban League of Portland

Jennifer Ingraham — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 16:51:37 GMT

A long-time Timbers Army member has donated a first edition No Pity Scarf, which we are raffling off to benefit Urban League of Portland.

Here’s how to enter:

From now until 5 p.m. (Pacific) on June 19, donate $10 (or more) to the Urban League of Portland.
Send a screenshot of your donation to npohelp@timbersarmy.org.
Each $10 donation gets you a raffle entry. (For example, if you donate $100, you have 10 entries.)

We would like to thank Todd Diskin for his generous donation. Todd and his family will be doing the raffle live on June 19. We’ll post details on our social media channels soon so you can follow along.

Good luck!

We fucked up

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 16:46:05 GMT

We failed to listen to and incorporate the views and needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who identify as Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters. We ignored opportunities to listen to our community about concerns that are vital to them — not just this time, but many times.

We failed our community, and we commit to dismantling structures that keep BIPOC not only from speaking, but also from being heard.

Effective immediately, we will:

Make space: Establish open sessions for our BIPOC community to express concerns and offer perspective to the board, and develop an ongoing process for members to have their grievances heard and addressed.
Actively listen: Create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee to ensure that BIPOC are represented in leadership.
Educate ourselves and improve: Hire experts to understand how to adapt to be a truly inclusive space for the community. Evaluate the 107IST organizational structure and change processes that silence the voices of marginalized communities.

We will get back to you within the next 30 days with a more structured plan. We are getting to work.

The 107IST board of directors

Sheba Rawson, President	Gab Rosas
Ray Terrill, Vice President	Joshua Lucas
Jennifer Ingraham, Secretary	Kristen Gehrke
Dawn Bauman, Treasurer	Maggie Williams
Christin Correz	Zachary Freeman
Drew Picard

Now Is The Time

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 00:04:38 GMT

The Rose City Riveters, Timbers Army, and the 107IST are anti-racist.

We strongly oppose the systems of racism and injustice that have caused so many black deaths in our country and our communities. We continue to mourn the loss of black lives at the hands of police and others.

During this time of remarkable loss and fear, we recognize the hardship faced by people of color at all times. We encourage everyone to take action and speak up about what is happening in our communities. Listen to the voices of those who have lived this reality for their whole lives, and amplify them. Now is not the time for silence, and we are never silent.

The NWSL Supporters Code of Conduct states that “We will not tolerate hateful or discriminatory words or actions based on race, gender identity, sexuality, citizenship status or nationality, age, appearance, disability, religious or cultural identity.” The new MLS Supporters Code of Conduct includes similar language. These are statements of our values, both within our stadium and in our community.

Now is the time to take action on those values in support of black lives. In the coming days, we will be providing information and directing Riveters and Timbers Army to ways they can help, both in Portland and nationally.

Please stay safe, be well, and speak up.

#BlackLivesMatter #BAONPDX #RCTID

Donate some masks and maybe win some swag

Jennifer Ingraham — Fri, 29 May 2020 23:00:15 GMT

It started simply enough in mid-April: Organizations locally and around the country were begging for masks for their essential workers. Many folks were spending their time and money to sew as many as they could, but the demand was far greater than the thousands of crafters could meet. How can we as an organization help locally?, we asked. So we launched Project Face Masks. We were a bit reluctant at first: Could we really sell 1,000 masks? The response, however, blew our expectations completely out of the water.

We sold that initial 1,000 masks in two hours — and 3,000 in 12 hours. The response was so incredible and the demand so great that we opened up another order … and then another.

As of this writing, we have:

Donated 8,520 masks among 34 community organizations
(Read a wonderful post by one of our recipients here.)
Sold a total of 13,840 masks

Those orders came from 43 states and D.C., totaling 1,277 participants (76 percent of whom are 107IST members).

We still have organizations who are hoping for masks, though. So, we're making things even more enticing! From now through 9 p.m. (Pacific) on Sunday, May 31:

Donate a set of masks, and the 107IST will match the donation (up to 250). That’s right: For every set of 5 or 8 that you donate, we’ll double it. Order here.
Join or renew your membership, and we will donate five masks (unlimited).
AND here’s the kicker: Each person who donates masks, either through purchase or membership, will be entered into a raffle to win:
- One pair of signed cleat from Rachel Buehler Van Hollebeke
- One of three, signed Valeri bobbleheads
- One of two, signed photobomb cutouts of Valeri
- One of three, signed pictures of Chara, Clark, or Valeri
- One of three, Timbers team-signed soccer balls

Yes, multiple purchases and guest registrations get you multiple entries.

This project has been an immense success, and we thank all of you for your support!

A statement from the 107IST on MLS and NWSL proposed return to play

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 27 May 2020 18:42:26 GMT

As we try to come to grips with the realities of the current situation, we see many organizations attempting to find a way to return to some semblance of normalcy.

While we’re hopeful for the return of sport as fans, our concern lies squarely with the health and safety of players, coaches, support staff, and the community at large. We continue to have reservations that a return to play happening too quickly risks too much.

We await the day when we can safely support our squads in person. Until then, we wish everyone good health.

107IST Provides $10,000 in Mini-Grants to Local Community Organizations

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Tue, 26 May 2020 17:49:56 GMT

[Portland, OR: May 26, 2020] The 107 Independent Supporters Trust board of directors, the nonprofit engine behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, is pleased to announce the award of $10,000 in mini-grants to 20 locally based community organizations, in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis.

To mitigate the impact that the pandemic has had on so many in the Portland community, the 107IST board announced in April a revised budget for 2020 that allocated $20,000 for grants to community partners. This money is a combination of a reduction of expenses, a reallocation of current funds, and a redirection of other donations.

The first round of mini-grants were awarded this week to the following organizations: Equitable Giving Circle; Friendly House; Howard’s Heart; Gather:Make:Shelter; Grow Portland; JOIN; Latino Network; The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center; Oregon Worker Relief Fund, Causa Oregon; p:ear; Parkrose High School; Portland Action Medics; Rose Haven CIC; Rosehip Medic Collective; The Rosewood Initiative; Urban League of Portland; Voz Workers’ Rights Project; William Temple House; Write Around Portland; and Y.O.U.T.H.

“This process has shown us how much need exists in our community at this time and the incredible array of organizations stepping in to fill that void,” said Rachel Greenough, 107IST community outreach committee member and mini-grant subcommittee lead. “Many of these organizations are absolutely vital, trusted sources of information, food, or other resources for the communities they serve. It is an absolute honor for us to stand with these organizations and support their work.”

For more information about the mini-grants, please contact Rachel at rachel@rosecityriveters.org. Grant applications are available here.

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST) is a member-based non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that is open to anyone who loves soccer, the Timbers/Thorns, and Portland. Its mission is to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. For more information, visit www.timbersarmy.org.

Community outreach in the time of pandemic

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 20 May 2020 23:51:10 GMT

The following is a post from Rachel Greenough, Community Outreach committee member.

This past Saturday, May 16th, would have been a home game for the Thorns against the newly rebranded OL Reign. I can just imagine the tifo that might have gone up that day. How many choruses of build a bonfire we would sing. Fanladen would have been open, and we were planning to collect match day donations for Grow Portland, a great organization that plants school gardens and does a ton of work with food resources and gardening in our communities. I can almost feel what it’s like to be in the stands for a game such as this.

As Sheba and Gab have recently written, in much more eloquent words than my own, we miss that stadium and all of you — but the attention of the Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army are currently focused elsewhere. The “town” of “team, town, and TA/Riveters” is currently where our focus lies.

A few weeks ago, I started reaching out to organizations to help gather information for mask distribution and grant applications. Every organization I reached was in need. Every individual spoke of the increasing needs in our community: how many more meals they’re serving, how hard it is to find shelter beds for women who need them, and how some populations are being left out of the resources offered by our city, state, and country. They all spoke of the importance of donations and support from the community.

When we talk about community outreach from the 107IST, a frequent question is, “What can we offer?” Thanks to the generosity of our members, and the success of our merch teams, we can often support organizations with money or material donations. The biggest asset we possess, however, is our membership — a whole lot of people who care about the well-being of others in our community and are willing to help out when they can.

You. You are the most valuable part of the 107IST.

We are all in different spots right now. If you need help, we hope you will reach out to us via email or social media. We might be able to find help. If you are in a position to help others, we are here to facilitate that. When I reach out to organizations about masks or grants, I am also asking them what else they need. Do they need volunteers? How will those volunteers be kept safe? Do they need items? Do they have an online wishlist of vital needs? Do they need money to continue doing what they do in the community? The answer is yes.

We have added pages to the 107IST and Riveters websites to list these needs and spread the word. As needs come in, we will post them on these pages. The idea is that this is a place you can go if you have time, money, or other donations to offer. All of these organizations are doing great work. They all need help. May would have been a big month for both teams: two home games for Timbers, four for the Thorns, rivalry games for both teams ... Maybe some of those beer, cider, parking, transportation, or pizza dollars can go to one of these organizations.

Thank you for joining us and doing what you can.

107IST Provides Mini-Grants to Community Organizations

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 14 May 2020 04:42:44 GMT

Like much of the rest of the world, since the advent of COVID-19 worldwide, everything at Providence Park and the surrounding neighborhood seems frozen in time. The pitch remains clear and pristine, the turf remaining upright and untrodden for months. The voices and drums of supporters are silent. The stands are empty. The tifo rigging remains untouched since early March. Painting in the warehouse has ceased, and places we haunt for our pre-and post-game rituals are mostly shuttered. When you’re a footy supporter in the midst of a pandemic, what is your role? What are you to do when the game has ceased for the moment?

At this moment of navigating uncharted waters together, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust has turned our focus to the “town” part of the “team, town, Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters” part of our mission. We may not be able to show our support in the stands, but we are working to support our communities:

This past month, supporters have given their time and their volunteer efforts to supply cloth face masks to community members in need — and more opportunities to provide this support are starting this week.

In April, the 107IST board also announced a revised budget for 2020 that allocated $20,000 for grants for community partners. This money is a combination of saving on expenses, a reallocation of our current funds, and a redirection of other donations. We are happy to report that we are currently accepting applications, and we expect to begin awarding grants shortly after receiving applications.

Who is eligible?

Applying organizations should be based in or around the greater Portland metro area, and money must be managed and spent locally.

Applying organizations must be established with the goal or mission to serve communities in the Greater Portland area. Examples of services provided include, but are not limited to, those addressing hunger, houselessness, domestic violence, and education; and serving populations such as houseless persons, undocumented persons, native populations, LGBTQIA, and other underserved communities.

Priority will be given to organizations that serve populations that are more likely to be neglected by other forms of subsidies, such as loan programs, unemployment support, and government stimulus monies.

How much will each successful organization be awarded?

Individual grants have no minimum amount. The maximum awarded will be $1,000 per grant.

How much will be awarded altogether?

At this time, a maximum of $20,000 is the total amount of the budget that the board of directors agreed was a cost we could incur and still remain fiscally responsible stewards of member dollars.

How do organizations apply?

Grant applications are available here. For more information, or for questions about how the grant is administered, drop us a line.

Face masks update

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 14 May 2020 04:20:53 GMT

Hello, all! We wanted to provide an update about the Face Mask Project we started on April 12. As of this writing, we are donating 7,200 masks and sold 4,500 masks for a total of 11,700 masks to help supplement other supply chain efforts.

Since the masks started to arrive from Poland last week, we have distributed more than 1,600 masks to eleven local organizations or groups in need:

South Lane Fire (Cottage Grove, OR): This was in support of the Make Masks project, helping to reduce their requests.
El Programa Hispano (Estacada, OR): This was in support of the Make Masks project, helping to reduce their requests.
Meals on Wheels: 107IST member request & partner organization
Aloha Community Library: 107IST member request
Mooberry Elementary: 107IST member request
Woodburn Elementary schools: 107IST member request
Join PDX: 107IST partner organization
Providence Sports Care Center: 107IST member request
Family Solutions: 107IST member request
SnowCap: Asked for assistance
The Alliance of Guardian Angels: Asked for assistance

Family Solutions picking up their masks

More than 5,000 masks are arriving this week and next. We are hopeful to be able to get all of the masks we ordered from the first two batches in a very timely manner because we know there is a severe need in our community. We are in contact with each organization that has been suggested to us to ensure that we understand their needs and whether they can come pick up the masks or we need to deliver them to their office.

But we are also hearing about how the demand for masks is much greater than our initial effort, which is why we have started taking orders for our third batch of face masks! This event will remain open for the next couple of weeks, but we have already placed an order for 2,000 masks, with 1,500 earmarked for donation. Our hope is that this third batch will arrive in Portland the second week of June to help get masks to folks as soon as possible. We have, however, experienced some delays with supplies, customs, and shipping schedules during the pandemic. We will communicate to participants as we learn more about the anticipated dates.

Please consider supporting this project even if you personally have enough face masks. We have heard from many organizations that there is a lot of concern and worry about how to help those most vulnerable at this time — be it the elderly, houseless neighbors, low-income families with young children, immigrants and refugees ... the list goes on. We want to do what we can to help our partner organizations provide face masks to the people they assist, as well as their own staff and volunteers.

Right now, we cannot quantify the demand for face masks. As you saw with the list of organizations above, most of these masks were supplied because our membership saw a need and reached out. Now we are ready to reach out to local organizations to officially ask them what they need.

You may have already read about the new mini-grants we’re offering. In addition to applying for the mini-grant, we are asking applicants if they have mask needs. We are hopeful to be able to supply them with face masks — but we need your support.

To order, please visit the event registration. You’ll see some differences this time:

First, there is a bit of a price increase from April. This is because of an increased price for supplies and because we were part of the initial learning for our production house, Euroscarves. Since the first couple of runs, they have been able to have a better sense of the cost of production, and these new prices reflect that. As with the first two batches of masks, the 107IST is selling these masks at cost.

So, we're now offering two different price points or options:
You can buy and donate 107IST-branded masks or blank masks. For both branded and blank masks, there are five options:

Give 5
Buy 5, Give 5 (shipped)
Buy 5, Give 5 (pick up)
Buy 2, Give 8 (shipped)
Buy 2, Give 8 (pick up)

If you would like to add multiples of your order, enter a number in the guest registration. If you would like to order different sets (such as Give 5 + Buy 2, Give 8), you will need to place separate orders.

If you are having technical difficulties with registration, please email us! We’re happy to help.

Finally, to those who have already participated in this project, a very big thank you!! Without your awareness and willingness to help the community, this project would not be as successful as it has been. We are hopeful that this effort will continue to grow!

To give a quick breakdown of who participated in this project to date:

1,113 people in 29 states have helped fund this project.
765 107IST members participated, which is more than 70 percent of the orders!

Supporting our communities

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 00:06:20 GMT

The following is statement from the 107IST board.

During this unprecedented time, many of us have seen our lives — and the lives of those we care about — markedly impacted. Like many other nonprofits, the 107IST organization has felt a substantial impact as well. Nevertheless, our organization continues to think of ways we can support others in our community.

As you've seen, the 107IST recently launched an effort to manufacture masks for our members and the community. This has been wildly successful, resulting in more than 4,700 masks for donation as of this post.

But there's more we can do.

Last night, the 107IST board approved a budget that will allocate $20,000 for grants for our community partners, with the ability to grant additional money should the financial situation improve. This money is a combination of saving on expenses, a reallocation of our current funds, and a redirection of other donations.

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more information, as well as how you can help.

We’re all in this together. Team. Town. Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters.

Taking care of each other

Jennifer Ingraham — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 03:18:46 GMT

As we end the third week of the stay-at-home orders from Oregon’s Governor, many grassroots activities have started up to help our community during these challenging times. Be it an attempt to get additional resources for the Oregon Food Bank or Meals on Wheels, or schools and businesses raiding their own N95 face mask and glove supplies for front-line healthcare workers, Oregonians have come together to help each other prepare and respond to this pandemic as best we can.

There has also been an increasing need for face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Professional-grade equipment is required for healthcare workers and first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers. This equipment is professionally made to a certain medical standard. This is the equipment — such as N95 masks, face shields, and other equipment — you see hospital workers using.

We should also be wearing our own face masks when in public. The CDC has recommended cotton face coverings and social distancing whenever someone is out and about — be it exercising or getting essentials at the market. There are many ways to make your own face mask, and the CDC has compiled a list of ways to make different masks.

There are also groups that are organizing mask-makers to help meet the growing demand from various organizations for these face masks. One group, Make Masks, was featured in our latest member newsletter. To date, they have coordinated the creation of more 16,000 masks. If you can get involved with them (can sew or can make a donation), please see their website.

In an effort to help the supply chain for personal cotton masks, and to support the efforts to get more cotton personal face masks to our community, the 107ist board has purchased one thousand, 100 percent cotton face masks, which we plan to donate to local organizations that need these items. One of our scarf producers, Euroscarves, has recently adjusted their operation to make cotton face masks, and we are proud to purchase from them.

The 107ist is asking our membership to fund this donation through a buy one, give one model. In addition to the one thousand masks for the community, we have also ordered an additional thousand for our members to be able to purchase for personal use. While buying face masks for yourself and household, you will be paying forward the donation to our local organizations.

We are offering this through a few different options: You can buy 5 facemasks and donate 5, buy 2 and donate 8, or just donate 5. If you have the means to support this effort, please see the event on our website to order. We expect to be able to start shipping the orders from batch #1 in 2 to 3 weeks, and orders from batch #2 in 3 to 4 weeks.

All of the masks are being sold at cost for both production & shipping, this is not a fundraiser.

Important notes:

100 percent cotton face masks will not protect you from getting the COVID-19 virus. These masks are intended to help you protect others by covering your nose and mouth at all times while in public. The CDC, as well as Oregon’s Health Authority, continue to advocate for social distancing when in public, in addition to wearing personal face masks.
Please do not consider these face masks a solution for social distancing. These are not medical-grade masks.
While these are not single-use masks, it is recommended that you wash the mask after each use. Please wash with soap and water and let air dry before you use the mask again.

Announcement from the 107 Independent Supporters Trust

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 18:39:43 GMT

In alignment with the advice of the Oregon governor and other organizations in our community, we are suspending all in-person 107IST gatherings until further notice. This includes the upcoming bystander intervention workshops, committee or other meetings, office hours, and any other organized activities. We will be rescheduling workshops and other events as more information comes available.

Please stay safe, and we hope to see you in four weeks!

The 107 Report

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 23:42:04 GMT

Relive those early day of USL, NASL, Timbers Army, and more with the hot new podcast, The 107 Report, brought to you by Obi and friends.

The first two episodes are out now, ready for your listening pleasure!

#KnowYourHistory
#RCTID

https://www.buzzsprout.com/864310

Deep Roots Can Survive a Fire

Stephan Lewis — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 01:13:28 GMT

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust is as strong as we are because of you, our members. More than just forking over dues and buying merch (both great, BTW, don’t stop), our members carry our mission and our ethos with them wherever they may go. You’re the eyes on the street and the boots on the ground. With this, one of our members brought something to our attention that our collective can have a strong impact on.

Last month there was a fire at Timber-Linn Park in Albany. Several structures at the park were destroyed, including the storage shed for the Mid-Willamette Valley chapter of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). We’ve had the opportunity now to meet with them and figure out how we might be able to help.

AYSO Region 870 has grown since 1992, now running their programs in Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home, Tangent, Halsey, Jefferson, Scio, Turner, and Brownsville, and are planning growth into the Silverton area. With the embrace of the principles that everyone has a chance to play, positive coaching, good sportsmanship, player development, open registration, and balanced teams, Region 870 is completely volunteer-run and already has a system similar to GCSF in place funded through their community.

While they’ve received in-kind donations of much of the replacement equipment they need, they could use our help closing the gap in their fundraising. So far, we’ve been able to hook them up with pinnies, boots, and shin guards from our cache of equipment that flows through the 107ist for these types of occasions. They’re now good on size 5s, but will need the smaller sizes sooner than later. Once we get our overall budgets in order, we’re hoping to close the gap for them through some additional fundraising as their end goal is close to $10,000 to replace what was lost. On a side note, they’ll be coordinating with OPI to see how they can grow similar efforts in their region.

The soccer universe works in strange ways at times. Not only has this led to us building stronger relationships in the Mid-Valley, as you know, we are all greatly saddened by the recent passing of Jimmy Conway. Jimmy's work growing the game in Oregon was integrally linked to by the reps we met as they could draw a direct line form his efforts to their's and is a reminder of how many lives he's touched.

Aiding in the services celebrating his love of the beautiful game, we combed our archives for materials that represented his work in our community to be a part of the service. One of the things we came across was a box with a full set of Jimmy Conway shirts in all sizes from our 2016 Walk to End Alzheimer’s team. We’ll be selling them at the No Pity Van on Sunday, with proceeds going to the above effort. The supply is limited with just 69 in total (nice, right?), so check ‘em out when you hit up the Van.

What better way to Spread the Love and celebrate Jimmy’s life and contributions than to once again support youth soccer in Oregon?

And if you’re able, check out AYSO Region 870's fundraising page and throw some duckets their way.

A Legend is dead. Long live the Legend. Pints Up!

The 2020 Flannel Cup

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 01:16:02 GMT

The following is a post by Joel Vos.

Traveling support is something the Timbers Army takes pride in — and, many times, there are 107IST members across the country who help make the experience go smoothly and be a hell of a lot of fun. In some rare cases, it’s the Portland supporters at home who made a connection with another team’s supporters. The North Star Casuals, the Minneapolis/St. Paul-based regional supporters of the 107IST, have been fortunate to find the same type of friendly reception from their counterparts at the Wonderwall from Minnesota United.

To keep the pseudo-rivalry going beyond our teams on the pitch each season, the Wonderwall and the North Star Casuals have collaborated again for the second annual Flannel Cup supporters match. As a casual, fun, and light-hearted way to share our love of the sport and find creative ways to socialize and welcome opposing supporters, this year’s Cup is going to be a two-leg, hardware-at-stake set of matches. How on earth did it come to this?

The rivalry between Portland and the Twin Cities can take many forms for supporters. Despite on and off battles for “best bike-friendly city,” and fights over the most delicious and creative microbreweries, the two cities share a love of the outdoors, flannel-clad people felling trees — and a passion for soccer. With match-day animosity put aside for a few hours, the supporters for each team enjoy quite a friendly history, including joint prematch meet-ups and a few kindly, “I guess I’ll cheer for you when we don’t play each other” pleasantries.

Back in 2017, the MLS-fresh Minnesota United happened to end up with a trip to our very own Providence Park for that season’s home opener. Dating back to the 1970s, Minnesota and Portland soccer teams have had a long history of battling it out, and we'll have another round of cracking a season open in a few short days.

The Flannel Cup, designed and made by Ali Vos in 2019; courtesy of Joel Vos

The Flannel Cup, however, is a rather new tradition between us. Looking back to 2017, when a new team in the league came to Portland for a 5-1 shellacking, we saw a few great collaborations between the supporters ahead of the league debut of the Loons: a split scarf and a session of open play at Rose City Futsal.

2017 Timbers Army/Dark Clouds split scarf, via Scarfage.com

Inter-supporter match at Rose City Futsal in 2017; courtesy of Timbers Army FC Twitter

With the Timbers Army playing host to a handful of traveling Minnesota supporters in 2017, a few were lucky enough to meet Diego Valeri, who dropped by to visit with IRCO players during their practice. The casual, fun atmosphere of the game helped cement an ongoing friendly relationship with the Timbers Army and what is now the Wonderwall from Minnesota.

Fast-forward to the following 2018 season: Timbers supporter Nate Zell worked to gather supporters together for another match in Minnesota. A small group played an early friendly at La Doña Cervecería’s outdoor court in Minneapolis ahead of the Thorns’ NWSL Championship appearance, and the later MLS match. That 3v3 match planted a seed for a great idea.

In 2019 the North Star Casuals found its ranks growing, and worked hard to set up another away weekend experience. In coordination with Minnesota’s True North Elite, supporters joined in on a hot and sunny August afternoon for another 3v3 match at La Doña Cervecería. A solid mix of athletic wear, turf shoes, jeans, and even a pair of work boots made the rotation onto the field in front of a loving barrage of heckling from the gathered Minnesota supporters.

The first half was a sweat-drenched slugfest, but, in the end, a second half surge from the Timbers Army put the game away for a final score of 24 to the Wonderwall’s 16. The first annual Flannel Cup was ours! Moments after the match, plans were already rolling to make it all happen again in 2020.

Timbers Army and Wonderwall pose after the first annual Flannel Cup, courtesy of Ali Vos

Supporting our team can take many forms, and the 107IST gives us all an opportunity to join together and do amazing things in our communities and with each other. The North Star Casuals take pride in our efforts to support the Timbers when they come to town and be an excellent host for our Timbers Army family for away days. Joining in the new tradition of the Flannel Cup gives us the opportunity to spread some love to the visitors from the land of the flannel-clad lumberjack Paul Bunyan and share the welcome the True North Elite and Wonderwall provide when the Timbers Army are comin’ down the road.

This year, we're taking the Flannel Cup to a two-leg affair, with the first leg hosted at Rose City Futsal on Saturday, February 29, at 8:00 p.m. (PT). Anyone is welcome to attend the match — and if you’d like to play, you can!

Leg two will be hosted on Memorial Day weekend. If you’re coming to Minnesota and want to play, contact the North Star Casuals via:
Email
Twitter
Facebook

Written by Joel Vos. A native of Minnesota who transplanted to Portland in the mid-2000s, he is one of a small handful of founding members of the North Star Casuals, the Minneapolis/St. Paul regional supporters group under the 107IST.

Former Timbers Captain and TA Favorite Jimmy Conway Dies at age 73

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 21:08:23 GMT

by Mick Hoban, long time friend and teammate of Jimmy Conway

Jimmy Conway, a legendary former captain and assistant coach for the Timbers in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s, passed away on Friday, February 14 in Portland. He was 73 and for a decade had suffered from trauma-induced dementia.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, on August 10, 1946, Jimmy came up through the famed Stella Maris FC, an academy-like training club for players of ages 5-18, which has produced 24 full international team members. At 18, Jimmy signed his first senior contract with Bohemian FC, Ireland's oldest existing football club and member of the League of Ireland's first division. In his first season with the Gypsies, he helped guide the team to a strong second place finish. After another year with the all-amateur Bohemian FC, he was signed by Fulham FC and he spent the next 10 years as one of the premier midfielder/wingers in English football. While with the Cottagers, Jimmy earned the first call-up as an international for the Republic of Ireland; he would put on the green jersey a total of 20 times for friendlies and Cup qualifiers scoring three goals.

After two seasons with Manchester City, Jimmy joined the Timbers for the 1978 NASL season under new manager Don Megson. After advancing to the Soccer Bowl in the inaugural 1975 season, Portland struggled on the field, missing the playoffs in both 1976 and 1977. Megson called on Jimmy to provide stability in the midfield and relied on Conway to improve the build-up on attack through his accurate passing. Jimmy's composure on the field and the respect he got from teammates made him the perfect choice as captain, too, and he became an immediate fan favorite. Jimmy's addition to the starting 11 paid off with a the team achieving a 20-10 record in 1978, advancing to the third round of playoff games before falling to the mighty New York Cosmos.

Jimmy played two more seasons for Portland before retiring as an active player, playing 433 career games in his career without a single caution or ejection. He would serve as an on-field assistant coach for Portland in 1980, and would finish his playing career with the Timbers for their 1980 indoor season. He returned to the club as an Assistant Coach with the USL Timbers from 2001-2005.

After his playing career Jimmy joined the Oregon Youth Soccer Association in 1981 where he became Director of Coaching. He held that job for 28 years. His coaching programs reached more than 24,000 youth players and guided some 1,100 adults to USSF coaching certification. Along the way, he also collected his “A” coaching badge from USSF and was added to the national coaching staff.

Jimmy's high energy level and love for the game saw him also become head men's coach at both Pacific University (1983-87) and Oregon State (1988-1998), where he holds numerous program records at both schools two decades after retiring from day-to-day coaching. Eventually, he made his was back to the Timbers as an assistant during the club's A-League/USL period.

Conway was diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia in 2009. When his medical diagnosis was determined, former Timbers teammate Mick Hoban, his wife Linda, the Conway family and a group of volunteers, spearheaded a series of events in 2010 including a testimonial dinner at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton that reunited Jimmy with hundreds of former youth players and coaches, teammates from Irish, English and U.S. playing days, college athletics administrators, and U.S. Youth Soccer and Oregon Adult and Youth Soccer representatives. He also was honored by the Timbers with a testimonial game at the stadium in August 2010 and an induction into the club's Ring of Honor the following season. Since then, the TA has fervently honored his service with banners, chants and periods of applause during MLS games even though most Army members are too young to know him as a player.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Noeleen, sons Paul and Mark, daughter Laura, eight grandchildren and 10 siblings.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions toward research on Chrontic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease associated with contact sports and his family hopes soccer's leadership will consider amending the game's rules to reduce chances of developing this deadly concussion-related disease. Contributions in Jimmy's name can be made by mail to:

Boston University Research - CTE Center

Attn. Elizabeth Fay

72 E. Concord St., Robison-B7800

Boston, MA 02118

Alternately, online contributions can be made to: BU CTE Center

Please make note in the online form that the donation is in memory of Jimmy Conway.

The Passing of a Legend

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 18:17:32 GMT

We are sad to report that Jimmy Conway, former Republic of Ireland national and legendary midfielder for the NASL Portland Timbers, passed away on February 14th, 2020, at the age of 73.

What made Jimmy Conway a Timbers Legend?

You’ve seen the name hanging in the rafters. You know he played for the NASL Timbers. You probably know that he was one of the Timbers from that era that stuck around and made our neck of the woods his home. However, many of you may not truly understand who Jimmy Conway is and the impact he has had on growing the beautiful game here in Oregon.

Jimmy was raised in the Stella Maris FC development program in Dublin which has long been a hotbed for producing future national team players and international managers. Jimmy himself had 20 caps with Ireland throughout his career. After a stint with local club Bohemian FC, he was recruited to play for Fulham FC during the club’s most prolific era and is still fondly remembered by Cottagers to this day. Ten years and 360 matches later, he did a stint with Manchester City before coming across to play with the Timbers in 1978 at the age of 31. He wore the armband for the team the next year, was a player/assistant coach the year after that, and it has been argued that he was the most talented player to ever wear our crest over his heart. More than an exceptionally skilled player, he was always a man of integrity, and this was reflected in his style of play. Through 15 years of playing (443 games), he never once received a caution or ejection. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to a persistent injury and developed long-term health issues, caused by putting his head where it belonged as a part of the game.

As was the hope of the Timbers front office when recruiting players back in the day, Jimmy got stuck in and cultivated the love of the beautiful game through his continued support of the NASL Timbers. In the years following his retirement from competitive play (other than the Timbers indoor team), Jimmy continued on as an assistant coach. In 1981, he and Clive Charles were hired by Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) as head coaches in the organization’s 7th year. It was through his role as the director of coaching with OYSA that his status as a soccer legend in Oregon was solidified. Jimmy’s experience growing up in a top flight youth system helped him to know just what was needed to facilitate the growth of the local youth development system, and he knew it would take an army of well-trained people to pull it off.

One of Jimmy’s many positive qualities, and one that made him a great player, captain, coach, and person was his ability to spot strengths in others and foster the development of those individuals’ unique abilities. In his early years with OYSA, Jimmy scoured the countryside giving intensive coaching clinics to soccer moms and dads, many of whom were entirely new to the game. Through his work, he was able to identify individuals for higher level training and ultimately was responsible for licensing well over 1,000 soccer coaches, truly creating an army of soccer instructors in and around Oregon. Forget teaching someone to fish: if you teach them to teach, you can benefit an entire community. This was perhaps Jimmy’s greatest gift to all of us. If you grew up playing the game in the Portland area, odds are good that you were coached by someone trained by Jimmy, if not by Jimmy himself.

Unfortunately, due to his declining health, Jimmy retired from OYSA in 2009. The Oregon Youth Soccer Foundation (the non-profit arm of OYSA) created the Jimmy Conway Coach Education Scholarships to honor his impact. These scholarships provide those of lesser means the opportunity to attend the US Soccer Federation National “D” license course, run by OYSA.

Outside of his work with OYSA, Jimmy coached soccer at Pacific University from 1983 to 1987 with a record of 51-37-9 and at OSU from 1988 to 1999 with a record of 97-88-14. At the start of the USL era in Portland in 2001, Jimmy returned to the Timbers and renewed his role as an assistant coach until 2005. He was also on the U. S. Soccer Federation's national staff, following his work heading OYSA’s connection to the U.S. Youth Soccer's Olympic Development Program, lending his skills and experience to the national effort while also keeping us all up to speed locally. Jimmy Conway always valued taking care of the next generation of players, and his steadfast dedication to their development made him a true PTFC legend.

Trauma-Induced Dementia

Little was known about the effects of persistent head trauma at the time of Jimmy’s retirement, and there is much we still don’t understand. He was diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia, one of many forms that doctors are now able to identify. The most common form of dementia in athletes is dementia pugilistica. Commonly known as boxer’s syndrome or scientifically as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, it is the result of repeated head trauma. Common symptoms are dementia and parkinsonism, which can take years or even decades to manifest. Some also experience slurred speech and poor coordination. At times, a single traumatic incident can cause similar symptoms, as well as long-term memory loss, depending on the affected part of the brain.

As a result of the growing body of knowledge of the long-term effects of head trauma, we have seen many leagues in many sports taking head injuries very seriously. We don’t need to look further than the retirement of our own ‘There’s Only One’ Eddie Johnson, whose MLS career was cut short in what we were all hoping to be his prime. Given the overlapping nature of all forms of dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association leads the way in all forms of dementia research. For several years, 107IST members followed the lead of Jimmy’s long-time teammate and champion, Mick Hoban, and joined the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in support of their efforts.

The 107IST and Timbers Army extend our condolences to the Conway family.

We do it for LOVE

Jennifer Ingraham — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 20:25:42 GMT

The following is a post by Sunday White.

So, I was standing there, in the cold and wet, waiting in line to have my Axe photos taken the other day, and an odd thing occurred.

A number of people that I have not met before, and who I do not usually see on match day, said to me some variation of “Capos have to wait in line, too?” or “Why are you waiting in line?”. I bet they would say the same thing to the Game Day Ops folks, any of the past or present board members, or the flag/rigging/tifo crews IF they knew them by face. In fact, I’ve since confirmed that this phenomenon has happened to my buddies in the DnT (Drums & Trumpets) who are, of course, visible, and usually pop up on video of a match when the mainstream media is showing “stadium atmosphere.”

It was odd. And really, I guess it was odd when it happened before, at random moments, across years of being involved with the 107IST as a capo with the TA and RCR, both at the stadium on match day and when I’m around town at work or running errands. This time it made me realize that what we do and how we do it is probably not understood by the newer fans or those that usually watch the match from outside of the GA section.

This may be due to some 107IST members’ modesty or a close-working network. On a larger, more common scale, though, I think it may be the non-supporter-group observers’ assumptions.

I really want to bash those assumptions out of the proverbial park.

All the people you see doing things on match day that are not wearing a stadium uniform, or official team or park company attire of some sort, are volunteers.

We are fans.

We buy our own tickets.

We buy our own 107IST memberships.

We are not staff.

We are not given perks.

We are not given payment.

We are not provided with benefits by the Front Office.

We (the capos, in particular) turn our backs on the pitch out of love for our clubs.

This is the same with the DnT. The tifo crew. The merchandise design team and the sales crew. The people passing out chant sheets at the concourse table. The people that arrive early to run all the stairs to put out flags and wall banners — and after jumping and singing for victory for 90+ minutes, they do it again after the match to clean up those flags. The folks that never get in early because they are collecting and reselling tickets at the Fanladen. The rigging crew that is there nights before, running roping so the tifo crew (there just after rigging does their magic so they can test the pulls) can get that amazing (and, again, volunteer-created) display up in the air. Then those same rigging badasses lose sight of the first 20 min (or more) of the match taking all those ropes back down. The 107IST board who all lose large portions of time and sleep trying to work together to make this amazing thing even better for the supporters. There are people dedicated to providing accurate website data, managing all our histories, managing social media accounts, being photographers and videographers, planning away day travel, communicating what the supporters groups are doing, providing ways to improve our communities, representing us at the ISC (Independent Supporters Council) annually, planning our charitable efforts, tree-planting, Oregon Food Bank, CPR classes, book clubs, and so much more.

ALL these things are done by volunteers. They do it by sacrificing free time, energy, sleep, money, bodies, and the ability to get pissed with friends while watching the match.

We do not do it for fame or fortune. We do not do it for TV ratings. We do not do this to make the FO happy.

We do this out of love for our clubs.

Take the time to see all the facets of this amazing organization that is being driven by the love of soccer and the love of our communities. Acknowledge all that these dedicated supporters do to make our united experience and our united show of love to the players on match day — for both of our Portland clubs — possible.

Thanks

Sunday

(I’m the crazy capo with the ’hawk)

PS: Now that you know a little bit more about us, you can see how varied our organization is and how much work we have to do. Give a thought about what you may be able to do to help. We are always looking for more volunteers. Just sign up!

Montana Volunteers 2019 Year-End Report

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 23:40:26 GMT

The following is a post from our regional supporters group, the Montana Volunteers.

Thank you to all Montana Volunteers for your work in building support for the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers in Montana. Whether you live in Montana, Oregon, or another part of the world, you made our fifth season as a Regional Supporters Group of the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters a very productive one. As we enter a new year, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the work you did in 2019.

Supporting Our Communities

2019 marked the second year that Regional Supporters Groups were invited to participate in Stand Together week. Stand Together Week is an initiative of the Thorns and Timbers to support community service efforts. Jayme Fraser and Darrell Brown led year’s Montana Volunteers project: the Empowering Girls Through Sports Carnival. On July 27, Jayme. Brandon, Darrell, Dan, Brandon, and Kris gathered at Imagine Nation Brewing in Missoula to work at the carnival. With Jayme and Darrell’s leadership the carnival had booths from 10 community groups, athletic teams, and service providers to demonstrate sports and provide information to girls and their families about the benefits of participating in sports. Over 100 young people and their families visited the carnival, earned prizes and had a fun afternoon. The Montana Volunteers are grateful for the opportunity to participate in Stand Together Week and look forward to joining again in 2020.

2019 was the Montana Volunteers’ fifth season as a Regional Supporters Group for the Thorns and Timbers. To commemorate this anniversary, we launched a series of fifth season merchandise with all proceeds donated to causes assisting our neighbors around Montana.

In January we sold out of another run of our Montana Volunteers caps raising $504 for the Montana Talking Books Library. The Talking Books Library is a division of the Montana State Library providing audio books and magazines readers in need. The caps display the “M Lazy T Bar” cattle brand our group uses as a primary badge. Supporters in Montana donated the costs of creating the caps.

In March we sold our “EST. 2015” Montana Volunteers patch raising $664 for the McKenzie County, North Dakota Flood Relief Fund. The fund was established to assist homeowners and agricultural producers affected by springtime flooding of the lower Yellowstone River in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The patch was inspired by the Montana Centennial Seal adopted in in 1989. It completed a set of Centennial patches launched in 2017. Supporters in Montana donated the costs of creating the patches.

In April we launched our first Montana Volunteers shirt raising $680 for the Montana Special Olympics. The shirts were made to order in Helena with all proceeds above cost being donated to support the Special Olympics athletes in Montana. The black shirt showed the “M Lazy T Bar” brand on the front with the word “Volunteer” on the back so that supporters of both Clubs could wear the shirt to any match or service event. The shirts were delivered in time for the Clubs’ home openers on June 1 and 2.

The final merch items marking the fifth season of the Montana Volunteers weren’t sold but were given to the supporters who have helped build and strengthen our RSG. Our fifth season “Merritt Badge” and pin set were first distributed at the third annual Montana Volunteers Rendezvous in Philipsburg on August 3 and 4. The sets were then mailed to supporters around the country the following week without notice. The patch shows the Charles M. Russell-inspired bison skull and the number 5. The pin is a Montana State Highway 5 sign. Highway 5 runs from Scobey to the North Dakota line in northeastern Montana. 107 patches and pins were produced and distributed. Supporters in Montana covered the cost of the patch and pin.

During the annual Rendezvous at Phillipsburg Brewing, supporters also participated in a Timbers and Thorns memorabilia raffle raising $520 for the Granite County Museum. Fellow RSG the Upper Valley Skirmishers contributed scarves and stickers. Katherine Leppek, Kip Branch, Dan Brunell, and Julie Dafn Wicher donated Thorns and Timbers patches. Jason Cohen donated two tickets to the Minnesota at Timbers match. Brandon Hatfield donated a collection of Timbers and Thorns patches and scarves. Thanks to all who donated and participated in the raffle.

Supporting the Timbers and Thorns

The Montana Volunteers will never feel the excitement of hosting a Timbers or Thorns away day. To address this geographic reality, the group launched its annual Rendezvous in 2017. The Rendezvous is a chance for Timbers and Thorns supporters from around Montana to gather, watch matches, collect and swap memorabilia, raise money for good causes and have fun with fellow supporters. Each year the Rendezvous has been held in Philipsburg with the help of Philipsburg Brewing Company.

This year, the third annual Rendezvous brought our first visitors from outside Montana and a highlight of the entire season. Susan and Todd Diskin and their daughters drove from Portland to join the Montana supporters for the weekend. They contributed books to our raffle, brought custom Rendezvous buttons for everyone, traded patches, and helped all of us in attendance feel connected to the supporter culture in Portland. Their willingness to drive to Philipsburg, explore Montana, and help us celebrate will not be soon forgotten. Thank you, Diskin Family!

Each supporter who attended the Rendezvous to watch the Thorns vs. Sky Blue and Timbers vs. Minnesota received a new Montana Volunteers sticker, fifth season “Merritt Badge” and pin, and Diskin-made button. Supporters also participated in the raffle in support of the Granite County Museum. Between the Timbers and Thorns matches, supporters had a meal of beef or vegetable pasties and gravy in the authentic Butte style made by Dan Brunell. Thanks to Philipsburg Brewing Company head brewer and Portland supporter Mike Elliott for arranging to host us at the brewery tap room. We are looking forward to next year’s Rendezvous.

Montana Volunteers held regular watch parties for the Timbers in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena. Montana Volunteers held watch parties Helena for the Thorns. Thanks to Matt in Bozeman for organizing the gatherings in Bozeman at Spectator’s. Thanks to Brandon Hatfield in Missoula for organizing gatherings at Meagher Bar. Thanks to all who have attended a watch party in Montana this season.

Bert & Ernie’s has been the place where Timbers & Thorns supporters in Helena have gathered for matches the last three seasons. First, they put on Timbers matches. Then they put Thorns matches on for supporters. Next, they let supporters stream matches and take any other steps needed to ensure supporters could watch and hear any Thorns or Timbers match. They even hung Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army scarves.

‪This season Bert & Ernie's in Helena became an official 107 Independent Supporters Trust Partner. The 107ist is the organization behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters. 107ist Members will now receive 10% off their purchase at Bert & Ernie’s with their membership card. When in Helena visit the first 107ist Partner outside of Oregon or Washington. The Montana Volunteers in Helena are grateful to have such an excellent place for soccer fans to call home.

The Montana Volunteers promoted membership in the 107 Independent Supporters Trust throughout the season by explaining that membership in the 107ist enhances the sense of belonging in the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters. Supporters from Montana can feel connected to the work in the stadium and community by joining the 107ist. In May, the Montana Volunteers gave away six memberships in 107ist to any supporters who were interested. Thanks to Lee, Nicole, Jerry, Korene, Isaac, Zach, and Spencer for joining through this membership effort. Supporters in Montana donated the costs of the gift memberships.

The Montana Volunteers were proud to contribute an article to the first issue of North End Noise. To be the first installment of “Dispatches from the Diaspora” was a great honor. It was fun reflect our mission and describe how it drives our support for the Clubs in Montana. Thank you to the Booked! Committee for asking to join that fun and important project.

Brandon, Lee, Darrell, Kris, Chris and their children put together a Montana Volunteers float for the Missoula Parade of Lights in December to help raise awareness about the Timbers and Thorns Montana Regional Supporters Group. Many supporters along the parade route were excited to see the float. The Montana Volunteers will look for additional events around Montana to help welcome new supporters in our effort to paint Montana solidly RED and GREEN.

All supporters gathered at a Timbers or Thorns watch party in Montana were always happy to see a Montana Volunteers banner displayed in the north end of Providence Park. Every supporter in Montana owes a debt of gratitude to Tina Ettlin for creating and hanging a Montana Volunteers banner during Thorns matches and to Garrett Browne and Jake Simonich for hanging a Montana Volunteers banner during Timbers matches. Those banners make all the supporters in Montana feel connected to the action on the pitch and atmosphere in the terraces. Thank you isn't enough.

The Montana Volunteers distributed Timbers and Thorns “Merritt Badges” to supporters who visited Montana or attended a Timbers or Thorns watch party in Montana. Supporters in Montana donated the costs of creating and shipping the patches. Many vacationing supporters or those just passing through earned their badges this season. Thanks for visiting. We hope to see you again soon.

Montana Volunteers gathered at Providence Park and other stadiums around the league throughout the season to meet their fellow Montana supporters. Thanks to all those who organized and sent pictures of Montanans supporting the Timbers and Thorns in the terraces.

Thank you

Thanks to all Montana Volunteers who spent their time and resources in support of the Montana RSG. Additional thanks to the 107ist Board Members, Rose City Riveters Committee, No Pity Van, and the many Timbers and Thorns supporters in Oregon who have supported and encouraged our work.

We look forward to a fun and helpful sixth season as a Regional Supporters Group.

2019 elections results

Jennifer Ingraham — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 02:30:22 GMT

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s elections:
Christin Correz, Kristen Gehrke, Drew Picard, and Ray Terrill.

Their terms begin January 1, 2020, and end December 31, 2022.

A huge thank you to all of you for stepping up and running this year.

Special appreciation also goes to this year’s Elections committee.

For data, head on over to the Elections member forum.

Roger Anthony, 1954–2019

Jennifer Ingraham — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 19:47:40 GMT

by Shawn Levy

If you attended a Timbers or Thorns match between 1975 and 2019, and particularly if you attended any Timbers Army or 107ist event in that time, chances are pretty fair that you came across Roger Anthony.

And chances are you didn’t know it.

Not because Roger wasn’t active, engaged, committed, or essential. As a soccer fan, as a community member, and as a professional journalist, which he was for more than 40 years, Roger was up to his elbows in everything he did, whether that meant organizing, supporting, reporting, or simply being present, almost always with a notebook in his jacket pocket, never ever missing — or, more crucially, forgetting — a jot of what was going on.

Rather, you may not have noticed Roger because that was Roger’s style: Be prepared, do hard work, show up on the day, see the thing through to the end, and then go have a beer and share stories about how it almost all went wrong.

A native Portlander who was as dedicated to the city’s newspapers, hockey teams, and outer-eastside neighborhoods as he was to its professional and collegiate soccer teams, Roger was a founding board member of the 107ist and a board member of ROSE Community Development, a not-for-profit dedicated to building affordable housing. He passed away at age 65 in late November after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, two sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandsons, and people all over the city whose lives he touched.

Before I knew Roger as a fellow Timbers fan, I knew Roger as a boss and colleague. Roger spent his entire professional life at The Oregon Journal, The Oregonian, and the Portland Tribune as a reporter, editor, columnist, and jack-of-all-trades. We worked together on the Arts desk of The Oregonian, where he was my editor, on and off, between 1992 and 2001 or so, making the last pass on millions of my words before they got to print. He saved my bacon from publishing errors and vaguenesses and just plain stupidities scores of times. And — more essentially to a writer of opinion pieces — even when he disagreed with a take, he helped find the best way to present it. He believed in the final product, and he took quiet pride in getting it just so.

Unlike other editors, Roger always seemed to do his job with a laugh or a gentle suggestion. Once, in the days when submitting stories via e-mail was a new thing at the paper, I filed a piece and followed up with a call to Roger to make sure he’d received it. “I’m editing it right now,” he told me. “I just got to the first ‘however.’ ” (Note to self, I immediately thought: Use fewer “howevers.”) And even in the pressure-cooker environment of a newsroom, I never saw him lose his cool. When somebody on our staff had made a truly egregious mistake that was going to take a whole ’nother article to correct, I watched Roger read the offending article (which he hadn’t worked on originally, ahem) with a keen eye and a busy pencil and then mutter, with a sigh and a quiet deadpan, “The Oregonian regrets the error.” Yup.

Although I met him at a time when he was working with arts critics, Roger wasn’t really an arts guy. He liked sports: soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball. And he particularly liked the inside baseball of city politics, business, and crime. He seemed to have known, witnessed, reported on, or heard about everything that happened in Portland during his professional years and well before: the private lives of public figures, the scuttlebutt about who greased whose palm, the hidden history behind every business transaction or political machination. Roger was like a walking, talking vault of behind-the-curtain knowledge about Portland, and he relished the opportunity to illuminate a story or situation by fetching a bit of deep background from his prodigious memory.

He brought all of that to bear on his work with the Timbers Army. When the MLS to PDX campaign began, Roger was there. When the first conversations about forming the 107ist were held, Roger was there. When city commissioners spent an entire day discussing whether to turn the stadium then known as PGE Park into a soccer-specific venue, Roger took the day off work and was there. And when the 107ist was formed and started doing all the things that it still does today, Roger was there, again and again and again, writing press releases and blog posts, attending meetings with the front office, taking notes, remembering details that could help us all steer through a thicket, making us better. He was invaluable.

Bottom line: Roger Anthony showed up for team, town, TA, and family, always.

He gave far, far more to his community than he ever took from it, always.

He was one of us, always.

And we are diminished by his loss, and will be, always.

RIP, old chum, and thank you.

Now accepting candidate submissions!

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:00:00 GMT

This year, we will have candidates vying for one of four open positions on the board for a three-year term (2020 through 2022). Here’s how the process works:

Applications for candidates will be open from November 6 until 11:59 p.m. on November 15.
We will post the list of candidates and their statements on the website on November 16.
All current 107IST members will then be able to post questions to candidates on the member forums of the website.
On November 24, from noon to 2, we will host a town hall session for all candidates. This session is moderated, and the questions are sent in from members.
Ballots will be sent out on Monday, December 2 to all 107IST members who renewed their 2019 membership on or before October 31.
Voting will take place from December 2 through 8, and we will announce the results immediately thereafter.

You must have been a member of the 107IST as of October 31, 2019, to be eligible to run for the board and/or to vote.

What are our needs?

As always, we are looking for professional, committed people to join our board. Non-profit experience is a definite plus, but our greatest needs are people who a history of committed and reliable work with the 107IST and who can put in the time needed for the board. [The time commitment can vary depending on what members take on, but the average is somewhere between 6 to 10 hours a week.]

We are always looking for technology and communications skills, as well as proven project management, leadership, and strategic thinking.

As the board continues to evolve and grow, and we embark on a capital campaign for a permanent home, it would be great to have people with financial or real estate experience.

If you are considering running, we highly encourage you to attend our board meeting on Tuesday, November 12, to get a sense of who we are and how we work.

About the board

A Joint Statement on Iron Front Symbol and Fan Code of Conduct

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 00:03:13 GMT

Earlier today, executives from Major League Soccer conducted a teleconference call with leaders of the Independent Supporters Council and supporter groups for the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC to discuss the MLS Fan Code of Conduct. MLS President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott and leaders of the supporter groups provided the following statements after today’s call:

MLS President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott Statement

“After collaborative discussions with its fans, supporter groups, and clubs, Major League Soccer, the Independent Supporters Council, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust / Timbers Army, Emerald City Supporters, and Gorilla FC jointly announce the formation of a working group by MLS to review the League's Fan Code of Conduct to ensure clarity and consistency in advance of the 2020 season. This working group will include representatives from the League office and clubs and work collaboratively with leaders of club supporter groups and a cross-section of diversity and inclusion experts. As part of this decision to update the Fan Code of Conduct for 2020, MLS has suspended the prohibition on the Iron Front imagery at matches for the balance of the 2019 season and MLS Cup Playoffs while the working group conducts its analysis.”

Statement of Leaders of the Supporter Groups

“The Independent Supporters Council and supporter groups for the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC acknowledge the League's willingness to discuss these complex issues, as well as the League's affirmation of its long-time opposition to racism, fascism, white supremacy, white nationalism and homophobia. We appreciate Major League Soccer’s willingness to engage, listen, and learn. We look forward to continuing the dialogue, moving away from direct action in the stands on this issue, and instead focusing our energy on making progress around the table.”

Match day update: September 22

Jennifer Ingraham — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 16:47:15 GMT

What to expect today

We’ll be doing the same as last week:

We will be silent through warm-ups, walkout, and kickoff.
We will start singing Bella Ciao at 3:30.
If you have a two-stick or banner, display it whenever you’d like.

Remember to respect your fellow supporter. Everyone supports the team differently. We will not tolerate bullying or intimidation in the North End.

FAQs

Why are we still not doing more?

This past Thursday (September 19) in Las Vegas, MLS met with representatives from the Timbers Army, other supporters’ groups, and the Independent Supporters Council to hear input about the current code of conduct.

A statement from the 107IST representatives who attended:

We feel that our meeting in Las Vegas with the league was very productive. We were well prepared and came with a lot of questions, and we learned a lot. We had a good discussion about the path toward reworking the code of conduct, and they listened to our input. MLS needed additional time with key stakeholders to finalize any agreements on our future partnership. We are encouraged by the dialogue and progress made, and we look forward to our meeting on Tuesday, September 24.

On Tuesday, MLS and the attendees of the Las Vegas meeting will reconvene via a conference call to continue the discussion. Talks will include, among other things, MLS’s final decision on whether or not to suspend the Iron Front ban for the remainder of the season. As a continued display of trust and good faith during these ongoing talks, we are again holding back on larger-scale organized boycotts and protests today.

Tuesday will be the final determination for our next steps.

What can I do in the meantime?

Keep up your individual protests. We are having an impact. Our voices have been heard by both our Front Office and MLS headquarters. Stories have appeared in local, national, and international press, — almost universally in favor of the supporters’ groups. But we still need to keep up the pressure.

Email feedback@mlssoccer.com to let them know your thoughts.
If you’ve already emailed your local ticket representative, continue to do so to remind them that this issue isn’t going away.
Continue the social media campaigns.
If you’ve been boycotting concessions, keep it up (and consider donating that money to the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund).
Contact your local and state elected officials to ask for their support for the Iron Front campaign. Every level of elected office in Portland and Oregon should take a public stand.
Talk to those around you in the stands and in the community about why this matters.

Match day update: September 18

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 23:40:51 GMT

What to expect tonight

This week, we continue the focus on solidarity ahead of our meeting with MLS on tomorrow. Supporters’ groups around the league are continuing to stand together against the MLS Fan Code of Conduct and the ban of the Iron Front symbol. This past Sunday saw several supporters’ groups experience consequences for protest activities, with one SG responding with a walkout. As with last weekend:

We will be silent through warmups, walkout, and kickoff.
We will begin singing Bella Ciao at 3:30.
If you have a two-stick or banner, display it whenever you’d like.

Remember to respect your fellow supporter. Everyone supports the team differently. We will not tolerate bullying or intimidation in the North End.

If you choose not to protest, or don’t know what’s going on, understand that this is an important issue for many people who surround you. We encourage you to learn more about what this is about, and then consider joining us. The more we work together, the louder our voice is, enabling us to affect change with the league. Visit timbersarmy.org/codeofconduct to learn more.

FAQs

We only have a few games left! Why aren’t we doing more?

Tomorrow (September 19), MLS will meet with representatives from the Timbers Army, other supporters’ groups, and the Independent Supporters Council in Las Vegas to hear input about the current code of conduct.

In calling for a face-to-face meeting, the expectation is that our Front Office and MLS are operating in good faith. Supporters group leaders are flying thousands of miles just for this meeting — and we expect our Front Office and MLS to come to the table with an open mind and willingness to understand the importance of this issue. We also expect them to consider substantive changes to the unacceptable Iron Front ban. As a show of good faith on the eve of the meeting, we are holding back on larger-scale boycotts and protests. We have instead focused on targeted actions that keep the conversation going.

We will know more about the results of this meeting on Friday. If we do not make progress (or even if we do), you will be hearing from us on Friday about next steps.

What can I do in the meantime?

Keep up your protests. We are having an impact. Our voices have been heard by both our Front Office and MLS headquarters. Stories have appeared in local, national, and international press, — almost universally in favor of the supporters’ groups. But we still need to keep up the pressure.

Email feedback@mlssoccer.com to let them know your thoughts.
If you’ve already emailed your local ticket representative, continue to do so to remind them that this issue isn’t going away.
Continue the social media campaigns.
If you’ve been boycotting concessions, keep it up (and consider donating that money to the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund).
Contact your local and state elected officials to ask for their support for the Iron Front campaign. Every level of elected office in Portland and Oregon should take a public stand.
Talk to those around you in the stands and in the community about why this matters.

Update on code of conduct discussions

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 22:15:52 GMT

The following is a press release we sent out earlier today.

We appreciate everyone who has supported and reached out to us through this process, especially given the often frustrating vagueness of our communications. This process has obviously been extremely sensitive, and we've had to exercise a great deal of discretion in terms of what we communicate and when in order to bring all parties to the table. Please know that you are the reason this is Soccer City USA, and the 107IST board is working tirelessly to find a resolution to this issue.

Timbers Army Announce Meeting with Portland Timbers and Upcoming Meeting with MLS on Fan Code of Conduct

Last night, September 10, the board of directors of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, the engine behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, met with members of the Portland Timbers front office to discuss revising Major League Soccer’s fan code of conduct and the ban of the Iron Front symbol. In addition, representatives from Western States Center, the Oregon chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Oregon), and several representatives from the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, where the meeting took place, were invited to the meeting to share their professional insights on the issue and their personal experiences.

In the meeting, the community representatives provided input on the Iron Front imagery, its history, what it represents today, what it means to them personally as often-targeted members of the community, and offered suggestions for going forward. The Timbers Front Office was very receptive to the discussion and the input from the community members.

In addition, the Portland Timbers Front Office has advocated for the Timbers Army/107IST, Seattle’s Emerald City Supporters and Gorilla FC, and the Independent Supporters Council to meet with MLS representatives in Las Vegas to discuss the issue directly with league personnel, including MLS President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott. This meeting will occur on September 19, 2019.

The Timbers Army/107IST sincerely hopes that these meetings will move the league closer to revising the code of conduct in a way that makes it truly inclusive for all by consulting with impacted groups and human rights experts.

Timbers Army/107IST Releases Statement in Response to Supporter Bans, Plans Further Protests

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 19:14:20 GMT

[Portland, Oregon, 9/5/19] The 107 Independent Supporters Trust, the nonprofit engine behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, stands in protest of Major League Soccer’s decision to issue three-game bans to multiple individuals who displayed flags bearing the Iron Front image last Saturday, August 31, at Providence Park. We disagree with the League’s stance, with its misapplication of the Fan Code of Conduct, and with its failure to consult with human rights experts in the Code’s creation.

The League’s action is particularly disappointing in the wake of recent progress the 107IST has made with the Portland Timbers Front Office on these issues. We are happy to confirm that members of Front Office have agreed to meet with us next week, along with several social justice organizations that specialize in protecting marginalized communities in Oregon. We welcome a discussion of the bans, as well as the larger issues we are concerned about — namely, how to ensure that the stadium and the streets are safe and welcoming for marginalized groups.

In protest of the League’s decision, the Timbers Army will fly no flags of any sort or deploy any smoke for goal celebrations this Saturday. Our focus this weekend will be on education. We will use banners with words instead of symbols to remind the world of our unwavering opposition to fascism and to discrimination. We will increase our written communication, both inside the stadium and online, about the reasons for our protest and the larger issues that the Iron Front flag ban represents. We will continue to fight for the League to lift the bans for individuals who displayed Iron Front flags and banners on August 31.

We will continue to insist that the League change its policy regarding the Iron Front image, that the word “political” be removed from the Fan Code of Conduct, and that the League consult with marginalized groups, representatives of supporter groups, and experts in human rights to create a fan code of conduct that is inclusive and anti-discriminatory.

We want to make something very clear: Our fight is not a fight with the Portland Timbers. Our fight is against white nationalists, white supremacists, and others that seek to bring hate and violence to our stadium, city, state, and country. In this moment of darkness, we feel obliged to rally to make the soccer community the inclusive place that the world isn’t for so many of our marginalized communities here in Portland. We look forward to working with the Portland Timbers Front Office in this fight for our community.

Spread the Love: Terraces edition

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:43:49 GMT

It’s been a rocky season. Between the compressed schedule, the team’s up and down performance, and a number of controversial issues, a lot of people understandably are feeling heightened tensions and emotions.

We also have an influx of new supporters in the North End, which we knew would happen with the recent expansion. The combination of these two things means that some fans may be discovering the club just as it’s in the midst of a somewhat tempestuous period of change and growth. It also means that some supporters may want to support the teams in ways that feel best for them or to their best capability.

Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, we’ve heard reports of people in the North End feeling bullied or intimidated by those around them for supporting in ways that others have disagreed with. We want to make it clear that these actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This is not “radically inclusive,” and it is not “If you want to be TA/Riveters, then you already are.”

Our hope is that people can remember when they, too, were new to the North End and the feelings they felt when they first experienced the joy and the passion of the Timbers Army and/or Rose City Riveters.

The stadium expansion gives us an opportunity to welcome new faces into the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters family — as well as connect with long-time supporters we maybe haven’t met before. We need to make sure we’re encouraging and educating everyone in a positive way. This means answering questions, making sure they have chant sheets, and remembering to — as Timber Jim would say — Spread the Love.

107IST Board Statement Regarding Events of 8/23

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 22:22:21 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST board of directors

The 107IST board met with representatives of the Timbers and Thorns front office on Tuesday, August 27th, to discuss:

Our ongoing concerns with the ban on flying the iron front flag;
Our concerns with the inclusion of the word “political” in MLS’s fan code of conduct; and
Our request that the league consult with supporters, representatives from marginalized groups, and with experts in human rights to craft a fan code of conduct that reflects and supports radical inclusion and anti-discrimination.

No sanctions will be levied against individuals who flew or held up iron front flags or banners at Providence Park during last Friday’s Cascadia Cup match or at the Thorns match on Sunday (the Timbers/Thorns front office have instead decided to issue a general warning).

The discussions were productive, and will be ongoing. In addition, MLS has committed to meeting with representatives from the Independent Supporters Council in the near future to discuss the Fan Code of Conduct and specifically supporters' concerns with the inclusion of the word “political” and the banning of the Iron Front symbol.

While we are encouraged by the commitment of the Timbers/Thorns front office and the league to work with us on finding a path to move forward, our position remains unchanged:

Lift the ban on the display of iron front imagery on flags and banners
Remove the word “political” from the fan code of conduct
Consult with marginalized groups and experts in the field of human rights to construct a fan code of conduct that supports radical inclusion and opposes discrimination

We want to thank our members and everyone in the greater soccer community for their support - it was clear that our message has been heard loud and clear both by the Timbers/Thorns front office and MLS, and we have shown that the supporters are a force to be reckoned with. We ask that you continue to message the front office with your concerns about the Fan Code of Conduct.

We are coming together as a city, collectively, just as we have done in the past, to say no to hate. Let’s do this, Portland.

Spread the Love scarf: Anna & Abby’s Yard edition

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 23:14:11 GMT

The following is a post by Cody Goldberg, Founder and Executive Director of Harper's Playground.

I’m delighted and honored to shed some light on the subject of this year’s edition of our annual Spread the Love scarf.

First, as always, a little brief history: I met Jim Serrill back in 2010. He had driven to what is now the site of our first Harper’s Playground to meet Harper and me. He had a check in his hand for $3,500. The money was supposed to go towards an accessible tree house. I still owe Jim one of those. Anyone want to help?

Anyway...

Back to the scarf. Those $3,500 had been raised through sales of a special scarf. Many of you reading these words likely own one of those Spread the Love scarves and most certainly many of you have a large collection of some of them: The Red Sweater Project, Street Roots, or Meals On Wheels. These were some of our most recent.

This year’s scarf is especially important, however: It’s going to build another playground in our radically inclusive design model. It’s also going to help a family who, like mine, started out on a mission much larger than they could imagine. My wife and I were motivated in large part through a personal need to so something, anything, with the enormous emotions of our journey into parenthood. Susan and Tom Robinson are also motivated from a deeply personal place. Here are my best words to help people understand:

Anna & Abby are two girls who loved life and have a wonderful family. While their time as we understand is was short on this physical plane, their parents are determined to see to it that those short physical lives are remembered for what they were: beautiful manifestations of love and joy. Because my wife and I were motivated to make a change, and because we received so much help along the way, we are extra eager to help when a playground project is connected with a family on a mission. This is just such a case.

The Timbers Army has been one of the greatest forces for good in our community and well beyond. We do so much for so many, and it looks like the need for our work is greater now that it has ever been. These beautiful scarves — and this year’s is by far the most wonderful design ever — are a reminder of the good we can do, and the power of remaining hopeful, joyful and yes, of spreading the love.

107IST board's response to yesterday's statement from the Timbers/Thorns Front Office

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 17:46:28 GMT

The following is a statement on behalf of the 107IST board of directors.

As many of you have seen, the Timbers Front Office issued a statement about their ban of the Iron Front symbol at Timbers, Thorns, and T2 matches. We would like to address some of the points in the statement.

Yesterday’s statement from the Front Office comes directly on the heels of one of the most upsetting weekends in recent memory for many of our members — a weekend where avowed white nationalist demonstrators descended on Portland, many of whom had publicly called for violence. The timing is puzzling to say the least and damning at the worst.
When discussions about the Iron Front image started, we repeatedly asked the Front Office for a public statement, but we could not get anything in writing. Finally, with the first home match looming, we effectively had to force the FO to put together something we could share with our members.
If the Iron Front flag ban is an MLS policy, we have never seen any kind of official document from MLS stating this, and, once again, the most recent statement about it appears courtesy of the Timbers Front Office — in fact, the only “official” statements have been from the Timbers and Sounders front offices. The Seattle statement, in particular, included additional information that was not shared with us by our own Front Office or by the league.
The 107IST board has been working with the Independent Supporters Council (ISC), who have been attempting to engage in a dialogue with MLS headquarters on these issues since January.
The Timbers Front Office continues to use the word “dialogue” around the Iron Front situation, but this is an incorrect word. This policy and any associated actions have been unilaterally dictated to the 107IST board by the Front Office. Any “dialogue” at our meetings with them has been met with vague replies such as “We will continue this discussion later” or “Thank you for the input, but the league’s policy on this stands.”
The Timbers Front Office continues to maintain that they have received much support for the ban, but they have shared no metrics and few details. At the time of this writing, the 107IST board has received more than 50 copies of emails to the Front Office opposing the ban, and 0 emails supporting the ban. We recognize that we are likely to hear from only a subset of supporters, but these are the only metrics we have on letters to the Front Office, and they are wholly at odds with what they say they are hearing. Most importantly, however, some decisions are beyond metrics: Deciding when and whether to stand up for human rights and inclusion should not be subject to email and phone call ratios.
The 107IST board has expressed in no uncertain terms that not only do we disagree with the implementation of this policy, we also disagree with what it represents at a more basic level: the ability to arbitrarily, unilaterally, and subjectively interpret symbols and ideas as “political,” something we've already seen happening across the league in recent weeks. This is especially worrisome with clubs and ownership in MLS who refuse to even acknowledge Pride Nights by claiming they are “too political.” Our Front Office has acknowledged that the policy is fluid, open to interpretation, and has the potential to change.
We are frankly appalled that the Timbers Front Office has repeatedly attempted to conflate their support for marriage equality five years ago with the issues discussed of late, apparently to somehow buy back goodwill for their position. The support of basic human rights should not be used to attempt to gain points in the court of public opinion — it’s the bare minimum to which we should hold our institutions accountable.

The MLS Fan Code of Conduct was envisioned to bring about clarity, specifically with respect to equal treatment of supporters across the many clubs in MLS. The implementation of that has been anything but, showing that clubs (for example, Columbus, Atlanta, Chicago, and LA) can — and will — interpret the rules however they see fit, with supporters paying the price.

As our city, county, and state governments join with community organizations and the business community to make it clear that hate is not welcome here, we are disappointed that our Front Office is not a part of these efforts. While they continually reiterate that they share our ethos of acceptance and against hate, we have continually left the door open for them to do the right thing in this situation. That door is still open.

The 107IST board remains committed to asking MLS and the Timbers Front Office to rescind the subjective ban on “political displays” and come together with supporters and human rights experts to enact a Fan Code of Conduct that protects the game we love, as well as the supporters who make it unique.

A joint statement from the 107IST/Timbers Army, ECS, and GFC

Jennifer Ingraham — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:33:32 GMT

The following is a joint statement released to the ISC today.
-----
The 107 Independent Supporters Trust, the engine that fuels the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, joins with our Seattle rivals, the Emerald City Supporters and Gorilla FC, in calling for the following outcomes:

MLS rescinds its ban on flying the iron front flag.
MLS removes the word "political" from its fan code of conduct as it is inherently arbitrary.
MLS works with international experts on human rights to craft language in the fan code of conduct that reflects and supports radical inclusion and anti-discrimination.

To that end, we're asking for other supporter groups to demonstrate their support with the following call to action:

Pump up the volume on this issue by demonstrating your support visually with iron front images on clothing (T-shirts, large patches, and the like) at matches in your stadium.
Call your team's front office and/or MLS headquarters to voice your opposition to the current MLS policy regarding political displays in general and the iron front flag in particular.
As supporter groups, voice your support either in calls, letters, or social media for the three objectives listed above.

Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson, on behalf of 107 Independent Supporters Trust, the engine behind the Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters

Tom Biro and Shawn Wheeler, on behalf of Emerald City Supporters

Tom Conquergood, on behalf of Gorilla FC

Community Outreach: Maui Strikers

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 02:30:27 GMT

Community outreach can mean work here in our town, or reaching out to like-minded fans halfway across an ocean to simply grow support. Last year, our own 2017 MLS Community MVP, Keith Palau, connected with the Maui Strikers Soccer Club. When they visited Portland last year, he arranged for them to feel welcome and to tour Providence Park.

This year, they paid a visit to Portland again, attending the July 18th match:

Aloha Keith,

Maui Strikers Soccer Club is heading back up to Portland this summer.

As you showed us so much Aloha last summer we would like you to know that your efforts of creating a Timbers fan base beyond PDX has taken fruit in our small island.

We are joining you guys on July 18th against Orlando with a huge contingency of Maui supporting our Timbers and (this part is a surprise) our 08 and 09 players will be escorting the team on to the field. We will also be back at the stadium to see the Thorns on the 24th against Houston.

I have no request for you or your group, but gratitude to you and the TA and RCR for making last summer so special and so welcoming that we had to take our group back.

Hope we can at least connect to say hello.

Ignacio Arcas
Maui Strikers Soccer Club

We were happy to give the club the full TA experience: The players got a tour of the Fanladen, were scarfed appropriately, and then escorted the Timbers onto the pitch.

It just goes to show that if you want to be Timbers Army, you already are — even if you're on an island in the middle of the Pacific.

107ist joins Portland’s Walk with Refugees & Immigrants

Stephan Lewis — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 23:32:03 GMT

Cheers to those traveling up to the fishing village this weekend as we do our part to get the lights turned back on in the trophy case at the Fanladen that houses our beloved Cascadia Cup. While our rivalry with our neighbors to the north goes beyond the 90 minutes it does with other supporters/clubs, there is one thing we come together on more than anything. When it comes to providing a safe place for members of our communities at risk of experiencing discrimination and hate, our efforts go well beyond the terraces and deep into our region.

For those of you sticking around town, we have a unique opportunity for you that celebrates this.

A little background: over the last few months through our close relationship built through the Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) coalition of organizations doing the hard work locally, we were reached out to by the City’s Office of Community and Civic Life’s Immigrant and Refugee Integration, Equity in Practice, and New Portlanders Policy Commission to provide assistance in the form of equipment and shoes for participants in the Portland Parks & Rec’s annual World Cup Soccer Tournament. While PP&R has a lot of capacity to do events like this, they have limits on expenditures that we can help with. Our original goal was to tap relationships with companies like Adidas for the shoes, however the ball was moving slowly so we ended up just buying all the shoes they were hoping for (we have the equipment since we run things like the Donut Derby). As we got closer to the event and hand-off, Adidas ended up sponsoring the event, which is awesome, but we were then sitting on cases of shoes. This year’s tournament was a screaming success, once again, which is the most important part of this chapter. However, what to do with all these kicks? Don’t worry though, there’s always need.

Tomorrow, while our busses of traveling support are stuck in some random slowdown on I-5, PP&R’s Parks for New Portlanders program with Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Sunday Parkways are hosting a Walk with Refugees & Immigrants event in East Portland and have invited us to participate. One of the big parts of the event is the distribution of school supplies but we’re going to be dropping a bunch of soccer equipment (including those shoes). Given the power of the beautiful game, the event will be bracketed by soccer activities prior to the walk and at the final location. We’ll have a 107ist table at the event as well as our donation and have been invited to be one of the speakers to help tell our story and help make people aware of aspects of the org like the Gisselle Courier Scholarship Fund. All funded by your 107ist membership dollars and merch purchases from the No Pity Van and Rivet Gear.

If you would like to attend this event:

Soccer events start at 10am at the East Portland Community Office (1017 NE 117^th Ave) with people amassing for the walk at 11am. The walk will then go from there to Knott Park where there will be food, music, and tons of family fun in celebration of all who call the Rose City home. Of course, there will be more soccer in the park running through the event till around 2 or 3. If you have questions, feel free to comment below or, hit us up here.

We realize this event conflicts with a scheduled tifo painting in the warehouse. But don’t worry, we’ll be in touch with the people running things down there and will let you know if we need more help painting as things wrap up at the park. So, bring a change of clothes if you plan to do both.

Before we let you go, we thought you’d like a side story to this. One of the soccer coaches that works with 10-15 year-old refugees and immigrants had his car broken into this last week and had all his equipment stolen. We’ve been working with our partners at Tursi Soccer to use our bulk discount and have replaced EVERYTHING on his list and more. He’s helping to run some of the soccer stuff tomorrow and we’ll be dropping it all on him. Again, all funded by your membership in the 107ist and purchases made at the No Pity Van and Rivet Gear.

All of this reiterates the spirit of our involvement in the community as an organization and our members. This is our ethos in action and where the rubber meets the road. So please, come join us if you’re in town and have some fun Spreading the Love.

Let’s do this, Portland.

A statement from the board about the Sunshine Flag

Jennifer Ingraham — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 20:49:52 GMT

As many are aware, the Sunshine Flag was relaunched at the Timbers match on Sunday, June 30. Many may remember that the board discussed this display at great length last season, and that we asked the individuals who own the flag not to display it until the design could be altered. Although it made appearances a few times thereafter, the owners agreed to make some alterations to it during the off-season. Working with designers and the master tailor/creator, the flag was modified to include three trees (representing Team, Town, TA), a horizon line, and Mt Hood, and it was unveiled last match. Unfortunately, a lapse in communication meant this relaunch was a surprise to all of us.

The board has worked over the past two weeks to gain a full perspective of the situation. We reviewed the flag’s suggested redesign against the final modifications, talked to the flag’s caretaker, and considered input from our members.

In the end, the flag’s caretaker has decided to retire the display. His letter to the board is included below. We would like to thank him for his dedication to caring for the flag for many years, to being open to making modifications, and for his thoughtful consideration of what has been a very difficult issue for many.

We will also look into helping fund the design and creation of a new flag.

In the Timbers Army we have long held the tradition of raising a flag when goals are scored. Through the years there have been various iterations of this flag known as the sunshine flag, all held with the intention of celebrating our team together. It has always been meant as an expression of joy.

Last year a number of people began to express concerns that the current image of the sunshine flag was similar to a different flag which represented a destructive use in history. To address those concerns, alterations were made to the sunshine flag adding a horizon line that included Mount Hood, the Columbia River, and three Douglas Fir trees symbolizing team, town, TA. However, a number of people still voice concern that the sunshine flag continues to represent historically destructive forces.

The spirit of the sunshine flag is that of uniting in celebration and nothing else. To honor this spirit and to further address those with concerns, as the caretaker of the sunshine flag I've decided it will be taken out of service effective immediately.I hope to raise funds to create something new for the future so we can all continue to express joy in our team and celebrate together.

Sincerely, Paul Regan

Game-Day Ticket Exchange FAQ

107ist Admin — Wed, 29 May 2019 19:00:00 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

The game-day ticket exchange is our contribution to keeping match tickets available and reasonably priced for as many people as possible. It’s something I’m proud to be able to take part in as a 107IST member, and is near and dear to my heart. Donated tickets at the exchange not only give reasonably priced access to games, they also support 107IST efforts in mission-critical areas like tifo and community outreach. If you’re new to the ticket exchange, or if you have questions, hopefully this FAQ will help.

What is the Game-Day Ticket Exchange?
It’s a place you can go to buy, sell, or donate tickets at face value or less on the day of the match.

Where is it?
At the Axe & Rose across from the stadium, 1737 SW Morrison, on the corner of SW Morrison and 17th. For Timbers games, the ticket exchange is at the membership services table outside of Legends, the members-only beer garden on the right. For Thorns games, the ticket exchange is at the merchandise counter inside of the Axe & Rose merch store on the left.

When is it?
We almost always open the game-day ticket exchange 3.5 hours before the scheduled start of a Timbers match and 2 hours before the scheduled start of a Thorns match, unless it’s a weekday match. Then it opens as soon as we can reasonably staff the Axe & Rose.

How much are tickets?
Face value or less. If you’re buying a donated ticket, the price will be the same as it would cost a season ticket holder for that ticket. The most common ticket people donate and buy is of course a TA/GA (general admission) ticket in the north end of the stadium.

Note that the face value of tickets purchased as single game tickets is higher, and the price of so-called “premium” match single game tickets is higher still. But if you’re buying a donated TA/GA ticket or a TA/GA ticket from a season ticket holder, that ticket should cost you no more than the cost of a single ticket costs season ticket holders at the game day ticket exchange.

Can I buy tickets from the game-day ticket exchange in advance of game day?
No. There are other ways to get tickets before match day. If you know ahead of time that you want to attend a match, it’s always better to try other avenues first to secure your tickets, rather than trusting to the luck of the draw on game day. Hit up your circle of friends, check the 107IST Discord, post something on the #RCTID or #BAONPDX hashtags on Bluesky (and check for responses regularly). And if you want more than one ticket, don’t be afraid to buy them one at a time as they become available in those online spaces. I know somebody who managed to acquire enough tickets for their entire wedding party that way.

Can I email or phone in my request for tickets?
No. Aside from the fact that the Axe & Rose doesn’t have a land line, the purpose of the ticket exchange is to provide last-minute, in-person opportunities to exchange tickets. You must actually show up and be present if you want to purchase a ticket from the exchange on game day.

How do I donate a ticket?
You can email extra tickets to ticketdonation@107ist.org for Timbers tickets and ticketdonation@rosecityriveters.org for Thorns tickets. And yes, you can send them there straight from the SeatGeek app.

I’ve used the game-day ticket exchange before, but it's been awhile. Anything else I need to know?
Yes. If it's been awhile, please note that especially for high-demand matches:

(1) We’re limiting requests to four tickets per person.
(2) we’re keeping track of whether the person requesting the ticket is a 107IST member.

In the first case, we’re responding to a small number of people who have taken to using the ticket exchange not as an occasional last-minute ticket source but as their regular go-to for several tickets for themselves and a large group of friends. If you have a bunch of people who all know they want to attend the game, they can either use other methods to line up as many tickets as possible ahead of time from other sources; or at the very least they can show up on match day and wait at the game-day exchange like everybody else.

In the second case, while we certainly want to facilitate reasonable ticket prices for all, we also recognize that the actual Axe & Rose space for the ticket exchange, as well as the computer, Internet, and of course the game-day volunteers, are all there thanks to the 107 Independent Supporters Trust. Without member dollars and member volunteers, the game-day ticket exchange simply wouldn’t exist. We don’t know what demand for tickets will be this year, but if we need to give priority to the people who are making the ticket exchange possible, we will.

I have a question/comment that you didn’t address. Who should I talk to?
Feel free to leave additional questions in the comments below, or email sherrilynn.rawson@107ist.org

See you on game day!

Clarification on Code of Conduct and Iron Front Imagery

Jennifer Ingraham — Wed, 22 May 2019 19:09:38 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

From the beginning, a core value of the Timbers Army, the Rose City Riveters, and the 107IST has been that we are unquestionably and vocally an anti-fascist and anti-racist organization. We have never — and will never — tolerate discrimination or bias for any reason. We believe in acceptance, understanding, inclusion, and love. You can read about our central beliefs in this blog post, which we posted after the MLS Code of Conduct was released. We firmly repeat: The fight for human rights is not a political one.

The Independent Supporters Council and supporters groups around the world share these values, and we are aligned in working together to combat prejudice and oppression.

As a vocal stance against fascism, we began displaying banners with the Iron Front logo in 2017 (although some also made appearances as far back as 2011 and the USL days before that). The Iron Front logo has stood as a symbol of the fight against persecution and fascism since World War II. Originally designed to symbolize the resistance against Nazi rise, it now stands primarily for the fight against all oppression. With the recent rise in targeted attacks against so many groups — LBTGQ+, immigrants, women, religious groups, and more — and the presence of fascists in our stadiums, this symbol represents our firm stance of combating hatred in soccer, our communities, and our world.

We have been working with the Timbers/Thorns Front Office for several months on the Iron Front symbol — what it stands for and how important its meaning is in these times. The FO stands by our beliefs, and they have agreed that we may use the words anti-racism and anti-fascist in our displays.

However, in conjunction with MLS, the FO has decided that this particular image is not to be used in any signage at Providence Park going forward, including Thorns and T2. What follows is a letter the 107IST board received last week, clarifying this policy.
(Ed.: Small, clarifying additions are noted in brackets.)

The 107IST is relaying the following message to our own supporters as well as fellow supporters groups in other cities.

Take heed.

Providence Park Iron Front Signage Policy

107ist:

Following last night’s meeting [May 14] we want to close the loop on the Iron Front dialogue with a clear written message you can share with the TA.

Rule

No Iron Front symbology will be allowed in Providence Park during Timbers, Thorns or T2 games. This rule includes any creative “work-arounds” like we saw in Vancouver this past Friday [May 10] and any Iron Front-based clearly organized displays that make a public statement. Due to the extensive dialogue on this issue and subsequent breaches of trust in Vancouver and in other media, We will be enforcing strict punishments for any violations of this rule out of the gate, starting with multi-game bans for violators.

The question was asked last night “if its Iron Front now, what next?” The answer there is simple: any signage that’s political or fails to comply with the MLS Supporter Code of Conduct, which is now clearly spelled out. And while the Iron Front is not specifically cited in the Code of Conduct it is unequivocally prohibited by the league.

Background Reasoning

With the bottom-line regarding the Iron Front out of the way, here is some very important context behind the issue that everyone should understand:

Even in the context of the new Supporter Code of Conduct guidelines, there is still a fair amount of local discretion teams can apply, something we personally fought very hard to ensure. The Timbers have always been the most lenient of any club in the league in allowing freedom of expression from its supporters. To that end we advocated very hard to the league to allow signs stating “Anti-Fascist” (the very spirit of the Iron Front prior to its antifia appropriation) would be acceptable and, furthermore, allowed the 107ist/TA to publicly communicate that to the ISC. The same applies to public denouncement of racism etc.

The reasoning behind why the Iron Front symbol is unacceptable is as follows:

The Iron Front symbol has been clearly appropriated and linked to the antifa movement, and sometimes in a context of violence. There is no question that antifa and its current rise is why some in the TA suddenly have decided to use the Iron Front…if not why wouldn’t anti-fascist be ok?

Symbols of politics are exclusionary and antithetical to the inclusive TA and Timbers ethos

There are some added security concerns waving antifa symbols pose to all fans

We have received many complaints about the Iron Front from fans who are clearly anti-fascist but feel uncomfortable with antifa imagery in their sporting experience for all the reasons stated above

We know better than anyone that the beautiful game can be a conduit for positive change in society. But we also fully agree that the Stadium should be a politics-free zone. Team, Town & TA. We believe that the end approach to the Iron Front and the dialogue that lead us there have been reasonable.

We hope this clarifies the issue. As we often say, we won’t always agree but we will always be open, honest and respectful. We have rarely drawn lines in the sand. We have a track record of being cooperative and working with the TA on a variety of potentially divisive issues that together we have resolved in a positive and peaceful way. It is our sincere hope that this is another case of just that.

For almost 10 years the Timbers and the 107ist have had a tremendous mutually beneficial relationship. We recognize the 107ist are volunteers and are deeply grateful for your service and all that TA does in support of the club we all love.

The 107IST board disagrees with this decision, but we felt it our duty to inform our members of this change. We will continue our work with the league and the Front Office on addressing the presence of hate in our stadiums and our communities.

Beyond Rivalry: Safe Environments for Athletes

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 08 May 2019 23:55:01 GMT

The Timbers have an important away match in Vancouver this weekend — and with plenty on the line: the first chance to take Cascadia Cup points, a shot at maintaining some winning momentum, and an opportunity to rise above the red line. The Timbers Army will be in the stands in BC Place in full voice to cheer on the Boys in Green as they take on the Whitecaps, Cascadian rivals on the pitch.

But some things are bigger than rivalry.

In February, former Whitecaps women’s player, Ciara McCormack, posted a blog that detailed the horrific bullying and abuse of power that female athletes had to endure at the hands of a former Whitecaps coach. Since then, additional allegations of bullying, sexual misconduct, and racism (against another coach) have surfaced.

The Whitecaps supporters groups, Southsiders and Curva Collective, have been working to hold the Whitecaps’ front office to the standard “Our all/Our honour” they claim as their slogan. They have called for a meeting between the former players and the Whitecaps ownership and a third-party investigation with results to be made public. They’ve also asked the Whitecaps to lift the restrictions on certain members of the press who have taken the lead on reporting on the story. These reporters have sometimes been excluded from Whitecaps' media availabilities.

Bottom line: We support human rights, and we support our Cascadian rivals in their fight for safe environments for athletes. To that end, we are sharing this message from Southsiders and Curva Collective — and we encourage our supporters to participate in the walkout of the stadium at the 35th minute (34:00 on the clock) in solidarity.

The Southsiders and Curva Collective are calling for #walkout35 on Friday. At the 35th minute, people who wish to show solidarity with the women who came forward with their stories of harassment and abuse, and protest the Whitecaps handling of the situation, are asked to leave their seats and make their way to the concourse. There, we encourage everyone to continue supporting their team and watch the game on the monitors for the remainder of the first half.

Why are we protesting?

The desired meeting between the former players and Whitecaps ownership, without involvement of the Whitecaps executives, will not be happening as requested.
We disagree with the media strategy that the Whitecaps are using, and encourage them to openly answer questions from media
We hope to spotlight attention to #safeSport and supporting #safeSportAthletes

For more information, see this timeline posted by the Southsiders.

Timbers Army & Harper’s Playground: Radical Inclusion in Action

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 02 May 2019 03:53:42 GMT

Timbers Army & Harper’s Playground: Radical Inclusion in Action

— by Cody Goldberg

I love this town. I love the beautiful game of soccer. I love our team. And I love being a part of the Timbers Army, where all of that comes together. It’s now my honor to put into words how all those things listed — and especially the Timbers Army — have embraced my life’s work: Harper’s Playground. This is a little long, but please bear with me. Here goes …

Soccer was, in many ways, my first love. My father was my first coach of my first team, the Bobcats. Our jerseys were simple red with a white triangle at the neck. Some of my best friends today, nearly 41 years later, were on that team. I went on to play in high school and college, and I was pretty good. I never had a solid left foot, but I played with all my heart. The arthritis in my right knee suggests my playing days are done, but that’s okay. I love rooting for my team.

In the summer of 1983, I moved to Portland. I started as a freshman at Lincoln High School and made the frosh/soph soccer team. My best friend on that team is still one of my closest pals. I recall watching his brother compete for the high school state championship in (then) Civic Stadium. Lincoln lost that night, but we knew it was cool to be there.

I returned to that stadium for my first Timbers match somewhere around 2002. I loved that I could grab a drink and sit at field level in that cool beer garden area. The play was pretty good. I certainly remember the madman with the chainsaw who hung from the rafters. He seemed like a really cool dude. I also marveled at the fans in the North End. They looked dangerous.

Why am I sharing all this? I’m racing to put this blog post together on a tight timeline, and this is the best way I know how to do it. It’s good, because this post is way past due, and the deadline is what I needed. Everything up until now is just an attempt to set the stage for what I really want to share about:

Harper’s Playground is a force for good.
The Timbers Army is a force for good.
I’m so proud to be part of both.

And this is some history of our partnership and mutual quest for radical inclusion…

Harper was born in June of 2005. The birth was super complicated, and we ended up in the hospital for a long time. Genetic doctors told us Harper would never walk or talk in her lifetime. We told them to go suck an egg.

Harper took her first steps at four. Walking for the very first time in our neighborhood park, she got stuck in those wood chips that surround typical playgrounds. My wife said, “We should do something about that!” So we started the Harper’s Playground project, and we set out to design and build a different kind of playground. It was a three-year journey that involved a lot of insane hard work and even more insane luck.

One of the luckiest strokes of luck was when that madman I’d seen hanging from the rafters with his chainsaw took note of our little playground plan. He suggested we receive some money recently raised through the sales of a very special scarf. $3,500! The Army were immediately all on board. I visited the 107IST board at a meeting — and then another special scarf design with “Harper’s Playground” was approved. Jim and I would often sell several box loads outside the stadium before a match. Then Jim would wrap 30 or 40 around his neck just before kickoff and sell them inside the stadium, right there in the North End. I made a lot of new friends while standing for those 90 minutes, and we wound up raising another $25,000 for Harper’s Playground.

When the 107IST board found out we still had a lot to raise with a little time to do it, they organized the very first Art Takeover to benefit our little playground project. Another $40,000! When we needed volunteers to help us tear down the old playground, who do you think supplied the muscle? Yup.

What is now our first of many playgrounds opened on November 3, 2012. Many of the Timbers faithful were there to celebrate with us that day. We thought the playground would be popular with everyone — inclusive spaces usually are. The love for the space we helped create was way beyond our wildest dreams. There is most certainly a special kind of magic in a place where everyone feels invited to be there. I think most of you reading this get that. This is why this bond is so meaningful to me: Harper’s Playground and the Timbers Army are completely aligned. It feels perfect to me.

In January of 2014, Harper’s Playground became my full-time gig. Our vision was to build more playgrounds — and it’s going well. We also give lots and lots of advice and support to others attempting to build something similar to what we did. We’re thinking BIG. We want to someday celebrate that all play areas around the world are built just like ours. When the world is filled with inclusive playgrounds, it will be a much better world. That’s the world I want to leave behind for both of my daughters.

The first project we took on as a partnership is “Owen’s Playground.” We worked with Owen’s parents, and they built a playground in honor of their dear Owen, who had recently passed. His spirit is alive in that beautiful playground. It’s won design awards and is, more importantly, the most popular playground for miles. We also settled in a plan to partner on four more playgrounds for Portland: one per quadrant. Our playground at Gateway Discovery Park opened in August of 2018. It’s amazing. Again the Army helped us. So honored and thankful!

Now, we’re gearing up to celebrate number three here in this wonderful city. This one is cool: It’s located less than one mile from that stadium I mentioned earlier. Many of you likely will be walking past it on your way to matches. You should build a little time in your regular game day schedule to walk by. It’s located at Couch Park, on NW 19 and Hoyt.

You should also definitely plan to come celebrate with us for the big ribbon-cutting ceremony! It’s this Saturday, May 4 at 1 p.m.

I could thank everyone in the Army who has been so supportive all these years. If I don't thank Scott, Nando, Patch, and Sheba, however, I’ll feel terrible. (I still kind of do cause there are many other people to thank, but you know who you are!)

We love the team, town, and Timbers Army. I know I do. The Timbers and their Army are a big part of what I love about this place. It’s very humbling to know that Harper’s Playground is starting to be seen the same way. They support one another. That’s what it’s all about.

Respectfully,

G Cody QJ Goldberg
Harper’s Playground Executive Director / Harper & Lennon’s Dad
107IST Member / Chair of the Community Outreach Committee

Response to Commissioner Garber's Remarks in The Athletic

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 22:39:27 GMT

We appreciate Commissioner Don Garber's attempt to clarify his remarks from the past weekend, and we look forward to continuing the conversation. We do, however, need to set the record straight:

The Timbers Army did not come to MLS and ask for “permission to hang ‘Refugees Welcome’ signs in the stadium.” The rail banner mentioned was painted by a supporter in our midst, carried in, and hung without incident (other than a lot of positive responses in the stands and online). The Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, through 107IST, have a strong working relationship with the Timbers and Thorns front office. We don't always agree, but we have a healthy respect for each other and pretty clear lines of communication. For the Commissioner to imply that somehow we run to MLS to seek approval for every display of support, no matter how small, is misleading.

We appreciate that the Commissioner does not want to get the league “into a position where we have to determine what is political and what is not.” We absolutely agree. We would refer the commissioner to our response to the Fan Code of Conduct, which states in part:

"We have strong reservations about the simple inclusion of the word ‘political’ in the Code of Conduct without greater clarification. As a supporters group, we have always abstained from party politics, have never endorsed a candidate for office, and have yet to endorse or oppose any specific ballot measures. That said, some of our messaging and actions related to human rights have been characterized myopically as ‘political.’ We have always maintained that human rights are not political, and yet, we actively participate in activities that can be potentially construed as political depending on what definition is used.”

Finally, we want to reiterate our strong support for the league’s stance against racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and sexism as expressed in the newly released Fan Code of Conduct. In our response, we also recommend that MLS:

“...expand the wording of the MLS Code of Conduct to reflect Section 2 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy to include indigenous peoples; national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; children; disabled people; and migrant workers and their families. Likewise, we hope that the identified risks of Discrimination and Security outlined in Section 5 can be a more transparent part of MLS procedures. Pursuant to Pillar III of FIFA’s Human Rights Approach, we hope that MLS will protect other human rights defenders and engage with a ‘wide range of stakeholders, including potentially affected groups and individuals and their legitimate representatives, on a regular basis’ in the spirit of Pillar IV.”

We look forward to continuing the dialogue with the league. In the meantime, we will continue to stand up for human rights — in the stands and in the streets.

107IST response to the MLS Fan Code of Conduct

Jennifer Ingraham — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:41:18 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

First of all, we would like to acknowledge our respect for the stance MLS has taken against racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and sexism in the newly released Fan Code of Conduct. Our hope is that this represents more than lip service to FIFA’s Code of Conduct and Human Rights Policy. These are issues that need to be taken seriously, as global football has been plagued with their perpetuation. The 107IST’s long-standing stance against intolerance is well documented, and is something we gratefully share with our front office. In fact, there are numerous examples over the years of relationships that we have built in our community that have been adopted and grown through our teams’ Stand Together program.

A large part of the work we do in our community is using soccer as a tool to inspire confidence and hope, especially with at-risk youth. As we build relationships with organizations working directly with our neighbors who are most susceptible to the above acts of hate, we need to be able to help them meet their needs. More and more, those are based on fears within their populations.

We have strong reservations about the simple inclusion of the word “political” in the Code of Conduct without greater clarification. As a supporters group, we have always abstained from party politics, have never endorsed a candidate for office, and have yet to endorse or oppose any specific ballot measures. That said, some of our messaging and actions related to human rights have been characterized myopically as “political.” We have always maintained that human rights are not political, and yet, we actively participate in activities that can be potentially construed as political depending on what definition is used.

Supporters culture goes well beyond the boundaries of our domestic leagues. We have always aligned with other supporters groups throughout the world that stand against hate and intolerance. We are fortunate that the hatred and violence in many foreign leagues is not a part of the game here to nearly the same extent, and that we and many other local supporters groups strive to create a welcoming environment to all members of our communities. By no means does this mean that our communities here are immune to similar sentiments, but we have a real potential to be a beacon of hope — not only to our neighbors, but to players wanting to relocate from those environments in favor of ones that espouse an ethos rooted in the honoring of the fundamental human rights of all people.

As the impact of the refugee crisis of the last couple years spread through the West, many like-minded supporters groups created displays reading, “Refugees Welcome” — and we were no exception. Some front offices took issue with this stance, refusing entry and/or removing the banners. It’s worth noting that more than hanging a banner, we took the opportunity to grow our relationship with organizations working in the community with refugees. Our closest relationship in this regard is with Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), who we worked with to donate more than ten thousand dollars worth of supplies for welcome baskets, worked to get soccer gear and playing time for youth with a partner futsal facility, and had members volunteering to help kids with their schoolwork. Later, when FC St Pauli (a group that shares our ethos) visited this last year for a friendly match, we worked with our front office to donate the match proceeds to IRCO and brought a bunch of the kids out for the event. Good times.

Because members of our Latinx community have been targeted, we hung a banner reading, “Hoy Por Ti Mañana Por Mi.” At the same time, we gathered thousands of pounds of beans, rice, and cooking oil to be the backbone of a food donation to migrant farmworker families, provided space and volunteers to sort pallets of coats for those who decided to grow roots in our area, and donated hundreds of soccer balls and equipment to the children in these families.

As we’ve seen incidents of hate grow again in our community in recent years, we not only Show Racism the Red Card, we’re actively involved in Portland United Against Hate (PUAH), a coalition of now 67 community-facing organizations committed to providing resources and trainings, tracking incidents, working in unison with local government, and coordinating a rapid response to incidents through the organizations best equipped to respond within any targeted community.

Our Pride displays are always something we put a lot of energy into, and you’ll never miss the Pride flags as a ubiquitous expression of our support and acceptance of our LGBTQ+ community members. At the same time, we raise thousands of dollars every year for programs working with homeless youth that identify as LGBTQ+. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a large rise in attacks against this population in our city in recent weeks, have been an active part of the PUAH response, and are currently working on other ways of addressing this urgent, life-threatening issue.

These are all just a few examples of the political engagement necessary to address intolerance as we work together as a community, as a city, as we do what we call, Spread the Love. We continually choose to avail ourselves in this regard because it is an integral part of who we are as a group. Within FIFA’s Human Rights Policy, we feel these actions puts us in the category of “human rights defenders.” We recommend that MLS expand the wording of the MLS Code of Conduct to reflect Section 2 of FIFA’s Human Rights Policy to include indigenous peoples; national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities; children; disabled people; and migrant workers and their families. Likewise, we hope that the identified risks of Discrimination and Security outlined in Section 5 can be a more transparent part of MLS procedures. Pursuant to Pillar III of FIFA’s Human Rights Approach, we hope that MLS will protect other human rights defenders and engage with a “wide range of stakeholders, including potentially affected groups and individuals and their legitimate representatives, on a regular basis” in the spirit of Pillar IV.

Lastly, we would like to clarify our use of an Iron Front banner, which has been described as being political in nature when it, in fact, is a symbol for all of the above. A little history: The Iron Front was formed in pre-WWII Germany in response to the growing abuses and subjugation of fellow community members, specifically from the rising Nazi Party. The three arrows represent the group’s resistance to a return to monarchy, the pull toward communism, and above all, the rise of fascism in favor of the established constitutional, representative democracy that afforded the opportunity to work together for the betterment of all. They worked to bring other groups together in defense of their neighbors, but were ultimately disbanded by the Nazis as a described paramilitary group literally fighting for the lives of their neighbors as hope was being lost. Many were murdered. Others were sent to concentration camps. Some that made it through this time became members of the resistance. After the war, some were able to work toward ensuring that the truth was told in order to keep these acts from repeating. The three arrows of the Iron Front is still a symbol of this continual effort. Partially designed originally to be used as graffiti to cover symbols like the swastika, current experts on the subject of combating hate know that it’s not as effective to cover hate graffiti with paint as it is to hide it with a message of love, hope, acceptance, and togetherness. This is what the three arrows of the Iron Front mean today.

The three arrow symbol of the Iron Front is used by many of the like-minded supporters groups throughout the world that share our ethos, and has been for decades. Domestically, it gained prominence in response to the growth of hate groups in the 1980s and '90s as a rallying cry for organizations, local governments, and businesses to come together to combat these groups. Here locally, the police refused to acknowledge the existence of hate groups until a critical mass had been established to combat them, which has included our citizens, civic leaders, and businesses. Our ethos against intolerance was born out of this struggle, and we maintain the importance of continuing to recognize the existence of hate in our communities as well as the need to work together to address it. In keeping with the distinction between politics and human rights, this symbol falls squarely into the latter.

We look forward to continuing a dialog on all of this as the MLS Code of Conduct and other coordinated efforts between the league, its front office, and supporters move toward what could be a truly unique model for other leagues to follow.

2019 107IST AGM RECAP

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 04:13:19 GMT

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Mission Theater for the 2019 107IST Annual General Meeting! Big thanks to the Mission for hosting us again this year.

After a bit of mingling, and some introductions, each committee shared their accomplishments from the previous season, plans for the current season, and current volunteer needs. As we’ve done in previous years, we then divided up into two sets of two breakout sessions. This year’s sessions covered how better to hear our lesser-represented communities, how to improve volunteerism and communication, organizing more events, and improving match day participation. A lot of great input! The board will be reviewing all your input very soon and making improvements.

For those who weren’t able to attend or who would like to look through the slides again, you can view the slides and notes in the member forums. [Note that some financial data has been removed, but it is available to members by arrangement with the treasurer.]

And, for those of you who are repping in our RSGs, look for more information very soon on an AGM just for you.

We are working on formal committee volunteer forms. If you know something you’d to help with, though, please let us know via our Volunteer Opt-In Page.

Here's to another great year.

So you’re going to Tucson ...

Jennifer Ingraham — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:22:22 GMT

[From the editor: Before we begin, do you need Tucson tix? If so, contact Xavier Vasquez, from FC Tucson's FO. He is offering us tickets for nearly half price: $11.64 each.]

So you’re going to Tucson

— by John Holden

Perhaps it’s the light drizzle of snow. Perhaps it’s the need for sun. Perhaps you’re tired of watching Liverpool slowly blow it and want to watch some real friendly football. But whatever the case, you went ahead and booked this season’s best away day: Tucson, Arizona.

Scoff if you must. Tucson is one of the most underrated, forgotten cities in the country. They tried to lure the Oakland Raiders to Arizona Stadium for next season, which made several national sportswriters look at Tucson and say, “Tucson? Oh, right.” When I moved to Portland, I loved it because I thought it was a slightly more walkable Tucson with better weather. (How times have changed.)

If you’re going, you’re visiting the United States’ first and only UNESCO culinary heritage city, a city surrounded on both sides by national parks, and a city known for its bicycle routes. Here’re some tips from a former Tucsonian (who worked his remaining Tucson network to make sure you’re getting the best info).

Why the Timbers are here

(Scroll down if you want food instead of a quick backstory.) Tucson was home to Major League Baseball spring training until 2010. Phoenix had a county fund to build new spring training ballparks after almost losing baseball entirely to Florida in the early 1990s, but Tucson lacked a similar county fund. After the Diamondbacks and Rockies left, the county turned the old White Sox practice fields into soccer pitches. The soccer stadium isn’t much — it has only one fixed stand — but the Timbers are playing there, dammit.

Where to stay

You’re probably AirBnBing, but there are several nice golf resorts scattered around town. If you’re hoteling, though, pick the Arizona Inn. It opened in 1930, a project of Arizona’s first congresswoman, and is upscale, centrally located, and quaintly historical.

Where to eat

Let’s start at the top: Sonoran food. El Charro Café is the old legend; it’s the oldest family-operated Mexican restaurant in the U.S., and you absolutely cannot go wrong with the sun-dried beef. You also have Mi Nidito, which hosted Bill Clinton. You’ve got Cafe Poca Cosa, where the menu gets switched up twice a day. But you’ve also got holes-in-the-wall, like Anita Street Market, only open for lunch in a hard-to-find location, and which makes fantastic beef burritos.

You’ve got restaurants dedicated to raspados, the snow cone of the Southwest. (I don’t have a favorite spot here, but be on the lookout.) Tamales from Tucson Tamale Company. Sonoran hot dogs from El Güero Canelo. If you’re looking for something garlicky that hasn’t been on the food network, Ruiz Hot-Dogs. And Boca Tacos just generally.

Tucson cuisine isn’t limited to Mexican food, though. If you need a quick sandwich, eegee’s is known for their eponymous fruit slushes. Baggin’s is a local chain that gives you a cookie with each sandwich, and Beyond Bread is a bakery with a number of fresh options. Blue Willow has a delicious and healthy menu. It’s also the only city outside New Mexico not named El Paso with a Blake’s Lotaburger location. Obon Sushi also comes highly recommended.

If you’re not going the raspados route, The Screamery puts Salt and Straw to shame (even though it since opened a Phoenix location. Bastards.).

You’re reading a Timbers Army blog, so you probably also want to drink. Ten 55 Brewing comes recommended. Club Congress is a cool downtown hotel bar, and La Cocina has a nice patio if the weather’s cooperating.

You also have Fourth Avenue if you want to party with college students. Hub restaurant is downtown and has a bar with outdoor patio and ice cream. Hardcore Mariners fans will want to genuflect to The Hut, where former relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen tended bar before becoming a major league pitcher.

Also note: There’s not much to drink around the stadium itself. There is, sources say, a new In ‘n Out location, but — as noted above — you can do better than that.

For a recent list of amazing restaurants and breweries, check out this comprehensive article. You won’t be disappointed.

What to do

There’s Saguaro National Park West and Saguaro National Park East. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is at the West Park and contains a ton of information about the desert habitat. East Park has a smaller visitor center but contains a loop road called “Cactus Forest Drive.” I recommend either. You will see a ton of saguaro cacti. Sabino Canyon is in the Catalinas north of town and contains a tram-bus thing up the canyon. There’s lots of good hiking in both of these spots.

The Presidio San Augstín del Tucson Museum recreates the Tucson Presidio as it would have appeared in 1775. (That’s not a typo on the date.)

Old Tucson Studios is where many Western movies have been filmed, including Little House on the Prairie.

Bookmans is the local Powell’s. It doesn’t have a four-story building downtown, but is still worth a stop if you’re into used books.

You can probably get University of Arizona basketball tickets relatively cheaply now that the team is under federal investigation. As a college town, there’s also a decent music scene, so I recommend checking local listings.

The newly barbed wire border fence is an hour south.

In the event you’re heading down to Tucson, I hope you have a fantastic time and enjoy the preseason!

How I Got Stuck In

Michelle DeFord — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 21:57:57 GMT

Get Stuck In
informal -- to start doing something enthusiastically
-- Cambridge Dictionary

~*~*~

Thank you, Devlyn.

Had it not been for your enthusiastic conversations about the Timbers, I wouldn't have found a team I'm passionate about, or a community I care about so much.

I wouldn't be stuck in.

We all have a story of how we got stuck in. I’ll tell you mine. I was doing a few podcasts on a local internet radio station -- one about dating and one about knitting. One of my co-hosts would always come in and talk about the Timbers, about the games and about the players. And it would always end with, “I think you should come with me sometime.”

Sure.

One day, I gave in and went. I remember the crowd, I remember the people ... I absolutely do not remember the game. I spent the rest of the season in section 107, row N. I got to be there for the Sunflower Goal. I met Bright Dike in front of the apartment complex we recorded our podcasts from. But I didn't quite realize what I had gotten myself into.

The first time I went to Seattle for an away game on a bus ... We hiked up those awful ramps. We sang our hearts out for the full 90. And I had never had someone yell such awful things at me from outside our section.

It was terrible and amazing. That's when I realized I was stuck in.

A little over a year ago, I tweeted something about thanking whoever brought you here. The response was amazing. Everyone had a story for why they’re here, how *they* got stuck in. So I decided I wanted to try to document that.

Interested in coming out? Fill out this form here and I will be in touch.

2019 107IST Board Elections - And The Winners Are...

Lexi Stern — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 04:15:47 GMT

Congratulations to the winners of this year's elections: Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson, Maggie Williams, and Joshua Lucas. Their term starts January 1, 2019 and ends December 31, 2021.

Here's the breakdown of votes:

Here's the breakdown of how many eligible members voted this year compared with years past:

Term Starting Year	# Voted	% Voted
2019	1219 of 5104	24%
2018	909 of 4883	19%
2017	1135 of 5292	21%
2016	1087 of 3731	29%
2015	824 of 4052	20%
2014	979 of 3467	28%

Sincere thanks to all who ran. Also, thanks once again to the entire election committee for organizing.

For more information about the 107IST elections, see our elections page.

Onward!

This is How the World Knows Who We Are

107ist Admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 04:20:19 GMT

—by John Nyen

Soundtrack: [1] (first 1:16); [2]

I have a story to tell you.

The beat to this story is a steady drum, the noise of which rolls and swells and grows with every struck note. It explodes from nothing, a sine wave disappearing into the ether and cresting again as it lodges itself against your ear drums before settling into another deep trough. This beat is the PT-FC. It is your heart. It is your feet against pavement. This beat is the sound of clapping and the vibrations that move through you every time we gather together at our church on Morrison Street. This beat is 20,000 fans and millions across the nation feeling the staccato rhythms at the root of their soul.

This beat comes from us and feeds the drums which resonate together so much that they stretch and move and undulate with the force.

When we live as children we find all these things in the now, in the future, in the longing efforts towards adult life. As adults, we lose that that feeling of being in the moment, the flow state as you can call it. We look towards that bright, distant future by comparing it against our past and longing for those long-lost moments.

We sit there with our friends or by ourselves with our expectations steadily shrinking towards ambivalent detachment as the clock ticks ever closer towards the end of our season. We deal with our own preoccupation about the mortality of our team in the playoffs as our beat, our own internal drum, becomes as fast as the heart races.

20’ – Dániel Sallói – goal.

Watching this game between fingers. Heads in hands as fans in the stadium are yelling, screaming, and willing everything into every play.

Fifty-one minutes of apprehension in the Western Conference Finals where we worried about the result. Fifty-one minutes where we made deals with our devils and where we slowly slipped into acceptance.

We watched all the plays in this game that reminded us of past losses from bad moments. We tried to find those moments that reminded us of past victories.

Suddenly, in a precious moment, the world changed.

A ball struck true and hard hangs in the air flying ever closer to the net. We are living in the moment right now and the beat rages, collapses, and builds again as breath itself hangs in your throat. Time slows and expands unfolding all possibilities before us. The net ripples.

We are alive. We are in harmony with our fellow fans with no thought of division. We are in the resonance. We are in the flow state, my friends.

Everything we can dream, as fans, becomes possible, in that moment.

“I just kick” – Sebastian Blanco

In this moment lives the true feeling of sympathetic oscillation with each other. Not just with the fellow fan, but with the player as well. These moments make us cast aside the modern idea of “rooting for laundry,” because we feel something different that our logical brain tries to deny. We feel the resonance, the beat, the pull that makes all of us one.

My friends, I assuredly tell you that you will feel a lifetime during the next game. You will wonder about everything beforehand. Thoughts will creep into your head during work, during exercise, during lunch. You might even give into momentary daydreams of the events to unfold.

We never know how high we are

Till we are called to rise;

And then, if we are true to plan,

Our statures touch the skies—

The Heroism we recite

Would be a daily thing,

Did not ourselves the Cubits warp

For fear to be a king—

Emily Dickinson

These words tell us all. We must not let ourselves, our own predilections towards fear or shame or ridicule, stop us. We are the arbiters of our fate and the deciders of our destiny. We control what we do in the stands regardless of what happens on the field.

So often you are told that you do not matter. The league will tell you that. Atlanta United will tell you that. Friends will tell you that. They are liars. We manifest our intent by the act of singing, chanting and being there.

Let us, then, be great, for our boys on the field. Let us give them our beat, our passion, our shared resonance and love. Let us fill them up with bravado and hope. Let them feel the vibration of the drums and know our passion. Let them hear our songs and chants.

Fly the flag so that our intentions are known. Fly the flag so that they know we are there, massed in thousands but carrying the belief of millions across the country.

With this love and this passion and this faith we cannot be stopped.

This is how the world knows who we are.

PT – FC

Traveling to MLS Cup? What You Need to Know

107ist Admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 00:47:49 GMT

Here's what you need to know regarding the TA at the December 8th MLS Cup match against Atlanta United, as well as events before and after the match. If you're going, please be sure to read this guide carefully and in full.

Weekend Events:

Friday Night Meetup: Foxtrot Lounge (45 13th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309) & Lava Lounge (57 13th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309) from 8PM-2AM. 21+ Only and no dress code (despite what their website says).
Saturday Volunteer Event: Tree planting with Trees Atlanta from 8:45AM-12PM! Meet at Morningside Nature Preserve. For more information, please follow this link.
Saturday Post-Match Meetup: Blake's On The Park (227 10th St NE, Atlanta, GA 30309) & TEN Atlanta (990 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309). 21+ Only.

We do not have any information on any FO afterparties, so please do not ask.

Tailgate and Parking:

Tailgating and parking will be in the Yellow Lot (marked with red star below). The lot will open at 2:30PM. We are still working on some details, but beer and food cart (with meat and vegan options) will be available. You are more than welcome to supply your own alcohol. Specific tailgating policies can be found here: Tailgate Policy.pdf. It is suggested that you pre-purchase your parking passes ($12-68): http://parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com/.

Tickets:

Tickets will be distributed in person at the Tailgate starting at 3PM. It is strongly suggested that you be there in time to pick up your tickets at the tailgate. Registered/transferred names will need to match a photo ID for pickup. Portland supporter tickets purchased through the 107IST are for Sections 330, 331, 332, and 333 of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A wristband system will be in place **for these sections only** to assist in preventing overcrowding of our sections. Please do not suggest moving or invite supporters into the section that are not wearing a wristband provided by the 107IST. The Portland section will be treated as general admission, so you'll be able to stand and sing anywhere within that designated area. Concession stands and restrooms are nearby, and stadium security staff asks that we use the facilities within our area, nearest our section.

Stadium Entry:

At 5:00PM we will be escorted to the stadium for entry from the tailgate area. Due to the number of supporters we have and the extra exempt items we will have with us, it is strongly suggested that you march with the group to the section. Please do not rush to the entry gate ahead of the leadership group. If ADA assistance is needed for the match, please let the Travel Team know ahead of time. Also, please follow their clear bag policy extremely closely. Clutch bags can be no larger than 4.5"x6.5".

[section edited to clarify policy 12/7] Due to clearance issues, we will not be permitted to allow any flags, banners, or two-sticks that have not been cleared in advance with Atlanta by the Travel Team. Don't show up with flags/banners/two-sticks that have not been pre-cleared; they will not be allowed in! With this in mind, we will have plenty of flags supplied for the group. **No banners or flags may be attached to any part of the stadium by any means!**

Post-Match:

After the match, stadium staff will provide a group egress after a 15-20 minute hold following the conclusion of the match. Please remain in the TA section until this occurs, and follow the lead of security.

Contact Info:

Drew Picard and the 107IST Travel Team are the primary points of contact and the Supporter Liaisons for this match. Please follow the Timbers Army on Twitter or Facebook if further updates are needed.

If immediate assistance is needed, please call or text the 107IST Travel Team @ (850) PDX.AWAY (850.739.2929)

For general questions, please email AwayTravel@107IST.org ASAP!

Dos and Don'ts:

Supporter groups are encouraged to chant, sing and support their team. We ask that supporter groups refrain from using profanity or language that is deemed offensive to others.

All approved items must be brought into the building in advance of all gates opening to the public. The items may be staged in the seating section.

Supporter group items brought after gates have opened will not be permitted to be brought into the facility.

Standing on, or hitting seats is not permitted at any time.

Fireworks, flares, or smoke devices of any kind are not permitted to be brought into the stadium or parking lot. Individuals in possession of or igniting fireworks or similar are subject to ejection and possible arrest.

It is requested that we use the restrooms and concessions nearest our Away sections.

Members of our supporter groups are requested to not enter into, provoke, or incite any other supporter groups. Also, parading around the facility is not permitted.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Policies

https://timbersarmy.org/ta-tickets/away-tickets-travel/away-travel-code-of-conduct

Have fun and support the boys in green!

-Your Timbers Army Travel Team

awaytravel@107ist.org

A Joint Statement on Behalf of the Timbers Army/107IST, Kansas City Cauldron, Terminus Legion, and Empire Supporters Club

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 23:45:00 GMT

[Kansas City, KS, & Portland, OR; November 26th, 2018] While Sporting KC and the Portland Timbers prepare for the second leg of the Western conference final on Thursday, the Kansas City Cauldron and Timbers Army are forced to address the potential away supporters’ ticket allocation for MLS Cup.

Both of our organizations have been informed that there will be approx 1000 tickets available for away supporters in Red Bull Arena should they advance. That number is very close to the 5% away fan allocation that MLS supporters have been requesting for a number of years.

Our concern, and frankly outrage, lies in the preparation for a match at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. At this time we are being offered 900 tickets. That number is simply a slap in the face to all supporters that travel week in and week out to support their clubs. The capacity for the stadium is 72,000 which could be expanded for MLS Cup. 5% of that capacity would be 3,600 or more than 3 times what is being offered.

There are roughly 30-35k Atlanta United season ticket holders. That still leaves 40k single game tickets available in the stadium for a final.

First and most important, offering such a small number of supporter group tickets in a stadium with such a large capacity will create a major security concern. Away supporters will go to the secondary market when they are unable to secure tickets through the normal away ticket allocation process. Away fans will then be scattered throughout the stadium, putting both home and away fans in potentially dangerous situations for no reason.

We understand the advantage of being the host. That said, accommodating away fans when there is a non-neutral site must be a priority. Four of the most passionate fan bases in the league remain. The largest stadium in the league is most likely to host, and the two teams that will face off against them are being offered fewer tickets than the smaller of the two sites. This is simply unacceptable and does nothing to continue the growth of our clubs and league.

Kansas City has traveled with 1300 to Colorado for an away playoff game and over 1000 to Dallas for a regular season game. Portland's weekly traveling support is well documented around the league and demand for an MLS cup ticket will once again be incredibly high.

We request that the Away Supporter allotment in Atlanta be immediately raised to the generally recognized FIFA 5% for away fans. Passion exists throughout the league and we must support that passion, regardless of where a club comes from.

[The Kansas City Cauldron is an independent non-profit dedicated to the support soccer in Kansas City since 1996. The Cauldron works to create the best environment for supporters as well as advocate for all fans with the Sporting Kansas City’s ownership and staff. You can find more information at www.kccauldron.com]

[The mission of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST) is to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. The 107IST is a member-based non-profit organization open to anyone who loves soccer, the Timbers/Thorns, and Portland. http://www.timbersarmy.org]

TA-Inspired Studio Sofa Fundraiser for Street Soccer Portland

Stephan Lewis — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 20:25:48 GMT

107ist community outreach efforts were instrumental in helping get Portland’s chapter of Street Soccer USA off the ground, and we funded the local team to travel to the Homeless World Cup. Focusing on homeless, refugee, and at-risk youth in our community, the impact their work has done — and will do — really gets deep into the feels.

Continuing our support, our Timbers Army design team at No Pity Originals has collaborated with PDX Originals to create a unique studio sofa remade from retired Portland Airport furniture. With the reused tifo on the back, custom rose embossed fabric on the sides, and a durable leather alternative that matches the team's bench seats at the stadium, this one of a kind item also includes a beautifully finished log slab table from El Maestro’s MVP season. This studio sofa will be raffled off to donors of $25 or more with multiple entries allowed. If this isn't enough incentive, EVERY donor of $25 or more will receive our iconic No Pity scarf as a thank you gift for your support.

You can check out some pics on the PDX Originals site.

It really needs to be seen in person to appreciate the attention to detail. It will be moving around town to different locations over the fundraising period. Currently, it’s out at Rose City Futsal West if you want to check it out.

Please make your donations through Willamette Week's Give Guide portal and get in on this raffle.

107ist Elections: Where We’re At; Where We’re Going; What We Think We Might Need

Stephan Lewis — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 01:43:06 GMT

It’s that time of year again! That’s right: It’s election season for our board of directors. Time to contemplate the future of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust and everyone’s individual involvement in it. The intent of this post is to summarize what we, as a board, both collectively and individually, feel we may need moving forward. If any of this speaks to you personally, or if you feel you have other skills that are applicable to accomplishing our mission, we invite you to run.

Two of three board members up for election are not running. Please join us in thanking both Mike and Lexi for their terms of service to the 107ist. Neither plans to disappear, by any means. They will both continue in different capacities that better align with where they are in their lives. As the board member in charge of TA tifo, Mike has done a great job of making sure there is a quality leadership team in place. As secretary, comms, and tech, Lexi’s current role is a different one to try to fill and likely won’t be the work of one person. Having someone with strong, applicable skills is important to the org. There is the possibility of separating the secretary position into an appointed one, similar to what we’ve done with the treasurer, but that’s a long-term discussion. Ultimately, the new board will work together to organize roles as best we can once we know who the new members are.

One question asked every year by Josh Barrett, long-time member and part of the 107IST Legal team, is whether we a working board or a strategic board. The answer has long been: We’re a bit of both, with a stronger emphasis on the working side. As a board, we feel this is at more of a tipping point than it has been in the past as we take on some broader goals and have matured more as an organization.

A ton’s been going on outside the stadium over this past year, too. For one, we have successfully negotiated the extension of our leases for the warehouse (five years) and the Fanladen (three years). While this gives us a little grace period to plan long-term facilities solutions, it’s not time to rest on our laurels by any means. We’re talking millions of dollars here, and we need to do this right. We have recently gone through the process of hiring professional bookkeeper services with a nonprofit focus that will take a bit of the the workload off the treasurer and provide further legitimacy as we pursue the capital campaign.

Over this past year especially, we’ve changed and grown organizationally. A good formula for success has long been to come out of a specific area of the organization to take on a leadership role in that area. In several key areas, there are now highly effective leaders that are not on the board. While there is still strong communication with the board on key issues, the board doesn’t need to provide direct oversight over minutiae. Of note, this in no way excludes any of the people in those areas from running to better perform that functional link.

We’ve been talking to a lot of members who’ve been thinking about running. As always, there’s a lot of hesitation from members who we, as a board, feel would be great contributors. Many know and respect the amount of work it is to be on the board, but are intimidated by the added workload and/or by the effort it takes to run. We all know, intimately, the process of running and can understand people’s reservations. Know this: No one knows everything about every facet of the organization. Go with what you know. Go with what you can bring to the table. That is what people want to see.

With the direction we’re growing, having someone with experience working with nonprofits — and strong bonus points for large capital campaigning experience — is a big need for us, as it’s starting to permeate many facets of our focus. Similarly, we could use someone with a solid project management background. If that’s you, really think about it.

As supporters culture is so close to who we are, we know many long-time members that have been taking more of a back seat for myriad reasons. Maybe family or work life took over; maybe other passions drew you in. Now maybe you’re in a better place to reassess your involvement. Could be the kids are finally out of the house. Maybe you’re settled into your job after finishing school or on an extended sabbatical. Maybe you’re retired and are getting bored with your bucket list and want to stay sharp on your game (you know about the studies). Our culture is a living breathing thing and it should be a struggle to keep it going. It’s a big part of what we do. Not saying it needs to be the old man at the end of the bar or someone who beat pickle buckets, but connections to our past as we move into the future will continually be valued.

One important role of the 107ist board are our deliberations. It can be tough sometimes, and friendships have been damaged over the years (temporarily, anyway). When called on to do so, the board has done a really good job of keeping the debate scholarly and putting the real work into finding the best solution. Some of the best qualities for this are the ability to be thoughtful, rational, and process-oriented. The board doesn’t deliberate in a vacuum, even if it may seem like that from some points of view. This is another area where someone with nonprofit experience could be valuable. Same with cultural experience.

Running for the board isn’t really about winning. It’s about willingness. It’s about being an active participant as we define who we are and what direction we should go. Think back on any of the other 107ist elections you can remember. How different were the priorities each year? It has a huge impact and carries directly into the Annual General Meeting. The more candidates we have, the better that dialogue can be. That said, if elected you will be expected to work, be responsive, and follow through.

Look, there’s no one perfect candidate (well, maybe there is but they’re not running … we asked). Any of you introspectively trying to tick all the boxes, just stop trying. The best way to halt a candidacy is to start making stuff up about stuff you don’t know. We all ask questions. None of us are alone in this. It’s the value of all our combined strengths as an org, well beyond the board, that makes us the force that we are. If you got what it takes, step on up and let’s do this.

2018 Supporters' Player of the Year -- Sebastián Blanco

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 23:00:00 GMT

The results are in, and Sebastián Blanco is the clear choice of Timbers supporters for 2018. With over 44% of all votes cast going to Portland's number 10, Sebastián Blanco is this year's winner of the Timbers Supporters' Player of the Year belt, receiving 465 votes out of 1051 votes cast in online polling.

Very few votes separated the second- and third-place finishers, with Diego Chara receiving 227 votes and Zarek Valentin receiving 224 votes. Jeff Attinella finished fourth with 35 votes, and Diego Valeri finished fifth with 26 votes. Together the top three finishers accounted for over 87% of all votes cast.

Congratulations, Seba!

Home Closer 10/21 Tickets Raffle to Support GCSF

Zachary Freeman — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 22:31:21 GMT

A 107IST member has generously donated a large group of tickets to the organization with wishes for them to go to youth in the community. The majority of invitees will be recipients of the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund as well as other local youth. The Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)(3) under the 107IST umbrella.

As a means to raise dollars for the fund and raise awareness of the program, the final four tickets are available for a lucky winner via raffle! In honor of Gisele we'd really like to see this program continue to grow, and for the Portland soccer community to become familiar with it as a resource.

Gisele Currier was a beloved member of the Timbers Army whose untimely passing in 2011 was a devastating blow. In memory of Gisele, an outpouring of donations were offered to the 107IST in order to support soccer projects in the metro area in her name. Out of this outpouring of generosity emerged the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund, which was first awarded in the summer of 2011. Today the fund Scholarships dozens of youths experiencing hardships to be able to play the game they love.

In 2017, the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund awarded 49 soccer scholarships to youth in and around the Timbers and Thorns academy area for a total of $19,953. In April and May of this year (2018) the GCSF awarded 29 soccer scholarships for a total of $13,055. Scholarship recipients range in age from 8 to 18 years of age, and scholarship award amounts vary based on individual need.

Support GCSF and enter for your chance to win 4 tickets (over $200 value) to the RSL match in the Widmer Southern Front Hospitality Space at Providence Park this Sunday. The section is directly behind the south goal. Bring your friends or follow the spirit and invite some youth.

$10 per entry or 3 for $25

Enter the Raffle Here!

The Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund is recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS; and donations to the fund may be tax deductible (Federal EIN: 47-2324722). Donations of $75 or more will be acknowledged with a contribution receipt for use in tax filing.

October Match Day Drive - My Voice Music

Michelle DeFord — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 15:59:11 GMT

I don't remember when I first met Coley, but I feel like I have always known her and her family. You might too. The tiny girls’ front row at the Thorns games; blazing red hair in a mohawk, adorable side cuts, in love with Christine Sinclair (like everyone, obviously). When I originally asked for ideas for match day drives, Coley was one of the first people who responded. Coley is a total badass and a current member of the East Coast Platoon. I asked her to write a blog post about MVM and what it means to her.

This following is a guest post by TA member Coley Lehman:

This month’s match-day drive supports My Voice Music (MVM). I have been a board member of MVM since 2015. I care deeply about this organization and the impact we have on youth in the area. Here are some important statistics about My Voice Music (MVM):

In 2017, 1800 young people ages 7 to 20 participated in MVM’s music programs.

700 of those are young people experiencing mental health crisis, living in residential mental health treatment centers; through partnerships in over 20 youth organizations; many of whom are recovering from trauma, such as, abuse, sex trafficking, and drug addiction.

215 are refugees, unaccompanied migrant youth seeking refugee status in the U.S. who have been separated from their families and were in the custody of ICE.

85 are young people living in foster care.

300 are young people who attended programs open to the public at MVM studios, which include summer camps for 9-13 year olds; year-round artist mentorship programs designed for middle school, high school, and transition age youth from 11 – 20 years old.

85% of those 300 attended free.

Numbers tell one part of the story. Students’ own words tell another part.

“I was not speaking to anyone. I was angry. I didn’t know what to do. Music gave me a place to share what I needed to say.”

-Christian

Hip Hop Artist Outreach Programs, Year-Round Artist Mentorship Student, Rock Camp Teacher

“The first time I heard a recording of my music, I felt a door opening in my life.”

-Joseph, electronic musician

MVM Outreach Student

“My Voice Music is hope.”

-Owen, multi-instrument & songwriter

Rock Camper & PreAmp Student

From the friendships I’ve made through 107ist, I know many of you have personal connections to this work with youth. It is important and often literally life-saving. Please support this month’s match-day drive.
Thank you, Coley (@propersneakers)

Coley has also curated a special list for the 107ist to use as a guide for more affordable items for this drive.

batteries (AAA, AA, cr2032, 9 volt)
ear plugs (the foam kind for sound sensitive folks)
bus passes
Notebooks, journals
pens
markers (for making band posters, etc.)
dry erase markers
Large Easel Sticky Pads (25"x30")
multi-colored pipe cleaners & other things for kids to creatively fiddle with while taking breaks.
5 gallon buckets (for bucket drumming workshops)
alternate percussion (shakers, tambourines, triangles, etc) can be found in kids toy section of Freddy's
Blank CDs, similar to these (We go through lots of CDs at our outreach programs and need white ones in order to stamp our MVM logo and info onto them.)
Portable CD players
Headphones or earbuds
Non-perishable snacks

Music Specific Small Items (not found a target or Freddy's though)

drum sticks
Acoustic guitar strings
Electric guitar strings
guitar tuners
ukuleles

You can also find MVM's wish list here.

Buy Your Capo a Pint (BYCAP) 2018 for Camp Meadowood Springs

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 17:00:43 GMT

—by Patch Perryman

It’s been quite a season for all of us in the Timbers Army. The capos, drummers and trumpeters thank everyone who joined us in the North End, on the road, and across the globe.

But before the season ends, we have one more request of you (AKA #BYCAP).

You may take it for granted that you’ll be at the next match, singing and chanting yourself hoarse. You’re from the North End and you’re there to make some noise, right?

But what if you couldn’t?

What if the joyful soundtrack of the Timbers Army was off limits to you?

You wouldn’t be alone.

Since 1964, Camp Meadowood Springs in Pendleton, Oregon has helped over 3,000 kids and young adults aged 6 to 16 overcome their unique social and learning challenges. Every summer, they offer a variety of instructive activities intermixed with intensive hearing and speech therapy for their 60-plus campers with communication challenges.

Here’s how you can help:

Instead of buying a pint, consider taking that spare change, that small bill, whatever you would consider to be the value of a “thank you beverage” and put that money into our pickle buckets, which you’ll see hanging off each nest along with one on the main stage.

We will turn that money into tuition breaks for those campers, because even though grants are essential to run Camp Meadowood Springs, the costs campers face are often the initial obstacle for them to overcome. Since the first BYCAP ask back in 2011, the Timbers Army has raised enough to pay outright for 15 campers—and we cannot be stopped from doing more.

If you cannot be at the match on Saturday, September the 29th, you can donate here (select "TA BYCAP"). Every bit helps—no matter if it’s on the pitch, in the North End, or in our community.

Thank you. See you in the stands.

—The Timbers Army Capos, Drums and Trumpets Corps

Sunshine Flag Update

Stephan Lewis — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 20:00:00 GMT

The 107ist board would like to thank all who have participated in the discussion on this topic. Through this process we have given special weight to our Asian and Pacific Islander members and the broader API community, locally. While we don’t discount the ranging concerns around this issue, we believe that our use of the sunburst throughout our iconography is very different in meaning from the Rising Sun, yet we do understand and acknowledge the concerns of some of our members in this regard.

As a result, we will be retiring the green and white capo stand flag unless/until significant design changes can be made. Also, we have been talking with the creators/owners of the current BAF and Away Sunshine flag about evolving the flags to incorporate more Portland-centric elements that will make them more divergent to any perceived negative reference. They will be attending our board meeting next week to discuss paths forward. They have been hoping to have alterations to the Away flag ready to travel to KC on the 18^th, but it may go into temporary retirement until those changes are completed. Due to the sizable logistics of working on the BAF, any significant changes would need to be an off-season project for them. Therefore, the BAF will be used in its current state throughout the rest of this season.

We also feel that this is a great opportunity to highlight some of the great work being done in our community to productively address hate. The local group Coalition of Communities of Color is working on a hate incident reporting app as a clearing house for incidents that will streamline tracking and response. The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) is leading the development of a highly detailed rapid response system of protocols that the reporting app will feed into to provide the most effective, unique response for each reported incident. This system is currently in the beta testing phase and is proving out well. The hope is to have it up and running in the coming months.

By continuing our relationships with many of our communities susceptible to hate, we aid in the social change to obtain self-determination, wellness, justice and prosperity for all who call Portland home. Through the strength of efforts like these we can contribute to an even broader impact on these present issues and we welcome you to continue to join us as we look for ways to do so.

The Sunshine Flag vs the Rising Sun

Stephan Lewis — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 02:58:44 GMT

This post is not an official statement on behalf of the 107ist board. However, it has been reviewed by the board before posting. This is an attempt not to state opinion or prescribe the solution, but to frame the issue in a way that elevates the discussion constructively as we move forward. While we continue to deliberate as a board, it is important that we continue to hear from you, our membership and community at large.

Well, as per usual, the Timbers’ participation in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup has not been short on controversy. As we were hosted by LAFC in their first run at the Cup, a multitude of controversial things to talk about swept over our community. I’m going to be addressing one of these specifically, as it brings up some very valid issues that are being discussed within the membership and at the 107ist board level. While much of the discussion arose in social media circles, a lot of the deliberation at the board level is in response to a very well-thought-out email to the board from a member of the Tigers Supporters Group (TSG), the LAFC supporters group based in Koreatown. As many of you may know, when the Sunshine flag went up after the Timbers goals in LA, the recognizable similarity with the Rising Sun flag of Imperial Japan surprised those who know that the Timbers Army and the 107ist have an ethos that completely contradicts the embodied meaning in the Rising Sun flag for communities who suffered under the atrocities of Imperial rule.

The Rising Sun flag has been in use for hundreds of years in Japan and has always been a symbol of war. Rooted in use by warlords, it became a symbol of national military strength around 1870. Many atrocities have occurred under its shadow. As the first nation to truly embrace industrialization and its advantages in warfare, a sense of racial superiority grew out of Japan that led to the Imperial mindset as a colonial power in the region.

This perceived hierarchy of superiority allowed them to justify the subjugation of the occupied peoples as they expanded. This manifested itself in many ways, from the sexual enslavement of hundreds of thousands of young girls, to around 6 million people being forced into Japanese labor camps and mines from Korea alone, to thousands being forced to participate in torturous medical experiments (Maruta). In one gruesome example, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people were raped and/or brutally massacred in one particular campaign of savagery referred to now as the Rape of Nanking. An estimated 36 million casualties were created in the Asia Pacific during WWII under the shadow of the Rising Sun flag. What’s noticeably missing from that statistic are Koreans, as they’d been occupied for over 20 years by 1931 and were considered a part of Japan at the time. Some estimates put the total number of casualties from Imperial expansion much closer to 50 million. While this is a similar number to the casualties in the European theater at the hands of Nazi Germany, we all (in the West) can recognize the inherent negative meaning of Nazi symbolism; yet it has become apparent that we know little of the meaning of the Rising Sun for those who were occupied in the Asia Pacific. Unlike Germany’s efforts to atone for this period in their history, Japan has largely failed to apologize, atone, or even wholly recognize the grievous acts that occurred at their hands over the same time.

With the sorrow of many, the Rising Sun flag is still in use in Japan. It has become the flag flown for Japan’s defensive navy and, with slight variation, other branches of their defensive military. It has caused numerous controversies at sporting events through its use on uniforms, both flying free and being hung in the stands, and even as face paint. The casual way it is incorporated in advertisements, fashion, media, etc., serves as a continual reminder to many millions of people. One specific current use is very troubling and can be directly correlated to conversations and reflections we have been having here in this country and in Portland in particular. Anti-Korean nationalism in Japan has been making a resurgence using the Rising Sun flag as one of its symbols. Some of the hateful language used is almost verbatim, after translation, to the hateful vitriol that has been growing like a cancer in the US. Watching video of protests and counter-protests on the subject is eerily similar to what we’ve been seeing here in Portland in recent years.

We’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching as a community in recent decades as to our role in WWII, with much of this focusing on the internment of the Japanese-Americans living in our communities. What we haven’t focused on largely are the effects of Japanese Imperialism on the populations they invaded over this time. As a Pacific Rim city, we do have a sizable population of Koreans, Chinese, Pacific Islanders, and Japanese; however, they lack any real enclaves like what can be found in many of the other major cities along the West Coast, most notably for the Korean-American community, who have Koreatown in Los Angeles but no comparable community here. While many in these groups locally have gained growing cultural acceptance in this region over time, their assimilation with the wider population has been deep in some respects and lagging in others due to many factors. A part of that is choosing your battles, and raising awareness about this symbol hasn’t been the chosen battle thus far. That’s kind of what brought us to this situation, regretfully. Something that is this important to so many people, and having the larger population be basically oblivious, is a true societal failure. There’s no other way to put it, really.

I personally applaud the Tiger Supporters Group for bringing this to our attention. The strength of the Korean community in LA as a true part of the diaspora is a great asset to the overall region there, and to this country, for that matter. Brought together often through adversity sometimes more than cultural similarity, their community identity and solidarity with other minorities was formed through fire. Following the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Koreatown was reformed from an enclave of immigrants to a community that is deeply engaged as an active part of the cultural and political landscape, advocating not just on behalf of Korean-Americans, but for all minority populations. Through this strength as a community and their place in the wider region, they are more able to bring issues like this to the broader consciousness. This does deserve our support and does align with the ethos of the 107ist.

In comparison to much of this country, we all, as supporters of the beautiful game, have an above-average comprehension of the subtleties between flags. Every four years we’re reminded of this via the World Cup. The slightest variations between flags can mean completely different things. One example is the banter the Timbers Army has been trading with one of our rivals using marine signal flags (“Your ship is sinking; abandon ship”). Another example is the use of a sunburst, the shared element between our Sunshine flag and the Rising Sun flag. The sunburst is not limited to these two, as it’s used in the Nepali peace flag (red and gold) and has been used in Ireland (green and gold) for about as long as it has represented the national military of Japan. The green and gold sunburst in Ireland traces back to use by the Irish Republican Brotherhood and has been used as a symbol of their fight for independence for well over a century. Irish regiments who fought in our nation’s Civil War for the Union carried with them versions of the green and gold sunburst. It has also made its way into the terraces through the supporters culture behind Celtic FC, a group that largely shares our ethos.

Now, I’m not going to deny that our Sunshine flag wasn’t influenced at all by the Rising Sun, but the meaning behind the flag couldn’t be more divergent. The original Sunshine flag was conceived out of our tradition of being led by Timber Jim with his daughter’s favorite song, You Are My Sunshine. But, while the song has a lot to do with the Spread the Love part of our ethos, another aspect is the strength of our convictions, and ignorant of the larger implications above, the Rising Sun had that inherent strength. The making of that first incarnation was the largest single tifo display item we had created at that point. While small compared to the spaces we’ve used to paint our displays since then, it seemed big at the time. Its creation wasn’t like slapping a bunch of paint around like our other displays; this was hand-sewn, and the sounds of the sewing machines will still bring a smile to the faces of those that were there. During the planning stages, the flag got the nickname BAF (Big-Ass Flag) due to the relative size, and the name stuck. It made its debut on July 14, 2004 in, oddly enough, a US Open Cup match against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Open Cup for us back then was a huge deal. It was our one entry point into the CONCACAF Champions League and a chance for us to prove our heart and passion when facing clubs above our league, not only on the field as a club, but in the stands as supporters. Our passion and heart that we gave to our team to embrace led to some of the most epic moments of that era in club history. Even though we always fell short, Our Boys frequently did us proud.

Only a few weeks after the debut of the BAF, Timber Jim’s daughter passed away in a car crash. The resulting outpouring of emotion was codified though the singing of the song and the messages of love, hope, passion, joy, and strength were embodied in that flag -- all things that were needed for us to heal as a community and to give Jim the support he needed then and still does to this day. Truly, it became more than just a tifo display. When it goes up over the North End after we score a goal, its message of pure joy washes over us. Hope is one of the strongest characteristics of the human condition. Through literally the worst of times (well outside sport), hope can get people through. When hope is lost, one’s ability to cope is lost too, and any downward spiral is near impossible to get out of. We look to the Sunshine flag as a symbol of that hope in the darkest times and we use it as a symbol of our convictions. As a result, it is one of the most ubiquitous symbols in our iconography: shirts, hats, patches, scarves, stickers, banners, large tifo displays, tattoos, all inspire these very pure emotions through the incorporation of the sunburst, so much so that it’s a key element in the Timbers Army crest and the 107ist logo. This is the symbol we put on youth kits when we sponsor a team. This is the symbol that we use to take our message into our communities.

After the original flag saw such an abundance of use over the years, it definitely showed its age and was falling apart, so it was retired shortly after our move to MLS. Feeling its loss, a couple of supporters with master sewing skills decided to make a new one, again by hand, and that is the one used in the North End of our stadium now which has some obvious variances from the original. Later, they decided to create another one specifically for away days which is closer in design to the original BAF. This is the element that travels with us so the regional and traveling supporters can be washed over by it, and helps our support for the team transcend geographical space.

Now, given the knowledge brought forth about the meaning for many when they see symbols like our Sunshine flag, we are at a crossroads. The only thing agreed upon at this point is that we can’t do nothing. This is far from placating another supporters group’s concern; this is about recognizing an issue in our own community much broader than our flag. Knowing that members of our community are affected in this way by the Rising Sun flag cuts right to the heart of who we are as an organization. Any simple solution we choose will be a disservice to many of those among us. It must be more broadly and deeply addressed. In the days since this conversation started, we have started a dialogue on this with Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), who are fellow members of the Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) coalition, and will be taking this issue together to the wider coalition to discuss what can be done moving forward.

There is current talk about altering the flag or even removing it from our iconography. Removal isn’t really possible, as its breadth within our culture runs too deep. Even if we tried, it would only have the opposite effect, as any existing reference would invoke the specific negativity we’re trying to address. Altering it by simply adding elements runs the risk of sweeping the issue under the rug and could be taken as just putting lipstick on a rat. Even if you get into the specifics of the sixteen rays or something (our number always varies), it discounts the fact that alterations to the Rising Sun are presently being used as representations of the original. As it stands currently, the away day Sunshine flag is the closest representation, especially when it is displayed with left side justification of the sunburst. The very least we could do is be very specific about orienting the flag so the justification of the sunburst is to the right, which would both turn the reference upside down in the international signal of distress and provide us with a constant opportunity to discuss the why, just like many of our other traditions. Maybe that flag simply retires with the other.

Again, there is no real solution at this point. The important thing is we’re started processes, are having the dialogue, and we look forward to hearing from and working with more of our members and others in our community to address the issue.

Please feel free to comment.

Vote to win $25,000 for Immigrants and Refugees!

Scott Jeffries — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 15:55:20 GMT

Last week, I had the honor of being named the Portland Timbers’ 2018 Community MVP for my work with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). If you are at all involved with the Timbers Army/107ist, you are probably already well aware of the work we have been doing - and I use “we” because while I was the chosen nominee, by no means did I do it alone. Michelle “Bella Devil” DeFord organized supply drives. Kyle “Caterjunes” Jones tirelessly worked the phones setting up a venue for the kids to play futsal, resulting in one of the two most magical moments I’ve ever experienced as a Timbers Army member, when the Portland and Minnesota fans broke into an impromptu game with the IRCO kids before MNUFC’s inaugural match (the other of course being the Atticus game). Outside of 107ist, I have been helping the kids with their homework most every Saturday and acting as a big brother to one particular refugee family, which you can do as well!

For being the Timbers’ chosen winner, IRCO will receive at least a $1,000 donation. With your help, we can turn that into $25,000. From right now until the All-Star Game on August 1st, you can vote for IRCO to take home the grand prize. Portland’s representative has won two of the last three years, including last year’s champion, Keith Palau, and between that and countless Save/Goal of the Week awards, Portlanders have shown they know how to get out and vote. But it won’t be an easy lift. There are many passionate fanbases around the league and we cannot take victory for granted, especially given that the All-Star hosts in Atlanta are shattering attendance records left and right. Between their gate receipts and home field advantage, they have to be seen as the favorites here, which means it’s going to take a bigger effort than ever before to come out on top.

HERE'S HOW TO VOTE:

You can vote once per day per device (that means once on your work computer, once on your home computer, once on your phone, etc.), every day, on their website at https://mlsworkscmvp.com/#timbersfc and on Twitter by tweeting and/or retweeting the automatically prepopulated tweet that will include the contest hashtag, MLS WORKS handle, MLS Club’s handle, Wells Fargo’s handle and the Website URL, along with the reason why you voted for your choice.

If you want to make the Twitter part easy, you can schedule a tweet in advance for every day of the contest. Twitter dot com will only let you schedule tweets if you give them a credit card, but you can connect your account to Tweetdeck for free and schedule them there. Go to tweetdeck.com, log into your Twitter account, click on the new tweet button in the top left, copy the text below, paste it into the text box, click “Schedule tweet”, and pick some time today. Then repeat those steps for tomorrow. And again for the day after tomorrow, and on and on until August 1st. Now you don’t even have to think about tweeting every day - but make sure you still vote manually through their website as well. Every vote matters!

Here is the text to tweet:
I just voted for Scott Jeffries, the 2018 @TimbersFC @MLSWORKS #CommunityMVP presented by @WellsFargo https://mlsworkscmvp.com/#timbersfc

Thank you for your support. Let's bring home the grand prize and show our immigrant and refugee neighbors that they are supported and welcomed!

Safety, Inclusion, and Intervention: An Update

107ist Admin — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 18:51:49 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

Over the last month and a half, the 107ist Board of Directors has been working diligently to address the issue of sexual harassment/assault within our ranks, and has been taking the issue very seriously as it has dominated our deliberations over this time. We regret that over this same time, other credible incidents have occurred and have been brought to our attention. While we have now since taken direct action, the board understands and shares the frustrations of those affected. To aid in our deliberative processes moving forward, we have updated our Code of Conduct to more specifically address these types of incidents.

In addition, we are creating a special subcommittee to address issues of sexual harassment and assault as they arise and, given the sensitive nature of such incidents, are working on anonymizing reports if someone so wishes. This will allow us to track incidents, help us to identify escalating behavior, and inform a response that is both judicious and timely.

One thing that we have learned through this process is that we all need to be doing a better job identifying problem behaviors and advocating for those who have been victimized. As a result, we have vetted and selected a professional bystander intervention program focusing on sexual harassment from a group who understands who we are, what we do, and what we stand for. We will be holding the first of these trainings later in July and August for the board, game day ops, and in-house security. Any available slots outside this group will be open to members at large. Our goal is to have these early trainings help the trainers understand the uniqueness of our community as we open them up to broader membership moving forward. It’s worth noting that we are still working on hosting bystander intervention trainings more specifically geared toward incidences of hate, but we found that the subject matter was divergent enough that they needed to be two separate trainings.

We look forward to collaborating with all our membership as we collectively work toward building a more welcoming environment free of the predatory behavior that has made our ranks an unsafe place for some of our members. These behaviors are not limited to our shared spaces; they expand across our society. We feel we have the capacity as an organization to move in the direction of the leading edge, and each of you is an important part of that capacity.

Let’s do this, Portland.

107ist Board of Directors

TAFC 7v7 Recreational League Registration Open

Dale Montgomery — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:52:30 GMT

Are you ready for some fútbol!? Timbers Army Football Club (TAFC) is proud to announce that registration for individual players and teams is now open for the new Fall Recreational COED 7v7 league! This has been a dream of mine since I started playing soccer at the ripe age of 47 six years ago. Thanks to the efforts of the TAFC 7v7 team of Dawn Bauman, Ray Terrill, Eric Kilgore, Bill Packwood, Pedro Nunez, this league is happening this Fall 2018. TAFC teams such as Old Growth and Thundercats have been bringing players into the game for years but there hasn’t really been a league that shares our vision. Competitive players have plenty of outlets in the Portland area. This is an outlet for the rest of us.

The is a true recreational league designed to bring new players out to play the game they love. We are creating this league to spread the love of soccer and bring people into the game. If you haven’t played soccer since the 6th grade or you have never played before, this league is designed for you. The emphasis of this league is fair play, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and community. “Aggro” or ultra-competitive behavior will not be tolerated. This is not to say that advanced players are not welcome. Competitive players who believe in our league ethos, want to play with their friends and make them better will be welcomed with open arms.

You can register as a “free agent” individual player and we will either find a team who needs you or create a team from the list of free agents. You can also register your recreational 11v11, futsal, indoor or Donut Derby 7v7 team. If you are worried about having enough players, we will supply players from the free agent list to supplement your roster.

All games will be on Sunday afternoons with start times of either 4:00pm or 5:30pm at the awesome new Eastside Timbers Academy Training Center 4710 SE 174th Ave Portland, OR Match Dates: 10 match season on 9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18, and 12/2. Costs: $650/team and $50/individual.

OASA cards are required by the first game 9/9/2018.

If this league sounds like something for you register yourself or your team here:

Register Here

Hope to see you out on the field this Fall

Dale Montgomery

Timbers Army FC

soccerdad.tafc@icloud.com

Match Day Drives - July - New Avenues for Youth

Michelle DeFord — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 21:00:00 GMT

When I started compiling groups of organizations for the Match Day Drives, I did it how I start most of my projects; I brainstormed with Twitter.

I hadn't heard of New Avenues for Youth, but Mike Donovan, resident #StatMan, gave it a glowing recommendation: “It's an organization that truly cares about both the present and the future of the young people in our community. From meals to job training, NA4Y provides a variety of services that go a long way in helping people on our community that deserve our help.”

When #RibbonZ came about, I didn't realize at first that it was the same organization. Long story short: A fan dared Good Dude Timber to wear a ribbon to match Badass Lady Thorn's gameday ribbon, and Good Dude Timber turned it into a learning moment. More than $5,000 in donations for NAFY's Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center followed, helping them to provide a safe space for teens and young adults who need them.

Throughout July, we're hosting a book drive in partnership with 107IST's Booked! book club. Any time the Fanladen is open, you can donate books to the cause. New Avenues for Youth are asking for books for people between the ages of 16-24.

In need of inspiration? We have gathered some helpful links:

The Multnomah County Library made us a list! (Thanks Alicia!)

Booked! made us a list!

Twitter uses also suggested lists, which can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

How TAFC Helped Me Find the TA

107ist Admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 18:51:02 GMT

- by Clifford Eiffler-Rodriguez

Being a part of Timbers Army FC helped me get stuck in.

I moved to Portland in 2003 and lived in the area on and off for several years. I had read about the Timbers and Timbers Army. However, it would take many years before I drummed up the courage (and the cash) to start attending games in late 2008. I was immediately hooked. Despite standing on the very edge of the TA, I was amazed at the connection I felt to the group, and the group to the club. It was the most vibrant and authentic sporting experience I had ever been part of.

In an effort to learn about the community and get to know people, I stumbled upon the SCUSA message board and spent countless hours trying to soak in the culture of the group. This led me to buying my first set of scarves, occasionally posting, and even attending a few away matches (the 2010 U.S. Open Cup trip to play Kitsap remains a notable one) where for the most part I knew people, but more than likely they didn’t know me. A couple of years in, I remained largely only a witness to the spectacle.

With a growing passion for the game, my interest in starting to actually play soccer had been stoked. When I first moved to Portland, I was introduced to playing as an adult by signing up for the intramural program at PSU. It was a neat game and it scratched an itch. Soccer, at its most basic level, was a game accessible to people of all skill levels.

Despite moving away for a couple of years (and cleating the crap out of everyone playing pickup in Salem), when I moved back to the area, I started looking for a team to join in Portland. I was bouncing around, working for various indoor soccer facilities, and while the employee discount afforded me a chance to play soccer, I wasn’t playing the same game that I saw from the stands of PGE Park.

Poking around the internet, I found out about the Greater Portland Soccer District (GPSD). I soon learned that there was a TA-specific league. After posting on the message board with the hopes that a desperate manager would take a flyer on a nobody, my search ended up grinding to a halt. My requests had fallen on busy ears.

So, I kept my eyes open.

Then came open play. It was an initiative led by the TAFC committee to rent a field and invite players from the league and any others who were interested to come to play under the lights at Buckman Field. Since it was open to anyone, I decided to head down with the small hope that I could find a team with an available spot.

After a couple of open play sessions, I connected with Bill, who was leading the committee at the time, and shared my desire to join a TAFC team. He couldn’t promise anything. Most of the teams had full rosters and turnover was limited. But eventually he heard that one of the teams, Guerreros Verdes FC (which would later become FC Bridge City), were looking for some players for the upcoming season and connected me to their manager, Manny.

Manny’s team was looking for center backs for the upcoming season, and despite having never played the position, I was happy to step into the role. He invited me to a tryout to scrimmage with the team and some friends to make sure I was a good fit.

From my point of view, it was an absolutely disastrous performance. The only time I had played 11v11 was in the fourth grade, and frankly, I had no idea I was doing out there.

After the scrimmage, I went to Five Guys to drown my sorrows in a huge pile of fries. That’s where I ran into Leo, a member of the team, and he was very gracious about my performance. However, I thought there was no way I would ever hear from these guys again.

I don’t know if Manny can illuminate the conversation the managers had that day, but having managed several teams since, half the battle is getting players to pay and show up to the games. A couple of days later an email arrived with a .doc which outlined the team’s rules and expectations. These guys were serious.

That first season was beautiful. The adjustment to playing the game was difficult, and I made my fair share of mistakes, but the team found itself driving out Gladstone HS to take part in the Fall Championship game against RCA.

I still feel we were robbed. At least we got to ease the pain of the result with carnitas.

Results aside, I had found a home within the TA. Guys who had my back on the field and who I could share a drink with post-match. Timbers games became a place where I no longer high-fived strangers after a goal, but hugged friends. There was no turning back.

Since then, the family has grown, and I have had the opportunity to play with more and more people from the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters.

At times the Timbers Army FC world is big and complicated. We partner with the city, PPS, and a bevy of other organizations across the city to run leagues, put on tournaments, and get people out playing soccer.

It’s a heavy lift. We largely depend on the work and goodwill of volunteers to make these things happen. But when I stand at Buckman watching the Donut Derby being played or lace up my cleats to take the field for Thundercats FC, I cannot help but think that we are fulfilling this following commitment by the 107ist: "The mission of the 107IST (107 Independent Supporters Trust) is to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level."

I love the volunteers who give so much time to make this happen.

I love the teams and players who I can count on to show up and play.

Honestly, when it comes down to it, this is one of the purest representations of this game that I can imagine.

I am so happy to have met and played with so many of you. This is a family that I cannot believe exists.

I love PTFC, but at the end of the day, nothing bring me more happiness than seeing family and friends on the field.

This is something special. Thank you so much for being a part of it.

Safety, Inclusion, and Intervention

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 22:12:27 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

As the engine that fuels The Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters, the 107IST board represents a growing and disparate group of supporters. We know that as supporters we will disagree about many things, large and small, in person and online. But as an organization there are some things on which we all agree.

We support team, town, and TA/Riveters.
We support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.
We have zero tolerance for hate, and zero tolerance for sexual harassment and assault.

Recently we received a report of an incident in the stands right here at home that caused an individual to feel so unsafe that they left the game early. Both the board and the front office responded. We wish we could say that this was an isolated incident, that only one person in the stands has ever engaged in harassing behavior, and that it was only one time. We wish we could say that everyone who comes to jump and clap and sing for the team always feels safe to do so. Sadly, we cannot.

In the course of the investigation and conversation resulting from this incident, we are also examining some truths about ourselves as individuals and as a group that might be hard to take. As AMAZING a community as we are, we need to do better, much better.

As 107ISTS, the Timbers Army and Riveters have a long-standing history of standing up to racism, sexism, and homophobia in the stands. We have long called ourselves champions of basic human rights. While this is most definitely true at our core, we also know we need to do a better job of putting our words into action. As a board and as individuals, we are taking a long, difficult look at what we need to do to create the conditions that give victims of harassment or assault the space and safety to know that they have advocates who will listen and respond. We need to learn how we, as a collective, can be better at intervening in the stands when we are bystanders witnessing such incidents as they occur. As a board, it is our duty to lead; and as individuals, it is each person’s responsibility to play a role in making the North End, and every place we gather, a safe environment. Our diversity and our numbers can, and should be, a strength.

In the coming weeks, the Board will be sharing a process for providing a safe, anonymous (if desired) and confidential place for folks in the stands to report incidents. We will also be improving our capacity to self-police, by providing bystander intervention training, first to game day operations and our own volunteer security people, and eventually to more members of the 107IST community at large. We are also evaluating implementing a code of conduct that clearly spells out what we should expect of ourselves and of each other, whether we’re cheering in the stands, gathering at a social event, painting tifo, or volunteering in the community.

We need to be better at clearly communicating what we all expect of each other. We need to be better at responding, both in the moment and after the fact, and we are committed to doing so.

Please hold us to it.

Open Letter to the TA

107ist Admin — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:54:02 GMT

This is a guest post by TA members Emily, Nicky, and Dawn*.

Don’t be a shitty person. One of the reasons I fell in love with this community was the awesome people. It’s unfortunate that a few people in the TA ruin this experience and make others feel unsafe. Some of our founding bricks are acceptance and to spread the love. No one should feel unsafe or uncomfortable at a sporting event, during a goal celebration or otherwise. Keep your hands, hugs, beers, stuffed birds, and kisses to yourself unless you have permission. Use the Platinum Rule: treat everyone how you would want to be treated, but better.

Don’t be shocked or naïve that these things are happening. We’ve been trying to tell men that harassment happens almost on a daily basis, practically everywhere (our texts, pics or uninvited DMs, social media and in real life, possibly right in front of you). This harassing toxic behavior is perpetrated by people you like, maybe friends you know, or quite possibly even you. We are tired of hearing things like “He just likes to hug too much”, “He gets handsy when he drinks”, “Oh that guy, he kisses everyone when he’s happy”. No matter what we hear, whatever the excuses for the behavior, it’s not OK.

This is a BIG FUCKING DEAL. For all the lamenting we do about preserving TA Culture™, there has been a shocking amount of apathy when it comes to this shit. The amount of people who could name multiple offenders in the TA (including TA leadership) and know that this is ongoing, without having done anything about it, is damning, and if left unaddressed it will literally actually ruin TA culture (more so than bad corporate merch or eliminating chants ever could). It already has, to a certain extent – ruined the TA culture. There needs to be a seismic shift in the way we deal with this.

Speaking up when someone harasses you is hard and uncomfortable. It’s not always that easy to remove yourself from the situation. A lot of times if someone has been harassed or victimized they just want to get out of the situation. Plus, it feels shameful. It takes time to come forward, it takes time to come forward to someone you trust, and it takes time to be sure the person you trust is your ally.

Stop telling women “You should have…" or "Next time, you should do this”. Take a step back and start listening, switch your mindset to “I’m thinking about what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again”. Start having uncomfortable discussions with your friends when you see something. Call out a fellow ‘TA’ when you see this behavior.

It’s frustrating to be living in what feels like a broken system. There’s a lot of work to do to help fix it, like having nonviolent bystander intervention training or identifying the safe places/people for reporting harassment, always asking permission before you assume someone wants to be hugged, and maybe one of the easiest is for you to just speak up when you see it. Our society is a mess, but together if we all work to be better, do better, we can get back to being the community filled with awesome people that care about one another.

*Dawn is a 107IST board member, but here is writing as an individual supporter.

Enjoy Our Brand New Partnerships

Zachary Freeman — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 22:14:22 GMT

Artists Repertory Theatre: Our neighbors over at Artists Rep have announced their 2018/19 Season.

107IST Members enjoy $15 off shows. Show your card at the Box Office, or online use code: 107IST

The 19th Hole (Hotel Deluxe): Free golf! Our neighbors up the hill at Hotel Deluxe have opened the 19th Hole again for the season and are now an official partner of 107IST. Check out their canned beverage menu of 75 craft beers, wines and cider, the pop-up beer garden and mini golf course on the corner of SW 15th & Yamhill is outfitted with lawn games, food cart bites, sun shades and picnic tables.

Show your 2018 107IST membership card at the entrance and enjoy free mini golf throughout the season!

Portland Pickles: Feel like checking out some baseball this summer? Show your 2018 107IST membership card for the following opportunities:

$1.00 off walk-up ticket sales for 2018 Portland Pickles Games (cannot be used online) Ticket Prices: $7, $10, $13 (Depending on seat location)
$1.00 off craft beer (FRI-SUN) at 2018 Portland Pickles Games
10% off all merchandise (cannot be used online)

Olympic Provisions Public House: (SE 33rd Division) Show your 2018 107IST membership card for:

$5 classic franks at all three locations, and $2 off select pitchers at the Division location. Watch every Timbers and Thorns game on 100" screen at the Division location.

4-4-2 Soccer Bar: (SE 17th Hawthorne) Under new ownership. Show that card:

$1 off first pint or mug for the day (offered everyday)

House Spirits Distillery: (65 SE Washington) 107IST members receive:

20% off non-spirit merchandise and free tours

NW Portland Hostel: (NW 18th)

Happy hour menu on food and drinks during all Timbers Game viewings.
10% off lodging in private rooms or dorms. Ideal for individuals, couples, families and groups. 5 blocks to stadium!

Cricket Cafe: (31st SE Belmont) Show your membership card for:

$1 off Bloody Mary's All Day Every Day

Boring Brewing Company: (Haley Rd, Boring Oregon) Show your 2018 membership card and drink:

$4 pints

Wild Roots Tasting Room: (135 NE 6th Ave)

Enjoy a free cocktail when wearing your Timbers or Thorns gear

Check out over 130 other partnership/member benefits HERE.

Timbers Army Match Day Drives. June - Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers

Michelle DeFord — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The members of the Timbers Army take pride in giving back to the Portland community, and Match Day Drives have quickly become a fun and effective way to do that.

Inspired by the Rose City Riveters’ efforts, the Timbers Army helped a handful of organizations last year, collecting everything from toiletries, to school supplies, to gift cards to help homeless youths settle in to new housing.

This year, we are going to do things a little differently. Instead of focusing on a different organization every match, we will support a different organization each month for the rest of the 2018 season.

The first organization we will be supporting through Match Day Drives is Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers, who assist the area’s seasonal, farm, and service workers. The items that they are looking for are dry beans, uncooked rice, and cooking oils.

Here are the organizations we will be supporting for the rest of the season:

June - Friends of Seasonal and Service Workers
July - New Avenues for Youth book drive - http://newavenues.org
August - School supply drive for IRCO - http://irco.org
September - Cat Adoption Team - https://catadoptionteam.org
October - My Voice Music - http://myvoicemusic.org

We will post wish lists for supported organizations at the start of each new month.

TA Away Game Travel Guide to Atlanta

Darren Lloyd — Sat, 26 May 2018 20:07:00 GMT

—by Nic Gulas; last updated 12/02/2018 by Darren Lloyd

Welcome to Atlanta where the playa’s play! The capital of the South is excited to welcome you as the home of Delta, Coca-Cola, and one of the worst sports towns in America. Well, until Atlanta United. The spectacle inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be something for all of you to behold, but it’ll be a grand chance for traveling TA to continue making a name for ourselves. As the central area of the Southeast, expect TA from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Florida to all invade ATL along with you. Now, take a look below for everything you need to know for the Cup! Well, and any other time you find yourself in the A.

Things to Know

This is the largest venue in MLS in a city heavily reliant on their cars, so be prepared for lots of traffic if you have a car. Atlanta traffic doesn’t care if it’s 4pm on a Tuesday or 8am on a Sunday. There will be a slowdown, especially at the I-75/85/20 area where most of the action will be taking place. Do your best to arrive early wherever you want to go and be prepared to not really move after the match, either.
As stated above, MARTA drops off right at MBS/Phillips Arena/Georgia World Congress Center. This will be just as crowded as the streets around the stadium, so keep that in mind for post match travel, as well.
WEATHER: Weather predictions shouldn’t be trusted this far in advance, but MBS is an indoor stadium, so it will not affect the match.

Travel

If you are planning to fly into Atlanta, you will fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). Be advised, this is the busiest airport in the world, serving over 100 million people a year. ATL offers taxis, rideshares, rental cars, and connects to the MARTA red/orange line.

MARTA trains run through many parts of the city. Some areas, especially to the west and south, can be a little dicey, but using it from the Airport to the city as well as within greater ATL is a great tool to have. MARTA, however, does not venture out into Cobb County, which is northwest of the city and where Marietta is located.

Atlanta is one of the most reliant cities on their cars. Traffic in the city is constantly ranked among the top 10 worst in the country, but if you want to get to some of the “See & Do” locations that are listed below, a car will be the way to go, and those locations will be marked as such.

Atlanta has three major interstates converge in the middle of the city: I-20 from the east and west then I-75 and I-85 that run north and south. In a four hour radius, these can get you to Charlotte, Nashville, Birmingham, and Savannah. I-285 is the outer loop interstate that runs through Marietta, Alpharetta, and the ATL airport. It takes about an hour to drive the entire loop, but remember, it’s a loop, so you don’t get lost on it.

If you are staying in the greater downtown, Midtown, Buckhead area, ride sharing is a great way to get around. Rates are reasonable for a major city and will usually get you where you need to go in good time.

Stay

Atlanta has plenty of hotels both in and around the city. It’s best to stay close to what you plan to do or spend most your time on, especially if you opt for no car. Downtown will be your best bet if you’re coming for the match, and there are plenty of high end as well as economic options throughout downtown. For the Cup, I would suggest staying as close to Centennial Olympic Park as your budget will allow. There are plenty of AirBnb options around town, as well.

Caffeinate

Atlanta isn’t really a coffee hotbed. It’s very much dominated by the Starbucks and Dunkins of the world. With that said, there are a couple of places worth checking out if you need to perk up and want to support the local guys.

Ebrik Coffee Room, Downtown: A cozy little coffee shop on the Georgia State campus.
Revelator/Octane, multiple locations: All Octanes are in the process of being transformed to Revelators, who bought them out, but there are many locations in the Midtown/Downtown area for fresh brewed Joe.

Eat

Atlanta has plenty of good food options, both of the notable chain variety as well as local flair. The thing is, you’re in the South, so don’t be surprised when you see a bunch of fried stuff mentioned below.

Waffle House, multiple locations: You’re in the South, you have to eat at Waffle House. The 24-hour breakfast-themed diners are scattered all over the place and are definitely better at 2am. Don’t ask how, they just are.
The Varsity, Georgia Tech campus: “Whatta’ya have?!” If you approach the register at The Varsity without knowing the answer to that question, you will be screamed at repeatedly. Fast food grease pit is the best way to describe this Atlanta staple. Make sure to grab an Orange Creamsicle milkshake with whatever you eat.
Fox Brothers BBQ, Little Five Points: Again, you’re in the South, so finding the best BBQ is clearly a priority. Fox Brothers is consistently considered the best pork and ribs in Atlanta. Fox Brothers can also be found inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Vortex, Little Five Points/Midtown: If you can, make it to the Little Five Points location. A small hole in the wall bar, The Vortex also offers up the best hamburger in Atlanta in a unique part of town. There are multiple bars close by, as well, so if you’re looking for a night out in one area, starting at the Vortex or Fox Bros is highly recommended.
Recess, Krog Street Market: Here’s a lighter, vegetarian option after a bunch of greasy food. Recess offers bowls, salads, and sandwiches in a relaxed, casual atmosphere.
Atlanta Breakfast Club, Downtown: If you’re looking for a traditional breakfast or brunch, or want to grab some chicken and waffles, give Atlanta Breakfast Club a try.
Empire State South, Midtown: If you want a more high end brunch that won’t disappoint, Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South is a great place for it. While you wait, try your hand at the bocce ball court just outside.

Drink

PSA: You’re Oregonians; when you’re in Atlanta you’re going to seek our craft beer. People will recommend Scofflaw. They actually make pretty decent beer but DO NOT visit. They’re pro-Trump reductive assholes, and exist to piss people off. They are completely contradictory to the values of TA.
Sweetwater Brewing Company, Piedmont Heights: One of the most successful breweries in the South, Sweetwater has been slinging suds since 1997. If you enjoy IPAs, this is the brewery for you. Almost every offering from Sweetwater is an IPA.
Monday Night Brewing Company, West Midtown: If you want a bigger variety of beer, try Monday Night Brewing. Most of their beers have lower ABVs and focus more on flavor profiles, aimed at being enjoyed every day of the week rather than living for the weekend.
Other Breweries: Red Brick Brewing, Red Hare Brewing, Orpheus Brewing, Second Self Brewing
STATS and Der Biergarten, Centennial Olympic Park area: These two spots are located next door to each other just down the road from the College Football Hall of Fame and Georgia Aquarium. STATS is a great local sports bar and grill with a full bar. Der Biergarten has both indoor and outdoor space great to enjoy a wide choice of German beer and fare.
Holman and Finch Public House, Peachtree Hills: If you want some of the best spirits and small plates in ATL, this is your location. Tucked in along Peachtree Road, H&F is a calm, casual atmosphere. If you can, get there early enough for lunch or dinner to get one of their hamburgers. You have to be quick, because they only have 24 per service.
Elliott Street Deli and Pub, Downtown ATL: Located just blocks from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Elliott St Deli and Pub is a neighborhood spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of ATL. Known for its charm and sandwich menu, there’s also a wall of taps with a rotating selection of beers.
Barcelona Wine Bar, Atlantic Station area: If you want to skip the beer and spirits, Barcelona Wine Bar is your place. There’s EIGHTEEN pages of wines to choose from, so yes, they have something you will like. Their locations also have full menus to find that perfect pairing.

See & Do

Home to four major sports franchises, multiple Fortune 500 companies, and a central location during the American Civil Rights movement, there’s plenty to see and do in the Atlanta area. Less than an hour outside the city limits, you can find great hiking and rivers. No matter your interests, there’s something for you in ATL.

World of Coke Museum: If you want to learn everything about America’s favorite soft drink, this is the place. The World of Coke museum covers the history of the soda, including their ad campaigns. Take a picture with the animatronic polar bear and finish the tour by trying Coke products from all over the world.
Georgia Aquarium: The Largest Aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, the Georgia Aquarium houses more than 10,000 animals in fresh and saltwater tanks as well as a few places for land creatures. See beluga whales being fed or walk in a tunnel under one of the tanks.
Centennial Olympic Park: The main gathering area for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Centennial Olympic Park is located in the middle of everything to see and do in the Downtown area. Surrounded by the Georgia Aquarium, Coke Museum, CNN Center, Philips Arena, and the College Football Hall of Fame, the park has an Olympic Ring fountain as well as art of summer olympic events. If you want to see the torch from the 1996 Games, head toward Georgia State’s football stadium, which is the former home of the Atlanta Braves and served as Olympic Stadium for the Games.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial: Located at the King Center, this is the final resting place of MLK Jr. The King Center houses many documents from King’s fight at the forefront of the American Civil Rights movement as well as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization founded by Dr. King.
CNN Center: The original home of Cable News Network is located in the heart of Atlanta. Tours of the studios are available, but sadly not guided by Anderson Cooper. The lower level of the CNN Center has a food court that is connected to Philips Arena and roughly three blocks to MBS. A couple of the food options sell rather large beers that can be taken outside on gamedays to the grassy areas around MBS.
Six Flags Over Georgia: (Car necessary) Six Flags Over Georgia is located about 10 miles outside the city down I-20. Home of 8 different roller coasters, including Batman, Superman, and the Ninja, Six Flags is a fun getaway with plenty of fun rides and shows. In the hot months, Thunder River is a solid choice for a cool down. If you have younger kids, they can see their favorite Looney Tunes characters around the park. Pro Tip: buy a can of Coke to bring down the admission price. Most individual cans have coupons for $10 or $15 off.
Piedmont Park: Located in the heart of the city, Piedmont Park is a great place to relax and enjoy a great day outside. The park has great views of the Atlanta skyline with plenty of open space for pets or a quick kickaround.
College Football Hall of Fame: One of the newest attractions in Atlanta, the College Football Hall of Fame moved down from South Bend, Indiana in 2014. The most popular sport in the South is represented in multiple halls and interactive areas to cover over 150 years of college football. The main entrance hall has a wall of every current college football helmet from every division.
Stone Mountain: (Car necessary) If you need to get out of the city and into nature, this is the place. Stone Mountain has plenty of hiking, biking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities to enjoy.
Atlanta Braves/Hawks/Falcons: Depending when you visit, any of the other Atlanta teams may be in season. The Falcons also play in Mercedes-Benz Stadium while the Hawks play next door in Philips Arena. If you want to take in a Braves game, you’ll need a car to get out to Cobb County. If you want to make a day of it, there’s plenty to do around SunTrust Park in The Battery ATL.

Nossa Chape Film 6/7/18 NOTE DATE CHANGE

Zachary Freeman — Wed, 23 May 2018 23:01:59 GMT

On June 7, 107IST brings you a preview screening of “Nossa Chape” at Cinema 21, with proceeds going to benefit Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund. Tickets here.

The film had its world premiere in March at the South by Southwest Film Festival and is making its way across the country this spring.

To whet your appetite, Timbers Army OG Shawn Levy, who was film critic of The Oregonian for 20 years, had a look at it and offers this review.

“Nossa Chape” is a documentary, but you can be forgiven for thinking of it as a horror movie.

It takes as its starting point a tragedy that no one can fully imagine, even if, at some level, it seems like one that ought to have occurred more often than it has.

On November 28, 2016, a chartered plane ran out of fuel and plummeted into a mountainside in Northeast Colombia, killing 71 of those on board, including 19 players from the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, 25 team officials and guests, and 20 journalists who were along to cover the team's appearance in the Copa Sudamerica final.

This wasn't the first time the footballing world has suffered such a calamity. Indeed, as even a partial list of the times that it has happened demonstrates, this brand of catastrophe is an indiscriminate beast.

Torino of Italy (1949), Manchester United of England (1958), Green Cross of Chile (1961), The Strongest of Bolivia (1969), Pakhator Tashkent of Uzbekistan (1979), Alianza Lima of Peru (1987), and the men's national team of Zambia (1993) -- all wiped out, or deeply ravaged, by air crashes, all leaving families, communities, and even nations devastated, all creating holes in the world that survivors and supporters were forced to fill with the seeds of rebirth.

It's impossible to comprehend how any community could function after this sort of nightmare at any time, but, as this film makes clear, the Chapecoense story was especially cruel.

As a team, Nossa Chape (“Our Chape”) was one of the feel-good stories of Brazilian soccer -- in all of South American soccer, in fact. Representing Chapeco, a city of a mere 200,000 souls in Brazil's southwest, the team rose from the obscurity of the fourth division to reach Brazil's highest tier in 2014. Just two years later, Chape qualified for second-most prestigious club tournament in South America and made a heroic run, defeating several larger, better-known teams to advance to the championship round against Atletico Nacional of Colombia. They were en route to the first match of that final when they crashed.

For its fans, Chape was more than just a group of sporting heroes.

Composed of the city's sons, brothers, and friends, it was a team of ambassadors bearing the name and the heart of the town into the world. And on that awful night, that heart was crushed. Chape was awarded the Copa Sudamerica when Atletico refused to accept it, but there was barely anything left of the club. Only three players had survived the crash, plus the handful who hadn't made the trip, and almost none of the front office. How do you rebuild from the ashes when ashes are just about all that you have?

“Nossa Chape” is the story of that process: the tragedy itself, the painful aftermath, the communal effort to keep the team alive, the harrowing path back to normalcy on the part of the survivors, and the aching cavity in the hearts of the wives, mothers, friends, and fans left behind.

Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist and Julian Duque, all of whom have impressive sports movies on their resumes, it is an intimate, deeply moving portrait of people trying to move forward after being knocked unimaginably backward.

Along with footage of the disaster – the joking around before the flight, the recovery efforts by first responders, the shock wave as the news spread throughout Chapeco, the heart-wrenching memorial services – the filmmakers bring us close into the rebuilding and recovery efforts.

We meet devastated widows and grieving parents, and we become especially familiar with the three players who survived the crash: Jackson Follmann, Alan Ruschel, and Neto, the latter two of whom actually strive to play again after their miraculous escapes. Time and again, you are brought to tears; even in this era of great documentaries, this is one of the most heartbreaking ones you'll ever see.

The bulk of the film focuses on the team's return to the pitch mere months after the disaster: a new coach, staff, and squad trying to carry on as a competitive enterprise even as they're all still reeling.

The surviving players don't know how they fit in; the front office doesn't know what to prioritize or how to implement it; and the fans, amazingly, wait barely four or five matches before voicing their displeasure with the results (the results!) achieved by what was essentially a pick-up team playing under an inconceivable cloud of pressure, scrutiny, uncertainty, and grief.

In a sense, this is the most universal aspect of the film. Just as we can all relate to the emotional bond between team and town, we can all recognize a fan base that hungers, even angrily, to see its collective ambition mirrored on the playing field. And while we might expect the former to be strengthened by a disaster, it's amazing to see that the latter persists as well. The next time you hear someone bellyache about your favorite team's tactics or substitution patterns or “caring,” remember that there are people who can get upset that their team isn't winning matches three months after it was wiped out in a plane wreck. If nothing else, “Nossa Chape” shows us that focusing on wins and losses, even in this context, is an inherent aspect of the human impulse to see oneself reflected in a team.

That, ultimately, is what the film is about: the emotional connection that makes soccer so vital to so many people who earn a living at it or make a business of it or devote themselves to it as fans. The culture around a team has far more to do with shared humanity than with scores and trophies. That bond is the essence of community, and this film captures it with great, vivid immediacy and at a heightened level that the rest of us, tap wood, will never experience in real life.

-Shawn Levy

Our Shared Ethos in Action

Stephan Lewis — Tue, 22 May 2018 19:54:17 GMT

With St. Pauli in town, there’s been a lot of referencing of our cultural similarities. However, there’s a lot we do that doesn’t get a lot of air time and now is a really good time to tell some of those stories. Not just with this meeting of our two like-minded clubs and supporters groups; this coming weekend marks a year since the deadly MAX attack that shook our community and brought an aspect of our story into global discussions about hate. For this, we’re going to share a few stories of hope from the last year.

On the Friday before the last week of school heading into the summer break, school kids get the -itis and middle schoolers are no exception. As they leave school for the weekend, they dread having to return for another week as focus is at a major low. We’ve all been there. For two girls walking to the bus from school last year, the experience was shockingly different. Walking from Hosford Middle School to catch the 4 on Division, a pickup crept next to them on the street and delivered a barrage of hate-filled vitriol that took many in the community aback, particularly since the attack on the MAX had just happened. I can’t speak to the reaction of the girls and can only imagine what that must have been like. I can, however, speak to the reaction of the community.

As members of the coalition Portland United Against Hate (PUAH), we caught wind of this incident shortly after the it happened and, given one of our strengths is quick volunteer recruitment, patiently awaited the right time and circumstances to react, with special attention given to the sensitivity around schools. (I’ll elaborate more on PUAH below.)

The principal looked to the district for help, who looked to Safe Routes to Schools for help, who looked to Oregon Walks for help, who, given our strong relationship with these groups that we’ve strengthened over the years, looked to us for help. Having the go-ahead but still wanting to keep everything on the down-low, we organized shifts during their morning and afternoon commutes and invited 107ist members that lived close to that area.

The first morning shift, no one knew what to expect. We had enough people to cover the main choke points and had teams staggered strategically through the area as school staff looped over the main walking routes to the school. As we walked out to our spots, anti-hate stickers and posters that had been put up over the weekend lined our path and we settled in for the kids to start trickling through.

Many of the parents decided to accompany their students to and from school that first day. As you can imagine, the middle school kids were not down with parental escorts and kept a solid distance ahead of them. As one bus pulled up, a kid jumped off in a bound that immediately put her twelve feet ahead of her mom as she negotiated the stairs off the bus. Most of the parents made sure to stop and thank us for our presence, or at minimum, give us a nod of approval. One parent stopped to talk as she was waiting to meet her son and walk him home; it took her a while to realize he ditched her and walked around the long way.

While we were fully prepared to represent the strength of our convictions against intolerance, what happened is what usually happens when we get together. We Spread the Love all over the place.

As members of the immediate community heard about what happened, they started to swing by and join us too. By the second day we amassed an even stronger presence, and we were assigning the local dog walkers to wander where some gaps were on the back side of the school. By the third day, we had members of the business community joining us as well.

We came together to show our disgust, as a community. We came together to show our strength, as a community. We came together to Spread the Love, as a community. We came together to attempt to heal, as a community. We came to together to move Onward, as the Rose City.

This is a process we’re familiar with as an organization. This process was affirmed when reps from the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters attended a PUAH-hosted presentation from a national leader in the battle against hate groups: Scot Nakagawa, senior partner at ChangeLab, who played an active role in the battle against hate in Portland in the 90s, specifically in the punk rock and alternative* music scenes. His presentation and subsequent discussions covered the history of hate groups in our region and their current presence as well as best practices for curbing the influence of those groups.

A lot has been said in the last year about the history of hate in this region. It doesn’t seem to jibe with the image some have of us as a community. As a Portland native from a family of mixed heritage, I’m here to tell you it’s never been that place. I came of age here in the in the 90s and can say this place has always had an edge. I’m not going to sweep that history or the longer-term history under the rug, or lie to myself that it disappeared before raising its head in recent years. I will say that it went underground, not because of some hippy-dippy BS, but because it was actively pushed there. It’s said now that residents, the city, and businesses collectively came together to win the battle against local hate groups, but that’s not what I, or my peers, saw. Portland was a murder capital back then. Grown from the dark history of our region which more of you have become aware of this past year, gangs from SoCal took advantage of the pockets of hopelessness in our urban fabric and brought with them a wave of violence that saw many deaths from both gangs and the police. This had a hugely negative impact on the local hip-hop scene as most clubs either stopped having live shows or flat out had to close after some fool started shooting his gun outside, resulting in the scene being driven more underground while it thrived in other parts of the country. On the other side of that, we used to tell people who came here in all seriousness, “Don’t fuck with the Portland Police, they’ll shoot you”. No joke.

During the 90’s a wave of Neo-Nazi recruitment swept the country targeting the disaffected youth in the punk and alternative* rock scenes. They’d prey on their angst and offer to fill them with strength by making them out to be better than others instead of allowing them to celebrate who they are as individuals, collectively. The human brain is designed to focus more easily on fear and is susceptible to the use of hate to combat that fear as a very primitive level. Healthy communities, however, are based on trust, connectivity, and acceptance. Hate is a threat to community as it actively weakens it conceptually, physically, and spiritually. Hate is a threat to the soul of a community and must be addressed head-on.

Portland, of course, was not immune to this assault, as organizers of hate groups tried to capitalize on our sordid history and the confusion of the time. It’s the fight back that grew out of the punk scene that was different than other aspects of the city’s fight against hate groups. There was a zero-tolerance ethos against hate that was more aggressive in defense of our culture. As Abe mentioned in his recent post, How I Fell in Love with St. Pauli, this is an ethos we shared with St. Pauli supporters that directly informed the creation of the Timbers Army, that led us to form the 107ist in defense of our culture with the move to MLS, and was a key cultural element in the creation of the Rose City Riveters. Now, we can’t pretend that we’re God’s gift to addressing intolerance or that we’ve fought the toughest battles, but we are building on a worldwide movement within supporters culture and like-minded groups. Not only do we bring it to the terraces and lift it into the rafters, we take our strength and our love out into the community not just with words and dollars, but with our sweat equity. That’s what we bring to Portland United Against Hate and we are valued at the table for it.

So, some background on PUAH. The coalition was formed in the wake of the heightened frequency of hate crimes that followed the 2016 elections, when a core group of organizations within the city collaborated on a joint statement addressing shared concerns, thoughts, and feelings. Having built working relationships with many of the organizations, recognizing some of the limitations of the orgs and the overall strength of the joint statement as it applies to our ethos, the 107ist was an early adopter in the second wave once the statement started to circulate. As we brought our strength of convictions to the table, we had some of the core orgs that we’d worked with corroborate our convictions as the real deal and not just a bunch of schmucks that dance around at soccer matches.

Starting with bi-monthly meetings and frequent work sessions, the goal was to figure out how to proceed collectively. Structured under the umbrella of the city’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement, PUAH received $40,000 for a pilot project to better address hate crime and create incident reporting procedures. We presented this pilot project to the Portland City Council in their May 3, 2018 PM Thursday Session earlier this month, and you can catch that presentation here if you’d like (be warned, it gets emotional at a few points).

One thing to come out of this process was that PUAH approached the city with a multifaceted plan. As a result, PUAH received funding for a full-time coordinator and were rewarded 13 grants funding the design and implementation of a data collection tool to track hate, the creation of a toolkit of resources, structural capacity for specific organizations to respond to hate in their communities, and a wide range of strategic trainings designed to increase our capacity to address hate as a community. For our part, as the 107ist, we’re planning to host some of our own trainings on such topics as bystander intervention now that the trainings have grown through the influence of affected communities.

Okay, I want to finish with one last story. Last summer, less than a month after the MAX attack, the organizers of the Good in the Hood Parade received a piece of hate mail that was one of the ugliest things I’ve ever read. I won’t repeat it here, but I’ll say there’s no way anyone is a part of any “master race” with grammar that poor. As they operate under the umbrella of a PUAH member organization, we heard about it right away and were asked for help. We reached out to them to build a relationship and see where we could assist. With our experience helping with other events, we figured we could do some of the same things to take some of the load off their volunteers. (It’d be hard pressed to be worse than the last Sunday Parkways we did trying to coordinate the insane amount of traffic on the newly opened Tillikum Crossing. Sorry if this triggered you, Nick!)

We were welcomed with open arms and our offer of help was graciously accepted. While we thought we would be doing some intersection management again, we weren’t sure exactly what we would be doing. As the volunteers started to amass, we could tell this event was different than some of the others events we’ve helped with. It was like a reunion of people who’d been displaced from their former communities due to gentrification. “Where are you now? Oh, we moved out to [such and such] neighborhood.” It was also evident that the death threat from that ignorant POS had no effect on these groups who had been fighting the good fight long before many of us were even born. They were there to party and nothing was going to dampen that vibe. The prayer lead by a local reverend to the volunteers articulated this feeling masterfully in ways I can’t do justice to in writing this. The only sketchy moment was when a guy in a weighted vest looking all sweaty and distressed came jogging through the area from the CrossFit gym around the corner. Man, that guy got a lot confused looks from people.

Our presence proved effective as we ended up being assigned to address an issue that was more of an afterthought: parking at the staging area. As the parade staged on an adjacent street, a series of dead ends had been created which made drop-offs problematic. We were in charge of directing people to available parking and/or waving them off so they didn’t waste time looking. It was hot in the sun, but the party vibe was real and inspiring, and hanging with the low-rider club that anchored the parade was definitely a highlight. Those guys were cool.

Good in the Hood is working on bringing this year’s event together and we’re looking forward to working with them again next month. Keep an eye out for the signups in the next few weeks if you’d like to join the party.

Lastly, with the anniversary of the MAX attacks this weekend, we’ve been asked to get some volunteers out to TriMet’s memorial this to help circulate information about some of PUAH’s upcoming trainings. Check tomorrow’s 107ist newsletter for the details. We’ve come a long way over the last year, but we have a long way to go and you can be a part of that journey.

While I’m REALLY looking forward to the punk rock show/afterparty tonight at Cider Riot!, I’ve got an outro for you that seems appropriate. One Love.

*The man’s got to label stuff he doesn’t understand to make that $$$.

How I Fell in Love with St. Pauli

107ist Admin — Wed, 02 May 2018 01:26:19 GMT

-by Abram Goldman-Armstrong

A football club in a river port known for strippers and beer with fans with a rabid punk rock reputation? Sound familiar?

My first exposure to St. Pauli was actually in the mid-1990s punk scene in Minneapolis and St. Paul, when I saw punks sporting the skull and crossbones logo of the supporters that had been adopted by the club. Upon enquiring about it I heard tales of these crazy anti-fascist punk rock football supporters in Germany. I was intrigued, being that my leather jacket bore the crest of the Portland Pride, our indoor club at the time, and I was heavily involved in the punk scene, publishing my own fanzine and attending demos and shows; this confluence of punk rock and football seemed like a good deal. Over the years I learned more about St. Pauli and their activist punk rock fans and was fascinated, hoping one day to meet these legendary supporters.

I heard more about St. Pauli while living in Cork City in 1997-1998. One image, from an English football magazine of a St. Pauli supporter in hard hat and safety glasses due to the amount of things thrown, sticks with me.

Back home in Portland in 2001 as we organized as supporters in section 107, the punks and anti-racist skinheads quickly established the Zero Tolerance for Intolerance stance that exists to this day. Politically aligning what was to become the Timbers Army with the St. Pauli supporters. It was only natural in Portland to have a stance against racism and homophobia, so as the Timbers Army began to take shape we looked to like-minded supporters around the world as examples. Chicago’s Section 8 was an inspiration initially, and we drew on various traditions; as we grew and the MLS loomed large, St. Pauli’s example was of huge significance as we strove to find a way to keep our vibrant traditions and supporters culture alive in a more corporate league with fewer rights for fans.

Scarf up by the supporters container at the Millerntor

F.C. St. Pauli was founded in 1910 in a working-class quarter of the city of Hamburg. Like many European sporting clubs, it boasts not only a football club, but men’s and women’s rugby clubs. For many years it was merely a sports club; then something magical happened. A movement coalesced around the club to make it into a fan-driven culture.

St. Pauli’s political and organized support began in the 1980s as part of the squat defense movement. The cops were attempting to shut down a series of squatted apartment buildings by the harbor, and the local punks were determined to defend them. Barricades were erected and street battles took place. Many of the same people who were defending the squats would see each other at St. Pauli matches, and soon began incorporating political banners into their support. Eventually the supporters organized and created a unique left-wing supporters culture, an anomaly in German football where Neo-Nazis were all too common amongst supporters. Banners against racism, as well as in solidarity with Palestinians, were common and could be seen at matches. When a plan was made to knock down the stadium with its classic terraces and replace it with a “Sport Dome” in the early 1990s, the fans demonstrated against it and stopped the project.

Now St. Pauli is know worldwide for its supporters’ radical stance, celebrating gay and trans rights, multiculturalism, and the rights of immigrants and refugees. St. Pauli hosts the Antira tournament for anti-racist amateur teams from across Europe every other summer. The work the supporters do is far-reaching in many aspects of life. Their punk rock sentiments extend from their stance on social issues to their taste in music, with Cascadia’s own Scottish punks the Real McKenzies picked to headline the club’s 100^th birthday party in 2010. But I’m getting ahead of myself – I still haven’t related the story of how I came to meet the fans of St. Pauli.

In 2004 I visited the Sinn Féin Shop in Cork City and picked up the CD Granda Was a Celtic Man by a band called the Pilgrims. On it appears the true story “The Fans of St. Pauli", a fairytale story of how a lonely Celtic fan was embraced by the St. Pauli supporters.

“The jukebox played the Dubliners and the crowd all sang along,
Each boy and girl in that Hamburg bar knew the words to every song,
They most graciously invited me to join their company.
So I spent that night and the next three years with the fans of St. Pauli.
By the time the night was over, the arrangements were complete,
I’d a squat and friends, a darlin’ girl, and a brand new football team."

–The Pilgrims, “Fans of St. Pauli”

In 2006, when I went to Germany for the World Cup, I was eager to find out if the song was true, and within the first few hours of being in the St. Pauli quarter I’d hung a Timbers Army scarf in an Irish pub, which did indeed play the Dubliners.

The best was yet to come, though. After watching England beat Trinidad and Tobago, including Peter Crouch’s flagrant foul on former Timber Brent Sancho (which was not called by the referee), pulling his dreadlocks to win a header over him, Katie Moody and I headed to the St. Pauli Clubheim to watch the next match.

Imme shows off her Sancho autograph

We soon struck up a conversation with Imme, who worked with the St. Pauli community outreach team, who happened to be sporting a Trinidadian top autographed by Brent Sancho. By the time the match ended, we were trading rounds and swapping stories and were invited home by the St. Pauli fans. Tonja, who owns a punk boutique, was visiting Seattle in 2004 and she and her boyfriend went to a Timbers-Sounders match; after hearing our singing, they came over to stand with us in the away support section in Seahawks Stadium, as the Timbers Army singing reminded her of home. Through the blur of Seattle Away memories, I did remember a pink-haired German punk girl at that match. The song was true all right, and how!

We soon cancelled our hostel reservation and headed back to Imme and her partner Mitje’s flat to sing along with videos of Gary Og singing Irish Rebel songs at the Jolly Roger, St. Pauli’s bar, and talk till the sun came up. We were headed south the next day, but I was invited back, and ended up spending a week in St. Pauli.

Imme and me in the Millerntor

I visited the Fanladen, which was part coffee shop, part bar, part zine library, part meeting space; this supporter-run shop had been around since 1990. There were football zines from all over, and Heiko showed me the Celtic-branded whisky the Scots had brought over for their annual Celtic-St. Pauli party, when hundreds of Scots descend on the city. The Fanladen was the center of independent supporter activity, organizing away travel as well as serving as a home to fanzines, including the Ueberstieger, a glossy full-color magazine.

One famous away trip Imme told me about was a trip to Dresden, where Neo-Nazi hooligans planned to attack the St. Pauli supporters. The generally punky-looking St. Pauli supporters dressed up in business suits and bought copies of the Financial Times so that when the train arrived in Dresden, the hooligans waiting for it were confused – where were the freaky looking punks with dyed hair? Just a bunch of businessmen and women got off the train.

Obligatory Scarf Up pic in the Millerntor stadium

The scope of the Fanladen was very impressive, and sowed the seed in my head for how our own Fanladen would eventually be when I helped bring it to fruition five years later.

The whole visit was inspirational on many levels – the generosity and hospitality of the supporters was exceptional, but beyond that, it was just seeing the amount of organization that the fans had achieved and how they had gained so much power with the club.

I met Sven Brux, who was one of the original organizers of the supporters and now held the post of head of security for the club. He told me, “It breaks my heart every time I have to issue someone a ban for pyro.” He also gave his own account of how the political activism at the club in the 1980s grew out of punk rockers involved with defending squats from the police. As he related it, the punks would see each other on the barricades at the squat defense, and the same people would see each other at matches, and soon started bringing their politics to the matches.

The new political fans soon made going to St. Pauli the cool thing to do. At the time (2006) there was a lottery for season tickets, with fans assembling outside the stadium for the draw each year. With the stadium completely sold out, it is difficult to get a season ticket.

Watching the Germany-Argentina match with Imme, Mitje, Sven and a bunch of St. Pauli supporters in an “Ecke” (small pub, literally translating as Corner (as in corner bar), was a very interesting experience: the supporters want Germany to do well, but being against nationalism, they expressed concern about the flag-waving mobs out on the Reeperbahn. As Sven explains, the last time there was flag-waving sentiment associated with the German team doing well, there were assaults on LGBT and immigrants.

Kein Mensch ist Illegal

The St. Pauli quarter is one that looks out for its own, and the supporters work to defend the rights of immigrants. A sign on one of the squats by the harbor decries Hamburg’s status as “World Champion of Deportations.” There are large detention facilities there where immigrants are held as they await being sent back to their countries of origin. “Kein Mensch ist Illegal” (No Person is Illegal), reads a mural on the squat next door.

While I was in St. Pauli, Imme and Mitje took me to the Kunst art gallery, where there was an exhibit of Repression in the Stadium sponsored by the Hamburg-based BAFF (Bündnis aktiver Fussballfans, or League of Active Football Fans). The BAFF is dedicated to fighting for the rights of supporters in all levels of football in Germany, including the right to terracing, fighting against data collection on fans and stadium bans, and also fights to make football stadiums inclusive places for LGBT and people of all backgrounds and abilities, backing initiatives such as Show Racism the Red Card and anti-homophobia displays. The exhibit really struck a chord with me. The amount of surveillance and harassment that European supporters are subjected to is astounding, but the fact that the BAFF united supporters from all clubs to work for common goals was really inspiring. When I came back home, I talked with folks involved in the nascent 107ist about organizing something similar and began reaching out to supporters of other clubs, especially with the MLS looming, and when Seattle hosted the MLS Cup in 2009 we got supporter representatives from Union Ultras (Chivas USA), Sons of Ben (Philly), Vancouver Southsiders, San Jose, Sounders, and Victoria Highlanders to join us at Elysian Fields to found what was to become the Independent Supporters Council.

When I began publishing the Whipsaw Timbers Army fanzine in 2010, I naturally began swapping with some of the St. Pauli fanzines, including the Uebersteiger and In the Streets of St. Pauli, the zine of Skinheads St. Pauli, an organization of anti-racist skinheads established in 1996. When Ian Joy joined the team, I interviewed him about his time in St. Pauli for the Whipsaw and In the Streets of St. Pauli translated it into German and published it. They also said some very kind things about various issues of the Whipsaw.

I got to hang a TA scarf in the Jolly Roger, along with other antifa clubs' scarves

Sadly, since I started Cider Riot! in 2013, I haven’t had time to dedicate to the zine, and couldn’t find anyone to keep it going. Thus I’m a bit out of date on the happenings in the St. Pauli zine world. St. Pauli connections are truly global though, and in 2014 while visiting cideries in England, I met Kev from the scrumpy and western band the Skimmity Hitchers in Bristol, and he invited me out to practice with his club, the Easton Cowboys. The Easton Cowboys are Bristol’s anarchist football club, with 3 men’s teams and two women’s teams as well as teams in cricket and netball. The Cowboys travel to St. Pauli’s Antira football tournament and host their own anti-racist football tournament each summer, and have done solidarity trips to Chiapas and Palestine. When I showed up to practice in my St. Pauli top I was in good company, as half the Cowboys seemed to be sporting at least one article of St. Pauli merch! Kev put me in touch with one of his contacts from the Antira tournament in advance of the friendly.

As I was writing this article I stopped by the Widmer Brothers Pub to drop off entries for a cider competition, and while having a pint there, began chatting with a German visiting Portland on holiday who lived in St. Pauli when he was young. He spoke of the resiliency of the St. Pauli quarter; he said that despite its problems with homelessness and poverty, the quarter sticks together. This sense of solidarity prevails amongst the supporters.

So as we get ready to host the fans of St. Pauli, I look forward to returning their immense hospitality. We’re hosting an afterparty at Cider Riot! to benefit the Immigrant Rights Coalition. There will be punk rock, beer, cider, and hopefully some great conversation. Yeah, I know it’s a school night, but we are going to show them the best time possible! Please join us after the match for music from Green Flag and pints from Cider Riot! and Rosenstadt Brewery.

Glossary:

St Pauli Quarter: The district where the club plays, also home to the red light district centered around the Reeperbahn (so-called as it was a rope-making center for the tall ships which once sailed from Hamburg’s active port).

Astra: The beer of choice of St. Pauli fans.

Fanladen: The inspiration for our own Fanladen – one part meeting hall, one part reading room, one part bar.

The Jolly Roger: St. Pauli supporters pub.

Moin: Hamburg slang for Hello, often “Moin Moin”.

Millerntor: The stadium, literally the Miller’s Tower.

Reeperbahn: Hamburg’s famous red-light district.

HH (Hansa Hamburg): Hamburg was historically part of the Hanseatic League of city states. Much like our Cascadia flags, the use of the moniker Hansa Hamburg celebrates this independence from the rest of Germany.

Kit sponsors: St. Pauli has boasted a slew of rather unique kit sponsors, from Jack Daniels to the Swedish punk band Turbonegro.

Tis the season . . . . Home Openers

107ist Admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 15:44:50 GMT

We're sure all of you are as excited as we are on the board about the home opener matches this weekend. It’ll be good to see the lasses and lads out on the pitch at home, and to spend some quality time with friends we may have not seen since the last time we walked out of the gates at Providence Park.

However, for many the excitement of the new season is tempered with a tad bit of trepidation. The board has received more than a few emails from people who are already dreading dealing with issues related to people cutting in line and excessive seat saving.

The Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army hold respect for others as one of our highest values. Often we talk about this in the context of larger human rights issues, but it also should be practiced in our day to day interactions with our fellow supporters and community at large.

Part of being respectful in a match day setting is recognizing that there are established norms with regards to getting into and standing in the north end.

When you go to line up, you should not be inserting yourself into the line in front of people who have been waiting longer than you. Many of us learned this in kindergarten, and it still holds true today: Don’t cut. Go to the end of the line like thousands of other people did before you got there. You’re not that special.

Once in the stadium we have an old adage: One Scarf One Seat - this means that you may save a seat for yourself and a seat for a friend. You may not toss down 2 (or 5 or 10 or 37) scarves across any more than the seat you will occupy and the seat your compatriot will use. Everybody has friends who need to work late or can’t show up in time to get their preferred seat: again, you’re not that special.

SG representatives will be on the lookout for abusers this season: if you see something say something. Find a board member or a capo or someone with a tifo pass and let us know. We don’t want to involve security or the front office, but if we don’t deal with this ourselves we may have no other choice. And then, frankly, we all lose.

So rather than draining positive energy from the stands via selfish actions, let’s all be excellent to each other and use that energy to sing louder, clap longer, and wave our flags higher - because, in the end, isn’t that what we’re here for?

Match Day Drive, Keepers Care for Kids - 4/14 and 4/15

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 21:53:21 GMT

Many of you know thirteen-year-old Dylan Mapston, the soccer player and Timbers fan in Arizona who has collected donations to provide comfort to children and families as they battle cancer, through his organization Keepers Care for Kids. Last year, Dylan collected over 500 toys and stuffed animals for Doernbecher OHSU when he and his dad came to Portland for a match.

This year, with a home opener weekend that includes TWO first team matches, Keepers Care for Kids will be leading TWO donation drives to benefit two organizations.

On Saturday 4/14, for the Timbers home opener, Dylan will be collecting new toys and stuffed animals to benefit Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, which is also the home to Providence Basecamp, where 107IST members provide monthly free CPR/AED courses. Bring your new toy or stuffed animal donation on 4/14 to the fanladen on 1633 SW Alder Street any time from 4-7pm to provide for children served by Providence St. Vincent.

On Sunday 4/15, for the Thorns home opener, Dylan will be collecting new toys and stuffed animals to benefit the Children's Center in Clackamas County. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Children's Center is a private, non-profit child abuse intervention center. They see children for concerns of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Children’s Center also teaches people how to prevent abuse from happening. Children’s Center provides:

Medical Examinations: Complete head-to-toe exams to determine and document a child’s health and safety by medical providers trained to diagnose and treat child abuse and neglect
Forensic Interviews: Digitally recorded interviews with specialists trained to talk to children of all ages – minimizing the trauma of multiple interviews
Family Support: Support, consultation, referrals, and education to all families in Clackamas County facing issues of abuse or neglect
Prevention and Education: Collaboration with community partners to increase awareness of child abuse and provide professionals, caregivers, families and the community with tools necessary to help keep children safe.

Bring your new toy or stuffed animal donation to the fanladen at 1633 SW Alder Street any time between 11:30am-2:30pm on 4/15 to benefit Children's Center.

Cascadia Cup Council Announces Rules for 2018 Competition

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 17:00:00 GMT

Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Vancouver, B.C. — The representatives of the Cascadia Cup Council in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver have jointly agreed that the results of the following regular season matches will count toward awarding of the Cascadia Cup in 2018:

Saturday, June 30th, Sounders v Timbers
Saturday, July 21st, Sounders v Whitecaps
Saturday, August 11th, Timbers v Whitecaps
Sunday, August 26th, Timbers v Sounders
Saturday, September 15th, Whitecaps v Sounders
Sunday, October 28th, Whitecaps v Timbers

As in past years, the Cascadia Cup rules and tiebreakers for these six matches are as follows:

3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw
The team with the most points after all six Cascadia Cup matches is the winner

Tiebreakers are, in order:

Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned
Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned
Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned
Re-apply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied
Greater goal difference in all cup matches
Greater number of goals scored in all cup matches
Smaller number of disciplinary points in all cup matches (yellow = 1 point, red = 2 points)

The result of the Sunday, May 13th match between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders will not be considered toward awarding the Cascadia Cup.

The Cascadia Cup Council regrets that Major League Soccer made this decision necessary by scheduling an unbalanced number of matches among the three teams. Supporters of all three Cascadia Cup teams prefer a balanced schedule going forward, meaning that making such determinations would not be required.

About the Cascadia Cup Council: The Cascadia Cup Council is a recognized not-for-profit entrusted with the management of the Cascadia Cup. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three founding Cascadia Cup supporters groups. The current Cascadia Cup Council representatives are:

Fernando Machicado - Timbers Army
Heather Satterberg - Emerald City Supporters
Peter Czimmermann - Vancouver Southsiders.

A Look Back at Last Weekend's Tree Planting

Stephan Lewis — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 18:24:45 GMT

It was a beautiful spring morning this past Saturday as we joined our longstanding partners at Friends of Trees to plant 220 trees across the Arbor Lodge, Kenton, Portsmouth, and Overlook neighborhoods of North Portland. While we had a handful of first time volunteers that are just getting stuck in (including some wee ones), there were many familiar faces that it was great to see and catch up with after the long off-season as we got dirty together in service to our community.

Our relationship with Friends of Trees has existed for a decade now and has grown and evolved over that time. Over their 29 years of service, they’ve grown in strength and effectiveness, and have a volunteer workforce that rivals any in the region. As many of the things we do, this relationship started with a member who was involved with both organizations that wanted to bring in a group of us to have some fun and do some good. Now, they know to call on us when they need help and we will answer the call with our spirit and vigor to help them accomplish their mission when they’re most in need. As the tree planting season nears completion, we’ll raise a pint to solute the great work Friends of Trees does and our honor to be their partner. We’ll look forward to celebrating their 30^th year once the soccer seasons come to a close. You'll be invited to the party.

Just as this relationship started with a member doing great things wanted to fold us in, you too can grow what we have. As a member of the 107ist who cares about our mission in the community, we rely on people like you to be our eyes on the street, our boots on the ground, our drum beat echoing through our community far and wide. If you see something, learn of something, care about something deeply, raise the flag and let us know how we may be able to help. That’s how we do what we do, how we’ve become the organization we are, and how we’ll grow into the future.

Let’s do this, Portland.

TAFC Gauging Interest in a New League

Dale Montgomery — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 03:30:41 GMT

Do you love soccer? Do you love the Timbers and Thorns? Do you want to play but you've either never played or haven’t played in a long time? Well, we at Timbers Army Football Club (TAFC) are developing a league for you! TAFC is in the beginning stages of creating a Recreational 7v7 Adult COED soccer league. Playing the game is the best way to learn about it. We are gauging interest at this point. This league would be starting the Fall season 2018. The league would be open to all skill and experience levels with an emphasis on player development of individuals who have never played or haven’t played in a long time
Our hope is to start with a field of 4-8 teams. We have talked with the Eastside Timbers Academy to hold our games on early Sunday evenings at their brand new state of the art facility at SE 174th just south of Powell. This facility has 3 full size soccer fields. The field surface is composed of brand new field turf. Eventually this facility will have a clubhouse with food, drink and futsal courts

Referee development will also be one of our objectives. We will financially support individuals who want to take the beginning referee class. These games will be a great way for these new referees to practice their craft in a safe non-judgmental environment.

In case you haven’t heard, TAFC is an official Oregon Adult Soccer Association (OASA) league with our own referee schedulers. Subsequently, all players will need to obtain an OASA player card to play in this league.

Advance players are also welcome as long as they buy into helping their less advanced teammates develop. If you’re looking to build a super team that dominates every game, you are NOT welcome to join this league. Sportsmanship, teamwork, comradery and community are the pillars of this league. If this interests you, please fill out the following survey: https://goo.gl/forms/TNgVpA5FdP9gu4Ef1

We will are working hard to make this league affordable for everyone.

Contact Dale Montgomery from Timbers Army FC with any questions. soccerdad.tafc@icloud.com. Please share with anyone who be interested regardless of their affiliation with TAFC or the 107ist.

TAFC - A New Milestone

Ray Terrill — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 20:28:42 GMT

For those that aren't aware, Timbers Army FC (TAFC) is the arm of 107ist that provides opportunities for roughly 600 individuals to play soccer and futsal in leagues throughout Portland, and it's been my primary focus for the last year or so.

Today marks a new milestone for TAFC. Previously, all of our teams have participated in leagues run by other organizations throughout Portland. Today, teams are playing in the first matches in the brand new, fully OASA/US Soccer sanctioned Timbers Army FC league.

We're starting things off with a 12 team men's league, with all matches taking place at Jefferson High School in Northeast Portland. As things progress, we're looking to potentially expand to offer other league options as well (our major limiting factor at this point is field space - if you have an "in" on field space at a reasonable price *PLEASE* hit me up).

This has been years in the making, and *A LOT* of behind-the-scenes work to bring this thing to fruition. Want to send a huge shout out to Scott Swearingen and Bill Packwood for their previous work on TAFC to get us to this point, Clifford Eiffler for helping with scheduling and other critical back-end pieces, Richard Sheals and Rachel Harrison for helping with the financial and putting up with my constant need to tweak that side of things, my co-chair Dawn Bauman for helping me concentrate on this effort to get things in place for today, and all of the TAFC teams for playing with TAFC.

-Ray

Opening Day 3/4 - Where in the World Are You Rooting?

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 01:00:50 GMT

It's (FINALLY) almost opening weekend, and Timbers Army folks around the globe will be watching as the Timbers take on the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, CA this Sunday night at 7pm PST. If you're in the Portland area, we encourage you to go to the Timbers Army watch party at Spirit of 77 in Portland from 6-10pm, where the No Pity Van will also be making an appearance. But that's not the only place to catch the game with fellow TA.

Here's a partial list of watch parties around the country and beyond, along with the associated regional supporter groups. I'll keep adding to the list as I gather more watch party info from around the country and beyond. (If your regional supporter group has a place secured to watch the game, drop me an email or hit me up on Twitter and I'll add it to the list.)

United States

Other countries

Japan

Tokyo (Tokyo Yosaku): PDX Taproom

If I missed a spot, please hit me up in the comments, drop me an email or hit me up on Twitter and I'll add it to the list.

IS IT MARCH 4TH YET?

Superfans - Know Your History

Ray Terrill — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 02:51:39 GMT

I recently picked up the new book "Superfans", by George Dohrmann, at the suggestion of a member of the TA family. While I'm still reading the book, I couldn't help but jump ahead and read the chapters about Nevets and Timber Jim.

The Nevets story is fascinating, and as Finn said on the Twitters, should be required reading for any Timbers Army member since it lays out what is basically the birth of the Timbers Army. I've gathered a fair amount of the backstory organically over the years, and I still learned about 20 new things from this chapter. The Timber Jim story is incredible as well. I've heard the story many times, and it still brings tears to my eyes every time. Love you Jim.

At the recent 107ist Board "retreat" (a nice term for an all-day meeting) a few weeks ago, a lot of talk revolved around culture - The 107IST's role in sustaining/supporting supporter culture, Timbers Army and Riveters culture, etc.

With the stadium expansion and 2nd NWSL Championship, we're likely to see another major influx of new fans into the North End just like we saw with the move to MLS, the MLS Cup win, and the 1st NWSL Championship.

As supporters - What do we want our culture to be?
Who's going to help bring that culture to fruition?
What is the role of the 107ist in sustaining and supporting supporter culture?

There's an old saying "You don't know where you're going until you know where you've been". Know your history.

*As soon as I'm done with it, my copy of "Superfans" will be at the Booked library at the Fanladen if you want to borrow it. See you on the terraces.

Updated: Link to the book if you'd like to buy yourself a copy. http://a.co/933OSwT

107ist - Telling Our Story

Ray Terrill — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 02:37:00 GMT

If you're reading this article, you're likely quite familiar with the incredible (and in my humble opinion, unparalleled) match day atmosphere with the Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army. But many longtime supporters and community members still aren't very familiar with the extraordinary work the 107ist does in our community year after year.

We've not done a great job sharing the work we're doing - and we're looking to change that.

This year, you'll see from us a primary focus on Telling Our Story.

For 107ist, we'll be focusing on documenting and sharing the work we're doing in the community. And from Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters, it'll be focused on the match day atmosphere.

Both in the stands and in the community, our members GET STUCK IN. And we're looking forward to sharing their incredible work with you this year. #RCTID #BAONPDX #GETSTUCKIN

Match Day Book Drive for Carson Away 3/4

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 22:00:00 GMT

--by Southland Irregulars

We are honored to say we are participating in a “Books & Bucks” Drive to benefit the libraries of Leapwood Avenue Elementary in Carson, and Children’s Hospital L.A.

If you donate a book from this list or this list at our tailgate, it will be used for the school library at Leapwood Avenue Elementary near the stadium. Their library sorely needs refreshing, and this is an opportunity for that to not only happen, but also be the cornerstone for use at a new garden space/outdoor classroom.

If you make a monetary donation at the tailgate, it will be utilized for the Literally Healing Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which uses books as gifts for patients and their families to provide them with a source of entertainment and education during their recovery. This program gifts over 42,000 free brand new books to patients and their siblings every year. These monetary donations are suited for the hospital due to limited space to hold books and the flexibility to make “on-demand” book purchases based on need of patients.

We are also honored to be raffling off to those who donate at the tailgate a “You Are Loved” scarf, autographed by our own MVP, Diego Valeri. Each book donated, or each monetary donation in increments of $10, will receive a raffle ticket. The draw will take place prior to our entry into the stadium.

If you are outside of the area, or unable to make it to the tailgate, you can still participate in the drive.

Please ship books for Leapwood Ave Elementary to:

Timbers Army Drive
c/o LA Galaxy Foundation
18400 Avalon Blvd., Suite 200
Carson, CA 90746

Monetary Donations for the Literally Healing Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles may be made here. Enter Timbers Army in the “reference” section of the form.

Onward!

The 2018 107IST AGM: Another Great Year and Lots of Volunteer Opportunities

107ist Admin — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 05:27:16 GMT

Photo by Darren Lloyd

Thanks to the members who came out to the Mission Theater for the 2018 107IST Annual General Meeting! Special thanks to board members Gabby Rosas and Drew Picard for organizing our Q&A and breakout discussion sessions this time, having learned how from our hired consultants last year.

As we do every year at this event, each committee shared their accomplishments from the previous season, plans for the current season, and current volunteer needs.

Here you can view some of last year's accomplishments in infographic form. As you can see, it was another great year. Click the image to view a larger version. You can also download the 107IST 2017 infographic as a PDF.

Infographic by Lindsey Moore

Once again we had the Cascadia Cup in the house for photo ops (shout out to Darren and Ray for the photo station), and thanks to the Thorns Front Office, the 2017 NWSL Championship trophy also made an appearance. :)

Photo by Darren Lloyd

For those who weren't able to attend or who would like to look through the slides again, you can view or download the AGM presentation slides and notes as a PDF. Note that some sensitive financial data has been removed from this download, but the info is freely available to members by arrangement with the Treasurer.

This year, at our February board meeting, we also ran our first one-hour Virtual AGM for members outside of the Portland area. We recorded it so that those of you who were unable to attend either event can still watch:

Volunteer Signup Forms

Across the organization, we need all types of volunteers at all skill levels. Please read both the presentation slides and the following signup forms for details about the types of new members each committee is looking for. Committee chairs will be getting back to applicants within the next few weeks.

If you're looking to be notified of one-off volunteer opportunities rather than applying to join a standing committee, visit our Volunteer Opt-In Page.

We're looking forward to another great year!

From Grassroots to FieldTurf: Bridging the Soccer Gap for Immigrant Youth

Scott Jeffries — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 17:40:09 GMT

Ever since that first magical Saturday at Rose City Futsal where 107ist paid for kids from the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) to play, we have dreamed of something greater: of seeing them play not on a court, not just amongst themselves, but in the green and gold at Providence Park.

This past Saturday, that dream came just a little bit closer to fruition. Using a small portion of the funds raised from Diego Valeri’s Lanus jersey raffle, the Timbers Army/107ist rented the beautiful new turf field at Lents Park for the kids on an unseasonably sunny afternoon. Timbers fan and Washington Timbers coach Reece Scragg lent his time to run the show, putting the kids through training drills before setting them loose on a full-field scrimmage. Most significantly, in attendance were Larry Sunderland, Timbers youth director, and Matt Dacey, US Soccer scout.

While it might be ambitious to expect a kid to get plucked straight from the city park into the Timbers system, we made some important connections and laid the groundwork for a longer-term vision of channeling our immigrant and refugee neighbors into youth soccer and, hopefully, to the Timbers academy. These kids arrive here with so much talent but face so many barriers, from being able to speak the language to navigating the complex club networks, filling out applications, and paying fees. We aim to establish a relationship with IRCO and some of the Timbers-affiliated club teams like Eastside and Washington Timbers. We will get them into official academy tryouts. We will help pay their expenses with the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund. We’re even looking to build them their own futsal court on IRCO property, but that’s a blog post for another time.

Do you remember Handwalla Bwana, the 18-year-old phenom who scored the winning goal for S****le against us this preseason? His cousin works for IRCO and has told me all about him. Bwana was a refugee from Kenya. Spending six years in a refugee camp, he could do little else but kick a ball made from wadded-up socks or whatever else he could find. After his family was resettled in the fishing village up north, he was playing by himself in a park one day when a parent spotted him. Immediately seeing his talent, he asked him if he played for a youth team, which he did not. After speaking to his parents, this person paid for him to play on his kid’s team, then later for a competitive traveling team. He was recruited by the University of Washington, then signed as a homegrown player. All it took was one person seeing him play and giving him an opportunity. To be honest, I couldn’t be mad when Handwalla scored. That was a great moment for him and a realization for me of just how attainable this is.

For these immigrant youth who arrive in a new country with unfamiliar customs and a language most of them don't fully understand, it can be hard to find your way, to feel a part of a larger community. If there's one thing that can connect them to this city, it's our shared love of soccer. And I remain fully convinced that one day, a Timber will take the field who played as a child on a field that 107ist built or rented, wearing equipment that 107ist donated, having played for a youth team 107ist paid for. The Timbers Army coming together to help newcomers to our city play soccer with the ultimate goal of playing for the Timbers. I can think of no better example of "Team, Town, TA" than this. And we're just getting started.

Why Join/Renew 107IST? Let Me Count the Ways

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:45:19 GMT

I *LOVE* serving the 107IST. We do so much good, important work that I value. And so much of that work is only possible thanks to the generous support of members, who pay $25 each calendar year to support our vision and mission.

What are some of the reasons to join or renew? On Monday, I issued myself a challenge on social media to list these reasons:

Reminder: three weeks left to renew or sign up for @107ist membership! I never do this but for every ❤️ or ♻️this gets by the end of the work day I'll try to list a reason to join/benefit of membership/cool thing 107IST does. #RCTID #BAONPDX https://t.co/TyMF8rjiK0
— sheba ⭐ (@shebainpdx) December 11, 2017

Well, I got a pretty hefty response. By the time I was able to catch up, I was on the hook for at least 67 reasons to join or renew! The first fifty or so were off the top of my head, the rest I remembered when I looked through weekly newsletters and monthly committee reports:

(1) World class tifo. @107IST member dollars pay for 100% of the costs of those amazing displays you see by both @timbersarmy and @PDXRivetersSG #RCTID #BAONPDX

(2) The fanladen, which serves as a physical meeting space for so much of the planning we do as an organization. in 2011 we were still meeting in the side rooms of bars on Sunday afternoons. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(3) Game day ticket exchange for @timbersarmy, in an attempt to keep the beautiful game affordable. @107IST provides the space, personnel, & infrastructure to make it happen every game day. #RCTID

(4) Game day ticket exchange AND physical space for selling and storing merchandise for @PDXRivetersSG. #BAONPDX

(5) Coordination and necessary up front money for planning and carrying out travel for both @timbersarmy and @PDXRivetersSG, from the security calls to the ticket management to coordinating with local supporters in away venues #RCTID #BAONPDX

(6) Coordination with and support for our amazing regional supporter groups, whether it is to provide support for locally produced tifo for away games or a megaphone for local events for away supporters #RCTID #BAONPDX

(7) Support for @OPIPdx, a nonprofit that sprung directly from the roots of @107IST. Proceeds from TA ticket exchange go to support their work. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(8) Coordination of volunteering and donation drives for @oregonfoodbank at both the Portland and Beaverton locations #RCTID #BAONPDX

(9) Ongoing support for Oregon's foster children, both through renovating visitation rooms and through the "You Are Loved" scarf Buy One/Give One campaigns #RCTID #BAONPDX

(10) Support for immigrant and refugee youth & families through @IRCOnews donation drives and by paying for field space for soccer #RCTID #BAONPDX

(11) Support for the Gisele Currier Scholarship Fund, which this year distributed almost $20,000 in soccer scholarships of various kinds to youth soccer players in and around the Portland area #RCTID #BAONPDX

(12) Purchase of high school uniforms for high schools both in the Portland area and further away, including a high school in southern Oregon and another in southern Washington #RCTID #BAONPDX

(13) Advocacy with the front office on behalf of both @timbersarmy and @PDXRivetersSG. Some years don't have big issues on the table, others do. Either way, @107IST is at the table on behalf of supporter interests. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(14) Representation at the Independent Supporters Council, an organization that advocates for footy fans at all levels in North America and shares best practices across supporters from a variety of teams and leagues #RCTID #BAONPDX

(15) A strong stance in favor of human rights, whether it is a voice online or statements in the stands, advocating for basic human dignity for immigrants, refugees, people of color, LGBTQ, and other marginalized people #RCTID #BAONPDX

(16) Purchase, storage, care, and maintenance of game day flags and other small displays hung over rail banners. Say thank you to your local @107IST game day crew for the hard work they do on this one all year long #RCTID #BAONPDX

(17) Negotiating for the right to have smoke in the first place, as well as actually using @107IST funds to pay for and to manage smoke for goal celebrations #RCTID #BAONPDX

(18) A permanent warehouse space that allows us to have a base for merch operations, which also fund some of the aforementioned activities #RCTID #BAONPDX

(19) A permanent tifo preparation space close to the stadium, which supports the creation of world class stadium displays for both MLS and NWSL matches #BAONPDX #RCTID

(20) @107IST organizes blood drives every year. In the last five years alone these blood drives have resulted in 327 successful donations. #BAONPDX #RCTID

(21) Support for @PDXbookbank, both in the form of regular book drives and in book cleaning and repairing sessions, to get books into the hands of as many children as possible #RCTID #BAONPDX

(22) Support for @StreetSoccerUSA, which included sponsoring a team to go to Philadelphia to participate in the Philadelphia Cup #RCTID #BAONPDX

(23) @107IST organizes Buy Your Capo A Pint for @timbersarmy capos, which raises money each year for @CampMeadowood #RCTID

(24) Buy Your Capo A Pint for @PDXRivetersSG, which raises money for Rock and Roll Camp for Girls #BAONPDX

(25) Support for Oregon Volunteer Firefighters who fought the fires in the Columbia River Gorge; support came through a unique QR code tifo campaign #RCTID

(26) @107IST supports @TimbersArmyCPR, a volunteer initiative that has trained over 700 people in CPR/AED/basic life support for free #RCTID #BAONPDX

(27) @107IST supports @Booked107, both with physical space for a library and with the organizational space for amazing book talks with the likes of authors Gwen Oxenham and Nick Davidson #RCTID #BAONPDX

(28) @107IST supports @SOORstate, both financially and by participating in the Unified Soccer Match and the Polar Plunge #BAONPDX #RCTID

(29) This year, @107IST has stepped up its coordination with Portland United Against Hate and participated with Good in the Hood #RCTID #BAONPDX

(30) @107IST supplies MANY volunteers to work the Oregon Brewers Fest, which in turn donates money back to the organization to support the activities listed above #BAONPDX #RCTID

(31) @107IST participates in the Walk to End Alzheimers, supporting Friends of Jimmy Conway #RCTID

(32) The NoPo neighborhood scarves raised funds for the Paint Paul project, which allowed for restoration of the Paul Bunyan statue #RCTID

(33) One of this year's match day drives collected art supplies for Dreaming Zebra, a local nonprofit supplies art and music materials free of charge to schools and community centers both in and around Portland and beyond #RCTID #BAONPDX

(34) Another match day drive collected donations for Rafael House, a local shelter and service organization that supports victims of domestic violence #BAONPDX #RCTID

(35) Still another match day drive collected goods for the Good Neighbor Center in Tigard, a shelter and service center for homeless families #RCTID #BAONPDX

(36) ANOTHER match day drive collected coats, hats, gloves and blankets for SnowCap, a service organization that provides food, clothing, and advocacy for low income people on the east side of town #BAONPDX #RCTID

(37) @107IST purchases TA and RCR match day tickets and donates them as raffle prizes for schools and other nonprofits as fundraisers #RCTID #BAONPDX

(38) @107IST members actively participate in the Portland Pride Parade each year, in concert with our strong human rights stance #RCTID #BAONPDX

(39) @107IST donated money to support Off The Sideline, an Oregon nonprofit dedicated to promoting access for youth to team sports of all kinds #RCTID #BAONPDX

(40) @107IST donated money to support Alder Creek Middle School boys and girls, allowing for both teams to participate in indoor soccer this year #BAONPDX #RCTID

(41) In addition to adult community league play, @107IST organizes adult soccer tournaments, including the Donut Derby and the upcoming Winter Classic. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(42) Looking for other soccer to support? @107IST members have had prefunks at UP soccer games, along with designated GA sections at a discounted rate. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(43) You like other sports? @107IST peeps coordinate @timbersarmy Night at the Blazers, complete with scarf for those who are so inclined (Members, check the forums, this one is coming up again shortly!). #RCTID

(44) How about hockey? @107IST coordinates with @pdxwinterhawks for our Night at the Winterhawks. This year the Winterhawks are donating back $5 of every ticket to @107IST to support the things I've already listed above. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(45) Enlightened self interest is more your thing? Okay, let's talk partner discounts. @HOTLIPSpizza gives discounts on slices to @107IST members. On match days alone, my kids can make back the cost of their membership. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(46) How about those adidas passes? @107IST members regularly receive passes to the adidas employee store throughout the year. One pair of shoes will more than pay for your membership. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(47) Speaking of passes, you all know that if you sign up or renew before 1/1/18 you get a pass to the Nike employee store in January, right? Again, one visit will pay for the cost of your membership. #BAONPDX #RCTID

(48) But it isn't only about the partners, although they are awesome. It is also about the work we do together in the community. @107IST organizes work with @FriendsofTrees both preseason and post, planting trees in urban areas. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(49) This year @107IST also supported Street Roots through the Spread The Love scarf, sales of which raised money for the organization that provides both a voice and a means of support for Portland's homeless community. #BAONPDX #RCTID

(50) We also had a match day drive to support Janus, an organization who helps homeless youth. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(51) Working with Forest Grove senior Mya Kimberly, @107IST also ran match day drives to collect feminine hygiene products, both for Janus and for Portland Homeless Family Solutions. #BAONPDX #RCTID

(52) Nico Boskovic won a nat'l Odd Fellows essay contest to speak at the UN pilgrimage but was disinvited when they learned of his autism & communication disorder. @107ist hosted Nico & his family at a Timbers game. (Happy update, the nat'l org recanted & reinvited him) #RCTID

(53) @107ist provided both financial support and organizational guidance to Netrippers, a local LGBTQ friendly adult soccer org, as they made the leap into nonprofit status #RCTID #BAONPDX

(54) this year @107ist gave financial support to provide gear bags and coats for an elementary-school-aged soccer squad in Vancouver, WA #RCTID #BAONPDX

(55) @107ist supported @TimbersArmyCPR in participating in the American Heart Associations's Heart Walk, headed up by @107ist member @soccadad #RCTID #BAONPDX

(56) @107ist took donations of eclipse glasses to that Astronomers without Borders could redistribute them for use in viewing future eclipses in other countries. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(57) In addition to community soccer league play and tournaments, @107ist also supported open play nights for adults of all ability levels under the lights at Jefferson. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(58) @107ist volunteers in the photo pool volunteered their time, equipment, and expertise to provide for free, quality photo ops with some very special hardware for both @timbersarmy and @PDXRivetersSG. #RCTID #BAONPDX

(59) @107ist sponsored one of the coolest confluences of team/town/TA; we purchased futsal space for a friendly w/Minnesota supporters the weekend of the opening match, as well as for IRCO kids. The last 1/2 hour was a unified match w/TA, Loons, & refugee youth together #RCTID

(60) a Portland flag with messages of love and support traveled to Orlando this past preseason with a @107ist member who went east for a story about positive community action surrounding the Pulse nightclub tragedy #RCTID #BAONPDX

(61) we didn't just lend financial support to @OPIPdx. We also lent muscle at Westmoreland Park

(62) oh, did I mention that @107ist member @kpduck was the @MLS Community MVP of the year? This Community Outreach committee member & all around good human secured an additional $25k in support for Embrace Oregon & foster children. #BAONPDX #RCTID

(63) @107ist supported Outside In as well this year, an organization that provides services for homeless youth and other marginalized people in Portland #BAONPDX #RCTID

(64) @107ist match day drives for both Timbers and Thorns matches supported backpacks filled w/school supplies for homeless and transitional LGBTQXI teens served by The Living Room #RCTID #BAONPDX

(65) this one was under the radar: after a middle school student had racial slurs shouted at him while waiting for the bus, @107ist organized volunteer shifts to escort students at the school to and from city buses. No publicity, just the right thing to do #RCTID #BAONPDX

(66) @107ist fielded a team for the Oregon Humane Society's Doggie Dash; and @107ist partner @PortlandCider had a viewing party that collected pet supplies for the OHS as well.

(67) oh and of COURSE if you want to stand with the @timbersarmy at a Seattle or Vancouver away game, you really should buy a membership. First tickets to Cascadia Cup matches go to @107ist members, and when they're gone, they're gone. #RCTID

...

Those are a LOT of good things done with your $25 membership! If you haven't joined or renewed yet, you can do it right now! And if you have more reasons to join/renew that I haven't listed, please feel free to add them below.

Thank you, members, for all that you do for team, town, and Timbers Army/Rose City Riveters. As always, it is an honor and a privilege to serve you.

-sheba-

Win a Signed, Game-Worn Diego Valeri Lanús Jersey

Scott Jeffries — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:49:08 GMT

He’s the Maestro. The greatest player we’ve ever had. And now, the MVP. But before he donned the green and gold, Diego Valeri wore the granate y blanco of Lanús.

Diego is beloved for his work on the field but perhaps even more so for his work off of it. Whether he’s donating and cleaning books, painting foster care rooms, or the countless other ways he gives back without even wanting recognition, his devotion to Portland extends far beyond the pitch. That’s why, when he heard the Timbers Army and 107ist was helping local immigrant and refugee children to play futsal during the rainy season, he wanted to get involved with that as well.

Diego has graciously donated an autographed, playoff game-worn Lanús jersey to be raffled off to help fund the kids’ playing time. For just $10 per ticket, or $25 for three, you can purchase an unlimited number of tickets. A winner will be chosen at this Friday’s TA holiday party.

You do not need to be at the party or even in Portland to win. If you can’t make the party, if you don’t live in Portland, even if you don’t live in the United States (we’re looking at you, Lanús fans), you are eligible to win. You can buy your tickets online and the jersey will be shipped to you if you win. You will also have the opportunity to buy tickets in person at the holiday party.

Don’t miss your chance to own this rare piece of history and help bring some sunshine to these kids’ winter months.

Purchase your raffle tickets here

2018 107IST Board Elections - And The Winners Are...

Lexi Stern — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 03:06:00 GMT

Congratulations to our four newest 107IST Board members: Dawn Bauman, Zachary Freeman, Sara Nelson, and Gabby Rosas. Their term starts January 1, 2018 and ends December 31, 2020.

Here's the breakdown of votes:

Here's the breakdown of how many eligible members voted this year compared with years past:

Term Starting Year	# Voted	% Voted
2018	909 of 4883	19%
2017	1135 of 5292	21%
2016	1087 of 3731	29%
2015	824 of 4052	20%
2014	979 of 3467	28%

Sincere thanks to all who ran. Also, thanks once again to the entire election committee for organizing.

Onward!

Vote—Your Support is an Inheritance

107ist Admin — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:09:13 GMT

—by Jo Thomson

“If only people took our City Council elections as seriously as 107IST board elections are taken,” was my spouse’s lament. I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. In his own bid for a council seat, I recall one evening where he came home from a candidate forum where voter attendance could’ve been counted on one’s fingers. (On one hand, no less). Banter about the candidates on social media was virtually non-existent. In the same season, chatter about candidates for 107IST board was a common sight on Twitter and Facebook, and even popped up over drinks with friends.

Comparisons aside, 107IST elections are important, and are worthy of all members’ sincere attention. Some give their vote ample consideration — but it is a vote that should be important to all members.

Life has indulged me in several forced opportunities to slow down the last couple of months. And while I’ve not particularly enjoyed the time, it’s allowed for a lot of time to reflect on... stuff.

This past season has been the turning point where our six-year-old comes with us (or wants to) more matches than she doesn’t. She loves to be babysat at grandma’s house, but we’ve reached the age where she really loves the matches and has her favorite players (Allie, Hayley, the Diegos, and Zarek). She loves it for her favorite players, but she also loves it because of hot dogs, capos, confetti, other kiddos, and the general kindness of the supporters around her. (Oh — and the occasional round of foosball and candy at the Fanladen.) Everything associated with PTFC is glitter and rainbows to her. It’s all happy.

We all come from different experiences; different racial, cultural, religious, economic, and social backgrounds. The place where we meet is where we support our club.

The support of a club — our club in particular — is an inheritance.

Take away whatever we thought we could tuck aside — money, heirlooms, property, other investments — a couple major medical disasters or other bad luck could wash it all away like a predictable incoming tide. What’s left? The things that we showed them, the experiences they had, the friendships they made. And so much of that happens when we support our club.

However, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum, nor does it happen by magic or luck. Our standard for support and true sense of community is a bar that has been set so high in great part to those who have dutifully served on our board. Those who have tenderly ushered the Trust through transitions, from new leagues to ugly seasons; who have made certain we were not limited to mere soccer support, declaring outreach to the broader community an essential function. From gathering children’s books to planting trees to supporting accessible playgrounds and so much more, the board has set the tone and trajectory. Their wisdom, guidance, and passion is a cornerstone of what we’ve collectively become.

For this reason (and many more), it’s a distinct pleasure to know this is an inheritance we can all pass along. Parents or not, we are all contributing — intentionally or passively — to the next generation of supporters, and generations beyond them. The choices we make now — particularly in our leadership — will have a ripple effect far beyond today. How do we visualize our support in the future? What compassionate, community-building accomplishments will they make in the name of that support?

This is the inheritance — what we will to the younger ones. The best heirloom isn’t a bauble, it’s a feeling. “Deeper than love”, some have said.

The candidate forum is coming up soon, and I hope all who can attend will do so, and vote in a way that passes down the very best of our supporter culture to those who will support after us.

Editor's note: For this year's candidate and forum info, visit the 107IST Elections page.

Some thoughts on the upcoming 107ist elections...

Ray Terrill — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:20:48 GMT

Last night, I made a little Twitter thread with some thoughts about the upcoming election. I've Storify'd them here.

The Battered Bastards of Soccer

107ist Admin — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 21:11:54 GMT

—by Travis Hefner

Author's note: A version of this piece was originally written for East Coast Platoon, but it applies equally to all TA.

Hello my road warriors, my champion hotel finders, my masters of brunch in cities up and down the coast. Hello my darlings, hello my East Coast Platoon.

What a year, wasn't it? I giggled in Columbus as we counted to twenty-seven as a group when the ball was kicked off. I was overjoyed to finally win in Chester and to sing the Union fans out of their stadium. I threw my hands up, laughing only because I'd cry otherwise, as Canada blew our doors off twice in Montreal and Toronto by a combined score of 8-2. I spent 10 wonderful days in my adopted Rose City. I finally took my first trip to the Fishing Village on an away day I won't soon forget (Hashtag GusBus). I ruined my voice in New York City trying to chant with no drum to guide us. None of these things I did alone. None of these things I ever want to do alone. All of them, I was with you. Always, I found joy.

So, I ask you, personally, where did you find joy in this season? Was it an incredible goal you saw? Was it a friend you weren't expecting to see? Was it new friends you made? Was it an effort the team put in that didn't end in three points, but still won you over?

I found joy in all of these places. Long live the 2017 Portland Timbers, the battered bastards of soccer, a patchwork team held together by the indomitable will of El Rey, Troesma, Diego Valeri.

First, the obvious. The soccer. I saw Darlington Nagbe embarrass Tim Howard on a beautiful summer night in Portland, Oregon. Top of the box, turn, chip, in. He celebrated like he'd done it a thousand times, cool as you like. The crowd was wild, myself included, hugging strangers, picking people up, almost falling over. Nothing can steal that beautiful moment of the beautiful game from me. Nothing can steal that joy.

We have such a unique situation here in our little group. We come from everywhere when we go to an away day. I'm privileged to have met so many of you (and as always, those I haven't met, please say hi some time if you're so inclined), so if you'll excuse a hackneyed Forrest Gump reference: you never know what you're going to get when you show up. It is a joy to see someone you haven't seen for a year or more. It is a joy to see someone you've only known through the mutual interest of the Portland Timbers on Facebook and Twitter. You are a joy.

Despite you friends, I'm of the mind that you can never have enough, and this season delivered once again. In Columbus, Ohio, a group of friends crammed themselves into a fraternity house turned AirBnB. In the process of drinking more and longer than the frat houses around us (Ohio State, ya soft!), I found myself in the company of two people who I had never met before. Three away days later, numerous conversations later, I consider them great friends. Friends who gave me confidence and put me at ease as my start in nursing school grew closer and closer. All because they wore green and gold clothing accented with axes. All because of PTFC. All because of shared joy.

It's not often I get be around fellow Timbers fans for extending periods of time, but I do highly recommend it. My privileged days in Portland, Oregon this year included meeting friends for drinks, for meals, strolls in the park, food bank volunteering, painting tifo, and pickup futsal. This, of course, goes beyond the pitch and eleven men. But, at the same time, it only exists because of them. Good thing about this, though? We're ECP, we're everywhere.

Even in my own backyard of Pittsburgh, I'm no longer the only one regularly watching the mighty PTFC in my village. And while the overall population of MLS supporters at my local has unfortunately blossomed (including a few too many Sounders fans calling my pub home), I love that I have a partner in crime for the Portland Timbers. No longer am I the incredibly loud person shouting in an otherwise quiet pub. Well... I mean, I'm still that, but it seems less weird now that I'm not the only one. You get the idea.

Finally, though, it is still the soccer. It is still the Portland Timbers. It is Roy Miller somehow being the hero of our backline, filling in admirably at center back while Liam Ridgewell fought through injury after injury. All of this when nobody wanted him on our side when he was signed. His injured Achilles, denying him another chance to rise to our aid, is a tragedy Shakespeare would nod approvingly at. It is Jeremy Ebobisse thrust into the spotlight in Vancouver at... what, 12 years old or something... and scoring a goal and adding an assist. One of many gutsy performances with lesser elevens on the road against our two bitter rivals. Gutsy performances that helped us win silverware. It is this whole ragtag group of players coming in and out of the lineup, too dumb or proud or something to know they shouldn't be doing this, and winning the goddamn Western Conference when they absolutely should not have. It was last night, too. It was a team trying to do whatever they could with their fourth center back, third striker, third defensive midfielder, first-choice wing playing on one foot and third-choice wing playing with a busted-up nose. I will always have respect for Sebastian Blanco after last night because of what he did for us. "Care like we do"? I have no problem saying that a man numbing his own foot for the chance to maybe play some minutes does.

The 2017 Portland Timbers had a great season and I will hear nothing to the contrary. We can ask, "What could have been?" all we want, but I choose to ask: "What has been?" Because what has been is a season of joy, perhaps not culminating in that ultimate joy, but one nonetheless.

So, I ask you, my darling East Coast Platoon: Where was your joy this season? Because it exists. And, don't fret too much my lovelies, it'll be preseason again before you know it. Before you know it, it'll be time to create new joys. I can't wait.

Diego Valeri - 2017 Supporters' Player of the Year

Ray Terrill — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 03:35:08 GMT

By a resounding percentage, "The Maestro" Diego Valeri is the 2017 Supporters' Player of the Year. His play this season has been nothing short of amazing.

Diego was presented with the SPOTY belt at the end of the match vs. Whitecaps FC on 10/22/17.

Close-up of the SPOTY belt:

Full poll results:

More images from the 10/22/17 match on the Timbers Army Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/timbersarmy/albums/72157687418461371/with/37613524260/

Save The Crew

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 19:26:10 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

The 107IST Board of Directors is in solidarity with Crew supporters in opposing a proposed move of the Columbus Crew to Austin.

Columbus Crew SC was one of the ten original members of Major League Soccer. Lamar Hunt was the primary investor in the club and was a pioneer in founding Major League Soccer. Hunt was also behind the construction of Mapfre Stadium, one of the first soccer-specific stadiums in the United States and home to some of the USMNT's most memorable international matches. Rich in history, Columbus Crew's story is in many ways the story of the growth and development of Major League Soccer in the United States.

On Tuesday, current Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced that he is prepared to move the club to Austin, Texas in 2019 if he can't get a downtown stadium, in spite of the fact that there is local business and community interest in buying the club and keeping it as a civic asset. And now it appears that, while he was having conversations this year with the Columbus Partnership about plans and ideas for a new Columbus stadium, he had already been holding separate conversations with folks in Austin about a possible new stadium and team move to Texas.

The timing of the announcement could not have been worse. If ownership had a shred of decency, they would have dropped this bombshell before nonrefundable season ticket renewals were due; or at the very least they could have waited until AFTER the season, as the team is right in the middle of a good run of form heading into the playoffs.

It's impossible to say what Precourt's initial intentions were when he invested in the Crew in 2013, whether his decision to move the team is recent, or whether that was his plan all along, in order to avoid hefty expansion fees for a new MLS franchise. Either way, the move is wrongheaded.

If it can happen to a team as foundational to the origins and history of MLS as the Columbus Crew, it can happen anywhere.

Team owners, management, and front office staff people come and go, but supporters remain and persist. If Precourt wants to purchase a team elsewhere or invest in an expansion franchise he is welcome to do so; but he should leave the Crew out of his machinations. Columbus Crew as a team and institution belongs to the city of Columbus and to its supporters, and that is where it should remain.

A Call for Bedlam

107ist Admin — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 01:05:44 GMT

—by John Nyen

Hello friends,

We stand together perched on the precipice of the yawning void that is the playoffs. Every possibility is before this team, with glory and failure looking at each other in equal measure.

One game left.

This is a call for bedlam.

Let’s be honest with each other. It’s been a long season. At times it didn’t appear that the Timbers would bring us here. We’ve been through the warm summer days, the doldrums of June and July, and the midweek games that seemed to play out without much pomp and circumstance.

We’ve blooded our friends and family in the Timbers way. We’ve brought our neighbors, friends, and relatives to games over the past 8 months. We’ve spread the love from coast to coast with the Timbers diaspora scattered across the nation.

Now we must transform, all of us. We must become louder. We must become more engaged. We must become more passionate. We must become, again, the heaving, pulsating, breathing pulse of this club.

There is nothing for you to hold in reserve anymore. Every game from here on out should be given your all.

Vancouver doesn’t come here after knocking the Timbers out of the playoffs and the contention for them in 2016, 2010, and 2009 with the Cascadia Cup on the line and get a free pass. It’s time to make it difficult for them to play. It’s time to make it difficult for them to hear, to talk, and to simply exist on our field.

This isn’t 11 v 11 when they come into our city to play.

This is 11 v 21,144 in the stadium.

This is 11 v 639,244 in the city.

This is 11 v 2.4 million in the metroplex.

We outnumber them, and they will know this by the sound of our voices lifted as one. They will know this by our solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters in the North End that extends beyond the curve of the stadium. We will stand united and become more than ourselves to give our team everything that we can.

If you can’t stand, then sing.

If you can’t sing, then clap.

If you can’t clap, then believe.

Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your friends. Talk to strangers around you. No free rides this Sunday. This is the time of year everyone contributes. Get your neighbors louder, help them with chants, help them with songs, and get them a chant sheet if they need one. Wave flags, make banners, make two-sticks, listen to the drums, and listen to the capos. We are all in this together.

Grab an oar and row.

You are the capo of your seat, you are the leader of your row. It’s time to get everyone around you chanting, singing, and participating.

This thing belongs to all of us. Believe those words and live them.

This beautiful thing that we share belongs to each and every one of us and it is up to us to show our love for our city and our club.

This is a call for bedlam.

Let’s get it.

Audio inspiration for this piece provided by Popcast_41_Dallas

Buy Your Capo a Pint (BYCAP) 2017 for Camp Meadowood Springs

107ist Admin — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 06:29:46 GMT

—by Patch Perryman

It’s been quite a season for all of us in the Timbers Army. The capos, drummers and trumpeters thank everyone who joined us in the North End, on the road, and across the globe.

But before the season ends, we have one more request of you (AKA #BYCAP).

You may take it for granted that you’ll be at the next match, singing and chanting yourself hoarse. You’re from the North End and you’re there to make some noise, right?

Photo by Jody Taylor

But what if you couldn’t?

What if the joyful soundtrack of the Timbers Army was off limits to you?

You wouldn’t be alone.

Photo by Ray Terrill

Here’s how you can help:

We will turn that money into tuition breaks for those campers, because even though grants are essential to run Camp Meadowood Springs, the costs campers face are often the initial obstacle for them to overcome. Since the first BYCAP ask back in 2011, the Timbers Army has raised enough to pay outright for over a dozen campers—and we cannot be stopped from doing more.

Photo by Darren Lloyd

If you cannot be at the match on Sunday the 15th, you can donate via this link (select "TA BYCAP"). Every bit helps—no matter if it’s on the pitch, in the stands, or in our community. Thank you.

See you in the stands.

—The Timbers Army Capos, Drums and Trumpets Corps

Never Too Young to Make a Difference

Keith Palau — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

By Coley Lehman

This is Daisy. Every year on her birthday her great-grandfather sends her a crisp $100 bill. Usually this money goes right into her college savings account.

This year Daisy had an idea for how to spend the money. She told her parents she wanted to buy presents for kids who didn’t get birthday presents. Her parents agreed to match her money 1:1, so after discussing a few options, Daisy decided to buy gifts for kids in foster care. Daisy and her family are big supporters of the Thorns and Timbers. Her parents were already familiar with Keith Palau’s work with 107ist to improve the waiting rooms for kids receiving DHS services. Keith was able to use his DHS contacts to get a wishlist. With a list in hand, Daisy and her family made a trip to Target and loaded up $200 of art supplies, jammies, and toys.

Even though she’s only 8 years old, Daisy was able to take something that would have only made a small difference in her life, and make a much bigger impact in the lives of people who need it a lot more.

Day of Timbers Army Unity, Sunday, 8/6/17

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 02:12:52 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

With this group, one thing has always remained true. As stated by then-Board President Jeremy Wright at the Cascadia Summit in 2011: “We only have one supporters group, and it’s called the Timbers Army.”

Let’s be honest: with a few shining exceptions, the last season and a half have been a struggle. More than half of the 10 seasons I’ve been watching this team have been a struggle. The ups are as obvious as the downs have been devastating. That said, one thing has always been true, and that is the Timbers Army. One collected singing voice, match after match, sending power pitchward and attempting to lift our boys in even the lowest of circumstances and celebrating with them our greatest triumphs.

Bearing that philosophy in mind, a few of us started to kick around the idea of one match where the entire North End could make a united statement, a show of force that we all are still one big Army. And there are no two better symbols to make that statement than the No Pity scarf and a sunflower.

I’ve always been a sucker for the concept of “homecoming” in college football being one of the more important days of any season. So this Sunday, August 6th, our next home match and the closest to "full strength" we will have been since damn near April, it’s a Day of Timbers Army Unity!

Basically, an old tradition and a new tradition melded into one.

The first being “Sunflower Day”, a tradition started by Eric Yinger to bring sunflowers to the match closest to the anniversary of the death of Timber Jim Serrill’s daughter Hannah. An annual showing of support and awareness in tribute to the TA's and the team’s spiritual leader since the days of the NASL. The idea is to bring sunflowers to the match and hold them up in the 80th minute when “Sunshine” is sung. Eric and his crew have amassed minimal donations to try and provide sunflowers for the match, but “BYOS” is HIGHLY encouraged.

Secondly, with full respect to the robust and creative merch culture that surrounds PTFC, there has always been one widely recognized symbol of the TA: the No Pity scarf. The origin story has been told many times, but nothing immediately represents a member of this community faster than those green and white bars and black letters around the neck of a supporter. So what we propose is bring your favorite NP, regardless of fringe color, and at the end of the National Anthem, raise them all high until the first kick—a sea of green and white flooding the North End as we all sing “Hey Portland Timbers, we salute you”. WE ARE THE TIFO.

So there it is, simple really. Bring your No Pity, bring a sunflower, hold ‘em up. Show the world who we are!

https://www.facebook.com/events/314305512330269/

107IST Leads Charge on Beaverton Foster Care Rooms

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:01:15 GMT

by Keith Palau

Dedication of Timbers Army-themed room, July 12th, 2017

It was joyful but also bittersweet to be part of the dedication of two family visitation rooms for foster children and families at Beaverton’s Department of Human Services offices this afternoon.

Joyful of course because with the incredibly talented group of 107IST members who planned and executed the two makeovers, the rooms are all we’d dreamed they would be: warm, comfortable, welcoming environments that speak love and worth into the lives of children & families who are challenged in many ways, while honoring the clubs we love and support, our Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers.

Bittersweet only because we had such a blast working on the rooms that I’m sad that we’re finished and won’t be hanging out quite as intensely!

Core team members in the Timbers Army-themed Room

Some interesting facts and shout-outs about the two rooms (one Thorns/Riveters-themed, one Timbers/Timbers Army:

The core team of 107IST members Dawn Bauman, Wendy Broussard, Randi Staller, Alex Staller, Kacy Kozloff, K Hudson, Barbara and Kevin Zuercher, and Gloria Palau (plus amazing DHS staffers Regina Carpenter and JP Mosser) spent 3 months planning and executing the makeovers
Talented 107IST artists designed and painted beautiful murals: Hannah Mueller and Jackie Feller in the Thorns room, Ryan Pollard and Michelle DeFord in the Timbers room
$8,500 was raised in just over 48 hours from 107IST members and other soccer fans; we stayed well under budget so there’s money left over for future DHS/107IST projects
Major in-kind gifts from La-z-Boy Furniture, Sherwin Williams in Woodstock, Chick-fil-a and Insomnia Coffee saved $7,500 that otherwise would have been spent on the rooms
107IST members, including regional supporter groups (RSGs) like Montana Volunteers, donated many scarves, coloring and sticker books, crayons and colored pencils, games, toys, and Xbox One games
We even had an SSFC/ECS friend donate 12 Xbox One games and two controllers ;-)
93 107IST members volunteered a total of 800 hours working to clean, tape, prime, paint, bring in furniture, hang photos, and stage the rooms
107IST photographers donated 11 prints
The Timbers and Thorns each donated a signed and framed kit, and Coach Mark Parsons and Diego Valeri & his family donated signed balls and spent an evening painting in the rooms, with Thorns player Meghan Cox and other Timbers and Thorns staff joining in as well

Furniture in the Thorns/Riveters-themed room; time to chill for a minute

The rooms have been in use for the past month, and are a big hit with foster kids and their families as they spend time together. THANK YOU to the hundreds of you who’ve been involved! You gave your money, your time, your energy, passion, creativity, talent and enthusiasm. You are making a difference not only in the lives of children in great need of extra love and support, but also showing the hard-working DHS staff that the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters care about them and support them in their efforts to serve and protect these often vulnerable members of our community. I am greatly honored to be part of your 107IST Community Outreach Team! I encourage you to continue finding ways to volunteer with your fellow Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army, or to dip your toe in the water if you’ve not yet done so. I’ve made amazing friends and been blessed beyond what I could have imagined by doing so myself. Thanks again!

C'mon, this photo HAD to get in here. ;-)

Link to photos of the Timbers Army-themed room today
Link to photos of the Thorns/Riveters-themed room today

EDITOR'S NOTE: MLS announced today that Keith Palau is in the running for MLS Community MVP of the Year. If he wins, MLS will donate $25,000 to Embrace Oregon to support more projects like this one.

GPSD O30 D2 and TAFC Division Championships - Rescheduled for 7/6 at 630PM and 830PM at Providence Park

Ray Terrill — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:56:01 GMT

The GPSD O30 D2 and TAFC Division Championships were postponed last weekend for player safety due to the incredibly warm temperatures. We’ve rescheduled both matches for 7/6 at Providence Park, with the O30 D2 Championship kicking off at 6:30PM, and the TAFC Division Championship kicking off at 8:30PM.

Gates are at 6:15PM for fans, who should enter through Gate 1. No tickets are required for entry as this will not be a ticketed match. Limited concessions (beer, water, snacks) will be available for purchase, so no food/drink will be allowed to enter the stadium, but fans may leave/re-enter as needed.

Please plan to attend and cheer on your TAFC mates as they play for their respective championships!

Join the Friends of Jimmy Conway at Walk to End Alzheimer's 2017

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:14:25 GMT

Dear Friends of Jimmy Conway:

It has been 8 years now since Jimmy was first diagnosed with "Trauma Induced Dementia". Since that time, Jimmy’s path has been similar to others with dementia. While his physical condition has unfortunately gradually deteriorated, he remains strong in spirit. He always finds a smile for Noeleen and those who visit with him, and you can still catch a glimpse of that indomitable spirit and his infectious smile.

Jimmy’s legacy in soccer lives on. In the Pacific Northwest here in the US, his name is synonymous with the growth of soccer at every level of the game. He worked—tirelessly and oftentimes without great fanfare or compensation—playing, coaching and teaching the game he loved. I think it would be fair to say that most persons involved with soccer in the state of Oregon are 1-3 degrees removed from his influence.

Seeing how successful every level of the sport is today here in Oregon is a testament to Jimmy and many other 'pioneers’ in the modern era of the game (1970-present). Youth (boys and girls), high school, college, and amateur (adult) soccer have all greatly benefitted from Jimmy’s passion, commitment to, and knowledge of the game. He delivered his message with a fiery passion and an infectious smile. He enjoyed a joke with his players, pupils, friends, teammates and associates. He demanded the most out of everyone because he only knew one way of participating, and that was with every sinew of his being.

Over the past 8 years, our "Friends of Jimmy Conway" team has raised more than $80,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association to help with their research and support programs. We want to help bring about a "World without Alzheimer’s".

We hope, therefore, that you will support us by joining our "Friends of Jimmy Conway" walk team at Portland International Raceway on Sunday, September 10th to participate in the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual "Walk to End Alzheimer’s", and/or making a donation to our team.

You can sign up to walk at the event (free of charge) and/or make a donation at the following address:

http://act.alz.org/site/TR?pg=personal&px=5999665&fr_id=10055

You can donate in my name, or fundraise by encouraging family/friends/associates to donate in your name. Or, you can make donations directly to our team "Friends of Jimmy Conway" (button on page - under "My team - Friends of Jimmy Conway"). Whichever way you choose to donate, your donation will be included as part of our team’s efforts.

Thank you so much for your consideration of this request. We appreciate your support over the years and hope that, like us, you feel it is appropriate to show our respect and gratitude for the incredible body of work that Jimmy invested in the Pacific Northwest, in England, and in his native Ireland.

Sincerely,

Mick Hoban
Team Captain
Friends of Jimmy Conway

107IST Volunteers at Good in the Hood Parade

Stephan Lewis — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 02:24:48 GMT

As many of you may have heard, the staff of the multicultural festival in Northeast Portland, Good in the Hood (GITH), were recently the recipient of a very serious threat. Through our relationship with Portland United Against Hate (PUAH) — a coalition of local community organizations — the 107IST has been playing an active role in the response and have been working with the staffs of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) and GITH to help assess their needs.

First and foremost, we are all invited to this three-day party to help make our presence known and show support for what we stand for. Even if you are unable to volunteer, help us get the word out about this really fun festival that celebrates so many great things about our community. We’re also donating Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters baskets to their silent auction, which benefits local youth pursuing secondary education. More info can be found on their website.

How can you help? The outpouring of support has resulted in many volunteers coming out to help, but they are still in need of road-closure monitors along the parade route on Saturday. Volunteers would need to check in around 9:30 at King School and go through the early afternoon. Volunteers will receive food vouchers — and it sounds like the eats will be really good. If you are able to volunteer, contact Stephan Lewis so we have a head count and can make sure you get the right size shirt.

With the recent growth of incidents involving hate in our community, one thing is growingly evident: This city will not stand for it, and we are coming together to Spread the Love in response. Come on out and join the fun! Let’s do this, Portland.

TAFC Presents Donut Derby Day on August 12, 2017

107ist Admin — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 19:40:27 GMT

DONUT miss this! TAFC is proud to present Donut Derby Day on Saturday, August 12. This tournament is an all-day (8am-6pm) outdoor party with a beer garden and food cart and—yes, of course, DONUTS!—and you’re all invited to join us as we take over Buckman Field Park for the day! It’s a 7v7 half-field tourney with a three-game guarantee. We’ll have Men’s, Women’s, and Coed divisions. Only $250 per team registration, or $30 individual player fee.

Men’s – For men players only. If enough interest, we’ll split into Advanced and Recreational.

Coed – Each team MUST have a minimum of 4 men and 4 women on the roster and minimum of 3 men and 3 women on the field at all times.

Women’s – For women players only.

The winners of each division will have their team’s name placed on the epic DONUT DERBY DAY TROPHY.

Come on out and enjoy a day in the sun. Play some fast-paced, no-slide-tackle, no-offside-rule footy or just relax in the beer garden.

Register now to secure your team’s spot before July 31!
Free Agent player registration link
Rather chant and cheer? Sign up to volunteer!

For the Rose City: Stand Up

107ist Admin — Wed, 31 May 2017 20:42:07 GMT

—by Ben Stern

I know why I stand here.

It was just last week, whilst watching highlights from Mexico and Germany, that I thought my biggest concern going into this Friday night’s game was whether or not I would listen to those behind me yelling “FLAG DOWN!!!” Don’t we all show up hours upon hours early so that we have the right to jump and clap and sing for the entire match? Isn’t that the point of being a supporter? I found myself feeling quite angsty and entitled that I should be able to support my soccer team as boisterously as possible.

...and then the tragic MAX incident occurred.

And I remembered all the times, whether on SCUSA or on Twitter or in the terraces, when people demanded that the 107IST and Timbers Army stand for soccer support, and NOTHING more. I think of the arguments over who is offended by which chants and who stood where first and why we don’t sing for players.

None of these things matter right now. The soccer doesn’t matter right now. I’m not even sure that it ever really did?

I stand with the Timbers Army because I know there are thousands of people who would do the exact same thing as Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, Rick Best, and Micah David-Cole Fletcher. I stand with the TA because we agree on love and the quality of human life. I stand with the TA because I know that this Friday night is not simply a chance for the Timbers to get revenge on San Jose… or gain 3 points in the table… or solve our depth issues or discipline or defense… all I can think about is getting into that stadium Friday night and telling complete strangers and vaguely familiar faces that I love them. All I can think about is being with those thousands of Portlanders who will also want to weep and break down and build each other back up. All I can think of is how WE need this experience of rooting on a soccer club so that we can somehow express our cries for compassion and equality and humanity and the loss of our local heroes.

Friday night’s game should be the loudest of the season. Regardless of how the Timbers play, we all need this healing experience with the thousands of friends who are also standing for the same things. From the capo stands through the 100s and into the upper 2’s, don’t settle by holding anything in. Use this amazing outlet that we’ve been given and let it all out.

What act of love will you bring to Friday night? Respect the refs a little more by NOT screaming “F-U-REF?” Buy someone a beer? Make a donation? Speak to and treat strangers with dignity and respect?

What if we all committed to one act of love for the man who loves us back? Diego Valeri envelops all the ideals of love and respect and equality that our club and supporters stand for. What if we ALL sang for the man who wishes he could sing for us? I’m not suggesting any one Valeri chant… but I am demanding that when you hear one, you pick it up and scream it at the top of your lungs. Remember why you stand in the Timbers Army. Valeri stands here too.

I’d encourage you to also consider signing up for and attending Saturday’s “Booked! Club” discussion on Nick Davidson’s FC St. Pauli book “Pirates, Punks & Politics: Falling in Love with a Radical Football Club,” as it will be relevant to what you’ve just read.

Nie Wieder Faschismus!

I really do love you all.

Ben Stern

A Love Letter, A Hate Letter: Of Montreal

107ist Admin — Mon, 22 May 2017 21:43:17 GMT

—by Travis Hefner, East Coast Platoon

Without question the best thing I get from liking soccer is the sense of community. In Montreal on Saturday, that sense was both reinforced and undermined in ways I have never seen before. I have never gone from such a high of enjoying what it means to be a supporter to such a low in the amount of time that I did last night.

This, of course, has nothing to do with the actual game played between eleven (well, for a little while, anyway) Portland Timbers and eleven Montreal Impact players. This has to do with what came after. Anyone who has ever been on an away trip knows that we are penned in at the end of the match by security. This presumably allows for the vast majority of the home team's fans to leave and for us to then leave without issue. Montreal was no different. What was different was the number of Impact fans who kept walking up to our section, shaking our hands, and giving us degrees of respect for our strong support. You know, things that a genial winner does after their team just blew your team's doors off. It went further, however. From a section over and down, the remaining members of the 1642 Montreal supporters group waved and called for us to come join them. We tried, but at first security would not allow it. A few more Montreal supporters came up to us and we begged and pleaded together with security to let us go join the other section. Security eventually allowed it and we flooded down to the supporters' section.

I've never experienced anything like what happened next. This small band of Timbers Army chanting back and forth with 1642 Montreal, laughing and joking in between songs, before finally culminating in telling our respective rivals to fuck off (because of course), with our new friends joining in.

Security let us have our fun, but it was time to get a move on. We mumbled some "Merci" to Montreal as they wished us safe travels home, and for a moment, the game was forgotten. It was, as an Impact fan said, "Le foot sans frontières," soccer without borders. The game, at that point, didn't matter. What did matter was two passionate fan bases sharing the joy and love they get from this sport.

Unfortunately, Charles Dickens wrote the goddamn script of this away day. Security, while superb in their handling of things inside the stadium, couldn't have been worse outside of it. Impact fans once again approached us as we walked toward the Metro to leave the stadium region. Ignoring attempts at de-escalation with handshakes and unresponsive to "Hey man, good game" (might have been a good tip-off, eh?) these Impact fans were allowed by security to get close enough to sucker-punch a Timbers supporter and steal a flag before running away shouting "Welcome to Montreal," like a 20-year-old Will Smith movie.

Montreal security's response? Big ol' shrug emoji. Our response? Mostly confusion.

Split lips heal, stolen flags get replaced, but that doesn't change the fact that this type of behavior undermines the vast majority of good support in MLS.

Over the past year or two there have been incidents with New York teams, Orlando, San Jose, and Montreal. It is a trend that must be snuffed out by supporters groups and front offices alike.

However, I choose to focus on the good. One of the most famous words in the French language is "fraternité," and that is what I will take from Montreal with me. The actions of a handful do not outweigh the many Montreal fans that sang and danced with us in the post game. That's what should be remembered every time, not the Montreal fans sucker-punching and stealing, but the camaraderie we all have supporting this stupid sport that we all take too seriously. We outnumber those who think violence is a way to support a team, and we will continue to do so.

RSG History: East Coast Platoon

107ist Admin — Sat, 20 May 2017 18:06:20 GMT

—by Aaron Flynn; photos courtesy of East Coast Platoon

In the second part of my series on RSG histories, I reached out to Scott Brown of the East Coast Platoon to tell us about their group's origin.

In 2011, the ECP was first started by Brian Fiore-Silfvast on Facebook as a means to help supporters come together in a single place to build community around shared love of the Timbers and to help with coordination for trips to away stadiums.

The group now heads up all of the Eastern Conference away days, with the exception of Chicago and Columbus. When there’s a game in DC and NY, they have heavy involvement from the local groups, DC Federal Reserves and Gotham Company, but those groups still consider themselves to be under the umbrella of ECP.

ECP has produced some fantastic tifo over the years, from the “Always Sunshine in Chester” display in Philadelphia to the Fallout-themed tifo that New England didn’t allow them to take into the stadium. All of the tifo work is ad-hoc. Asked about away day capos, Scott said they are “really volunteer basis, but generally it falls on the shoulders of a few people” who love the team.

Scott reviews chant lyrics with another away day capo.

On the East Coast, the group tries to get together for watch parties, but it’s been tough. “People outside of Portland have no idea how uncommon it is for bars to have any sort of vibrant MLS viewing culture of a hometown team, not to mention that of a team from outside the area,” Scott lamented.

One of Scott’s favorite memories is of the rain delay chant-off with the Sons of Ben in Chester (Philadelphia) in 2013. At halftime, they announced a rain delay and the group was forced into the concourse that was shared with the Philly supporters. As the ECP was marched down, they began to sing “Let it rain, let it pour, let the Portland Timbers score,” and the Philly fans responded with “PHILADELPHIA!” Thus, the chant-off began. For about 20 minutes, the groups shouted chants back and forth. The result was a 0-0 draw, but the chant-off was a memory that no one in attendance would forget.

I asked Scott about the ECP’s traditions and what makes them special. He told me: “In addition to being the best-looking regional group (which isn’t really that unknown), we’re also the smartest.” He mentioned that the group likes to make swag that incorporates salty sayings from ex-members, such as “Some of you are alright.”

If you’re visiting an East Coast away day, Scott just encourages you to show up early, bring beer, and sing loud.

RSG History: Lone Star Brigade

107ist Admin — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 05:00:00 GMT

—by Aaron Flynn

As more regional supporters groups (RSGs) pop up, I’ve created a map to try and keep track of every group. The task is an ever-evolving one, and it’s something that can be time-consuming. As I created this map and talked to different people from across the country, I realized that each group has a different personality. I came up with this idea to record different histories of all of the RSGs possible and give everyone a chance to get to know them from afar.

Seeing as FC Dallas is our next away day, I decided to reach out to a group that’s close to my heart. I spoke with Jeremy Ballew about the Lone Star Brigade, based in Texas.

Jeremy told me that the Lone star Brigade (LSB) was founded in 2012 when a couple of guys in San Antonio, one of whom went to college with Jeremy, had a mutual interest in the Timbers. He had a friend living in Oklahoma at that time who also was following the Timbers. The group came to this realization through seeing Facebook posts boasting about the Timbers in MLS. So, the 4 of them began chatting about starting up something small where any random Timbers fans in Texas could have a place to discuss games. The group originally started with the name Texas Timbers. “We had no idea that it would turn into what it is today. Today, we now have 633 members on our Facebook page, and 2 of the 4 that helped get this started now live in Portland,” he said.

The LSB mainly focuses on away days in Houston and Dallas. I asked Jeremy about his favorite memories of a Texas away day. He managed to narrow it down to three:

Since you don’t ever forget your first, Jeremy recollects that his very first live Timbers match was down in Houston back in May of 2012, a 0-0 draw. There were about 15 people who met at Lucky’s Pub before the game, and that was his first chance to meet several folks from Portland. Not only that, it was also his first Timbers Army experience.

His second favorite was the US Open Cup in Dallas. It was June of 2013 and we managed to beat Dallas 3-2. “To this day," Jeremy points out, that Open Cup match is "the only Timbers match I have been to which we actually won.” For any Texan, beating Dallas in Dallas is just too sweet.

Lastly, I think for the majority of Lone Star Brigade, their favorite game was the MLS Western Conference Final. Without question this was the most memorable away day in Texas. It was rainy and cold, just as it would have been had the game been in Portland. There was a very strong contingent of PTFC faithful. Merritt Paulson even joined us at the tailgate. We had an FC Dallas scarf that someone had been gifted after a Dallas fan drunkenly stole one of our banners and managed to mail it back the next week after profusely apologizing. We threw the scarf on the wet concrete and would casually spill beer on it and walk on it throughout the day. MP joined in on the fun and stomped on it and did a little dance. Jeremy reminisces about victory beers in the parking lot afterwards. That moment would not be paralleled or beaten in Texas. The only better feeling was actually winning the MLS Cup.

Jeremy told me about the game day ops and how the group organizes watch parties. He mentioned that most venues won’t let you bring in large tifo for games, and some are strict about throwing streamers. In Dallas, you have to tear up your streamers and make confetti, because they fear it would hit a Dallas fan's head. In Houston, they’re more lax and allow you to throw streamers. Dallas lets you hang banners from the front of the section, while Houston will only let you hang them behind your section. The LSB has some great artists who create banners on their own time, and they use the LSB Facebook page for recommendations. On that page, we also verbalize the need for capos and ask for help in that area. Jeremy and several others have headed that up over the past few years.

As far as watch parties are concerned, supporters in the major cities in Texas (DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, etc.) are quite vocal on the page, sharing where watch parties are happening in each city.

The Lone Star Brigade is pretty special. To them, it's not just 3-4 admins making every decision for the group. The LSB are a family. They like to incorporate as many active members as possible to make decisions, and they value everyone’s opinion. Jeremy’s favorite tradition is the signing of “the Family Tree,” which is a large rising sun banner with the state of Texas rising from the bottom of the banner. Any Timbers supporter who joins the Lone Star Brigade for an away day is encouraged to sign it. Jeremy says: “To this day, I still think that the way we came about, came together, by 4 dudes simply reading a couple of Facebook posts and saying, 'We should start a little support group here in Texas', still blows my mind.”

LSB loves to tailgate for matches when possible. You can find them always tailgating for the match in Dallas. You can find the Family Tree to sign it there. In Dallas, once the match has concluded, the group navigates to the team bus and waits for the players to exit so they can show their appreciation, win, lose, or draw. Jeremy encourages anyone who has an extra 30 minutes after the match to join them in thanking the players and coaches for all that they do.

I asked Jeremy for his best advice for a Timbers fan who is traveling to be at a game with the LSB. He wants to encourage everyone to buy streamers or confetti. If you don’t have a flag, don’t worry. We have one member who is basically the caretaker of all the flags, and they’re brought to every Texas match. There’s always one available for you to wave! Just as in Portland, the LSB chants the entire match. Jeremy wants everyone to be standing until halftime. Lastly, he encourages everyone to be respectful to the stadium officials and front office folks. Timbers Army carries a title of respect, so there are certain areas in which we are granted a bit more freedom since we usually carry a large number of supporters and we are respectful to the venue’s rules. Don’t violate this. It’s a liberty that not many SGs can enjoy, so try not to abuse it.

Limited-Edition Bridge & Burn/Timbers Army Apparel Available at May 12 Event

107ist Admin — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 06:05:32 GMT

On May 12th, 2017, the TA and 107IST will unveil a new No Pity Originals clothing collaboration with Portland’s very own Bridge & Burn. For years NPO has wanted to create casual gear fit for match days and the workplace; together with our neighbors we created a collection that's truly suited for rain or shine. The partnership was a natural fit between two distinct Portland brands, both with close ties to the downtown Goose Hollow neighborhood.

The volunteers at No Pity Originals designed a print pattern specifically representing Portland’s soccer culture: balls, axes, roses, and bridges. Bridge & Burn then took the pattern and created a premium custom fabric, to be used prominently in a sharp collection featuring seven of their most popular apparel designs. The limited-edition collection includes four styles for women and three for men. Women’s styles include: rain jacket, long-sleeved button up, short-sleeved button-up, and a shirt dress with short sleeves. The men’s styles include: rain jacket, long-sleeved button-up, and a short-sleeved button-up.

The Bridge & Burn - Timbers Army Collection will be available for purchase on May 12th at p:ear (338 NW 6th Ave) from 6:30-10:00pm.

Join us for our release party! The event is free and open to the public. All proceeds support the 107 Independent Supporters Trust. First come, first serve. All styles will be for sale, but these are limited edition, so quantities are limited. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Portland United Against Hate

Stephan Lewis — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:41:14 GMT

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust is now the 46th Portland-based community organization to join the recently formed group, Portland United Against Hate. This decision was supported unanimously by both the Outreach Committee and the 107IST Board of Directors after lengthy discussions at both levels. We feel that this group aligns with our ethos as an organization, helps spread the word about who we are and what we do, and allows us to align with some of the groups that are working directly with populations that we have continually targeted in pursuit of our mission.

Community and City Response to Hate

Joint Statement

Portland United Against Hate is a community initiated partnership of Community Based Organizations, Neighborhood Associations, concerned communities and the City. Together, we are building a rapid response system that combines reporting and tracking of hateful acts and providing the support and protection our communities need in this uncertain era. We seek to combine our resources, assets and relationships to create an inclusive city that protects, embraces, and celebrates its diverse communities.

We hear the outcry of our communities. In recent months, many community organizations report increasing incidents of hate crimes and intimidation, including bullying and violence stemming from racism, xenophobia, religious bigotry, islamophobia, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, stigma, and misogyny. This affects every area of our lives, including our workplaces, schools, places of worship, healthcare facilities, the marketplace, and more. We reject this hateful behavior.

We are tackling this toxic environment head on. Our partnership is bound by these common values: we oppose a registry of people based on their faith, culture, ethnicity, and documentation status. We know Black Lives Matter. We will continue advocating reform of our police department and building trust between police and communities of color so everybody feels safe in our neighborhoods. We support Portland’s evolution as an Inclusive City, regardless of the threats made by the Trump administration.

We have come together. This community initiated partnership is combining forces with the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), whose charge is to connect and support all Portlanders to work collaboratively with government to build inclusive, safe, and livable neighborhoods and communities. Community organizations look to ONI to collaborate in creating a robust response to the negative forces that undermine our city and community.

Our bold and intentional collaborative efforts are designed to protect communities from hate and proactively, create a strong base of support, provide the tools and resources to combat oppression, prosper economically and thrive collectively. Everyone and every community deserves a safe, prosperous, and peaceful life, a life free from hate and harassment. We recognize and honor our collective resilience and our right to nurture our communities from a place of compassion, security, and belonging.

“With divisiveness and hatred becoming the norm at the national level, and here on the Best Coast, we must find ways to support our neighbors. I sincerely appreciate this statement of community values, being generated by the people, for the people. We believe in dignity and respect for all. That is the Portland way.” Commissioner Amanda Fritz

We invite you to join us. Need help? Please reach out to the organizations below. Someone there will listen to what happened, and help you find a solution. Want to be involved? YOU can volunteer, lend your financial support, get trained on how to combat hate, and come together for community events. YOU can speak up when you hear or see hateful, harassing or intimidating acts. YOU can be part of creating a truly welcoming community. Together, we can all unite against hate.

Portland United Against Hate Member Organizations

APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon)

Causa Oregon

Coalition of Communities of Color

East Portland Action Plan

East Portland Neighborhood Office

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Iraqi Society of Oregon

IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization)

IRCO Africa House

IRCO Asian Family Center

Jewish Voices of Peace

Kerns Neighborhood Association

Latino Network

Lents Neighborhood Association

Linnton Neighborhood Association

Love Action Coalition

Maplewood Neighborhood Association

Metropolitan Public Defender

Milagro Theater

Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association

Muslim Community Center of Portland

Muslim Educational Trust

Native American Youth & Family Center

No Hate Zone

Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods

North Portland Neighborhood Services

Office of Neighborhood Involvement City of Portland (ONI)

Oregon Board of Rabbis

Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crimes

Oregon Coalition for Muslim Values

Oregon Muslim Citizens Alliance

Portland African American Leadership Forum

Portland Japanese American Citizens League

Portland Two-Spirit Society

Portland UnShul

Q Center

Resolutions Northwest

Sabin Community Association

SE Uplift

Sunnyside Neighborhood Association

SW Neighborhoods, Inc.

Unite Oregon

Urban League of Portland

Verde

YWCA of Greater Portland

107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST)

Here is where the invitation to join PUAH in marching at the 82^nd Ave Parade of Roses this weekend was going to go. However, the event was canceled due to threats of violence.

This is the world we live in. We Are the Shining City on the Hill. We’ll keep you posted on how you can be involved in our joint efforts. Let’s do this, Portland.

107IST to Renovate Beaverton Foster Care Rooms

Keith Palau — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 21:59:54 GMT

Make a positive impact in the lives of kids and families on the west side of Portland, and represent the Timbers, Timbers Army, Portland Thorns, and Rose City Riveters at the same time!

Your 107 Independent Supporters' Trust, along with Embrace Oregon and other west side friends, are coming together to do TWO major family visitation room remodels at the Beaverton DHS offices (foster care system) this June.

The photo above shows the room we completed last summer at Hillsboro DHS, which was done entirely in a Timbers/Timbers Army theme with signed memorabilia donated from the Timbers, custom log slice end tables, a mural designed and painted by TA artists, brand new furniture, and a new flat screen TV and game system.

Not only do we plan on doing a similar Timbers-themed room at Beaverton DHS, but we also are excited to announce a separate family visitation room that will have a Portland Thorns theme! Talented artists from within the Rose City Riveters will design the room, including a Thorns and Riveters-themed mural.

Both rooms are visitation rooms so that children and teens who are in foster care can spend their average of one hour each week with a birth parent. This is an intimate and critical point of connection for children whose lives are turned upside down, and for biological parents who are working hard and taking steps to get their kids back. A room that is homey and warm speaks value and worth to both the children and their families.

The rooms will also be used when children are removed from their home and are sitting in the child welfare office awaiting placement. Volunteers—Office Moms and Dads—will play with kids for an average of 5-7 hours while the caseworker tries to find a foster placement. Having an inviting space with activities is very helpful in this instance as well.

These rooms will be a reminder to kids, teens, parents, guardians, and DHS staff that they are valued, and will also leave a lasting legacy of love from the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters.

The total budget for both rooms is $10,000, but with the generous in-kind support of local businesses and the 107IST directly, along with money raised from last December’s "You Are Loved" scarf sale, we are already over halfway there! The money raised will all go to the direct expenses of furniture not donated, new flat screen TVs and game systems, paint and paint supplies, shelving and wall mounts, etc.

The makeover itself will take place over the first two weeks of June, so the sooner we can complete the fundraising, the better.

Here’s the link to the GoFundMe page where you can make a donation:

https://www.gofundme.com/tarcr-foster-care-room-makeovers

If you have questions or would like to find out about volunteering, please feel free to contact me at the info below.

THANK YOU for considering taking part in this meaningful and lasting gift to children and families on the west side of Portland.

Keith Palau

keith.palau@palau.org

@kpduck

PTFC! RCTID!

https://www.gofundme.com/tarcr-foster-care-room-makeovers
www.timbersarmy.org
www.rosecityriveters.org

From the Grassroots: Log Slices, Timbers Army and Street Soccer USA

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 18:56:40 GMT

The mission of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust is to support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. And with your help, along with two very special donations from El Maestro, we’re looking forward to helping to sponsor Street Soccer USA’s Portland team as they train for the Street Soccer USA National Cup in Philadelphia in June.

Who is Street Soccer USA?

Street Soccer USA is an organization whose mission is to fight poverty and empower underserved communities through soccer (you can read more about them here). In Portland this year, Street Soccer USA is working with Outside In, a local organization serving homeless youth and other marginalized members of society. Both Timbers Army and Riveters have worked with Outside In in the past, with match day donation drives and Pride scarf proceeds. We support Outside In’s work and are proud of their efforts to compete in the Street Soccer USA National Cup in Philadelphia. We are raising funds to help sponsor the team’s trip. From Street Soccer USA’s Adam Lewis:

Our team here in Portland is working hard and setting personal goals, all with the dream of participating in this year's Cup. With your support, eight dedicated players (from Portland's homeless, refugee and at-risk communities) will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Philadelphia, play against teams from all over the USA and, most importantly, see that they are not alone.

Robert, one of our most dedicated players, has participated in the National Tournament, was selected as part of team USA and had the opportunity to represent his country in the Homeless World Cup. At last year's Cup, Robert saw that individuals from all over the county shared the challenges he was also overcoming. Here, Robert was a part of something bigger than himself. He not only had his Portland teammates to lean on, but an entire national community that shared his struggles and triumphs. For those that often feel isolated, dehumanized and looked over, the experience of playing with their peers from around the country is a life changing experience.

Now Robert has quit smoking, works full-time at a restaurant and supports himself and his girlfriend. Stories like Robert's always remind me of the importance of participating in the National Cup.

This year we are looking to take eight new players to the tournament. The players will be traveling with a head coach (myself) and social service mentor to help provide the best care and experience possible. Once at the tournament, participants will play multiple matches on the Art Museum steps and enjoy networking events to meet other Street Soccer athletes.

How Can You Help?

This month, thanks to Diego Valeri’s gracious and generous support, there are TWO ways you can help! We have TWO May 3rd raffles for TWO Diego Valeri signed log slices. Here’s how you can enter the log slice raffles and help local Street Soccer USA youth at the same time:

Sign up/Renew 107IST membership in April. If you aren’t yet a member of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, or if you haven’t yet renewed, now is an excellent time to sign up or renew. All new memberships and renewals in the month of April will automatically be entered in the May 3rd drawing to receive a signed log slice from Diego Valeri! Already signed up/renewed? That’s okay: you can also refer a friend. If your friend signs up or renews this month and includes your email address in the “Referred by” line, you will also be entered in the drawing.
Donate to 107IST to be entered into the drawing. If you’d simply like to donate money to the cause, you are also welcome to do so: and you’ll also be entered into the May 3rd drawing to receive a log slice signed by Diego Valeri. $10 gets your name in the drawing once; $25 gets your name in the drawing three times. Here’s the donation link.

We’re proud to support soccer from the grassroots to the highest professional level; and we’re thrilled to see the opportunity for Team/Town/TA to come together to support local youth to compete at a national level.

2017 107ist/Timbers Army CPR Heart Walk Team

Dale Montgomery — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 04:14:01 GMT

For the second year running the 107ist/Timbers Army CPR is teaming up with American Medical Response (AMR) to assemble a team to walk in the 2017 American Heart Association (AHA) Heart & Stroke Walk at Portland International Raceway on 5/20/2017. Timbers Army CPR teaches the AHA “Heartsaver" CPR/AED class for free monthly at Providence Park with the support of AMR, the 107ist and Portland Timbers FC.

The Heart Walk helps raise money toward research for heart attack and stroke prevention. We’re recruiting people to donate toward our fundraising goal of $3000 and/or join our team to get your friends to sponsor you and walk on 5/20. Both AMR and the AHA have been integral in helping Timbers Army CPR train 581 citizen rescuers since 2013.

All walkers and those who donate $25 or more will receive a Timbers Army CPR/AMR Heart Walk T-shirt (Pictured above) and the exclusive TACPR Merit Badge (below). You can only get this badge from donating to and/or participating in the walk.

Challenge your family, your friends at work, your friends in your Timbers Army seat section or the section closest to you.

Last year, we had a combined 43 donors and walkers (32 people walked) who participated as a part of our Timbers Army CPR/AMR Portland 2016 American Heart Association Heart Walk team. We raised over $4000 for heart attack, stroke, prevention and awareness. The Timbers Army team really represented last year! Our team was the 8th highest fundraiser out of 100 teams!!

Of the 32 people who walked, there was our friend John Acerbi who just 65 days earlier survived a cerebral stroke. He and his wife walked together.

Several people already signed up to walk with us are dedicating their walk to a loved one whose life has been effected by heart disease or stroke

We are going all out this year!! We’ll have flags and drums. We’ll liven this walk up!!

It only takes three easy steps!

1. Visit our team page – http://www2.heart.org/goto/TimbersArmyAMRPDX

2. Click the "Join Team" button and follow the prompts to register.

3. Get your friends, co-workers and neighbors to sponsor you with a donation of $5 or whatever they are comfortable with.

Once you've joined the team, we'll need your help to reach our team fundraising goal. Don't worry — fundraising is easy. The American Heart Association provides all the tools, including your personal fundraising page. Plus, I'll be here to support and encourage you along the way. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any Heart Walk questions.

Why Heart & Stroke Walk? One in three Americans has some form of cardiovascular disease and stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. We can change this by walking and raising funds for Heart Walk. The walk is a non- timed 5k. We expect about 8,000 participants to attend this amazing event.

Help grow our team; please forward this email to anyone you think will want to walk, raise funds and make a difference in our community. The more the merrier, when it comes to our Heart Walk team! Thank you in advance for your participation.

Dale Montgomery
Timbers Army CPR, Coordinator

soccadad@icloud.com

Let’s show them what an army can do! Join our team today! RCTID!

IRCO at Rose City Futsal

Scott Jeffries — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 23:23:31 GMT

On the heels of successful donation drives for household supplies, clothes, and preseason tickets, the Timbers Army is in the midst of yet another effort for IRCO, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization. Myself, Kyle “Caterjunes” Jones, and Michelle “Bella” DeFord had each been volunteering on an individual basis with IRCO prior to getting the TA involved, with Kyle and I helping kids with homework on Saturday mornings and Michelle coordinating several donation drives. Joining forces, we asked IRCO what else the TA could do for them. The staff told us that the kids have a soccer team but nowhere to play when it’s cold and wet outside, to which we thought, what better use of our charitable funds than to get kids playing soccer?

Thanks to the dogged efforts of Kyle, we finally secured a court at Rose City Futsal for 90 minutes every Saturday in March and April. As word of our latest endeavor got around, we were approached by an anonymous donor who wished to purchase new shoes for every kid. Michelle got a list of shoe sizes and the next thing we knew, eight bags full of shoeboxes arrived at the Fanladen.

Shoes!!

As fate would have it, their first session was on March 4th, the day after the home opener, and next to the court where TAFC was playing a friendly against Minnesota United’s Dark Clouds and True North Elite supporters groups. After putting on their new shoes, the IRCO kids ran through training drills and played intrasquad games for their allotted time with their coach, Jared Hoffman from AC Portland who has graciously donated his time every weekend.

Photos by Scott Jeffries

Then came one of the most moving displays I’ve ever seen as a Timbers fan. TAFC and Dark Clouds, realizing they had their court for half an hour longer than IRCO, spontaneously stopped their game and invited the kids over to come play with them. As the kids entered, the adults applauded them onto the court, they intermingled teams, Portland and Minnesota, kids and adults, immigrants and citizens, for one big friendly match. With too many players to go around, another match spilled out onto the empty court next door. Many more simply watched, not a dry eye among them.

Photo by Ray Terrill

The kids have come back twice since then and news has certainly traveled, with a larger turnout and several new faces each week. This past weekend saw 24 players and they are quickly outgrowing their small space, but as the weather slowly improves, they will head outdoors. The team is training to compete in the annual Portland World Cup Tournament, organized by Portland Parks and Recreation every summer, scheduled this year for July 21st and 22nd, sadly the weekend of Vancouver away, for which this writer has already booked travel plans, but those who are staying behind should mark their calendars to show up in support.

You can also show your support by purchasing a "Refugees Welcome" scarf here. All proceeds go to IRCO.

It’s been a great few months helping these kids and their families, but we’re not about to stop here. We have two more initiatives in the works right now: finding a coach for a new girls’ team (which we may well have as I write this!) and helping some of the kids pay club soccer dues. As we watch an 18-year-old high school senior from Gresham playing on the first team and I see how talented some of these IRCO kids are, I can’t help but imagine one of them taking the field someday as our next homegrown player and remembering how it all started.

Photo by Ray Terrill

107IST and Friends of Trees (3/18/2017)

Stephan Lewis — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:17:10 GMT

Like many of the things we do, our relationship with Friends of Trees grew from the interest of members who aligned closely with multiple groups and wanted to utilize our sweat equity to do some good in the community. Almost ten years ago, this relationship was established as one of us was a neighborhood coordinator for Friends of Trees and tapped the TA to help with a planting he was organizing. Over these years, we have increased the number of experienced tree planters within our ranks and have been a reliable source of volunteers for them when they need it most. In fact, many of our volunteers have more experience than some of the crew leaders often do. This allows the crews we’re on to be highly effective as a they can be broken down to more effectively cover their assigned planting area. Sure, planting trees for goals with the Timbers is fun and all, but, while volunteer need is a factor, these events are typically scheduled to align with whether the players are still in town. The strength of our relationship is our ability to answer the call when they are in need of our ability to bring it strong. Typically, this happens when they’re going into large groups of lower-income neighborhoods where volunteerism may be lower than others. These are some of the same areas where we have sought to connect our community services (OPI, GCSF, etc.) with those that need it most. One of our continued issues is getting people to know who we are and what we do. These types of events allow us to put visible boots on the ground and grow our influence.

As Friends of Trees has grown in the community, they’ve been able to develop a deep enough pool of volunteers to keep us as their ace in the hole. This weekend is one of those times where they could really use our help as they go into the neighborhoods of Arbor Lodge, Kenton, Overlook, and Portsmouth to plan 210 street trees. If you’ve seen the member distribution maps at the 107IST Annual General Meetings, you’ll know that this area is second only to that just to the west including St. Johns. Our plantings there over the last couple years have continually broken records for the number of members to actually walk to a 107IST event. This one may be the only area that can compete on this measure. As it stands, they have a handful of residents and some small groups coming out. So, come on out and give us a hand, get some dirt on ya, and make our presence known while doing some good for the community.

For more details and to sign up, go here.

Lastly, our greatest strength is the involvement of our members. If you find ways within your local community that you’re passionate about and think that the 107IST may be able to help, shoot us a message at community@107ist.org and we’d be happy to see what we can do to help. It may even be the next thing we take to the next level.

Let’s do this, Portland.

From The Grassroots: 107IST Supports Alder Creek MS Soccer

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 19:55:08 GMT

The 107IST mission is to support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.

One of my favorite things about volunteering to serve the 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST) is the work we get to do in the community supporting kids and soccer. Through membership dollars, donations, and proceeds from merchandise sales, 107IST gets to make a difference in the lives of others.

One example of this support is the work we were recently able to carry out at Alder Creek Middle School. Through the work of Gilmer Gongora, 107IST member and Northwest Family Services PreventNet Site Coordinator, we were able to support middle school soccer for a group of students at Alder Creek Middle School. Gilmer explains:

“Every Tuesday and Thursday at Alder Creek MS, a group of kids stay after school to play soccer. 80% of them have only played soccer with friends at lunch, or at pick-up games on the weekends. For these kids, soccer is a way of life; but the opportunity for them to play on a team is limited by finances, by transportation due to parents working, and by students’ lack of awareness of soccer opportunities. In the after school soccer program, 85% are low income Latino students, who have made the after school club their own.

“This is my second year running the program, and I wanted to make it bigger and better from the previous year. The first year, students wanted to play other teams. I wasn’t sure what the turnout would be so we only were able to scrimmage each other. This year, with help of three great organizations, it was possible to finally play other teams. I had enough numbers to create both a girls’ team and a boys’ team. With 80-85% of the players that signed up for my after school program having no previous experience playing organized soccer, it was an awesome opportunity to give kids a chance to be on a team for the first time. The 107IST, Building Blocks 4 Kids, and Tursi Soccer Supply sponsored and fitted the two teams for their indoor soccer season with brand new uniforms. I was given enough to buy indoor shoes for half of the players.

“With this opportunity, I asked students to try harder in school so they could earn the right to be on the team. I have seen players stay in during lunch with teachers to do homework or catch to up on assignments. One of the best things to experience is being part of a team, and I am glad that these kids were given a chance to be a part of one.”

This ability to purchase uniforms and equipment for both teams, as well as to secure scheduled time at indoor soccer playing other teams, was made possible thanks to membership dollars, merchandise sales, and donations in memory of Pondo Kosmas, a beloved 107IST member and owner of Mad Greek Deli. If you’re a member, if you donated, or if you purchased merchandise through No Pity Originals, thank you for making this possible. We are grateful for your support for team, town, and TA/Riveters; and for your support for soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.

TAFC Open Play at RCF East with Minnesota Supporters Groups - 3/4 2-4PM

Ray Terrill — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 02:00:00 GMT

TAFC will be hosting Open Play at RCF East (5010 NE Oregon St) on 3/4 from 2-4PM with the visiting Minnesota Dark Clouds and True North Elite supporters groups. This location is accessible via rideshare and transit, carpooling is encouraged.

We'll have one court available, and it'll be informal, pickup-style play. All skill levels are welcome.

Play is FREE, and we'll be collecting donations for future TAFC Open Play opportunities.

RCF East has a bar/restaurant on-site, with ample space for those who want to come hang out or mingle and not play. It's also family friendly.

All are welcome. #RCTID

RCF East: http://rosecityfutsal.com/east/

TAFC: https://timbersarmy.org/tafc

2017 Annual General Meeting Recap and Volunteer Opportunities

Lexi Stern — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 05:42:55 GMT

Thanks to all who came out to the Mission Theater for the 2017 107ist Annual General Meeting on February 12. Thanks also to Todd Diskin for organizing the event and to Scott van Swearingen for introducing the new format, which minimized the time spent on 2016 committee reports and instead allowed us to get some great discussions going with all of you. We'll be going through all of your valuable feedback in the coming weeks and using it to hopefully make everything we do this year even better.

As we do every year at this event, each committee shared their accomplishments from the previous season, plans for the current season, and current volunteer needs -- but only for 30 minutes this time. The rest of the AGM was devoted to discussion and feedback. Our facilitators, Kevin Hiebert and Jessica Riehl, had everyone turn in answers to the following questions on notecards:

How has the 107IST impacted your life?
What are the essential stories we need to share with the community about the 107IST?

We then broke into small group sessions and discussed the following topics, with each member having an opportunity to attend two sessions:

Telling the 107IST story
Volunteer engagement
Building a robust communications system
Planning for the future: A place
Rose City Riveters

We collected everyone's responses from all sessions and will be discussing them as a board later in the month.

Volunteer Signup Forms

Across the organization, we need all types of volunteers at all skill levels. Please read both the presentation slides and the following signup forms for details about what each committee is looking for. Committee chairs will be getting back to applicants within the next few weeks.

New Format for Annual General Meeting

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 22:52:30 GMT

This Sunday, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust will hold its 2017 Annual General Meeting from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Mission Theater in NW Portland.

As we do every year, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust holds a meeting for members before the start of the regular season. This Annual General Meeting, or AGM, is typically a chance for the 107IST Board of Directors to share information about the past year, including successes, challenges, and plans for the coming year. While we love to share the good news about the amazing team/town/TA-Riveters work that members accomplish, for several years the AGM has had the same format: board members do most of the talking, everyone else mostly listens.

This year will be different.

Much of the AGM is designed for your participation. We will have breakout conversations focused on a variety of strategic topics, including volunteer engagement, communications, Riveters & 107IST, and planning for the future. Several board members will be at each breakout session, and everyone will get a chance to rotate and participate in more than one session. Board members will take what we learn from all of you to our annual Board strategic planning session later this month. Pre-emptive thanks to our guest facilitators Kevin Hiebert and Jessica Riehl, who will be helping facilitate most of the afternoon with us.

We’ll still have a little bit of AGM “sit and get.” Board members will still give brief reports to membership on the past year’s activities and a brief look at the year ahead. But this year, most of our time together at the AGM is designed to give members more opportunities to interact, with board members and with each other. As we do every year, we’ll also provide signup forms online for you to apply to work with our various committees.

If you’ve been to the AGM before, come prepared for something different: a chance to participate. And if you’ve never been before or you are a new 107IST member, you’re also welcome and encouraged to attend. We look forward to the conversation.

Refugees Welcome

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 22:00:00 GMT

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

As the engine that fuels The Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters, the 107IST board represents a growing and disparate group of supporters. As we have mentioned before, we know that as supporters we will disagree about many things, large and small, in person and online. In case it isn’t already abundantly clear, this is a reminder that as an organization there are some things on which we all agree.

We support team, town, and TA/Riveters.
We support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.
We have zero tolerance for hate.

We stand by our Muslim brothers and sisters, and by our friends in the immigrant and refugee community. We’re taking donations for immigrant and refugee families, and we’re gathering donated tickets so that we can take immigrant and refugee youth to preseason games. Our community outreach this year will focus on supporting the most vulnerable among us, including support for immigrants and refugees, participation in the Portland Pride March, support for homeless youth, and more.

There is no room in the Timbers Army or Rose City Riveters for hate. None. We reject hate and discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or country of origin. Some things change as our organization grows: but our core values do not. This is not a political stance: it is a stance that respects basic rights and dignity for all humans. Regardless of world events and politics, we will stand against hate and discrimination, every time.

107IST/Rose City Riveters Joint Statement

Lexi Stern — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 19:16:30 GMT

(Cross-posted from rosecityriveters.org)

“To support soccer from the grassroots to the highest professional level”

Chances are that if you’re at all familiar with the 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST), you recognize that as our mission. Those words have been the guiding force behind everything we’ve done as organization since we were formed in 2009.

The 107IST was born out of the Timbers Army with the purpose of doing the heavy lifting on behalf of a vibrant supporters’ culture that was in the midst of a transition to MLS and the associated stadium renovations. The establishment of the non-profit organization was necessary to provide a stable point of contact to the Front Office on all issues facing supporters, be accountable for the management of all finances, house the intellectual and physical assets, as well as build on our already established record in the community.

The 107IST was founded to be the engine that drives the Timbers Army.

In the early days there really was little distinction between the Timbers Army and the 107IST. The 107IST Board of Directors supported the operations of the Timbers Army, and the two entities were viewed by most people as being synonymous.

However, in 2012, a change occurred with the announcement of the National Women’s Soccer League and the news Portland would have a team. When the Portland Thorns FC announcement was made official, supporters were already working to come together, organize, and plan for showing their dedication to the new team. The Rose City Riveters supporters group was born out of passion, anticipation, and civic pride, and quickly joined the 107ist community. From the beginning, in accordance with our mission and the wishes of the 107IST members, there has been a close relationship between the 107IST and the Rose City Riveters. This has included everything from knowledge sharing, to organizational support, to sharing the 107IST infrastructure. The Riveters have supported the Thorns from day one, and have set the standard on a global scale for what it means to support a women’s soccer team. Their tifo is second to none, they travel across the country to support their club, and they share this knowledge freely with other burgeoning SGs.

To be sure, there have been growing pains over the past few years, but there has also been much work done to identify problems and work through them.

Even though this relationship is now entering its fifth year, we still see a lot of confusion amongst members of the Portland soccer community. We thought that as we head into the 2017 seasons for both teams, it would be a good time to put out a succinct statement that clarifies the relationship between the 107IST, Rose City Riveters, and Timbers Army.

The 107IST is the umbrella under which both supporters groups live. It supports both groups as equal peers. Today the 107IST Board is still the de facto board for the Timbers Army, while the Rose City Riveters have their own steering committee. Lexi Stern sits on the steering committee as a 107IST Board member, and the rest of those positions are filled by core Rose City Riveters volunteers who oversee Riveters subcommittees.

As our work has evolved, we have incorporated both Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army work on the 107IST Community Outreach committee. We are looking to continue to evolve this cooperative participation at the 107IST committee level in several other areas, such as in travel and membership.

Over time we expect this “cross-pollination” to grow. We also expect that certain committees will work closely together, but remain separate as it makes the most sense. Game day is a good example here: we use the collective buying power of the 107IST to the benefit of both groups, but the actual day-to-day management of stadium operations are handled by two distinct teams.

Additionally, as time goes on, you’ll see the 107IST and the Timbers Army becoming more distinct from each other when appropriate. This started with the 107IST newsletter (which has always included both Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters news) as well as with Green Weekend (where both SGs have participated for the past few years). As we continue to grow and evolve, you’ll likely see some messages come from 107IST, some from Timbers Army, some from Rose City Riveters, and some from combinations of the three, as appropriate.

In the end, the best summary of all of this is with an updated tagline that we’ve actually been using for a while:

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust: The engine behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters.

Respectfully Signed,
The 107IST Board of Directors and Rose City Riveters Steering Committee

What the heck is a challenge coin?

Sherrilynn Rawson-Ybarra — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 01:00:00 GMT

For several years now, 107IST members have been the people who fund the engine that fuels the Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters. In addition, 107IST members have had the chance to acquire an additional "thank you gift" (sometimes affectionately referred to as "swag") each year they sign up or renew. From enamel pins to bottle openers to tote bags to keychains, we've had a variety of different 107IST membership gifts in the past.

This year, 107IST members who say "yes, I want a membership gift" will get a challenge coin when signing up or renewing for 2017. (Local members get a voucher they can redeem for a challenge coin at the Fanladen; members who live further away will get their challenge coins in the mail.)

What the heck is a challenge coin?

Challenge coins have several origin stories, all military in origin. In the Roman Empire, coins were sometimes used to recognize a soldier's achievements. Modern challenge coin origin stories include tales of a flying squadron in World War I; stories of the OSS in World War II; and still other accounts of the 17th Infantry Regiment in the Korean conflict. Regardless of the origin, the general notion of a challenge coin is to commemorate membership in a particular military group, and is also often associated with special achievements or visits. A coin can be a source of pride, a memento of a special event, a morale booster, and/or proof of membership in a group.

The "challenge" part of the name refers to coin holders being challenged to present their coins. As in origin stories, the rules for coin challenges vary, but most have a similar theme: upon being challenged to present coins, all coin-holding members of a group must physically present their coins. Any member who cannot produce his/her coin is generally responsible for buying other members present a beverage. If all members in attendance are able to produce their coins, the person who challenged others to present coins must instead buy all members present a beverage.

The 107IST challenge coin for 2017 is a beautifully crafted commemorative coin. On one side, there is a representation of a 107IST member doing volunteer work with Operation Pitch Invasion (thank you, Nicole Barker, for the photo it comes from). On the other side are the logos of the 107IST, the Timbers Army, and the Rose City Riveters. Around the edges of the coin are the mission of the 107IST, along with some of the many things 107IST members do.

If you are a local member, check your packet for the voucher with the picture of a challenge coin on it. Bring that voucher to the Fanladen during office hours (usually Wednesday nights 6:30-8:30) or on match days before home matches. You can exchange the voucher for your own challenge coin.

We know we aren't the first supporters group to create a challenge coin. Heck, we aren't even the first Timbers Army people to do so. We have both Eastern Bloc & TA:CO (Timbers Army:Covert Ops) challenge coins on display at the Fanladen, for example. But we thought these would be a wonderful way to commemorate the work you support with your membership, as well as a reminder of what we're all about.

No, we don't have any dictates about "rules" for coin checks. As with most other things we do, we're sure that people will come up with their own variations. As a 107IST member in 2017, enjoy your challenge coin as a reminder of what your membership supports. Whether it's tifo and other game day operations, community outreach, or any of the activities associated with our core mission, your membership in 107IST supports Team, Town, and TA/Riveters: supporting soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.

Donate preseason tickets for immigrant/refugee youth

Scott Jeffries — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 21:33:56 GMT

Update 2/3/17: We have reached our goal for both games! Thank you to everyone who donated - we no longer need tickets. If you wanted to donate but were unable to, we'll be taking up collections for future games so hopefully you can contribute then.

Update 2/2/17: We have reached our goal of 30 tickets for the game on 2/9! We are now only looking for tickets on 2/15 against Vancouver. See original post below.

Will you have any spare Timbers Army tickets for the preseason games on February 9th and/or 15th? We would like to have a group of kids from the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) join us in the TA and we're looking for your unused tickets. Maybe you'll be out of town or you can't make a weeknight game, or maybe you just want to give up your seat for a good cause. Whatever the reason, your ticket will bring a lot of joy to a child and help them feel more a part of this community, which they need now more than ever.

Don't have season tickets but want to help? That's ok! You can buy Timbers Army tickets here - that's sections 101-208 (doesn't matter which) or choose the Timbers Army option under "Purchase By Price" - and then donate them!

Please email tickets as PDFs to ticketdonation@107ist.org with the subject "IRCO Donation". We are looking for the 9th (against Salt Lake) and the 15th (against Vancouver) only -- NOT the 12th. Please note we are only looking for Timbers Army (general admission) tickets so that we can keep the kids together. We will update this post when we have received enough tickets.

2017 Portland Polar Plunge on February 25th

Lexi Stern — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:16:59 GMT

-by Brian May

I have been a part of the Special Olympics Polar Plunge as a plunger for the last 4 years, with the last three being part of the SUPER PLUNGERS team. Those are the crazy people that plunge once every hour for 24 hours straight and each has different backgrounds. This year I will be leading the Timbers Army plunge team, and luckily for us, the Timbers Army team will be performing a single plunge on the 25th of February.

The Polar Plunge is a fun event to help raise money for the Special Olympics.

Where does the money raised by the polar plunge go? I’m glad you asked.

$50 - Provides an athlete with training equipment for one season
$100 - Provides uniforms for one athlete for the entire year (3 sports seasons)
$250 - Provides training and equipment for an entire basketball team for one season
$500 - Allows an entire youth soccer team to compete for one season
$1000 - Allows an entire team to travel and compete in Summer State Games

There will be a special Merritt Badge for the people who plunge in the frigid waters of Broughton Beach.

I’m hoping to get at least 107 of my fellow Timbers Army members to take the plunge with me on February 25th, 2017. No need to worry about missing any of the preseason tournament action at Providence Park, as there are no matches scheduled for the plunge day.

To join the Timbers Army Polar Plunge Team, please visit the following URL: http://soor.convio.net/goto/TimbersArmy

I hope to see you at the plunge!

Brian May

The Plunge Details

The Portland Polar Plunge is located on Broughton Beach on Marine Drive.

Tips for a great plunge:

Arrive early! Registration will open at 8:30am. We have been working hard to make things move faster, but be sure leave yourself enough time to get parked, take the shuttle/walk to the plunge site and get checked in. The plunge will start at 11am!
We will have Starbucks onsite serving coffee and hot chocolate. We will also have hot soup for the plungers!
Don't forget that you can wear a robe, a towel or something to keep you warm while you wait. You'll be able to drop it just before the plunge, and come back to it right after.
Bring an extra pair of shoes to plunge in.
Bring a towel.
You can turn in cash and/or checks on-site.
Bring a bag for your wet clothes, as well as a change of clothes. We will have changing tents!
Wear a costume!

2017 TAFC Winter Classic Recap

Ray Terrill — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 20:00:00 GMT

As Portland continued to thaw this past weekend, 1/14-1/15, a couple hundred people descended on Rose City Futsal's new Westside location for the 2017 Winter Classic. Featuring three divisions - Men's, Women's, and Coed - 23 teams played 25 minute matches, with the winner determined by the team receiving the most points, Premier League-style.

Saturday's matches started out with the coed and women's teams leading things off, followed by the men's matches later in the evening, and things seemed to get chippier as the night went on making for some great competition and entertainment. Sunday's matches reversed that format, starting off with the men and finishing up with the women's and coed teams.

The Winners (all were undefeated):

Men's Rec - Buckman United
Women's - Back That Pass Up
Coed - Team X

In the end, a lot of great futsal was played, new friendships were forged, a number of new players and teams made their debut (and we hope they stick around!), and a little over $3,600 was raised for TAFC's Open Play.

A big thanks to all of our volunteers for making this event a success, especially our organizers Clifford Eiffler, Michelle DeFord, Emily Hausenauer, Bill Packwood, Oliver Mooÿman, Ray Terrill, a team of fantastic event-day volunteers, and Dawn Bauman, who celebrated her birthday with us at RCF on Sunday and had the entire facility sing Happy Birthday to her before the matches started.

More Info:

If you came out this weekend (as a volunteer, player, or spectator) - We're looking for feedback on how we did, and we'd appreciate your input on this survey: http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/timbersarmy/2017-winter-classic/

If you want to play futsal or indoor soccer, and don't yet have a team to call home, take a second to fill out this form, and we'll try to match you up with a squad (or form a new one!): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkgVQBdNtIGktmxTXDR5QjGkZqBs-gxwiQ6kXy1WeL9KoGZw/viewform

If you already have a team, but want to join the TAFC umbrella of teams - shoot us an email at tafc@107ist.org.

Event Photos:

Spread the Love to a Little Ultra

Jennifer Ingraham — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:00:00 GMT

— By Jason Young

Most people don’t get two chances to see their child stand for the first time. I did. A text came through on my phone with a picture of my then-5-year-old daughter standing, balanced against a wall, unassisted by nothing but her own body. And, just like when I saw her take her first wobbly steps, I cried.

Many of you have heard about Kylee by now: You’ve seen us sitting in the ADA section above 108 and stopped to say hi, or you read her story when you bought tickets for the scarf raffle for her. You’ve heard about the food-borne illness she contracted just before she turned 2. You’ve heard about the stroke that soon followed. But most of you don’t know just how resilient my little girl is. She spent a lot of a year in Doernbecher Hospital, up the hill at OHSU, while a combination of surgeries, procedures and medications attempted to keep up with the damage done to her brain, bowels and kidneys. Her heart almost stopped, but that didn’t stop Kylee. Neither did the coma, induced to give her tiny body a chance to heal. Her kidneys decided to stop working, but Kylee never did, toughing it out through months of dialysis until her mother could donate a kidney of her own. (Nothing I ever give to Kylee can compare to that gift.)

Good timber doesn’t grow with ease, and neither do good TA, apparently. Her favorite scarf says “Got Born In,” and she was. Her first lullabies were set to the tune of TA chants — I had to stop that when she’d start to cry whenever “Onward Rose City” started, thinking we’d have to leave the match and go to bed. She was a regular in 107 and loved clapping along to “PT-FC.” We started taking her back to Timbers matches as soon as she was well enough to handle it, wanting to immerse her in as much family, love and soccer as we could. We found a new home just above 108, where she has a great view of Sunday, her favorite capo.

Kylee will miss a bit of the 2017 season, but she’s got a good reason: We’ve started a new treatment that has her traveling to Los Angeles on a regular basis. She’s made the trip a few times already. She now has electrodes implanted in her brain, powered by batteries implanted in her chest. (Yes, my daughter is a cyborg.) The hope is that all this hardware will help her brain communicate better with her muscles, giving her back as much of the motor control as possible that she lost after her stroke. This treatment is in the clinical trial phase, so for us, it’s a first. But it has me looking forward to so many potential second chances. The second chance to hear my daughter speak her first words. The second chance to watch her take her first steps. Taste her first foods. Stand with her arms up, chanting at a match. I’ll treasure each and every one, even more than I did the first time around.

We have always considered the TA to be Kylee’s second family, and now we are humbly asking that family for help with her second chances. By now, we’re used to finding ways to cover medical care for Kylee; however, her trips to L.A. include extra expenses above and beyond the care she receives in Portland. These expenses include airfare, baggage fees, taxi or Uber fares, hotels and more.

We’ve included a link to her GoFundMe page if you would like to help this little North End Ultra get back on her feet. (Honestly, it has some adorable pictures of Kylee on it, so you should take a look just for that.) If you would like to donate hotel loyalty points, car rental loyalty points, or Alaska Airline miles, we would be incredibly appreciative. If you have any suggestions or connections that might help us, don’t hesitate to get in touch. If you just want to say hi, don’t be shy. Kylee would love it!

We’ll see you March 3^rd!

Feed the People: How Wanting to Watch Soccer Fed Thousands of Families

Lexi Stern — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 18:01:13 GMT

—by Nicholas “Nicky Buttons” Downing

When I root, I root for the Timbers. A lot of the time, the rooting is done from home. I don't have a season ticket; I can't afford a ticket every time. I love my town, I love my team, I love the Timbers Army. I knew there were people in my exact situation I could enjoy these things I love with. I decided to get them together: let's watch a match. I had heard about and seen regional subgroups, but didn't know all the details. A long time ago some Eastside fans got together, watched some matches, made a scarf, and called it Eastern Bloc, never to be more than a few friends gathering to watch soccer. I simply just rehashed this concept. It was simple: if you live around the area and want to watch the match with some other fans in the area, come on down. Even if you don't live in the area, we'd love to have you. All we ask is you cheer as loud as you can.

After a few away days, more and more people started to show up, everyone being the fans this team deserves: loud, feverish, and, most importantly, loyal. This attitude spread over the entire group. We were there for each other, we were there for the community, we were there for the team. All of us, together, under the Timbers Army umbrella. Donating dues, buying charity scarves, volunteering with tifo, participation in the Heart Walk and Oregon Food Bank opportunities. Any chance of bettering the community was taken. When your ethics exceed limitations, you take matters into your own hands.

With more and more families in our community going hungry, we had to do something about it. No one should go without food. With all the things that Timbers Army takes care of, I thought hunger was far more important than large paintings or more soccer fields. Children need to eat. As a child whose family received food from a local bank, I took this very personally. I've made it to a point in my life where I can feed myself; it was time to use my resources and willpower to feed every family I possibly could.

An APB was put out to anyone coming to an Eastern Bloc viewing party, and it was only two words: bring food. People did, in a way I never thought would happen. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of cans, pasta noodles, anything nonperishable, weighing down the trunks of our cars. Every match, more people came and brought more food. That's when the games really began.

Timbers Army: Covert Ops, the regional subgroup in the Seattle area, decided to get in on the action. A friendly wager was made with Eastern Bloc stating whichever group collected the most food by season's end would be declared the winner, with the failing side creating a celebratory two-stick display glorifying the victors. The Cold Food War was underway. As there are no rules in war, Eastern Bloc reached out for assistance, forming a pact. Almost all the regional subgroups in Oregon and Washington came out of the woodwork to aid the effort. Jefferson Reserves, Echo Squadron, Mt. Bachelor Brigade, Northern Alliance, Sunset Division, and Mid-Valley Platoon (MVP) stepped up. They collected food at their viewing parties, adding to the steadily increasing pound total being donated to hungry people. By mid-season, I was almost speechless by everyone going so far above and beyond. By this time communication with the Oregon Food Bank was consistent. They shared with us that a donation of only a few dollars could go much further than some cans of food.

A challenge coin was issued to anyone wanting to participate, a patch was made, and several generous donations collected more money than we'd ever thought. All for pure donation, money that would feed family after family. By the end of the season, from all groups combined, there were 3,263 pounds of food donated. Somehow the ragtag groups of Timbers Army gathered over a ton of food. With all monetary donations collected, a fellow Eastern Blochead suggested the company they worked for could double that, which they in fact did. A check was made out to Oregon Food Bank for $8,941. From a simple desire to gather to watch soccer came that much food, that much money, and that much human spirit.

Eastern Bloc is proud to be a regional subgroup supporting team, town, and TA. We would like to continue going above and beyond for all of the Timbers Army. We're all people, together in this community. We love soccer, we love to help people, we love to chant and cheer. Negativity holds no value here.

In 2016 the Timbers Army regional subgroups together fed more people than can fit in Providence Park, twice. Expect to see something even more remarkable in 2017.

Swear like we do.

Refugees Welcome: Supporting IRCO - Update

Ray Terrill — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 04:23:00 GMT

This post is authored by Michelle DeFord.

I remember waking up on November 9th, and I was mad as hell. I had already scheduled an appointment with Taylor, the fundraising coordinator from IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization), the week before. During the month of December, I have previously tried to adopt a family or a cause; after asking Twitter for suggestions, a friend suggested IRCO. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. I was born and raised here. This is my hometown. I feel team, town, TA to my core, because it is my core. I love Portland so much, and I want other people to love Portland and know that Portland loves them as well, especially in the social climate that this election has made more visible.

Taylor showed me around the facility on NE Glisan one afternoon. We settled down into a room, and I had to ask, "How can we help?"

She explained to me that a lot of the families vary in size and ethnicity. She told me about a family of 25 from the Congo. She told me about a single mother of three from Afghanistan who wants to start a business as a basket weaver. I remember hearing all these stories and thinking that this was the perfect project for the Riveters and the TA. I have never had a bigger group of friends from all over the world than I do now as a 107ist. This seemed like an amazing organization to start a lasting relationship with.

Taylor went through the various drives they had previously had. The items the people mostly needed were items they could not buy with their state assistance. A lot of the time, this boils down to items like paper towels, soaps, shampoos, toilet paper, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and other personal items.

At the Green Weekend sale, between No Pity Originals and the Riveters Merch Crew, the 107ist was able to raise over $800 and a van full of donations, which were dropped off at the IRCO office the morning of December 5th.

After the Riveters and Timbers Army holiday parties, we had over $1,300 from raffles and various online donations. On December 18th, Rachel Harrison, Ray Terrill, Nate Moe, his wife Sarah, and their son, all headed to Costco to stock up on supplies. We managed to fill three flatbed carts and two large carts. After three loads back to the tifo warehouse and leaving Rachel at Costco (sorry Rachel), we managed to have a huge pile of goods to deliver to IRCO.

We had one more job we had to do.

Taylor had mentioned that a lot of the clients were African, and asked us to keep that in mind when buying hair supplies. I knew we had to go to MidK and pick up some proper hair stuff.

Ray, Rachel, and I really had no idea what kind of products we were looking for. The woman who helped us was awesome. She asked what we were looking for and we all were very upfront that we had no idea what to buy. She asked about the families, and I mentioned the one from the Congo. She told us her boyfriend was from the Congo, and she was happy to get to help us - she even stuffed my backpack full of free samples. She ended up picking out a lot of different things for us for all types of hair.

On Monday, December 19th, our delivery was much bigger than the first. We were able to fill a hallway with stuff purchased with donations and donated by 107IST. The staff helped us move the donations in to the building and sort things. It always felt silly yelling what we were collecting across the chilly tifo warehouse, or at the holiday parties, but seeing the look on the faces of the staff when they realized how much stuff we were delivering really made an impact on me. It's not silly, at all. These are items that these people really need, and they are so appreciative that we were giving all of this stuff to them.

You can still help. Boxes will be around until New Year's Eve, and are placed across Portland, at: Kells downtown, Café Town in the Lloyd Center Tower building, Rose City Futsal in Northeast Portland, the Fanladen during office hours, and donations are still being collected online at https://timbersarmy.org/107ist/donate - Make sure to select the IRCO Relief Fund.

Let's make our next donation even bigger.

107IST Donates $12.5K to Project Blacktop, OPI's New Initiative

Lexi Stern — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:06:08 GMT

In keeping with the 107 Independent Supporters Trust’s mission of supporting soccer from the grass roots to the highest professional level, our latest boost to local grass-roots soccer is a $12,500 donation this past week to Operation Pitch Invasion in support of their newest initiative, Project Blacktop.

Project Blacktop aims to put soccer in schoolyards alongside basketball, kickball, foursquare and hopscotch. With this initiative, now up and running in four Portland-area locations, OPI has created ways to build soccer spaces for kids at a scalable variety of prices and is preparing to share its knowledge and experience with fans throughout the nation to help them grow the game in their towns. Read the press release here.

We're delighted at the success of our sibling organization and proud of our role in its development. Did you know that:

The 107IST created OPI as its first community initiative and launched the organization with seed money in 2010;
107IST members have taken up shovels and rakes at dozens of OPI volunteer days over seven years;
The 107IST made the single biggest financial contribution — $50,000 — to Bless Field, OPI's first construction project;
The 107IST is the principal sponsor of Project Blacktop;
A portion of your 107IST annual membership fee goes to support OPI's various initiatives every single year. We are committed to providing the organization with $25,000 every two years, of which this month's donation is a part.

Keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities with OPI through the 107IST in 2017! If you know of a location that could benefit from Project Blacktop, please contact OPI with details.

2017 107IST Board Elections - And The Winners Are...

Lexi Stern — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 01:29:04 GMT

Congratulations to our four newest 107IST Board members: Ray Terrill, Stephan Lewis, Nick Brock, and Drew Picard. Their term starts January 1, 2017 and ends December 31, 2019.

Here's the breakdown of votes:

While we had a lower overall percentage of 107IST members voting in this election following the surge in membership we saw after the Cup win, the raw number of voters was up from previous years. Here's how that looked:

Sincere thanks again to all who ran this time. Also, thanks once again to the election committee, who did a fantastic job keeping all of this organized.

Onward!

Refugees Welcome: Supporting IRCO

Scott Jeffries — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 20:22:38 GMT

Welcome Basket Donation Drive

What:

Detergent
Shampoo
Soap
Paper towels
Toilet paper
Dish soap
$$$

Where/when:

Fanladen
- Wednesdays 6:30-8:30pm or by appointment (sherrilynn.rawson@107ist.org)
Kell's Irish Pub (112 SW 2nd Ave)
- Starting 12/7 at 2pm
Cafe Today Lloyd Tower (825 NE Multnomah St)
- Starting 12/8
TA holiday party
- Sat 12/17 at Cider Riot, 7pm-midnight

Donate to IRCO: https://timbersarmy.org/107ist/donate (select “Community Outreach IRCO Relief Fund”)

---

Like many of you, I’ve been dismayed by the torrent of xenophobic rhetoric engulfing our politics. After the election, I found myself searching for a way that I could make a positive impact, to not just get dragged down into the abyss of social media and comments sections, and feel like I’m actually making a difference in someone’s life. I wanted to show these very real human beings that they are welcome and valued in this community and country.

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) was founded in Portland in 1976 and has been an integral part of the immigrant community in the 40 years since then, helping families adjust to their unfamiliar new surroundings, acclimate to the culture, and equip them with the life skills they need for success. I found many volunteer opportunities on their website but with a full-time day job and having never done something like this before, I thought that Saturday morning homework help would be a good place to start, get a feel for things, and maybe get more involved from there.

I met with some of the staff there and as you might imagine, it didn’t take long to start talking about soccer. His eyes lit up when I told him I was a season ticket holder. Naturally many of the kids play and love soccer, they have a team, and the girls want to start their own but need a coach (psst, that means you!). We talked of taking the kids to games and the TA coming to play with the kids (and I might have heard through the grapevine that a Timbers player wants to as well), sponsoring club dues, and finding them a place to play when the weather turns bad. The possibilities seem endless. I have visions of one of these kids donning the green and gold some day.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, our very own Michelle “Bella” DeFord had been talking to someone else at IRCO about doing a holiday “welcome basket” drive with basic household essentials that people cannot buy on public assistance. When Sheba learned of both our efforts, she connected us together like the good den mom that she is, and we will be collecting these items (or good old fashioned currency) at the Green Weekend sale this weekend and the TA holiday party on December 17th.

On Saturday, November 19th, Bella, Kyle “Caterjunes” Jones, and I went to IRCO to help the kids with their homework. We were all more than a little intimidated but each found a way to help. I dusted off my 20-year-old algebra skills (thanks in no small part to smartphones and Google), Bella helped a girl write an essay on Where the Wild Things Are, and Kyle helped another young woman write a college application essay (and shared a touching story about it on his Facebook page). It was an extremely rewarding experience and we plan to return - hopefully you can join us!

Before I really knew what I was doing, I filled out an application to become a one-on-one mentor. For only 10 hours a month over a year, you will be matched with a child based on shared mutual interests (gee, I wonder what that will be…) and you are there to serve as a friend and role model, plan activities together, help them with school, and just generally guide them into their new life. With no siblings or children and having never spent much time around kids, I don’t exactly know how to interact with or relate to them, but I hope that this will be a learning and growing experience not just for them, but for me as well. The need for mentors is great so please consider applying.

If you are interested in getting involved in any way, talk to me or Bella or just reach out to IRCO directly. Browse through their volunteer needs and find one that suits you, come help with homework or apply as a mentor, coach their girls’ soccer team, bring supplies to Green Weekend or the holiday party, or just give them some money. This is just the beginning; we look forward to a long relationship between IRCO and the TA. We are a stronger and better society when we are all in it together and they need you now more than ever.

Meet This Year's 107ist Board Candidates

Lexi Stern — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 08:21:08 GMT

We've got eight capable folks running this time. You can:

Visit the 107ist Elections page to read their bios;
Come on out to Artists Repertory Theatre tomorrow (Sunday, November 13) from 6-8pm to listen to them answer questions or submit a question of your own; and/or
Post questions for them in our online forums.

Voting will run from 11/28-12/5, so there's plenty of time between now and then to figure out who you want to vote for. There are four open positions this year which will all be filled by new people.

Love Conquers Fear

Stephan Lewis — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 02:20:07 GMT

(Musical Accompaniment)

To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends

To the LGB-T-Q and the B-L-M

To those of all faiths and races and origins

Come on and jump on ‘cause we’re about to begin

Human rights are not political, in fact they’re quite critical

To true “advanced nations” they are, unequivocal

We are the 107ist (Supporters Trust)

Long ago, all of this has been discussed

From the delicious burnt ends to the upper crust,

If we see rights violations, there will be disgust

Love conquers fear, love conquers hate

Spread the love, rise above, believe, ‘cause this can’t wait

Festering below the skin, the answer is simple

Not like tryin’ to understand “Pauli exclusionary principle”

Now that hate has reared its head, we’ll pop it like a pimple

White nationals, headin’ to the capital

They have a blank check for hate, and it is cashable

It’s time to be tactical

Don’t go on a sabbatical

It’s time to show up like the elephants of Hannibal

We’re standing by your side, no need to run and hide

You may be terrified, we’re like a mountainside

If we can all stand together, we will be amplified

From Celtic to Rayo, St Pauli to Inferno,

In the barrio and borough

Ultras Antifa, rising like a volcano

Our Pride is on the map, let’s be the blasting cap

We’ve shown racism the red, now use an arrowhead

Some say we’ve lost our edge, that’s why I take this pledge

Love conquers fear, love conquers hate

Spread the love, rise above, believe, ‘cause this can’t wait

They used to say the U.S. is a melting pot

But that discounts diversity, so ^that^ it’s not

That idea’s played out like a mix cassette

We’re more of a tossed salad, be the vinaigrette

Relationships and partnerships are the key

True scholarly debate can set us free

This requires all to be diligent to keep an open mind

But more and more people are willing to be blind

Open their eyes, criticize, and show dissent

Antifa’s established, no need to reinvent

The TA and the Riveters can be a force

We represent Rose City, let us set the course

Still got more rhymes than seeds in pomegranate

Oh, by the way, don’t forget about the planet.

Welcome to the new timbersarmy.org

Rachel Harrison — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 04:28:00 GMT

We’re excited to launch a revamp of our website! Poke around and let us know what you think. You’ll note a lovely photo roll as well as usability improvements in membership signup, global search, events listing, partner listing, password reset, etc.

The most immediate change for you - If you’re a current member, you’ll need to set a new password in order to sign in. We did not port over your password from the old site. Once you’re logged in, feel free to renew for 2017. If you’re not a current member, please consider joining!

The site will continue to provide - the content you’re accustomed to including forums, blog posts, information about away travel and upcoming events, and general information about who we are and what we do.

On the back end - the new platform will allow volunteers to more quickly, easily, and accurately manage your membership signup and mailing, event registration, partnership requests, e-newsletter signups, etc., all at a cost savings to the organization.

If you have any trouble with the site itself, please let us know in the Website Help forum. If you have questions about the membership/renewal process just email memberinfo@107ist.org.

Run for the 107IST Board! 2017 Edition

107ist Admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 06:10:39 GMT

The 107ist board elections are coming soon, and all interested 107ist members are encouraged to run for office. As a board member, you can help shape everything from how we interact with the Timbers and Thorns front office, to organizing charitable drives, to inspiring new ways to get our merchandise into the hands of soccer fans.

Board members are asked to attend and participate in all scheduled board meetings (currently the second Tuesday of each month). Additionally, board members serve on subcommittees including tifo, travel, merch, finance, membership, game day operations, communications, and more. Board members also may be asked to assist with special events and other tasks as they arise. If elected, you can expect to spend a minimum of 15-20 hours per week on board-related tasks.

There are four open positions in this election.
Elected terms will run from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019.
You must submit your intention to be a candidate by 11:59pm on Saturday, November 12, 2016 to get onto the ballot.
It is highly recommended that you attend the in-person candidate forum on Sunday, November 13, from 6-8pm at Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison.
After the live forum, you will also be expected to answer questions from members in the candidate forums on timbersarmy.org through the end of the election period.
Election dates will be November 28 to December 5.

The application form and 107ist bylaws are provided below. Please read both documents very carefully before deciding to run for office so you understand what is required.

Remember, completed applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on Saturday, November 12, 2016 to qualify as a candidate.

Please send any questions or feedback to elections@timbersarmy.org.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life?

107ist Admin — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 05:49:28 GMT

—by Robert W. Cross

"But this wasn't a talent issue." - Portland Timbers Owner & CEO Merritt Paulson

The Timbers' owner also noted that missing the playoffs was "not acceptable" and mentioned complacency and lack of leadership during his annual season ending appearance on Timbers in 30. Nothing was too notable to me except his statement above, "but this wasn't a talent issue."

I wholly disagree.

What equals 24 wins, 25 losses, 16 ties and a -10 goal differential?

That is the Portland Timbers' record in MLS during 2015 and 2016 aside from the Cup run. The Mighty PTFC switched to a 4-3-3 on the road in Game 32 against RSL and never were to lose again over 9 matches. This included winning our first MLS Cup in Columbus against the Crew. I remember; I was there.

The Timbers' championship was a by-product of good fortune (precipitated by Will Johnson's injury which afforded Coach Caleb Porter an opportunity to gamble with the 4-3-3), good form, and pluck: think Double Post, Steve Clark's miscue in Columbus, and the non-call for offside on Rodney Wallace's goal. The ball is round and the star was and forever will be ours.

Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi, and who else exactly?

Adi (16) and Valeri (14) combined for 30 of PTFC's 48 goals this season. That is 63% of the team's total production. The third highest goal scorer was #5Million with 3 goals. After that, Darlington Nagbe and a myriad of others with one lone tally apiece.

The Timbers attack was predictable and largely easy to defend. Clog the middle, let us operate on the flanks, and watch us either try to force the ball through the center of the pitch or send crosses to no one in the box. Poor wing play and production was a common facet of our offensive struggles in both 2015 and 2016.

The 2016 Portland Timbers conceded 53 goals.

This was the worst in the Western Conference. Is there any member of PTFC's back line that you think is a lock to come back next year? Both starting fullbacks have their faults, whether it is Vytas struggling in space 1v1 or Alvas Powell's forays up the flank rarely leading to anything in the final third. Steven Taylor was not effective in his late season audition with Liam Ridgewell, who has a serious issue to address off the pitch this offseason.

Will it be a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 in the midfield?

The midfield was the strength of the Timbers in the MLS Cup run. Diego Chara, remarkably, manned the single pivot; Darlington Nagbe flourished; and the Maestro was the Maestro. Jack Jewsbury has retired, Ben Zemanski is oft injured, and a past strength of the Timbers is a real question mark right now.

What of Nagbe? Darlington's function and utility cannot be taken for granted, but this is an uniquely talented player who has scored 7 goals in 99 regular and postseason matches for PTFC the past 3 seasons. PTFC needs to drop the 4-2-3-1 if Nagbe is to remain. We cannot forsake production from an attacking player that far up the field, especially with Adi on his way out the door.

Is there talent to support the senior club elsewhere in the organization?

The Timbers signed their first Homegrown Player (Marco Farfan) from our Academy earlier this year. Much has been made of recent youthful acquisitions for T2, but our USL side offered scant support in MLS matches this past season. Do the names Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Schillo Tshuma, Nick Besler, or Ben Polk ring a bell? These are the Timbers' recent selections in the MLS SuperDraft. None have a made an impact with the senior club. There is no question that PTFC has made a concerted effort to improve in regard to the Academy, T2, and scouting. We will need more personnel support from inside our organization to be successful in MLS in the coming years.

Do the Timbers have a talent issue?

I think they do. What do you think?

Buy Your Capo a Pint (BYCAP) 2016 for Camp Meadowood Springs

107ist Admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 19:19:20 GMT

—by Patch Perryman

Photo by Jody Taylor

It’s been quite a season for all of us in the Timbers Army. The capos, drummers and trumpeters thank everyone who joined us in the North End, on the road, and across the globe.

But before the season ends, we have one more request of you (AKA #BYCAP).

You may take it for granted that you’ll be at the next match, singing and chanting yourself hoarse. You’re from the North End and you’re there to make some noise, right?

Photo by shotbyacanon

But what if you couldn’t?

What if the joyful soundtrack of the Timbers Army was off limits to you?

You wouldn’t be alone.

Since 1964, Camp Meadowood Springs in Pendleton, Oregon has helped over 3,000 kids and young adults aged 6 to16 to overcome their unique social learning challenges. Every summer they offer a mix of summer activities intermixed with intensive hearing and speech therapy for their 60-plus campers with communication challenges.

Here’s how you can help: Instead of buying a pint, consider taking that spare change, that small bill, whatever you would consider to be the value of a “thank you beverage” and put that money into our pickle buckets, which you’ll see hanging off each nest along with one on the main stage.

Photo by Doug Geisler

If you cannot be at the match on Sunday the 16th, you can donate via this PayPal link. Every bit helps.

As the 2016 regular season closes (and the playoffs loom), please consider making a small investment toward offering a few, deserving folks the prospect of having an amazing and life-transforming summer in 2017.

Thank you very much and see you in the stands,

Your Capo, Drum & Trumpet Corps

Captain Jack: Timbers Legend and Folk Hero

107ist Admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 16:15:11 GMT

— By Matthew Lindley

As I write this, we are a week removed from Jack Jewsbury’s announcement of his retirement. Our team’s first MLS captain — and at many times, our leader — is hanging up his boots, and with him goes an integral part of our first six seasons of MLS.

It’s always taken many different types of characters to fill the cast of a team in the eyes of its supporters: the Superstar, the Leader, the Bastard (but he’s our bastard!) and, sometimes most importantly, the Folk Hero. The Folk Hero is the gamer, the grinder, the trustworthy hand that you can rest assured will always stand when called on to get the job done. The Folk Hero is stoic, letting his actions make the majority of the noise while not demanding, but earning, the respect of fan and player alike with his play, his dedication, and his equal understanding of the importance of club and community. There will never be a more full embodiment of the Folk Hero than Jack Jewsbury.

It didn’t take him long … three days in fact: March 4, 2011 in Tukwila, Washington. After defeating the hated Sounders 2–0 on the opening night of the “Cascadia Summit,” the visitors’ section was going absolutely crazy as our victorious side left the pitch. A figure could be seen stopping and persuading a few of his teammates to cross the field and address the traveling support. He’d only been with the team for 72 hours at that point, but as he quickly shook the hands of the gathered TA, he solidified his place as Captain Jack.

The measure of the Folk Hero is having your resolve be impervious in the face of adversity. Many remember that fateful night in late May 2012 — possibly the worst in our team’s history — for the post-match incident between Jack and Pong. But what some forget was our captain, an enormous headwrap covering a late match laceration, finishing the match and showing the passion expected of anyone who dons the green and gold. He blasted through that adversity even further a few months later in Vancouver when, at the end of a season with more disappointments than victories, he sent a long-distance dagger through the hearts of the home crowd and brought the Cascadia Cup back to Portland.

As beloved to some as Will Johnson was, something never felt quite right about Jack’s demotion to “Locker Room Captain” before the 2013 season. Yes, WJ was our pest: he was that little bugger that got under the other team’s skin. But Jack no longer wearing the armband took a long time to come to terms with. That said, even though appearances were few and far between over the course of those next two seasons, anytime he was called on, he gave 100 percent without question.

Through the magic of last year’s Cup run, to the ups and downs of this season so far, the circumstances that have led to Jack having a more important role on the pitch have afforded us all a final two seasons that any athlete would dream of. From the last second life-saver against San Jose last season, to the brilliant finish of Nagbe’s ankle breaking against KC this season. From his strong presence in the defensive midfield, to his pinpoint corner-kick service, we have the pleasure of watching a beloved player call time while he is still at least in the vicinity of the top of his game.

Sometimes the worst part about loving professional sports is the inevitability of things. Your team will eventually lose; your favorite player will eventually retire. But if a player does things right, they can be truly immortal in the minds and hearts of the supporters they played in front of. They can become something larger than just a player: They can become legend. They can become a staple. They can become what Jack will always be — a Folk Hero.

Pura Vida Away (Unabridged)

107ist Admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 17:33:11 GMT

—by Stephanzy

Long before the Timbers were MLS Cup Champions, long before the MLS Cup was even a goal, we have dreamed of this moment. This moment is why many of us that had been around in the USL days cherish the US Open Cup. For a decade, it was our one way to qualify for CONCACAF Champions League. To get there, we repeatedly faced incredible odds as we worked our way up the table to lose, frequently to teams with single players making more than our entire squad. Despite this, Our Boys would give everything they had and more for the Badge above their hearts as we would drive them on with every ounce of intensity and civic pride we could muster in an effort to get to this moment. Landon Donovan, in an interview after one such match, said it was the only place he’d played where the supporters were so constantly loud with our chants, would get louder after being scored on, and louder still with subsequent goals against us. That was back when RCTID was the loudest chant we did as a motivation for Our Boys when they needed it most. I say all this because there were very few discussions about CCL that did not include the dream of Costa Rica Away. It has often been injected into a simple mention of the tourney as a common parsing within the Timbers Army nomenclature. How could it not be the top of any list of countries to travel to in CONCACAF?

When it was announced that Costa Rica Away was finally happening, we scrambled to see if we could swing it, but needing to replace our roof this year meant we couldn’t afford to do any away days outside Cascadia this year. After waiting for so long for this moment in Timbers history, needless to say I was super bummed. Then, the Timbers FO asked the 107ist board if they could send a writer and a photographer with them on their chartered flight and stay in their hotel. When they asked me to be the writer less than a week from the flight, I could not say no. I scrambled to get my life covered while prepping for the match. With no security call and little communication with Saprissa security, we moved to cover our bases by amassing flags, painting banners, loading streamers, and figuring out the logistics of getting a drum down there. My wife actually called me at one in the morning before our flight telling me to put down my brushes and come home. Like a child trying to deal with the nervous energy on the eve of Christmas, I wasn’t going to be able to sleep much without being Very Prepared.

I’ve been supporting this club for a long time and have built a lot of casual relationships with much of the staff. I left my fanboy days behind me a long time ago, so respecting the privacy of the players is pretty easy for me. After all, we were there to cover the experience from the point of view of the TA, not to do an exposé on the club. That said, if any of them wanted to initiate conversation with us, we would gladly talk with them. As the team and staff rolled up, many stopped by to say hi and say they were glad we were chosen to capture this moment for the TA.

We got into the hotel after dark and there wasn’t much around the hotel (felt more like a resort) other than a huge modern mall across the street and a casino in a neighboring hotel. So, we chose to hang out in the bar off the lobby for some fabulous mojitos before bed. Some of the FO staff was in there with us and GW bought us a drink on their tab.

We in the Timbers Army have a great travel reputation that extends far outside the stadiums we visit. When we travel we share our passion for the Rose City and Our Club through (mostly) respectful evangelism, or as we call it, Spreading the Love. Getting in late, we did some of this the first night in the hotel bar with the bartenders and floor staff as we described our style of support and our excitement at being there to do so. While they were all fans of Saprissa and were all quick to talk about the difficulty we’d have getting a result in the Monster's Cave, they all pointed to a particular bartender as a huge Saprissa supporter. You could see it in his side-eye gaze that he wanted to have a go at us but couldn’t due to his job, and was really hesitant as we talked about what we do to support.

Later, Porter comes down looking a little beat. He had just watched six hours of match footage to prep for the next day’s training. We bought him a glass of wine before he went over to talk to his staff and he promised to make some time to talk to us during the trip.

The next morning, the eve of match day, the resort aspect of the team’s hotel was more evident as a constant flow of tour vans loaded up with gringos to head off to the countryside. We, on the other hand, were in a hurry to find our people in the heart of the city, so we hailed a cab. Some would complain about the traffic, but it provided a good pace for a visual introduction to the city as we admired the local street art with the numerous beautiful murals and intricately stylish graffiti, the many parks and open spaces bustling with activity, the city’s varying styles of architecture, and the ubiquity of the Costa Rican flag in all forms.

We rolled up on Hotel Presidente, the base camp for the Timbers Army, to meet up with our people to explore the city. Half a block off a popular pedestrian street lined with retail storefronts and street vendors, it was night and day from where we were staying and provided us the opportunity to be among the real people of San José. We walked down the long avenue to the mercado and explored it using our best labyrinth strategy. Like similar markets around the world, it really gave us a sense of the local culture. From the smells of fresh and dried herbs and spices to the myriad fruit stands, from the glorious array of colors from various floral stands to the traditional children’s dresses hanging outside the various knick-knack shops, from the endless options for fresh seafood to the overwhelming options to grab something to eat, there were people everywhere. When I travel, I use the bbq technique to find out where to eat: look for the place that smells amazing and has a bunch of people eating there. However, this strategy was difficult to implement, as they all smelled wonderful and were packed with people. As someone would stand up, someone else would take their place, everywhere. Luckily, we met someone that could help us decide on a place and they steered us toward some remarkable empanadas in the traditional Costa Rican style. Legit.

After meandering back to base camp, we found the TA starting to gather together from their flights and, more frequently, from the forested mountains of the countryside. Listening to the stories of sloth hunts, monkeys in the trees outside their windows, and the plans to kick it on the coast for a few days after match day, it reinforced that I was doing it all wrong on this trip. The next time I go down will be very different, for sure.

As we broke off to explore different parts of the city and meet its people the way we do, we really got a chance to see, feel, and experience Pura Vida. Pura Vida has been the nation’s mantra for generations. It permeates the culture and is evident everywhere you go. While it directly translates to “pure life,” from my brief experience there, I translate it as a passion for living well—for no matter how bad things get for you, there is always someone who has it worse, so we all need to be here for each other. If you put yourself in a position to give to others, you’ll find yourself in a position to receive when you need it most. As a result, they value family, friendship and their relationship with nature and believe in living a simple, uncluttered life while doing so with passion, for life is short, so, Pura Vida. Personally, I found a lot of parallels with the pride we take in what makes Portland, and Oregon, different from other cities and states in the US and reminded me we could be doing much more. (Oh, and the bbq technique of finding somewhere to eat totally worked in the barrios of San José.)

There are many ways to measure the effects on the population. They have a higher life expectancy than we do. They have better access to healthcare and education. Every one of the many large public squares I walked through was bustling with people living with Pura Vida. It’s visible in their beautiful street art and intricate graffiti, in their friendly faces and open hearts, in their pride of place and support for Los Ticos, and, in San José, Deportivo Saprissa as members of the Nación Morada.

The Costa Rican people were as welcoming as their reputation would have you believe, as one of the greatest things about Pura Vida is the willingness to share it with others. The people were very approachable, helpful, and friendly. After people discovered we were there to support Our Club against their beloved Saprissa, they took great comfort in the strength of their team and the support they give them as the environment created by not only the Ultra Morada, but the Nación Morada as a whole, which is what makes their stadium the “Monster's Cave” (a translation of which even those with the most broken English would remind us). All made sure we knew it was a place to be feared—fear not for our safety as much as for our emotional well-being. They were confident in their ability to break the spirit of teams that play there and the supporters that follow them. This support, the way they make the entire stadium bounce and the lack of results from teams that play there, is one of the things I was looking forward to the most. They are very proud of this reputation, just as we are of the environment we create in support of the Rose City. Defending our indomitable spirit, the way we do, some started referring to us as "los gringos más locos que hay".

Some of us had been interviewed for a live video pod for the Nación Morada. The intent was to learn about us as supporters, our organization through the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, and our rivalries, and gain some insight into Our Boys. They were surprised and honored to learn what Costa Rica Away has meant through the history of the Timbers Army. They were also highly intrigued by our matter-of-fact claims that the Riveters lead the world as supporters of women’s soccer, along with the fact our women can drink beers the size of their faces. When asked which of our players they should keep an eye out for, we mentioned the beautiful play of Valeri as our maestro and waxed on about how much we were going to love their frustration with Chará. It was a really great talk, even though my proclivity for being suckered into a damn fine sangria may have impacted my side.

Despite all their confidence in the Monster's Cave, we had gotten word from Timbers security after they finally met face to face with Saprissa’s that they were hitting us with major restrictions. They were really concerned about anything that could be thrown on the pitch. Despite our security’s assurances of our reputation as passionate yet well-behaved (within reason) away supporters, the word came down that we couldn’t bring the drum or other noisemakers, flags on poles, streamers, smoke, flares, cameras with detachable lenses (because throwing a lens is a thing, apparently), large overhead banners (due to the likelihood of someone lighting a flare under it being a fire hazard). However, they did say we could bring in our banners and hang them off the front railing, as well as the flags off poles. Even with the inconvenience, we were Very Prepared and ready for match day.

Getting back to the team hotel that night, we found Caleb hanging in the bar casually waiting to talk to us. We let the FO buy the round and ended up hanging out till one in the morning. We traded stories on a number of subjects, most of which were of course Timbers-related. We talked about events from the point of view of the TA. We talked about managing the constant roster changes and injuries. We talked about family and life in Portland. We talked about his youth, growing up as the son of a logger. The best story from the night was about the picture he has on an end table he had made out of a log slab. This picture is of him as a baby in 1975 sitting on a log slab with an axe in it. So, of course, we talked about fate. He’s very intense when it comes to doing his job (as we all see on the regular) and it was really nice to just chill with him in a casual environment.

The morning of match day we were kicking it in the lobby waiting to make sure our bags, flags, and the drum got on the bus, as we were leaving directly from the stadium to the airport after the match. While we were waiting, Porter rolled up and showed us some pictures on his phone of his strategic analysis of what he expected during the run of play. It was like flipping through a book of the famous middle games in chess history. He had things broken down into moments of the match like chapters and what we needed to do to respond to the things he knew they were going to do at different moments. He knew there isn’t a target forward in their league the size of Adi. He also knew there’d be a point when they'd come at us with everything they’ve got and we’d have to work hard to hold our shape and stay coordinated on defense. He had about a dozen scenarios diagrammed with intricate adjustments. He knew that if we pushed hard and set the pace in the first 10 minutes, we could show them our true spirit and welcome them to try and destroy it. A wise man once said, come strong or don’t come at all. With the team we brought down and the number of TA, that’s what we were gonna do. Our Boys are the pit bull and we’re the crazy guy.

A little later we were approached by the bartender from the first night who had given us the side-eye, and he was all giddy that he’d found us. Apparently, since meeting us he had watched a bunch of videos of the TA and, coupled with our passionate description of our style of support, had decided to wholeheartedly adopt the Timbers as his MLS team. He said he had been telling our story around his neighborhood and, even with early reluctance by many, he was able to get people to understand and appreciate the way we Spread the Love. This is why I brought scarves, so I scarfed him with an extra No Pity.

The traveling Timbers Army gathered before the match at a local Irish bar that was decked out in typical Irish bar fashion and included scarves from all over the world hanging from the walls and ceiling. They had a pretty impressive tap selection and good food (their fries were legit). They had opened early to accommodate us and, as our reputation goes, we drank well and tipped well, making it well worth their while. As a thank-you in addition to splashing mad cash, we presented them with a No Pity for their wall. Among many of the familiar faces, there were a few new ones from places like Alaska and Madrid, and a friend of Danger’s who was still biking back from a visit to the US on his way home to Colombia.

Something I haven’t mentioned yet: it was their Independence Day. We always knew the parade and festivities were going to be a logistical issue and, sure enough, our bus got caught behind someone running with a torch. Long story short, we did make it to the stadium before the match, but were about an hour behind schedule. The security plan for the drop-off and entry into the stadium worked well despite one grievance. A part of the security agreement was to not bring in items that could be used as a projectile. A little heads up that this included coinage would’ve been appreciated. The lady holding the gallon container with the slit in the top watched in amazement at the amount of money we, as a group, deposited as we passed. With several people having up to $10 in change to drop, we donated a quart of coins. I have no idea how much that is specifically, but, as a betting man, I’d say roughly $250, which collectively is not pocket change. If we aren’t going to get it back, I personally would appreciate assurances that it goes to some charity.

As we walked up to the security guard doing bag searches, I offered up the banner under my arm as well as the ones in my bag, asking if he needed to check them for offensiveness. He pulled me aside as I unfurled Hello Kitty holding a No Pity scarf. The looks on his face, going from shifty-eyed serious to confused amazement with a small touch of head shake to a pure smile, was great to watch. I started to pull out the others and he shook his head and waved me into the tunnel.

into the section, we started to get settled and set up the banners on the railing. We were immediately told that we couldn’t hang anything off the railing, which was counter to our agreement. They kept saying it was a CONCACAF ruling, but looking out at the banners in other parts of the stadium and the look in their eyes, I knew we weren’t getting the real truth. Timbers security jumped on it for us and got the right people to honor the agreement. Then, they said we couldn’t hang them with duct tape, so we replaced it with zip ties. Then, they said we couldn’t use zip ties or hang them from the rail, but could hold them. This changed again several times over the course of the match, which was really annoying especially given it was a different messenger each time.

Our section grew a little with the addition of some Timbers fans from other parts of the stadium. Two of these were a Portlander who had been living down there for the last eight years and his 3-year-old son. Don't worry, the kid got scarfed with his first No Pity.

As the first kick approached, the songs started. Their songbook was full of familiar tunes that span Central and South America, and they did them well. They didn’t blare out their chants as much as truly sing them with a unique melody all their own from a passion deep in their souls. I found myself dancing to many of their songs, especially the many that captured the entire stadium in unified song. Their version of “Esta es la Banda Loca” put chills down my spine as one of my personal favorites from the region. (There is a Timbers Army version out there, but it has way too much Spanish to make it into our official songbook. However, my offer to sing it on the spot will always stand.) While we tried to counter in song when we could, we were frequently drowned out in a battle for the terraces we were never going to win.

Porter had mentioned that we were going to be coming out strong, and Our Boys started the match with spirited, fearless pressure. It was obviously unexpected in the Monster's Cave as the crowd empowered their team to elevate the intensity of the match. When our early pressure resulted in Valeri’s goal in the 5^th, we were overcome with an immeasurable joy and a bewildering feeling that we could actually pull off a result here where so few could. Porter’s comments about them being frustrated with Adi’s size culminated in them actually taking swings at him in the 20^th. Our section was like watching the match from the beer garden in the Hollow, so we couldn’t tell most of what was happening on the other side of the pitch. All we really knew was that the crowd was not pleased with Gleeson, as they whistled whenever he touch the ball and even got up to catorce on a goal kick. And, just as we had told the Nación Morada people who interviewed us, Chará’s play frustrated the entire crowd. *Wipes tear of joy from eye*

As the ball found the back of the net for them, we were pummeled from all directions with an intensity that Seattle fans will never have. It felt like half the stadium was giving it to us in the Timbers Army section. Part payback for our early celebration and antics, everyone you could see was having a go. It was like the nicest guy you could meet doing the double bird dance at us. All we could really do is drink it in while we waited for "RCTID" to be heard past the immediate few around us.

We had been warned that they might take offense to some of our actions and, “as a proud people,” might retaliate in some way. This ended up mainly being in the form of stadium-wide whistling at some of our chants. When we sang O.J. Obatola’s chant at the top of our lungs, the way we do, after they sang a championship song to the same tune, they weren’t too impressed and let us know. (If you don’t know the Obatola chant, ask around. It’s the best chant we’ve ever done for one of our shortest-lived players.) Another case was after they were time-wasting with the ball when they were up, the crowd sang “OLE” with every pass; we did the same for our side to lighten the mood and they, again, let us know their displeasure. There were plenty of birds flying around the stadium, which seemed to be fine, but apparently shaking one's fist in an up-and-down motion causes great offense and resulted in three, maybe four, rocks being tossed in our direction from their north end. No one was seriously hurt, but one of our FO’s security took one in a knuckle which swelled up pretty good. Another was close enough to be felt passing by someone’s head.

One of the banners we made for the trip was to honor Timbers Legend and San José’s own Rodney Wallace, in a depiction of him doing the airplane after scoring the championship winner in Columbus—the goal that got us to this epic away day. Just before the half, some of their supporters that were in the box behind us asked if they could take pictures of the front of some of our banners. Knowing it would mean the most to them, we pulled this one up for them and you could immediately see the respect in their eyes as we honored one of their own. At the half, we walked it up and handed it to one of their elders as a gift. The elder supporter and those around him were honored to receive this gift and draped it in front of them with pride for the rest of the half for all to see. Of course, they pulled it up before the 2^nd, but expecting them to fly our colors is silly. Hopefully it finds a way to fly for him at a national team match.

We met another elder during the half who was a marvelous example of what Saprissa means to this community. At ninety-two years old, she attends every match and supports with a passion that we in the Timbers Army can respect and adore. Several of us walked up to show our respect as she reached down to us from her perch like a noble queen.

All in all, it was a beautiful night for some footy. There was a mist that lingered under the lights giving everything a surreal quality, and shortly after someone mentioned the great weather, we got just enough of a sprinkle to sing and dance “Let it Rain, Let it Pour, Let the Portland Timbers Score, Nana-Na-Na, Na-Nana, Na-Na.” This one went over with actual fanfare from the rest of crowd, and I’m sure it helped to solidify our reputation as "los gringos más locos que hay.”

As the match started to enter the final moments, a few of their fans started to head to the exits. We gave them a couple rounds of “We Can See You Sneaking Out,” to mixed fanfare (as always). This was the tip of the iceberg: as the final whistle blew and the exodus before us began, the flow of supporters offered constant reminders of the score and their passion, with everyone using the exit next to us giving us a go now that they could see the whites of our eyes. That intensity waned, for the most part, as we pelted them with invites to come to Portland, a cacophony of exclamations of “PURA VIDA!” with all the passion we could muster as TA, followed by an exclamation of our plans to go to the beach through a chant of “Vamos a la Playa, Oh Oh-Oh-Oh.” How could you be mad at that?

As the TA was shuffled off to the bus to take everybody back, we were escorted across the pitch to meet up with the team buses heading to the airport. While the team was wrapping up post-match interviews, MP was lividly pacing, silently trying to avoid the little drywall in the area. The guy is really protective of his players, I’ll give him that.

As our bus pulled away from the stadium and started the snaking path through the surrounding barrio, the celebrations of victory and independence were everywhere in the streets and doorways. A memorable young boy stood on a stoop as we passed. Lifting the badge above his heart far from his chest and holding up four fingers in rhythmic song, he gave me comfort that they’re raising ‘em right down there.

There’s been one other time I flew back on the same plane as Our Boys, and that was after Captain Jack lifted the Cascadia Cup in Vancouver. This time was completely different. Say what you will about the inability of refs from Cuba calling a match of this magnitude. Say what you will about the physical play in CONCACAF. I’m proud of the heart and spirit Our Boys brought onto the pitch in the Monster's Cave. Scoring two goals in that environment is no easy task. In my eyes, we stood our ground against an opponent that knows what it takes to be multiple time CCL Champions. Now, we travel to El Salvador to face DC Dragon in their house. Despite our road results this year, we need to show our dominance and crush their spirits like we were supposed to at home. Our passion; our fearlessness; our heart; our chemistry—let’s ride this thing. Saprissa is coming to our house next. Let’s show them how we do what we do.

Other notes:

Many from the US may look at the housing in the barrios of San José, and other areas of the world, and question the quality of life. With our current housing crisis here in Portland with the skyrocketing housing prices and rents forcing members of our community into various forms of hardship, the growing numbers of homeless Portlanders, and with no real solution in sight, one can argue that maybe we’re the ones doing it wrong. There’s something to be said for the benefits on the health of a community with close proximity versus many of our communities where people rarely see, let alone know, their neighbors. How much do we sacrifice in life to maintain our housing choices? Is it the difference between an economy based on single family home-ownership and one based on quality of life? I’m not sure. I would need to spend much more time studying this issue to say for sure but, I’m sure the answer is in the middle somewhere.

The transportation infrastructure, on the other hand, is a whole different story. Pedestrians need to be agile or you could end up in the storm sewer through a man-sized hole, the traffic was pretty bad, and I only saw one brave soul on a bike (wearing a respirator) near downtown San José. That said, there was a Critical Mass bike ride on the news while we were there, which is a solid step forward for their safety as cyclists.

Lastly, I’d like to invite the Nación Morada to come to our house with everything they can. Bring your banners, flags (on poles), and drums. There’s no pyro in the away section but please, bring your hearts full of song. You’re going to need it all to get a result in our house.

It’s Just a P*nche Song

107ist Admin — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:02:29 GMT

The following is an opinion piece, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Timbers Army or the 107ist Board of Directors.

by Vato Chris

From the time I started in high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem (or turned my back when I did). For the most part I did so quietly so as not to offend those around me who did not share my beliefs. This small act of defiance at the time was a general illustration of my teen angst rather than a pointed act of protest. As a Chicano in New Mexico, I was not a minority, and had no knowledge I was living in a very poor state, with a very poor education system; a state which had, per capita, the highest crime rate in the country, and I was in an area of the state which did not have a viable industry for the less than fifty percent of students who did manage to graduate. I did not stand more because I was a punk than because I wanted shit to change.

In NM, I had had my run-ins with the police. I had been arrested several times, both as a juvenile, and later as an “adult” (I was 18/19 when I was last arrested in NM). Most of my crimes for which I was arrested were fairly normal for a Burqueno: DWI, Criminal Damage to Property, Burglary, small-time stuff that most kids did. Usually I was arrested, taken to the juvenile department on the west side, and put on probation for a little while longer.

Shit changed around the time of the Gulf War (Number One, kiddos). Police at the time began to be a little rougher, calling me names and pushing me around a little more. I was called both a Spic and Iranian on the same day by two different cops (that day I was arrested for Battery on a Police Officer, later dropped to an Assault on a Police Officer. If you don’t know the difference, that’s on you). On another occasion I was hit with a baton in the stomach because I had witnessed a car accident involving a cop (who was at fault) and dared to speak up when the other cops arrived. Thinking back on my time in Albuquerque, what strikes me is that for a town made up largely of Latinos and Indios, all the police who had been rough with me or talked shit were White (the dude who called me an Iranian was a Latino CO at the jail). But at the time, as stated above, I was not a minority and had not thought in terms of racial/ethnic identity.

This would change with my move to Minneapolis, MN. I was different from jump there. In a city with arguably the biggest punk scene in the country, I was one of two Latino punks. Where I had come from, Latinos were punks, skinheads, metalers, cowboys, etc. Not in Minneapolis. As far as I could tell, the Latinos there were in one neighborhood (West St. Paul) and made and sold Mexican goods to one another. In addition, in Minnesota, everyone thought I could speak Spanish. In NM it was really only old folks who spoke Spanish. Everyone else had an accent like they could, but thought “Fuck you ese” was perfectly good Spanish. I was soon given the name Vato by my homie Norman who was from Orange County and had known Latino punks from CA.

This new feeling of being a minority also brought with it a new sense of pride. I started to learn more about my culture and my history. I flew a Mexican flag on my rear view mirror, I started to rock pro-Raza t-shirts and seek out Latino punk rock. At the same time, I started getting more and more shit from the police in Minnesota. I had gotten a ticket for obstructing a rear view mirror for the flag, I had been regularly pulled over while driving and racked up so many tickets I would eventually lose my license. But before I lost my car, I almost lost my child as one cop who pulled me over for a broken headlight (it was not broken, by the way) threatened to take my son who was in the back seat unless I could I could prove he was mine. But this was not the worst thing that happened there. One night I was crossing a street at a crosswalk. There was a cop car at the light. I walked in front of the car against the light and the cop got pissed. On this occasion, I had a gun pulled on me by a cop while I was on my knees facing a wall for crossing a fucking street.

And this treatment was not limited to me. The police were well known by the black community in Minneapolis for taking black men on a “river run,” where the black man would be driven to the Mississippi River, be threatened by gunpoint and told to walk home. A Native American man was taken to the drunk tank in the trunk of a police car because the cop said he had just washed his car and did not want an Indian throwing up in the back seat. The women’s drunk tank in South Minneapolis was shut down because so many Native American women had been assaulted both physically and sexually by the cops there or on the way.

I ultimately moved to Portland, where liberals are liberal about race because there are so few people of color, most people can go their whole lives with never having one as a neighbor. But before I moved here, what I knew of Portland was a black man being beaten to death by boneheads, and the WAR separatist movement which wanted the Pacific Northwest to be the new white fatherland (this was the first context in which I heard the word Cascadia). When I got here, the boneheads had been run out of town by some of the folks who have been gracing the Timbers terraces for many years now, but those boneheads were soon replaced by yuppie 20/30-somethings who have decided to reclaim what they have always thought of as theirs. So while I am able to go home to NM and feel what it is like to have a place where people look like me, the blacks of Portland have been relegated to the outer reaches of the city and have nowhere to return to when they are tired of being the outsider.

This treatment over the years has decreased to me directly as I have gotten old and gray, but has been incessant generally since. My country has been in a perpetual state of war for most of my life with the fodder for those wars, its soldiers, being overly represented by Latinos, blacks and Native Americans. These are men and women who are good enough to die, but not good enough to be your neighbor. I have watched a country that has not honored one treaty signed with Native Americans and wants what is theirs now that some of them have managed to make lemonade from the lemons they were given. I see a country that is ready to take away working people’s right to collectively bargain, unless of course you are part of the police union. I have watched as my country has sold its prisons to the highest bidder and now has to fill those prisons by any means necessary, and those prisons, like our military, are overrepresented by Latinos and blacks. I have watched my country wag its finger at other nations over human rights while blacks and Latinos are being shot in the street by cops, while our country is imprisoning those who act out and vilifying those who speak out.

So fuck you, I refuse to be quiet. I no longer sit through the anthem, but instead make my voice of dissent known. I am the Vato who yells ACAB during the anthem or who yells other such niceties. I am not trying to effect change; I am screaming out of frustration. Do I think any of this shit will change? If it hasn’t changed in 500-plus years, it ain’t gonna stop now because some white folks care. I am tired of being respectful, cuz if you don’t respect me and mine, why the fuck should I respect you and yours? So for now, ACAB!!!!

NB: Do I really believe All Cops Are Bastards… yes. Most (if not all) of the officers I deal with or know are good people as individuals and we get along, but as a group, when you do not speak out against the things that are wrong or you deny things are wrong to start with, you are part of the problem.

Widmer Brothers Collaborates with Portland Timbers Goalkeeper to Celebrate 100th Consecutive Home Sellout

107ist Admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 21:05:22 GMT

by Jennifer Ingraham

Widmer Brothers’ innovation brewing team brews limited edition Centennial Celebration IPA with Jake Gleeson as the impressive regular season sellout streak continues

PORTLAND, Ore. (September 8, 2016) – Widmer Brothers Brewing and Portland Timbers Goalkeeper Jake Gleeson teamed up to brew a small-batch, commemorative beer – “Centennial Celebration IPA,” a pineapple rye India Pale Ale– to mark the 100th consecutive Portland Timbers regular season match sellout. Centennial Celebration IPA will be tapped exclusively at Providence Park at the Timbers match on Saturday, September 10th as the team hosts Real Salt Lake.

VIDEO: Timbers’ Jake Gleeson, Widmer Brothers collaborate on Centennial Celebration IPA

Centennial Celebration is a fitting name for the Timbers’ impressive regular-season sellout streak, which spans every regular season home game dating back to the club’s inaugural MLS season in 2011. During that time more than 2 million fans have attended games.

Gleeson, from Palmerston North, New Zealand, has been with the Timbers since 2011, and worked on the recipe with the Widmer Brothers innovation team, led by brewmaster Tom Bleigh. The collaboration included a nod to Gleeson’s home country as it included New Zealand hop varietal Wakatu.

“This chance to collaborate with Widmer Brothers on such a bold and unique beer is very exciting,” said Gleeson, of the collaboration. The combination of Wakatu, Citra, and Mosaic hops with fresh pineapple highlights an amazing tropical fruit profile in Centennial Celebration IPA.

“This is a fun, unique combination of ingredients that make for a flavorful, vibrant IPA, worthy of celebration,” said Bleigh. “When we first started talking to Jake about recipe ideas, we wanted to take inspiration from his background and taste preferences, as well as our innovation team’s creativity. The result is something we feel Timbers fans and beer fans alike will enjoy.”

While the beer is expected to sellout in short order at the September 10th match, fret not Timbers and Widmer Brothers fans: Centennial Celebration IPA will be tapped at the Widmer Brothers Pub in North Portland the following Saturday, September 17th after the club’s match with the Philadelphia Union. At 6pm you can join members of the Portland Timbers at Widmer Brothers’ North Portland pub and enjoy a pint of the Centennial Celebration IPA, or Widmer Brothers’ array of beers.

About Centennial Celebration IPA

Style: Pineapple Rye IPA

To mark the occasion of the Timbers’ 100th consecutive sellout—which includes a whopping two million fans through Providence Park turnstiles—Widmer Brothers and Portland keeper Jake Gleeson made a small-batch tropical IPA whose flavor, as the New Zealanders might say, is Chocka. Gleeson chose to spice this IPA with rye malt, and complemented his choice of Citra, Mosaic, and Wakatu (NZ) hops with some fresh pineapple – like the Timbers and the 2015 season, a winning combination.

MALT: 2 Row, Flaked Rye, Rye Malt, and C-40

HOPS: Citra, Mosaic, and Wakatu

ABV: 5.5% | IBU: 60

For more information on Widmer Brothers Brewing, visit widmerbrothers.com or see what the brewery is up to on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Widmer Brothers Brewing

Widmer Brothers Brewing helped create the Pacific Northwest craft beer movement in 1984 when founders Kurt and Rob Widmer, then in their 20s, began brewing unique interpretations of traditional German beer styles. In 1986, Widmer Brothers Brewing introduced the original American-style Hefeweizen, which elevated the brewery to national acclaim. Since then, the brewery’s iconic Hefe, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2016, has grown to become Oregon’s favorite craft beer. For more than three decades, Widmer Brothers has continued to push the boundaries of craft beer. Based in Portland, Oregon, the brewery currently brews a variety of beers including Hefe, Upheaval IPA, Steel Bridge Porter, Drop Top Amber, Replay IPA, and a full seasonal lineup. Additionally, the brewery continues to make a series of limited edition, small-batch beers available in Oregon and at the Widmer Brothers Pub in North Portland.

…and the winner of the 2016 Player Chant Contest is…

107ist Admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 18:16:48 GMT

—by Darren Lloyd

There were some great entries out there, folks!

Collecting 43% of the votes, we’ll be Ridgyrollin’ throughout the North End…to the tune of “Tootsee Roll,” this was the top vote-getter!

The Capos and DnT will work it into the rotation, ready for that next moment of Ridgewell brilliance!

But, why stop there? Varying versions of chants for the same player split votes, so you may hear additional chants from the contest sung throughout the North End soon.

Thanks to all of our entrants!

Editorial: Why I Will Sit for the National Anthem on Saturday

107ist Admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 21:07:32 GMT

by Scott Jeffries

The following is an opinion piece, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Timbers Army or the 107ist Board of Directors.

We have all heard endlessly about the Colin Kaepernick situation. Everyone has an opinion and there are no hot takes left to give. I’m not here to talk about Colin Kaepernick, or to say what I think about Colin Kaepernick, or to hear what you think about Colin Kaepernick. Colin Kaepernick.

I am here, however, to talk about what Colin Kaepernick is talking about, which is that, well, I’ll justquote him: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” This is an issue that has been raised time and time again, but this time it was done by a polarizing public figure in a provocative way and so now everyone would rather debate about the person taking the action rather than the statement he was making. This week, Washington Spirit owner Bill Lynch decided to play the national anthem before the teams had entered the field, to prevent Seattle Reign and U.S. National Team star Megan Rapinoe from engaging in the same protest.

As a show of solidarity for the cause they are supporting, I intend to sit for the National Anthem in the Timbers Army on Saturday. I am not protesting the anthem specifically, but this is the form that their protest has taken and so this is how I too will protest. I protest not only the unequal treatment of African Americans in this country but also the attempts to marginalize the voices of those drawing attention to it. If critics of Kaepernick and Rapinoe truly supported freedom, they would support the right to silent protest. If they truly do not see the inequality in our society, they are either blissfully sheltered or willfully ignorant.

As a white person, I can never fully grasp the struggles black Americans face, but I can understand history and see its effects. Slavery begat Jim Crow which begat redlining which begat white flight which begat gentrification. African Americans face higher unemployment, lower educational attainment, and live in more segregated neighborhoods with higher crime rates. They make lower incomes, accumulate less wealth, and buy fewer homes, which multiplies across generations. The wealth gap is widening to the point where it would take the average black family 228 years to accumulate the same wealth as the average white family today. Schools are rapidly resegregating to levels not seen since the Civil Rights era. The Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act which unleashed a flood of new restrictions targeting low-income, minority voters, only the most blatantly racist of which were struck down.

And, of course, the main reason that Kaepernick is protesting, and the reason that many more before him have been protesting, is the unequal treatment of black people by law enforcement. It is a fact thatblack people are more likely than white people to be arrested and subjected to physical force for the same crimes. Black people are more likely to be arrested for selling or possessing drugs than white people, despite the fact that white people do both of these things at the same rate or more. Mandatory minimum sentencing, three-strike laws, and race-based drug enforcement create a cycle where a black person is more likely to go to prison, which impacts their ability to find legitimate work when they get out, which in turn makes it more likely that they will return to prison. It tears families apart, traps communities in poverty, and reinforces the bias that law enforcement has against black people. And it is impossible to ignore the steady flow of shootings and deaths of black men by police in situations where a white person surely would have walked away alive, if they had even been stopped in the first place. If you’re wondering why this might have started with a 49ers player, google “SFPD racist texts”.

I can’t help but note that we live in an incredibly white city and are an incredibly white fan base. Portland’s past and present is a discussion for another time, but we cannot let ourselves be complacent in our little bubble of whiteness, full of good intentions but no action, shielded from the real injustice in the world, even the real injustice in our city as we increasingly take over Albina-Mississippi and push our racist legacy to 82nd Avenue and beyond, out of sight and out of mind. I am surprised by how many young Portlanders don’t even know what Albina means, beyond the name of a street. If you want a sobering history of racism in Portland, read Bleeding Albina. It might change the way you look at our city.

And so, in light of all of this, I will neither stand nor sing on Saturday. I will not judge those who do, or make assumptions about their motivations or beliefs, just as I would not want anyone to judge or assume anything about me because of the action I am taking. This is just one way to express something that many (hopefully all) of us feel, but it is not the only way, and it might not feel appropriate to some. I don’t do it to disrespect our country. I stand and sing loudly every game, then jubilantly toss the shreds of the program I’d so dutifully torn apart. Singing the national anthem at our MLS home opener is one of my favorite memories as a Timbers fan. This will be the first time I have not sung the anthem and it’s not a decision I make lightly. I am not anti-American, but I am also against blind worship, and we as Americans take far too much pride in ourselves to ever honestly assess our faults. I believe we can do better, but first we have to acknowledge that we need to.

Second Annual Two-Stick Party Recap

107ist Admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 21:22:53 GMT

—by Michelle Deford

On Saturday, August 27th, 2016, the Timbers Army hosted their second annual two-stick party, this time to take down Seattle. Now, when we have this talk, someone usually asks, “What is a two stick?” Imagine you are at a Timbers game. The anthem has just been sung, “…and the home, of the… TIMBERS!!!!!!” and everyone around you is going nuts. These two dudes in front of you told you they had something they were going to hold up, but it wouldn’t be up during the game and it wouldn’t be up for very long. Suddenly, there is a giant piece of fabric in front of you with two PVC pipes on each side.

“Is this… a Drake CD cover?” (Note: This is an actual two-stick made last time.)

That’s a two-stick.

Maybe you have seen some of the amazing pieces the PTFC Moderates have done, or you’ve caught a few glimpses of the things that come from 208, or 106, or anywhere really. That’s the beautiful thing about art in the TA: ANYONE CAN DO IT.

The day before Seattle at home, we had more than 20 people come out to the tifo garage and paint two-sticks. The tifo crew very graciously let us use their location, paint, and brushes, and they even bought us blank canvases to use. People brought in all kinds of designs. We had a lot of Cups, a Ridgy Tootsie Roll, some emojis, a few superheroes, and a lot of fun.

2016 Player Chant Contest Entries

Lexi Stern — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:22:46 GMT

Here are the qualifying entries in the 2016 Player Chant Contest. Thanks to everyone who had the courage to put their ideas out there!

Pick up to five chants you like, then vote (107ist membership required).
Voting ends at noon on Monday, September 12, 2016. The top vote-getter will be added to the capo/DnT rotation.

Vytas Chants
Barmby Chants
Chara Chants
Gleeson Chants
Melano Chants
Nagbe Chants
Ridgewell Chants
Valeri Chants
Zemanski Chants

VYTAS CHANTS

1. Oscar Mayer Bologna (variant 1)

2. Oscar Mayer Bologna (variant 2 – John Strong version)

3. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

BARMBY CHANTS

4. Barbie Girl

CHARA CHANTS

5. The Body

6. Changes

7. Hava Nagila

8. Mario Gomez Cha-Cha (link to original)

9. Now We Can See

10. Que Sera, Sera (variant 1)

11. Que Sera, Sera (variant 2)

12. Roll On Columbia

GLEESON CHANTS

13. Time of the Season

MELANO CHANTS

14. Blitzkrieg Bop

15. Copacabana

16. Lithium

NAGBE CHANTS

17. Bumble Bee Tuna

18. Freed From Desire (or: Will Grigg’s On Fire)

19. I Want Candy

20. Karma Chameleon

21. Let’s Go Crazy

22. Should I Stay or Should I Go

RIDGEWELL CHANTS

23. Sloop John B (or: “He scores when he wants“, etc.)

24. The Magnificent Seven

25. Roll On Columbia

26. Tootsee Roll

VALERI CHANTS

27. Don’t You Want Me

28. The Happy Wanderer

29. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

30. Louie Louie

31. That’s Amore (variant 1)

32. That’s Amore (variant 2)

33. Volare (variant 1 – shorter)

34. Volare (variant 2 – longer)

35. Volare (variant 3 – Dale, maestro del gol)

ZEMANSKI CHANTS

36. The Dayman

Vote! (107ist membership required)

The Impact of Gift Baskets from the 107ist

107ist Admin — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 23:18:19 GMT

—by Stephanzy

As many of you may or may not know, one of the things we do on the 107ist Community Outreach Committee is deciding on donation requests. While some of the big donations get a lot of the coverage, many of them are much smaller and can have a larger, broader, impact. While it varies based on alignment with our mission, we frequently give gift baskets to auctions or raffle fundraisers which include a voucher for a pair of TA shirts, No Pity scarves, and when appropriate, match tickets. The 107ist has several season tickets for this purpose and it is always a great pleasure to find a group worthy of this gift. While the money these gift baskets raise varies greatly, we frequently hear back that they are among the most popular items.

The most raised that we know of was at the Harper’s Playground Auction last year, when we sweetened the deal with playoff tickets and other items including a log slab from Timber Jim. The final bid was around $2,600! The best part was the guy who won already had tickets and donated them back to Harper’s Playground to raffle off, raising even more money.

While the typical money raised is much more conservative, the largest impact is often on the fact that it allows people who are normally unable to attend matches to come down and experience what we do as the Mighty PTFC for the cost of a raffle ticket. One of these stories culminated just this last weekend. As you know, Operation Pitch Invasion is doing a project at the soccer field in April Hill Park in Southwest Portland. Due to lower turnout recently, we’re reaching out to the many people in the community that use the field as well as the Foothills Soccer Club, the primary user for practices and matches. As a part of our outreach to the community, we gave a basket with TA shirts, “limited edition” Gold Outline No Pities, and Seattle at Home tickets to be raffled at the neighborhood’s Movie in the Park event a few weeks ago, and it was the most popular basket in the raffle. The kid who won plays on the field all the time and was seriously ecstatic about winning, about as much as his mom, an active member of the community. They wore their new scarves proudly for the rest of the evening and anxiously anticipated the match.

We frequently get wonderful thank-you notes from people for our donations and this one, sent the evening after the match, really got us in the feels, so we thought we’d share:

“…just wanted to let you know that today was, by his own account, the second best day of Torin's life, after the day he was born. Got our wristbands this morning and found seats in 107 as was his big wish. We got to hold the edge of the tifo [BAF] 4 times today, and our voices are completely hoarse. We've lucked out on TA tickets from season ticket holders 2 times before & stood in the upper section, but today was hands down the best ever, what with gutting the fish and all ;)

“Thanks a ton for making it all happen to get the raffle package for Maplewood, and for setting the wheels in motion for the happiest kid I know today. …Definitely a huge treat for a household on a tight budget, too!”

See what I mean about the feels?

A side note, while we have you: the soccer field at April Hill Park was built in the mid-sixties by some neighborhood kids who wrote a letter to the city to ask if they could, and is now one of the most used fields in SW Portland. Like much of the soil in SW Portland, it doesn’t drain well and quickly turns to mud during the fall soccer season. As a result, the surface is really uneven. It’s the type of field that you need to either take a cross out of the air, or give it at least six feet clearance to see how it bounces before shooting. The diverse group of kids, including Torin, that use it on a daily basis deserve better and you can help. So sign up to come join us this Saturday.

Announcing the 2016 Player Chant Contest

107ist Admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 03:48:37 GMT

—by Shawn Levy

Announcing the Much-Delayed-But-Worth-It Timbers Army Chant Selection Contest (or the MDBWITACSC if you're into that whole brevity thing).

The Capos and Drum-&-Trumpet Corps are creating new material and soliciting some of it from the people who will actually sing it, which is to say all y'all.

Here are the parameters, instructions and caveats for this contest:

1) We are seeking PLAYER CHANTS, that is, short, punchy bits that can be sung when a player scores a goal, makes a save, enters/leaves a game, or is otherwise awesome. They are meant to be celebratory and brief enough to insert into the flow of the match.

2) We do NOT want to repurpose chants that have already been done for another player. Our ethos has always been that once a player is gone, his chant leaves with him. If you're not sure about your idea, reach out to @shawnlevy on Twitter and he can tell you if the melody has already been used.

3) Think tight-and-bright: Urruti, Scot-With-One-T, O Tennyson! A 5-to-10 second chant that can be launched and repeated quickly. Long, wordy, multi-verse chants can't be rolled out for a celebratory minute or two very effectively. And they take a long time to catch on.

4) It may NOT be “Gleeee-sonnnn.”

5) Or a variation on “Portland Boys,” because please.

6) Think of the players whom we need to celebrate: Chara, Gleeson, Nagbe, Ridgewell, Valeri, and others. Be inspired. Be upbeat. Be fun.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1) Create a video of the MELODY AND WORDS ONLY. It could be sung/played live for this purpose; it could be a song sample from a music video with lyrics posted over it; whatever works for you. But keep it low-fi; we're voting on the song, not the video. The only graphics should be the lyrics.

2) YOUR SAMPLE MUST BE ANONYMOUS. Please avoid any personal identifiers in the video. We're voting for what's best, not for whom we like best. We DO need to know who has posted the video when it is submitted, but we will allow for that to be done without any names being attached during the voting process.

3) Submissions will be open from Tuesday, August 23 through 5pm on Monday, September 5.

4) To submit, email your link to support@timbersarmy.org with "Player Chant Contest" in the subject line.

5) The 107ist, Capos, and D&T reserve the right to not put up for a vote any video which is obviously malicious, defamatory, or flagrantly trollish. If a submission of this sort is identified, the creators shall be contacted with explanation and given a chance to appeal. But the ultimate decision rests with the group putting on the contest.

HOW TO VOTE:

1) When the submission period ends, all eligible videos will be posted in a single place on the Timbers Army website and voting will begin shortly thereafter.

2) Voting will be limited to current members-in-good-standing of the 107ist.

3) Voting will end at noon on Monday, September 12. At that time, the vote totals will be announced and the winning entry will enter the North End playlist. The Capos and D&T may also, at their discretion, choose to incorporate another entry, but no promises expressed or implied.

Timbers/Timbers Army Hillsboro DHS Family Visitation Room Makeover

107ist Admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 15:40:37 GMT

—by Keith Palau

There are myriad reasons why I’m proud to be TA:

The high level of consistent support for our club before, during, and after the match.

The amazing away support.

The best tifo in North America.

The fact that we have our differences, yet remain unified.

But one reason that may be missed by some, especially outside the TA, is the quality and quantity of support for meaningful causes in our community. As a member of the 107ist Community Outreach team, I’m privileged to see just how much is accomplished each year by our passionate, caring, and generous constituency.

Below is a description of an upcoming project that’s near and dear to my heart. Via social media alone, the $3,500 budget was raised, mostly by people whom I know are TA, in less than 36 hours. There were even a few ECS friends who joined in ;-)

If you gave a specific gift toward the room makeover, thank you! If you’ve paid your 107ist membership fee, thank you; you help make things like this happen. If you want to volunteer for the actual room makeover the 2^nd half of August, please let me know.

And thank you again for letting me join you as part of our wonderful Timbers Army.

Here’s your opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of kids and families on the west side of Portland, and represent the Timbers and Timbers Army at the same time!

The Timbers Army, Embrace Oregon, and other friends in the Westside Community are coming together to do a major remodel of a family visitation room at the Hillsboro DHS offices (Child Welfare Programs) this August.

The room will be done entirely in a Timbers/Timbers Army theme, with signed memorabilia donated by the Timbers, custom log slice end tables with the help of Timber Joey Webber, a mural designed and painted by TA artists, brand new furniture, and a new flat screen TV and game system. DHS plans on naming it the “Timbers Room”.

The visitation room is designed for children and teens who are in foster care to be able to spend an average of one hour each week with their birth families and other supporters. This is an intimate and critical point of connection for children whose lives have been turned upside down, as well as for biological parents who are working hard and taking steps to get their kids returned home. A visitation room that is homey and warm speaks value and worth to both the children and their families.

Another use for the “Timbers Room” will be when children are removed from their homes for imminent safety reasons and must sit in the Child Welfare office awaiting placement. Volunteers called “Office Moms and Dads” may be available to play with kids for an average of 5-7 hours while the caseworker tries to find a foster placement. In this instance, having an inviting space with activities is very helpful and allows the worker to focus on finding a foster placement.

Now is the perfect time to join us in reminding our children, teens, parents, guardians, and DHS staff that they are valued by creating this lasting legacy of love from the Timbers and the TA.

All of the money raised will go to the direct expenses of furniture not donated, new flat screen TV and game system, paint and paint supplies, shelving and wall mounts, games and toys, etc. If we’re able to secure enough in-kind gifts to stay below our budget, we’ll have money left over for the proposed Timbers Army room makeover at the Beaverton DHS next year.

THANK YOU for considering taking part in this meaningful and lasting gift to children and families on the west side of Portland.

Sincerely,

Keith Palau

www.timbersarmy.org
www.embraceoregon.org

Dear Friends of Jimmy Conway

107ist Admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 23:27:38 GMT

Re: The Walk to End Alzheimer’s (WTEA) on Sunday, September 11th at Portland International Raceway

This email is a sincere thank you to those who have already registered and donated -- and a gentle reminder to those of you who intend to do so in the future.

I have been delighted, as have Noeleen and the Conway family, to see the steady stream of testimonials posted on Jimmy’s Facebook page. As a reminder: We are asking friends, family, former teammates, and fans of Jimmy to send us a brief testimonial, and include your name, your connection to Jimmy, and a short comment in support of Jimmy, hopefully with an accompanying photo. Testimonials will be posted on the Fans of Jimmy Conway Facebook page. You can send your testimony and photo to me at mick@mickhoban.com. A little while after the WTEA, we will be producing an event book and presenting it to Noeleen.

Visit our Friends of Jimmy Conway page on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s site, where you can register (free) and/or donate.

Please also visit Jimmy’s Facebook page.

Best wishes,

Mick Hoban
Team Captain
Friends of Jimmy Conway

TAFC Win the Day at Supporters' Derby 2016

107ist Admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 20:39:18 GMT

—Words by William Packwood; Photos by Ray Terrill

Timbers Army FC teams bested those from Emerald City Supporters FC in total points on the day by a 7-4 margin.

It was a perfect day for football with light overcast skies and a mild temperature this past Saturday when four supporters' teams from Seattle came down to face their TAFC counterparts at Rex Putnam HS for a full day of matches.

First up was an inaugural matchup between over-40 sides, with players from Old Growth FC and Nomads FC representing TAFC O40s. This was an entertaining 90 minutes as the teams turned out to be evenly matched with chances on goal for each side. In the end, however, neither side was able to convert their chances and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Both sides agreed that the O-40's match should continue as a fixture in future Supporters' Derby Day events.

Incidentally, the O40s match was the third "new" match added by TAFC to the day's competition in as many times hosting the Derby. The D4 match was added in Portland 2012 and the Women's match was added in 2014. Both of those events were held at Buckman Field.

The noon match saw a return of the D4 competition, with Northern Alliance having won the right to represent TAFC by virtue of being the current Cuppy del Norte defending champs. The boys from the other side of the Columbia did TAFC proud by dominating the match 4-1. Goals were scored by Jason Thoma (assist by Ben Melnick), Joe Stevenson (off of a corner set), and Alex Zinda (assist by Evin Westcott). The name of the scorer of the final TAFC goal was lost in the elation of the rout. Man of the match was GK Jason Stevenson, who had a monster performance in goal.

Next up were the defending Women's champs: Whipsaws FC. The women continued their winning ways and turned in another dominant performance against ECS FC. At the final whistle, Whipsaws stood as 3-peat champs with a score of 4-1. Goals were recorded by Brandi Fritz, Kathy Lopez, Jennie Birt, and Sandita McDermott. The women continued their victory celebration on Sunday with drinks from the cup in the North End at Providence Park.

The final match of the day was the D1 derby, with players from Portlandia and Nomads on the TAFC side against the defending ECS FC D1 team. Here TAFC's fortunes fell flat, and despite many individual performances that were full of heart and skill, the TAFC boys were unable to develop sustained team chemistry and couldn't convert any of their chances. ECS turned in a 4-0 win and remain the defending D1 match champs for another year.

Photo by Rachel Etnire

On the whole, it was another successful Supporters' Derby Day, and the 7-4 aggregate points total from the day's matches led to the TAFC players striding into Providence Park on Sunday for the BIG match with their heads held high —and we all know how we strode/danced OUT of that match. Thanks again to all who participated on the pitch and in the stands.

For more photos of both the Women's and D1 matches, check out Ray Terrill's excellent work here.

The Story Behind the Star

107ist Admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 02:31:24 GMT

—by Mike Coleman

The Timbers Army tifo crew was wrapping up painting on their “Legends Never Sleep” tifo for the 7/17 match. All that was left to paint was the star on Freddy’s sweater.

That’s when inspiration struck one of the project managers. They had the thought to invite a player into add the coup de grâce. So, a couple of phone calls were made, and Diego Valeri agreed to visit the tifo garage with his daughter to paint that final piece.

But, as well all know, the first rule of tifo is you don’t talk about tifo. So before Diego arrived, the tifo crew folded up the banner so that all Diego and Coni, his daughter, could see was the blank star.

Of course he was curious what he was working on. He asked one of the PMs if he could see the rest of the design.

Nope, not until match day, was the response.

Diego smiled, and nodded.

Diego gets it.

Gracias Diego por todo.

2016 Cuppy del Norte at Providence Park

107ist Admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 01:26:00 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

As the sun set on this year’s annual Timbers Army BBQ, a new tradition was brought to the pitch at Providence Park. The Championship of the GPSD’s TAFC League is a match for the coveted Cuppy Del Norte and the right to face the representative from Emerald City Supporters later this season on Cascadia derby weekend. This year’s final assured a first-time champion at Providence Park as Multnomah Forest AFC faced rivals from across the I-5 bridge, Northern Alliance FC.

An interesting backdrop was provided as cheering sections gathered for each team let their voices be heard from the opening whistle. Adding to this was the 2^nd half of the US National Team’s rout at the hands of Argentina being broadcast on the PP video board.

Both teams began the match at a quick and physical pace, with MFAFC on the front foot for much of the first 20 minutes. That changed in the 26^th minute when NAFC’s Joseph Stevenson put a header off the woodwork, coming inches away from taking the match's first lead. Moments later, a second cheer went up as Darlington Nagbe was subbed in on the big screen for that match's waning moments. MFAFC briefly turned the tide when a great free kick attempt sailed just over the bar, bringing us to halftime.

The halftime entertainment for the evening was provided by the TAFC version of “Lil Timbers” as the Old Growth FC Over-40 and Over-50 teams faced off in a mini-match in the North End, further celebrating the great soccer culture created by the TA and the TAFC.

Northern Alliance began the second half on a tear, looking quite dangerous with numerous tests of the Forest defense. This changed in the 65^th minute when Tim Elzinga of Multnomah Forest turned a great run into the best chance of the match by either team, barely stopped by the NAFC keeper.

It stayed a back and forth affair until the 88^th minute, when Jurgen Hartung found the back of the net to give Northern Alliance the match’s first lead in the late stages. The final nail was driven moments later when Hartung drained a screamer from long distance moments from the referee’s final whistle, to deliver the “Cuppy” directly into the hands of the men from Vancouver.

With the victory in the books, next up for the new champions are the enemy from the North later this summer. But many left the terraces with the hope that this becomes an annual summer tradition for seasons to come.

See the full set of match photos taken by TA photographer Ray Terrill.

Op-Ed: Not Far Enough

107ist Admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 02:21:00 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

A recent review of the Timbers Army chant catalog resulted in the elimination of a chant deemed offensive to a select group or groups within our membership. I fully support the 107ist Board's decision and subsequent action.

Furthermore, after conducting my own review of the since-updated chant sheet, I wish to submit the following list of words and phrases found herein that could also be deemed offensive to select audiences.

I humbly ask the 107ist Board to reconvene at their earliest convenience to review this list and modify or remove the affected chant(s) deemed offensive to our community.

Thank you for your time.

Word or phrase	Potential offended audience
We / Friends / Us / Party / Team / League	Sociophobics
Green	Chlorophobics
Gold	Aurophobics
Gold Gold Gold	Monologophobics
Up	Acrophobics
City	Urbanphobics
Shake	Kinesiophobics
Gates	Claustrophobics
Hell	Christians; Atheists
Time	Chronophobics
See	Blind people
Smiling	Geliophobics
Prison	Incarcerophobics
TV	Televisiophobics
Say	Glossophobics
Whoa-oh-oh	Erotophobics
Keep it up	Medorthophobics
Don't let up / forever	Apeirophobics
Boys / Men	Androphobics
Best / Victory / Win	Atychiphobics
Sing	Decantophobics
Sleep	Hypnophobics
Tonight	Nyctophobics
Love	Philophobics
Stolen	Kleptophobics
Mental	Special needs communities
Buried	Taphophobics
Barmy	Homichlophobics
TRUE	Alethephobics
End	Apocalyptophobics
Noise	Phonophobics
Jump	Catapedaphobics
Sunshine	Heliophobics
Happy	Cherophobics
Sky	Anablephobics
Gray	Glaucophobics
Wise	Gnosiophobics
Rush	Tachophobics
Falling	Bathophobics
Hands	Chirophobics
Die	Thanatophobics

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

A Message from Mick Hoban

107ist Admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 17:01:00 GMT

Mick Hoban, Portland Timbers alum and team captain for the Friends of Jimmy Conway team at this year's Walk to End Alzheimers on September 11th, has a special request. If you know Jimmy, or have a Jimmy story to share, please see Mick's message below:

Dear friends of Jimmy Conway,
We invite you to share a 'testimonial' describing your connection and relationship with Jimmy. If you have anecdotes and, possibly, some pictures too, that would be wonderful.

Initially, we will ‘publish’ all testimonials on Jimmy’s Facebook page - Fans of Jimmy Conway. We will collect all ‘testimonials' and photos and publish them in a book of photos/quotes to be presented to Noeleen, some time shortly after the ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’ this September.

To get things started, here's mine:

Name: Mick Hoban
Connection: Former team-mate at the Portland Timbers

Testimonial:

I have known Jimmy since he first arrived in Portland in 1978. He was a great footballer and team-mate and an outstanding coach who devoted his post-playing career in the US to the development of the sport.

What I remember most about Jimmy, apart from his great sense of humor, was his willingness to help new immigrants to the US. In many cases Jimmy was the first person to lend a helping hand by finding them work coaching soccer as many of them had coaching qualifications from their homelands. I know of individuals from Poland, Romania, Egypt, Mexico and the UK whom Jimmy helped.

As he did with his team-mates, including me, Jimmy always had time for others, always was there when help was needed. He was, and is, a true friend to many.

God Bless you Jimmy.

————

I’d appreciate it if you would send me your testimonial to the email listed below. Please use the same format I have: your name, your connection to Jimmy and your ‘Testimonial’. Please include any photographs you may have of Jimmy/Jimmy and yourself/Jimmy with others to accompany your testimonial.

Keep it short, try and make it personal. Humor is welcome, because we know how much Jimmy likes a good laugh.

Best wishes,

Mick Hoban
mick@mickhoban.com

Team Captain
Friends of Jimmy Conway
Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Sunday, September 11th, 2016

Don't know Jimmy Conway? Read more about him in Stephanzy's excellent 2014 write-up prior to a work party. Want to do more to help? Sign up to walk and/or donate for the Friends of Jimmy Conway team. On behalf of Jimmy and his family, thank you.

Changes to the chant sheet

107ist Admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 21:09:00 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

As of today, the “Portland Boys” chant has been removed from our web list of chants; new chant sheets printed for stadium distribution will no longer include “Portland Boys” lyrics; and capos and drums/trumpets will no longer lead the Timbers Army in singing “Portland Boys.”

Generally and historically speaking, as a board we don’t weigh in on chants. Other than the annual printing of chant sheets for the stadium and updating the website to match, our general practice as a board has been to leave it to the capos to lead chants and to allow for every person in the stadium to either accept or reject that leadership—bad chants often die because no one will sing them and good ones live because they catch on, not because the board dictates the details of individual chants.

At the same time, although we have heard and read a variety of member opinions and interpretations with respect to “Portland Boys,” not all of them negative, the board recognizes that there are members of the Timbers Army and of the 107IST who find the chant lyric offensive for a variety of reasons.

We considered that we had three options: (1) do nothing; (2) change the chant line in question; or (3) recommend that the chant be removed from the chant sheets, website, and capo/drum and trumpet repertoire.

The board rejected the first option. The arguments in favor of doing nothing would primarily be to honor TA tradition (the chant has been sung by the TA for many years, predating our entry into MLS) and/or to recognize that there is a lack of clear consensus of opinion among TA as to whether the lyric is offensive and why. Given that the chant doesn’t have unique central ties to either TA culture or history (it is a chant with variations sung by many supporters who are fans of many different soccer teams), and given that members offended by the lyric expressed grave concerns to us about issues that relate to our core values as Timbers Army/107ISTs, we decided that doing nothing was not an option.

The board considered attempting to change the chant lyric. Several acceptable alternate lyrics were presented and discussed, both online and in person, among members and within the capo/drum and trumpet corps. The Timbers Army has had a history of changing chant lyrics in the stands before, so we had a sense of what it would take to do so in this case: messaging in the stands both face to face and via papers on seats; reprinted lyrics on chant sheets; repeated direction from capos at multiple games; and a concerted effort by MANY individuals in the stands to educate their peers on a game-by-game basis. Given the potential for creating continued divisiveness within the stands through what would definitely be a long, drawn-out process, the board ultimately rejected this option as well.

Given that inaction was not an option and that changing the chant lyric was rejected, the board voted unanimously to remove “Portland Boys” from the chant sheet, website, and capo repertoire.

We recognize the importance of honoring and recognizing our history; but we also stand for something more. We reject racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia. We reject hate. We value basic human rights and dignity. And if members are concerned that a chant in our canon contains lyrics that run counter to our core, we have a responsibility to decide what we value most.

No single chant defines us, or our ability to show our love for team, town, and TA. Ultimately we know we’ve made the right decision.

Onward, Rose City.

Twenty-Seven Seconds

107ist Admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 19:32:36 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

Twenty-seven seconds.

AP Photo/Paul Vernon

That's how long it took El Maestro to score the fastest goal in MLS Cup history. The last notes of the national anthem had barely finished sounding at Mapfre when Diego Valeri capitalized on Steve Clark's less than stellar attempt to control a back pass and Valeri put the ball into the back of the net on the way to the Timbers' 2-1 MLS Cup victory on December 6th, 2015.

And now he has made an amazing gift to the Timbers Army in memory of that moment.

Valeri has signed the ball he struck to make MLS Cup and Timbers history and has donated it to us. Here's his message to the Timbers Army about the gift (haga clic aquí para ver su mensaje en español).

There is no way that words can adequately express our gratitude for his leadership and grace, both on and off the field. (Feel free to give it a try anyway at his Twitter handle, his Instagram, and/or in the comments below.) For now, we'll just leave it at:

Gracias, Maestro.

Say No to Hate

107ist Admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 20:24:57 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

A statement on behalf of the 107IST Board of Directors

The Timbers Army has grown and changed over the years, from the by-now-nearly-mythical “twenty guys banging on pickle buckets” to thousands of supporters spanning the globe. We are a huge, disparate lot, and we disagree about many things, large and small, in person and online. But there are a few things on which we all agree.

We support team, town, and TA.
We support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.
And we have zero tolerance for hate.

There is no room in the Timbers Army for racism, sexism, xenophobia or homophobia. None. If recent world events have taught us anything, it is that we need to say no to hate, early and often, at every opportunity. This is not a political stance: it is a stance that respects basic rights and dignity for all humans.

We have lots of opportunities to stand up and say no to hate and yes to humanity, on the stands and in the streets. This next weekend, you are invited to march with us in the Portland Pride Parade. All are welcome: if you want to be Timbers Army, you already are. Unless you want to hate on fellow humans. Then you’ll want to look elsewhere.

The Daily Round June 9, 2011

107ist Admin — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 01:37:39 GMT

IT'S NICE OUTSIDE! The seven day forecast looks pretty nice as well. If it doesn't turn out exactly as the KPTV weather guys have told me on the internets you can believe Wayne Garcia will receive a strongly worded letter from yours truly. OK probably not.

Look the MLS all-star ballots are out. Do our players get bonuses for playing a completely meaningless game against Manchester United if they get voted on the team? I really don't know how that works.

Some of you who were soaked to the bone in Seattle might be in a certain adidas commercial.

A few of the younger players have apparently hit a wall. Figuratively of course.

If you're interested in some of the sordid details surrounding the CONCACAF/FIFA bribery scandal going on but haven't been paying attention this is a wonderful podcast with Bill Archer who has been killing the game covering this story.

5 Mexican national team players have tested positive for clenbuterol.

Good day to you all.

107IST to Donate $25,000 to Harper’s Playground for an Inclusive Playground at Couch Park

107ist Admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 05:17:04 GMT

Portland, OR - The 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST) is happy to announce a donation of $25,000 to Harper’s Playground to fund the planned inclusive play area at Couch Park on NW 19th and Glisan. The 107IST is firmly committed to the mission of Harper’s Playground and is extremely pleased to continue involvement in 2016 with this donation. Since 2011 107IST and the Timbers Army have raised $110,000 for Harper’s Playground in an effort to make sure Everybody Plays.

The 107IST would like to invite any and all to the Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) at 2033 NW Glisan at 12:00 p.m. on June 9th for a check presentation ceremony. The same check was presented to the Harper’s Playground team, represented by four MLC students, on the main capo stand at Providence Park on June 1, 2016 in order for the entire Timbers Army to be a part of the celebration. “The 107IST and Timbers Army are firmly committed to aiding Harper’s Playground in any way we can whether that be through monetary funds or sweat equity,” says 107IST spokesman Garrett Dittfurth. “The passion and commitment to community from the Harper’s Playground team has captured us and we couldn’t be more excited to contribute further.”

“On behalf of the board of directors of Harper’s Playground, we very proudly welcome the full support of the Timbers Army, once again! This represents the passion for inclusion that we share with the Timbers Army and which we feel across the entire city,” says Harper’s Playground’s Executive Director G Cody QJ Goldberg.

More help is needed!

The project is not complete. While the 107IST is excited to donate $25,000 to the project, Harper’s Playground & Friends of Couch Playground have committed to raise $500,000 for the playground to be built. With this $25,000 donation from 107IST, Harper’s Playground and their project partners, Friends of Couch Playground have reached the halfway goal of $250,000.

"The commitment by Harper’s Playground, leaders, Friends of Couch Playground, community advocates, and the many businesses and neighbors who have contributed to the effort for inclusive play shows the power of Portlanders coming together,” says Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz. “I am grateful for their partnership on this exciting project."

Background on Couch Park Bond Project:

In the spring of 2014, the wooden play structure and stage at Couch Park were removed due to safety concerns after a structural engineer’s evaluation.

The Parks Replacement Bond was passed thanks to overwhelming support by voters in November 2014. It is focused on repair and replacement of the most critical needs in our park system. The Couch Park project is one of more than 30 bond projects taking place citywide.

Support the Partnership with Friends of Couch Playground and Harper’s Playground: These partners have committed to fundraising an additional $500,000 by the fall of 2016 to supplement the Bond budget to create a play area design that is as inclusive as possible. The community can get involved in this effort by contacting:

Lauren Nathe, Friends of Couch Playground
laurennathe@gmail.com
And
G Cody QJ Goldberg, Harper’s Playground
cody@harpersplayground.org, 503-730-5445

About Harper’s Playground

Harper’s Playground was founded in 2010 with the goal to build community by providing an inclusive playground at Arbor Lodge Park where children and adults of all abilities can play together. Our vision is to make a more inclusive world one playground at a time. Named for their daughter Harper, founders April & Cody Goldberg committed to creating more opportunities for inclusion of all kinds in all areas of our community.

About 107 Independent Supporters Trust

The 107IST (107 Independent Supporters Trust) is a member-based non-profit organization open to anyone (regardless of where they sit in the stadium) who loves soccer, the Timbers/Thorns, Portland, and especially the combination of the three. The 107IST is the engine that powers the Timbers Army and the Rose City Riveters and facilitates funding tifo displays and charitable contributions from the Rose City Riveters and the Timbers Army.

RCTID but Saprissista Hasta la Muerte

107ist Admin — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 05:36:15 GMT

—by Fernando Melo

The conflict…I am a tico living in Oregon. I am a big Timbers fan, haven’t missed a match in 2 years.

Sounds counter intuitive, huh? How can one love 2 teams? Let me “attempt” to explain:

In Costa Rica there is no soccer, there is only futbol. When talking about “futbol” in CR, there is Saprissa and La Liga. Everything else pales in comparison.

The “Super Clasico Nacional” as it is referred to is the equivalent of Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Yankees vs Red Sox and the inevitable comparison, Timbers vs Sounders. These two teams have such a strong hate for each other, it makes the Sounders rivalry feel like a thumb wrestling match.

How do I know this? I grew up in Costa Rica, during the 90s when this rivalry was as heated as ever.

To understand Saprissa, I think you should understand how Costa Rica feels about soccer in general.

In 1990, Costa Rica appeared in its first World Cup ever. Eight out of the 22 played on Saprissa. When Costa Rica scored their first goal the entire country stood still. We were sent home from school to celebrate. When we beat Scotland it was sheer pandemonium. The streets were flooded; with I think every single person that lives in Costa Rica. The air was thick with confetti. The president declared a national day off on the spot. Nobody truly remembers the next two days. That's how much we love futbol. It happened again during the 2014 World Cup. Check the YouTube videos. Parades? We don’t do parades. We party as a country!

La Ultra Morada (Purple Ultra), the Saprissa supporters, are the main ventricle to this love of club. They are radical, they are intimidating, they are downright scary. Landon Donovan calls them the most intimidating group in all of soccer. The rabid fanaticism they exhibit is legendary. One simply does not buy tickets and decide to sit with them. You risk severe humiliation and injury. But if you are Saprissa, they are your heart, your soul and your medulla oblongata. I truly believe La Ultra has won games for them out of sheer intimidation. Sounds familiar, eh? But the true factor that makes this cheering section so legendary is its own inability to control SOME of its members. While the TA is a tight group and well organized, the Ultras embrace organization and chaos. While still boasting great organizational skills, it is also plagued by fringe fanatical groups that may not always be on the side of Johnny Law, or as they are referred to in CR, the popos. These fringe groups are the ones to look out for. In my opinion, Saprissa knows this, and takes full advantage of it.

Just recently Saprissa played la Liga in an Ultra Clasico finals matchup. One of the opposing team players lost his cool, took off his shoe and threw it. His aim was so bad; people contend he was trying to hit the Ultras, but in reality he was just frustrated with himself (yeah right). It did not end well for him. Let's just say that guy got more than he bargained for. Extra security was brought in after the game and still he could not escape the ultras' wrath. Bottom line, you do not mess with them. Respect them and they will maybe acknowledge it.

I bet you guys want to know about the actual team too, eh? Those stats can be Googleized, so let me just give you the numbers: 32 National Championships, 8 “short” championships, 8 Costa Rican Cup championships, 3 CONCACAF club championships, 5 UNCAF championships, 1 Central American championship, 3^rd place FIFA Club World Cup championship. These guys know winning and they win a lot. Why? Their supporters demand and expect it.

The players that Saprissa produces are some of the best in the world. Remember the 2014 World Cup? Chances are that a Saprissa player either scored or stopped a penalty allowing the jaw-dropping 4^th place finish. I believe that party may still be going on.

That Cinderella team boasted a good contingency of players from said club.

Bottom line, PTFC has their work cut out for them. Saprissa is not a team that should be taken lightly, but I can tell you that they are taking PTFC lightly. Whether the Timbers like it or not, they are relative rookies in a sea of seasoned champions. All I can say is be careful going into La Cueva. Make sure you have a buddy with you at all times. Otherwise, enjoy Costa Rica, they have amazing beaches!

Timbers Army Heart Walk a Success

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 May 2016 21:47:41 GMT

—By Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

On Saturday, May 21st, Timbers Army CPR teacher extraordinaire Dale Montgomery headed up a group of volunteers in Portland's Heart Walk, an American Heart Association event designed to raise money and awareness to combat cardiovascular disease and stroke. Dale was happy to report that the event was a rousing success:

We had a combined 43 donors and walkers (32 people walked) who participated as a part of our Timbers Army CPR/AMR 2016 American Heart Association Heart Walk team. We raised $4000 for heart attack, stroke, prevention and awareness. The Timbers Army team really represented Saturday! Our little army was the 8th highest fundraiser out of 100 teams!! Keep in mind the teams ahead of us were from large healthcare companies like OHSU. Of the 32 people who walked, there was my friend John Acerbi who just 65 days earlier survived a cerebral stroke. He and his wife walked together....It was truly an inspirational day.

Dale expressed his thanks to the Timbers Army/107IST volunteers and supporters, as well as to AMR for their support and sponsorship for the walk. AMR has been a tremendous supporter of the Timbers Army CPR initiative, loaning us our first six CPR dummies before we were able to purchase our own for classes, as well as paying for 107IST CPR instructor classes. We truly appreciate their support, and yours. Congratulations for a job well done.

They Can't Take Our Passion

107ist Admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 04:55:16 GMT

—by Travis Hefner

A version of this editorial originally appeared in the East Coast Platoon Facebook group and is reprinted here with permission.

We are fucking proud. We are proud of the work we do. We are proud of the efforts people put into this club. We are proud of our standing as truly the best supporters the world has ever seen.

Due to this pride, this *deserved* fucking pride, our ire is great and vindictive when what we are proud of does not get to happen.

We are all proud of our fearless ECP leader, Scott Brown. He busts his ass for us to have amazing times at our away days, including communicating for weeks if not months beforehand with our opponent's front office. He, along with members of the tifo crew in Portland, put together that tifo display that you may have heard about on social media. This was not a last minute decision by Scott; numerous emails were sent back and forth between Scott and New England reps. But, they were indecisive. They were lazy. They never approved it or disapproved it, merely continued to deflect and string along until the last minute (quite literally in one case).

Despite weeks of this back and forth, the tifo display we all saw wasn't officially axed until mere *hours* before the game. Hard work? Going through proper channels? Within MLS guidelines? Eh, go fuck yourself still, says the New England Revolution.

What angers me further is our new ECP banner also being banned from the stadium with no prior warning. Again the hard work of Scott Brown gets stolen because of...uh...reasons? The truly ridiculous thing about this being that two years ago, a larger banner was *allowed* in by these same fucking people. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to New England away; all I know is at the end I'm always pissed off.

As for you lot? The pride I spoke of? It fucking grew. Whether it be average folk like myself yelling about it on Twitter, or Timbers Army themselves back home stating "Next season we'll do a banner that simply says 'You lost MLS Cup five f*****g times,'" my heart grew for the support of supporters. As another banned Scott Brown creation said, "Keep on pushing."

And to New England? Scott Brown has to be diplomatic. He does, after all, have to deal with this circus constantly as our away day rep. Unfortunately, I don't have such constraints. Also unfortunately, I'm an asshole. So, let me put it succinctly for these clowns in New England.

Y'all's front office is a fucking disgrace.

Travis is a proud ECP member who lives in the Pittsburgh area. He can be reached on Twitter at @sonofcrunch.

The Banner You Won't See Tonight

107ist Admin — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 05:41:24 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

Tonight we have a midweek match thousands of miles from home. In spite of the time and location, the Timbers Army will be out in force. The East Coast Platoon and other travelers will be supporting our boys in the stands with songs and chants in record numbers for a Wednesday night in New England. You'll hear them singing, you'll see them cheering. One thing you won't see, however, is this overhead banner in the stands.

Today, the day of the match, the Revs FO refused entry to this apparently horribly offensive banner:

Was there a size restriction? Nope, not specifically. The Revs FO didn't give any specifics on dimension restrictions, and in fact stated that they "try to allow for supporters groups to bring in larger banners."

Was it in violation of MLS standards? Nope. In spite of the fact that they've been marketing this match as one where they play MLS Cup winners Portland Timbers, and in spite of the fact that the Revs FO admit that the poster doesn't violate any MLS content rules, they still won't allow it into the stadium.

Apparently being five times a bridesmaid and never a bride makes one very thin-skinned and grumpy.

The Chant

107ist Admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 05:52:23 GMT

—by Nicky Weisenfeld

It's 2016 and the Timbers Army still sings a chant that includes the line, "Shag your women and drink your beer." In late 2014, Orlando City FC sent out an ill-conceived tweet advising that the best way for their supporters to get their wives/girlfriends to watch soccer was to buy them clothes. Last week, NASL club Miami FC attempted to sell tickets by posting a video of two young, blond women, encouraging their fans to "join these babes" instead of, you know, come watch a soccer match.

In both instances, most TA members I know and follow were rightly horrified and embarrassed for those tone-deaf clubs. And that makes sense; the TA prides itself on championing women in the sport and showing respect for all supporters. Yet we still sing a verse that encourages our fans to "shag your women," every match. We continue to gleefully chant a line that is mildly threatening, heteronormative, and divisive at best. How can we expect other clubs to respect female fans if the TA - the most influential supporters group in North America - continues condoning and reciting a chant that reduces women to objects to be shagged, possessions to be conquered, "babes" to be ogled?

The systemic objectification of women is so ingrained that many people who read this will wonder what the big deal is. It's just a few words, it's just a good time, it's just a football chant. People argue that it doesn't imply lack of consent, and the "your" could mean "one's own woman," as if that makes it any better. But we're not living in the dark ages, or even the 1950's. The perpetuation of the idea of women as objects without agency — as possessions who exist only for male pleasure — is a big fucking deal, and it's flat out wrong. It's not just words, it's not just a chant, and it's not a good time; it's using specific oppressive words that do damage. What all these words lead to is very real and very dangerous.

People contend the chant is a hallowed tradition and shouldn't be messed with. But tradition is a construct, a living thing that can and should change with progress and context. Tradition is only worth something if it's something to be proud of, if it represents the people who strive to uphold it. So ask yourself: does this tradition reflect your own values? Is this the best the TA can do? Ask yourself – better yet, ask the organization that can move mountains when it wants to – is it really that difficult to change one line or stop singing it entirely? Is it really that hard to stop chanting something that doesn’t represent who we truly are?

My friends and I have come up with many alternatives to this line (sometimes classy, sometimes raunchy, sometimes we say nothing at all), but it's not about one person or group finding the perfect replacement - I'd love to hear what this chant means to other TA members, and if we even need to keep it at all. Post your thoughts below and get the conversation started. Sometimes a little progress does take an army.

Refreshing the Songbook: A Better Way (or: We Write the Hits)

107ist Admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 06:00:21 GMT

—by Scott Jeffries

The Timbers Army songbook began as a grassroots operation, but since our rise to MLS, that grass is increasingly feeling as plastic as our pitch. Much virtual ink has been spilled over how to keep our chants fresh and several attempts have been made with mixed success to impose new chants by edict. Most recently, Bickle penned a two-part history that perfectly illustrated how we got from the bottom-up, fan-driven culture of the USL era to the top-town, choreographed experience we have today, culminating with the issuance of three new songs we have been told we are to do, plus an official contest offering one lucky winner the chance to contribute your own chant (within the specified rules, of course). I could not be more opposed to this process. Imagine how we'd have responded to this blog post if it were on some fishy northern team's blog a few years ago. How far off is this from reading words off a Jumbotron, except that they happened to be penned by a fellow fan? This contest should be scrapped and those new chants put before the court of public opinion along with the many other great ideas that have been floating around for years but don’t have the official weight behind them to make them immediately happen.

I get it. In a sea of 5,000 people, it is nearly impossible to make anything happen organically. Chants are born within sections but rarely make their way beyond, drowned out by distance and dissonance. The few songs that do find devotees suffer from a bad game of telephone. ("What was the last line of Diego Plays for Rose City? 'Blessed are the cheesemakers'?") Player chants are plagued by competing versions with no way to reconcile them. We no longer meet in the same bar, have the same conversations, and only need to shout loudly enough for people to hear us a few rows away. We somehow need to spread our ideas to sixteen different sections and finally reach critical mass with the beating of drums, blaring of trumpets, and leading of cheers. We're all just pissing in the wind.

There has to be a better way. We need to leverage the way we as a fanbase communicate today to better enable fan-to-fan exchange, and, more importantly, fan-to-capo exchange. Absent the resurrection of SCUSA (to say nothing of the 107ist forum whose active users are probably outnumbered by Nevernudes), it could be as simple as a Facebook group and Twitter account where people can post, like, comment, collaborate, and share. We no longer fill the two hours before kickoff with nonstop song. We can fill that dead air with new ideas, and we can get the word out to fans that we are trying those new ideas. If they work, they work. If not, they don't. The capos, drummers, and trumpeters can see these posts, hear these chants, and, if they seem to be catching on, support their growth. But it's going to require them being open to ideas that didn't necessarily come from them or even people they know, acting less as gatekeepers and more as facilitators, following the lead of the fans, not dictating to them.

This is just one suggestion, and like the chants themselves, should be subject to debate. Is there a better way to promote chant ideas? Who should be allowed to participate? Do we make it open to the public? Registration only? 107ist members? When does a popular chant reach “official” status? I don’t know if this is the best solution, but it’s a start.

TA Two-Stick Party - 4/30

107ist Admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 05:54:51 GMT

We’re having a two-stick party.

On April 30th, the Timbers Army will be hosting its first Two-Stick Party.

What’s a two-stick? Those are the fan-made signs you see in the stands every match that are being held up by two PVC poles. They are probably the smallest element of tifo in our stadium every match.

The TA will supply everything you need to create your two-stick, except the idea (more on that below). We will have banners, paint, and brushes. We’ll have poles available inside the stadium for the match on May 1st.

For a design, there are two ways you can go:

Freehand: Just come on down, grab a brush, and go to town. Paint the design or message of your choice.

Traced: We will have a few projectors available the day of the party, but you will need to make sure you have your design ready, and that’s a bit more complicated.

Our banners are 4’ wide by 5’ tall, so your image will need to fit into that aspect ratio. The best way to do this is make sure your design fits in either a vertical rectangle or square. A design that is horizontal won’t work very well because it will leave a lot of space at the top or the bottom.

You will need to get a digital copy of your design to us. You can do this in advance emailing it to mikegcoleman@gmail.com or you can bring it down the day of the party. We can accept JPG, PNG, PDF, PSD, and AI files.

Once we have your design, we’ll project it down onto your blank canvas and help you trace it out. From there you can grab some paint and go to town.

Regardless of the method you choose to create your two-stick, there are a couple things to remember:

This is a pretty small sign, so designs should be as simple as possible and BOLD. Lots of small details will be lost when your sign is viewed from the pitch. Of course, this is a balance. It doesn’t need to be GO TEAM simple, but nobody is probably going to notice the filigree on your Norse warrior's battle axe.
Signs that promote bigotry or contain foul language will not be allowed into the stadium.
Each attendee can paint one two-stick.

OK, now that we have that out of the way: In order to keep things as orderly as possible, we are using a timed entry system. You can register at the Eventbrite below and pick your time. This helps to ensure that we don’t get too backed up on the projectors and we have enough volunteers.

You can sign up and get location information here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/timbers-army-two-stick-party-tickets-24634623823

For You We Sing: Capos & Drummers & Chants; Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, Part 2

107ist Admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 05:58:27 GMT

—by Shawn Levy

(Read part one here)

A (NOT SO) BRIEF HISTORY OF CHANTS AND CAPOS, CONTINUED (feel free to skip if the history of Our Thing isn't your thing)

Liam teaches; Pong (red hat) learns

Starting from the night in September, 2005, when Liam Murtaugh came from Chicago and showed us how they used capos to coordinate their singing, the Timbers Army accrued a cohort of perhaps a half-dozen capos. Over the next few seasons we learned how to spread them out through sections 106, 107 and 108 to get optimal coordination of what had become several hundred singers. We added a couple more drummers and drums, including larger toms to replace the snares. The capos and DnT would huddle before and after matches to coordinate plans and take stock of outcomes. We were literally getting our act together.

In this era, quite a bit more of our standard repertoire emerged: “When I Root,” “We're the Timbers Army” (the Twisted Sister chant), “I Am a Timbers Fan” (the Sex Pistols chant), and more. Among the new tunes, one had a very particular birth: “The Greek Chant,” aka “North End Noise,” aka “So who are we?” For that, with its complex structure and torrents of words, we tried a new system: posting the lyrics and a clip of the melody on social media (which at the time meant the SCUSA message board), printing lyrics to distribute in the stadium, rehearsing with the crowd before kickoff, and deciding to perform it at a certain minute in the match. It took some doing, but it too became canonical, and its birth gave us a new way to introduce new material.

By 2010, when MLS was a sure thing and we could predict a (physical) end to the growth of the match day Timbers Army, we had achieved something very near the current situation: capos in front of 108, 107, 106 and sometimes 105, and a central drums section up toward the then-center of things. In the stadium renovation, the front office, previous iterations of which had dealt with the “problem” of Timbers Army singing with scorn and threats, actually rebuilt the North End to accommodate capos on a permanent basis: the big stage in front of 107, the nests (or, as I always think of them, go-go cages) along the rails from 101-108, and the storage area at the top of the 200s for drums, flags and whatnot.

And as we quickly discovered, we needed it all. The scale of the MLS-era Timbers Army was beyond anything anyone had ever imagined: Dozens had become hundreds had become thousands in something like six years' time.

For one thing, even with the massive boost of the drums and horns, it was difficult to coordinate the capos and keep all sections of the North End on the same beat and verse; we tried a megaphone and earpieces and finally settled on hand signals (similarly, the main stage capos needed a way to cue the drums, and that, too, came eventually to be accomplished through a system of hand signals). Also, spontaneous responses to what was happening on the pitch became nearly impossible: sure, a small group could start singing something witty and in-the-moment, but there was no way to convey the tune or words to folks sitting seven sections away, and certainly not in a timely fashion; by the time word spread –if it spread – the moment had long passed. Trying to keep the old spryness alive was like trying to run an obstacle course from inside a tank; we realized eventually that the best we could do was just aim it forward and make only subtle turns.

I remember in early 2011 standing on my corner of the capo stage, looking up into the 200 level, and being stupefied by the enormous mass of No Pity-scarved, standing, singing people in front of me....and then turning to the right and seeing the same sight repeated another 7 or 8 times. It was like a CGI tsunami of green-and-white and faces and bodies and voices. It was overwhelming. It was awesome.

The author vows to finish the fight; 2012

And it required us to think again about what we sang and how we coordinated it. In the first few MLS seasons, we made a few tweaks to the idea of how the Timbers Army sings. Inspired by the ambient sound of overseas matches, we chose to orient ourselves toward what we called “epic” chants – repetitions of standard chants lasting several minutes which formed a truly 'atmospheric' sound and would make it immediately evident that one was at (or tuned into) a Timbers match. We introduced a new chant or two each year: selecting melodies from elsewhere in the world (our current repertoire includes songs inspired by Greek, English, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Argentine, and Moroccan originals, among others), writing lyrics, and teaching them via social media and in-stadium rehearsals. These include “Somos Timbers,” “Party in Portland,” “Bury Me,” “Onward,” and the two most recently introduced chants: “Keep it Up!” and “Green and Gold,” which were launched at the tail end of 2012.

WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND WHERE WE'D LIKE TO GO
Which brings us up to today and, more pointedly, tomorrow.

Since the end of the 2012 season, for a number of reasons, the capos and DnT haven't introduced a new chant, but there's a feeling in the air that things have started to get a little routine and we ought to try to come up with some new stuff.

We're in a new age, though. Many of the sea of fans who've joined the North End since the advent of MLS have their own personal, emotional connections to the songs they sing and want to share in the creation and development of new material.

It requires a delicate balance.

On the one hand, the capos and DnT have learned pretty dang well what works and how and why: what can be sung (and, especially drummed) for a few minutes by a massive group; what kinds of material are needed to keep up the flow of songs throughout a match; what material would be unique to the TA (at least in North America); what chants have already been done and/or dismissed previously. Plus, of course, the capos and DnT have to lead and play the material. Their combination of expertise, expressivity, and volunteerism ought to be respected.

On the other hand: there's a lot of good material out there (my own BRILLIANT ideas aside); I can point to the “Urruti!” chant that began in the front of 108 and rose to canonical status as a pointed example. We ought to be able to incorporate the best ideas from the whole community into our repertoire.

So: We we've come up with a few ways to generate some new material, and we'll be jazzing up the songbook a little during the coming months.

First we're gonna introduce a couple of chants devised by the capos and DnT.

Then we're gonna reach out to the Timbers Army, the North End Choir, to nominate and elect new chants for regular use.

To start, here are three new chants from the capos and DnT:

1) “Rose City” – Easy-peasy and, in fact, an oldie but goodie. (Short chants like this make really good palate-cleansers or rev-ups when things get a bit stale during the match.) Two words, sung to this melody (which some of you might know as “Start the game!”).

2) “We Love You Timbers” – Another somewhat-oldie, sung to the famed “I love you, baby!” portion of “Can't Take My Eyes Off of You” by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (at 1:35 here). The lyrics are also a cinch:

“We! Love! You! Ti-imbers!
Nana nana nana!
We! Love! You! Ti-imbers!
Nana nana nana!
We! Love! You! Ti-imbers!
Nana na nana naaaa!”

3) “Adi! Boma-Ye!” – Nearly launched as a Kalif chant, it was made famous as a celebration of Muhammad Ali during his “Rumble in the Jungle” fight in Zaire, and it literally translates as “Adi! Kill him!” The melody is at the beginning here. (Note: Short chants make the best chants to celebrate players as they allow for a quick start/stop in response to action in the match; hopefully we'll have lots of chances to use this one while there's smoke in the air!)

Give 'em a whirl as you drive around, do the dishes, prefunk at the pub, what have you. We'll be trying them out at the upcoming Dallas and San Jose matches.

And then turn your minds to this:

The first-ever (perhaps anywhere) Crowdsourced Chant Competition/Election.

Later this year, we will be setting up a means for anyone in the North End to submit a chant for the TA, who will then vote and select not one but two new chants that will be incorporated into the match day repertoire.

It will work something like this: through an as-yet-to-be-finalized process, prospective chant-writers will submit a clip of the melody of their suggested chant along with lyrics; an election period resembling that used for 107ist board members will follow; and the top two chants, as described below, will be incorporated into the mix. Some details:

For this particular election, we are seeking player chants only – i. e., songs celebrating our on-pitch heroes (Nagbe, Valeri, Chará, etc.).
Anyone (including the capos and DnT) may nominate as many as two songs, but only 107ist members can vote (this prevents ballot-stuffing and interference from the Fishing Village, among other ills).
The top vote-getting chant and the next-highest vote-getter for another player will be selected (e.g., if the top vote-getter is, say, a Jake Gleeson chant, the second chant will be the highest vote-getter for, say, Ben Zemanski, even if Jake's got the overall second-most-popular chant as well).

We'll be announcing the start of this competition/election later this spring, along with specific details about how it will work and some pointers as to what we've learned about what makes for the most effective chants (and, for those who haven't been singing with the TA since 2001, a list of songs that have already been used for players now departed).

So consider this an early heads-up: If you want to contribute a chant, think up something short, punchy, catchy and celebratory for your favorite player (or two), and start looking for a short video or audio clip of the melody.

Who knows: Maybe someday some long-winded mofo like me might write an epic post for this very blog telling a new generation of fans how that classic melody of yours first came to be sung in the North End.

Because every legend's gotta start somewhere....

Shawn Levy capoed the North End on and off from 2006-2012 and has led the TA in LA, New England, Denver, Seattle, Vancouver, Columbus, and (heh) Guyana. Among the melodies he contributed to the TA songbook are “Bella Ciao,” “If You're Not Jumping,” and “Does Your Mom Go?” These days he sings next to the drums in 106 and serves on the board of Operation Pitch Invasion.

Our Ode to Timber Jim

107ist Admin — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 06:04:01 GMT

—by Brian Cheney

Nigel de Jong: a living, breathing bag of human shit. By now, most of us have probably watched de Jong maliciously curb stomp our beloved Nagbe’s leg. That tackle was meant to injure Nagbe. What’s worse: this is the third game in a row where a malicious foul has been committed on the Timbers, with no serious in-game repercussions. Did you notice that Asprilla wasn’t even in the 18? That might have something to do with Shea’s suspension-earning tackle last week. Nigel’s tackle certainly stole the spotlight this weekend. But for us, for our fanbase, it wasn’t the only big event. Merely a day before, our very own Timber Jim gave a heartfelt speech at the TedX Portland conference. The topic of his speech could not have been more appropriate or more immediately applicable: Timber Jim talked about the conquering power of love.

For those who did not get to hear the speech, Timber Jim spoke of the powerful effect of meeting darkness and disaster with love. He talked about his battles with cancer, the loss of his father, and the loss of his daughter. His words were so powerful that I was, frankly, at a loss as to how to tie his thoughts into the world of soccer. Where does the power of love fit into the beautiful game?

The events on Sunday were the perfect answer to this question. Soccer may just be a game, but for so many people it has become a major, physical part of life. This is nothing new. Likewise, losing or being unfairly treated in the game has led to a lot of death, hurt, and destruction. Just four years ago, 74 people were killed at an Egyptian soccer match in a massive riot following a 3-1 loss. 74 people.

Back then, the Port Said riot seemed like nothing that would ever happen here. Following the game yesterday, though, I read the whispers of anger, hate, destruction, and the unspoken wish for revenge coming from Timbers fans. Nagbe is one of us, and the cruelty of another has put him in a large amount of pain. You may think that our committed and passionate fans would never hurt someone, but it has been done by many people for less of a reason.

We all face choices now. We could choose the violent path: the path of angry words on the internet, the path of throwing beer at traveling fans, the path of breaking the windows of traveling fans’ cars. Or we could choose the path of love. Timber Jim’s words were meant for exactly such a situation. He said: “We all face the instinct of fight or flight. Your best option is to run, run from the hate and the desire to hurt. Run until you can turn around and use your anger as a fuel for your love.”

This could not be more applicable than it is now. Our desire to choose love has been something that has defined us Timbers fans, but only to a limit. We welcome fans of other teams, and we buy beers for rivals of other teams when it suits us. But we still ferociously take part in our rivalries, and we are still a group of angry fans. We can do better, and we can do more.

On Saturday, July 23, the LA Galaxy will be in Providence Park. It is likely that their fans, some of whom have defended Nigel de Jong, will be among us in the stands. Likewise, de Jong will be on our field. For this game, our love must be fueled by our anger. We must be ready to stand together and shower the Galaxy with our hospitality, our welcome, and our good intentions. We cannot resort to violence and anger. In fact, our love and humanity should shine like a beacon from the moment we stop running.

This ideal must not be held back by the fact that we are fans of a sports team. Just as fans across the world cause hurt and destruction, we must accept that our good actions can have real consequences. Our charity, acceptance, and welcome can be real factors in the world of a game, and not just for the sake of traveling LA fans.

Our group may be an army, our mascot may wield a chainsaw, our scarves may say ‘No Pity’, but our big hearts must be filled with love.

For You We Sing: Capos & Drummers & Chants; Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, Part 1

107ist Admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:20:31 GMT

—by Shawn Levy

Prefunk

You hear it before you see it – before you see the stadium, even.

The drums; the horns; the voices.

My God: the voices....

Thousands of them, singing, in unison – and not just ditties, but complex melodies with call-and-response parts and choruses and veritable cascades of words.

With all our friends now!

Up to the city!

We're gonna shake the gates of Hell!

And we do: We shake those gates.

The Timbers Army is renowned for its colorful, ingenious tifo displays, for its immense, cheerful traveling cohorts, for its truckloads of handsome, iconic merch, for its staggering efforts in charity and community engagement, and for its sheer, overwhelming size.

But the first way folks get to know the Timbers Army is through the ears: the 90-plus minutes of non-stop chanting that comes out of the North End or whatever corner of a faraway ground has been turned into the North End for an away day.

The Timbers Army does lots of things. But mainly: It sings.

OUR SINGING/DRUMMING/TOOTING HEROES

The TA has always been the noisiest bit of the stadium, whatever stadium it's in, whether that meant 2003's few dozen singers and a couple of pickle barrels, or today's massive bank of thousands of standing chanters, 8 large drums, and a handful of trumpets.

Well, let's take a moment to celebrate that glorious sound, to commend the capos, drummers, and trumpeters who help us make it, to talk about how we developed this remarkable musical culture, and to help us move it forward, with new chants, new energies, and new enthusiasm.

We justly celebrate our tifo, our merch, our good works, and our size.

But when it comes to the doings of our capos, drummers and trumpeters, we've been relatively silent.

Perhaps this is because we all participate (or should) in making the sound of the TA. Perhaps because it's because we understand (or think we do) what a capo or drummer does more clearly than we understand the workings of the tifo or merch operations (for the record: no one understands a trumpeter). Perhaps it's because we were once harassed by a capo for not singing. Perhaps it's because Pong.

But, seriously: Let's give it up for the band.

Consider:

The Timbers Army is the largest body of dedicated 90-minute singers in the U.S. and Canada, easily...and without making any claims, I would be curious to see how it would rank in Mexico.
We have a massive repertoire of songs, and even though we've developed a set list, we have a very diverse sound throughout a match. (A catalog compiled in 2010 identified 161 chants that had been sung in the North End, and most would've been easy to launch again at any moment.)
We are LOUD.

And we couldn't be any of those things without the work of the capos and the drums and trumpets, or DnT as they self-dub.

Every single thing we sing was once devised by a capo and/or drummer – or by someone who was effectively serving as one back in the day. A number of our capos, drummers, and trumpeters have worked HUNDREDS of matches, some of them going back almost a decade – a contribution of, in some cases, 1000-plus hours. And, for the record, even though they're helping create the atmosphere and missing much of the match, they all pay for their own tickets and travel (full disclosure, they do get bottles of water from the front office at home matches, management stooges that they are....).

And they work those matches, yo. 90-plus minutes of drumming, singing, exhorting, jumping, keeping the energy up by example, responding to the action on the pitch or to the vibe in the stands by tweaking the playlist: It's a job, let me tell you. I have nothing but respect for the folks who put in those brutal hours, at the expense of watching the pitch, at the cost of knees and shoulders and vocal cords, without a sou of compensation or, usually, a word of thanks.

So: to my brothers and sisters in the capo stands and the DnT pit: Our heartfelt gratitude. You fucking rock. Hard. And I, for one, am proud to be a (retired) member of your tribe.

A (NOT SO) BRIEF HISTORY OF CHANTS AND CAPOS (feel free to skip if the history of Our Thing isn't your thing)

And while we're taking the long view: How did we get to have capos in the first place?

Back in the earliest days, when the Timbers Army could only sort-of fill the bottom of Section 107, there were no capos. Or, rather, everyone was his or her own capo: Moved to song, you would simply wait for a moment of quiet and belt out one of the standards, or something you'd worked up at home or in the pub, or something you concocted on the spot, and it would be picked up by those around you, or not, and it ended when it ended.

There were a few melodies in the repertoire that persist today: “Portland Boys,” “We! Are! Timbers Army!,” “Build a Bonfire,” “Go Home You Bums,” and “Rose City Till I Die” among them. But there weren't rituals such as “Heeeeeeey Portland Timbers!” at kickoff or “You Are My Sunshine” in the 80th minute, and there were no capo stands. There was only one drummer – the aptly named Drumman – who was always there, albeit with a mere snare drum. There was General Timber Howie (for whom Bless Field would one day be named) with a small gong. There was a trumpeter, Lazorrobots, who could play through anything. There were a couple of cowbell jockeys. There were (ahem) claves.

DnT in Tukwila, circa 2005

In that atmosphere, and at that size, it was easy to shift from singing a longish chant to singing some sort of response to the match – say, celebrating a specific player's contribution, raining disdain upon an opponent, or wondering aloud about the sensory acuity of the referee. (Thus did the celebrated chants for, among others, Scot Thompson, Josh Wicks, and Tommy Poltl gain traction and immortality.)

The nearest thing to a capo back then was Timber Jim, who had a large tom drum and led the TA in “T-I-M-B-E-RRRRRRRR-S” chant, which was always extremely loud. (Check this out: 2007, and ONE GUY with ONE DRUM leading it: absolute chills as I type....)

The song that became our first canonical scheduled chant was, fittingly, introduced by Jim: “You Are My Sunshine,” sung to the TA by Jim in late 2004 in gratitude for the outpouring of love and support after his daughter Hannah's death and cemented into ritual in the very moment of its birth by a ridiculous backheeled goal scored by Fadi Afash WHILE the TA were sobbingly singing. (My boy Totalnerd has told this story quite beautifully here.)

At the time, there were several folks who took up the mantle of singing first and loudest – sort-of capos – including myself, Finnegan, and Pong, sometimes standing on a chair or at the bottom of a staircase to better coordinate things, which was becoming more difficult as the section of chanters grew and melodies took a while to launch.

But we didn't have a proper capo-capo until September 2005, when a guy named Liam Murtaugh came from Chicago and showed us how they did things there.

Liam

Liam didn't know many of us, and he barely knew our chants. But he had come to teach us something useful. Once the match got underway, he stood up on a seat near the front of 107 with his back to the match and spent the better part of a half leading us in song. He capoed us.

We watched, as Vladimir Mayakovsky put it, “as an Eskimo gapes at a train.” There were those who preferred the older model of spontaneity, but the regular, geometric expansion of the Timbers Army suggested that we needed a way of coordinating ourselves. We had seen a future, and capos, we decided, were it.

TOMORROW:

More history, more growth, more capos, and more songs

– including new ones that you can help write

Orlando City Visit

107ist Admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 17:22:34 GMT

—by Jeremy Varo-Haub

Usually a 4-1 loss puts me in a foul mood. No question, I had good reason to be upset. Despite matching Orlando 1 for 1 on shots taken, and despite winning the possession battle (can you feel me reaching for something—anything—good to say about our performance in Orlando?), the Timbers were fully, soundly, fairly beaten by the Lions, who were clearly inspired by the return of Kaká and his immense class and creativity.

If I had watched that game from home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I would have spent the rest of the evening ruing our chances—wishing Adi had converted that penalty; wondering what it might be like to have the left back question answered; mourning the poor, disconnected play of our usually gifted and capable midfield; wishing the ref hadn't been so obviously involved in the first and third goals; and wishing that we had stopped the Lions from scoring anyway.

A view from the seats

But even though I was in Orlando, lost in a sea of purple, and even though I didn't see them play to their potential, I finally got to see my beloved Timbers play live. We were 14 rows back, right at midfield. I could see Diego Chará's supernova of a smile from my seat.

I grew up in Portland. I love Portland. But for more than a decade I have lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—a place that is as far away from Portland as you can get without leaving the continental United States.

The Timbers are one of the ways I stay connected to home. When I watch home games at Providence Park, I remember living six blocks from the stadium after I graduated from college—back when baseball was still played there. When I read about how Timbers supporters raised money to fly Savannah Bee out from Columbus for the opener against the Crew, I feel proud. We are a warm and delightful people, with a great sense of humor. We embrace our opponents and are ever determined to show them why Portland is the greatest city in the world! I look at those shots of the stadium and I wish I could walk down to the Goose Hollow Inn for a Reuben. I want to raise a glass with the Timbers Army at a game. I want to see that green smoke, hear that chainsaw growling, hear the Army singing (and singing and singing and singing).

But it's a long way home to Portland, and it's only four hours' drive to Orlando. Despite the loss—which I hope is a bump in the road and not the beginning of a run of poor play—I left more delighted than disappointed.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Orlando. I've heard good things about the club and its supporters. But South Florida—the Florida where I live—is a weird place. Everyone here is from somewhere else. Most of them are going somewhere else, too. This isn't a place where most people feel settled. Snowbirds come down here from the Northeast during the winter. They lay out in the sun and drink mojitos. And once it warms up back home, they go back. Immigrant families pass through South Florida on their way somewhere else. Young families move to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, chasing the sun, and eventually the humidity or the flatness or the call of home leads them away again. This place is a huge geographical revolving door. It's not hard to imagine what that does to a culture; there are very few deep roots. It's as far from Portland culturally as it is geographically.

The boys warming up

So while I'm excited about Miami getting an MLS team—I'm enough of a fan of soccer that I can appreciate what it will mean to be able to easily go to games—I'm not sure how successful they'll be. Everyone here is from somewhere else, and they don't forget it. I know I certainly won't. I'll go to watch Beckham's team play, but I'm Rose City 'Til I Die. I don't know what that means for a club down here. I hope that a soccer culture even 50% as strong as the culture surrounding the Timbers develops. But I'm not optimistic.

Orlando—four hours north of Miami—is a different place altogether. You'd think that the city that grew up around Disney World wouldn't have much of its own identity, but the opposite is true. It doesn't seem like it would make a huge difference, but the five years the club spent in USL Pro gave them time and space to develop. By the time they moved up to MLS, it was easy to fill the stands with purple shirts. The supporters club never stopped waving flags, never stopped singing—though we didn't give them much reason to stop, either. Before and after the game, downtown Orlando was filled with people in purple shirts, too. The folks who surrounded us during the game were generally kind, even though I was wearing my championship scarf. (One quick aside: before the game started, one Lions supporter yelled something at me that I didn't hear. His wife apologized for whatever it was he said. I just smiled, pointed at my scarf, and said, "I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you over this star.")

Orlando has the second highest attendance in MLS this year. I'm enough of a fan of soccer in general that I was encouraged by the experience. Soccer is bringing people together in Orlando, like it does in Portland. Like it does for people like me who love Portland and who aren't there.

It's too early in the season to worry about the Timbers too much. They gave up that first goal and the rest of the game it looked like they were running uphill and Orlando was running downhill. In many ways, tactically, that's exactly what happened. We gave them more and more space to run at us in the back while we pressed for our own goals. Being down a goal will do that to a team that is 3,000 miles away from home, missing their fiery English center back, playing outside of their conference, and still trying to figure out what to do about the left side of the pitch.

But even though he missed that penalty, watching Adi wrestle for space in the final third, lay off balls to his teammates, and work hard to get in on goal was worth the drive to Orlando. Chará chased balls down and won tackles even as he struggled to contain Kaká. Nagbe showed flashes of pace and I could see the Lions worrying about him whenever he turned himself up the pitch and ran at goal. Borchers gobbled up the ball—most of the time—whenever it got close to our goal. Live, they looked as lovely as I knew they would. Individually, all of those guys feel like family to me. (Valeri plays guitar and loves Portland? Chará loves to draw? These are my people.) But collectively, they just couldn't put it together.

The author and Jeff

It was a disappointing result, but I would happily go watch that happen again, just to see my team in person. It would be even better to see them win, but like I said earlier, I'm RCTID. I'll take whatever Timbers team I can get. And they will always be one of the main ways I stay connected to Portland.

One other thing happened at the game. While the Timbers Army was streaming in and heading to their corner, I heard someone calling my name. It turns out that a college friend of mine lives in Jacksonville, Florida. I haven't seen him in 20 years. His wife's family is from Portland, and after experiencing a game right in the middle of the Timbers Army a few years ago, he's RCTID, too.

In Memoriam: Our ACTUAL house in the middle of BC

107ist Admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 18:23:03 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

The unfortunate thing about history, getting older, evolution, and all those other things your parents warned you about, is that they were right. Things are going to change, get perverted into to a lesser version of what you remember or — in the worst case — die away completely. As was the case Wednesday, when the famous Railway Club in Vancouver, BC, long the home for traveling Timbers Army to the Great White North, announced it was closing, effective immediately.

Green Flag. Photo courtesy of Lucky McGillicuddy

A quick back story: Opened in 1931, first as an exclusive club for local railroad workers from a nearby station, it was eventually opened to the public. In 1980, the club started booking live music and eventually became a stop for major acts. The venue hosted widely known acts such as Barenaked Ladies, k.d. lang, and Los Lobos, as well Canadian favorites The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, and Great Big Sea. All this was memorialized by the number of signed 8x10s and other memorabilia that adorned the walls of the club.

The McGillicuddys

The club eventually became the main Van Away hangout for the TA as well, hosting ticket pick-up, pre- and post-show pints, and, of course, the yearly night of music from Victoria’s The McGillicuddys and our very own Green Flag. The club ingrained itself as a part of the experience of “Poutine Away.” The pre-match meet-ups and marches through the streets of Vancouver to “Our House.” Last year’s post-playoff talk of “Maybe this is the year” filling both sides of the bar. The night Capt. Jack kicked a hole right through the hearts of the Whitecaps faithful and brought home the Cascadia Cup, the chalice had a course to be filled from the taps of the Railway.

On a personal note, I got the honor of a lifetime just over a year ago when I had the opportunity to take that hallowed stage with Greenhorn. There is no feeling quite like standing on a stage that has not only housed so many acts that have inspired you, but also meant so very much to the supporters group you call family.

A supporters group can consider it very lucky to have and keep a specified pub to call home. For a little while, the TA was lucky enough to have two: home and away. Obviously everything is up in the air now. Will a new owner buy the place? Will they allow us to continue our shenanigans, or will the place be converted into the world’s fanciest Tim Hortons?

Vancouver Away will live on, one way or another… There is just a chance it may be a little less epic.

LONG LIVE THE RAILWAY!!!

Matthew Lindley is a musician and hopeless Canadaphile. He even owns a BC Lions toque. No foolin’, eh?

Booked! Drive Beats Last Year's Donation Total

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:25:56 GMT

—by Todd Diskin

For the second year the Booked Library and Literary Outreach Project challenged the Timbers Army to collect 107 new and used soccer books for children who don't have access to many books at home. Partnering with The Children's Book Bank and tasked with a deadline of the second home match vs RSL, the challenge laid out was again crushed by the TA faithful. This week the Booked committee was proud to give The Children's Book Bank a total of 268 books!

This year, we asked our members to donate books that are part of The Children's Book Bank "A Story Like Mine" project, one that seeks to provide more books that reflect the rich and diverse cultures and identities of the youth they serve. Donations were also accepted, collecting just over $200! Those funds will go to help The CBB purchase books that are greatly needed.

Each and every book donation was important to the drive and the Booked Library Committee is beyond grateful to the many people who helped support literacy in our community.

Booked! drive facts:

The donation of 268 books means about 20 children will be able to own 14 books each (a magic number for children's book ownership) that they will get to keep.
A middle income family will typically have 15 or more children's books in their home.
In Portland neighborhoods that experience high rates of poverty, the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children.
This year about 80,000 books will be donated, cleaned and delivered to area children by The Children's Book Bank.
In the 8+ years The Children's Book Bank has existed, about 45,000 youth have received over 500,000 books.
The Booked team will be teaming up with The Children's Book Bank for the final book cleaning project of this year at Bridges School campus on Saturday, April 9th from 1:00-4:00 PM. Sign up here.

Considering T2 From the Fanbase’s Perspective

107ist Admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 03:38:24 GMT

–by Brian Cheney

Empty seats, small lines, and chanting TA members: I’ll admit, my first T2 game was a bit of a surprise. After all, I remember quite well when Providence Park was this way, and recently I’ve heard quite a few members grousing about the overcrowded nature that the North End has assumed. To me, the relatively small confines of Merlo seemed like a welcome trip down memory lane. To the TA, they could be the next trend.

Imagine a place of plentiful beer, open seats, and professional soccer. Now throw in some players with the potential to be on the Timbers roster. Boom: you’ve got Merlo field. Surprisingly, though, the average attendance for T2 last season was 3,054, which is far from the full capacity of 4,892. The reasons for this lack of attendance seem obvious: a long, weird commute, a lack of competitiveness, and a lack of atmosphere. Who could possibly compare such a place to Providence Park?

However, the parallels between the current state of affairs in the stands of Merlo and the Timbers of several years ago are striking – save for the weird commute. I’ve been unfortunate enough to take the bus out to U of P, and I completely understand the lack of desire to make such a trip again. I found parking to be just as big of a problem when I was fortunate enough to drive.

This massive barrier should be enough to regularly deter most Timbers fans. Fortunately, our numbers and the small capacity of Merlo make this for the better. For beyond the long commute is something that many TA members would relish: a chance to do it all over again.

As with any organization, the TA has grown to become what it is today. Many of us, including myself, have not been around for long enough to appreciate all of the changes. But, as is human nature, many of those who have been around for awhile may often look back on the days of yore with a great fondness, while also appreciating that the North End is unlikely to go back to what it once was. The building of match day traditions (tifo, scarf waving, chants, etc.) is something that is surely treasured by each member as much as it is revered by those of us who are new to the fray.

Equally, I’m sure there are those among us who wish that those days were here so that they could be a larger part of the proceedings. Now that they’ve seen that the work is worth it, why not participate? Such people may believe those times to be no more.

But those days are not gone! For in Merlo and in T2, there is a chance to recreate and to reinvent match day traditions. Indeed, the empty seats and the relatively quiet songs of the TA yearn to be reinforced with many a drunken TA member. All within a suburb stadium where future Timbers (and promising international players!) play the junior members of rival teams.

I see this trend as somewhat inevitable, but let’s make it so. Let’s create an atmosphere that is worth remembering. We’ve shown MLS what we can do, but let’s remind USL. Let’s create a new set of game day traditions that make matches better for all involved.

As always, the Timbers have brought the beer and the soccer. Let’s bring the noise.

Open Letter to MLS Regarding Georgia HB 757

107ist Admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 18:19:58 GMT

"To be sure I must; and therefore I may assume that your silence gives consent." - Plato

We, the 107ist Board of Directors on behalf of the Timbers Army, want to publicly state that Georgia HB 757 is a huge step back in terms of equality and acceptance for people from all walks of life. And, while we are elated to hear that Gov. Nathan Deal says he will veto the bill, we are at the same time dispirited in the lack of official response from MLS and Don Garber.

As MLS is ready to welcome Atlanta United FC as one of its newest franchises, we would expect this matter to be of utmost importance to the league and its leadership. We would be remiss if we did not recognize and applaud the leadership shown by Arthur Blank, owner of Atlanta United FC and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, in denouncing the proposed legislation.

The Timbers Army from its inception has endeavored to create an inclusive atmosphere; a place where anyone who joins us feels welcome and safe. We are proud to be associated with a club who shares our vision in this regard, and has spoken out publicly on matters of equality.

However, we are deeply disappointed that MLS has chosen to sit back and remain silent with regard to HB 757.

To that end, we call on Don Garber and MLS to join others, including the National Football League, in speaking out in opposition to this abhorrent legislation, and to be proactive in the future when the rights of others are threatened.

Respectfully,

The 107ist Board of Directors on behalf of the Timbers Army

The People’s Ring

107ist Admin — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 18:55:51 GMT

Stig and Travis, a couple of Timbers Army members, have taken it upon themselves to start a GoFundMe to purchase the last championship ring from the Timbers and have it donated to the 107ist. The ring is part of a Stand Together auction, and any money raised from its sale goes back into the community.

Under their proposal, The 107ist would house the ring in the Fanladen and hold it on behalf of the supporters.

While the 107ist board supports this effort, we are not contributing any money out of the 107ist coffers - all money will come directly from supporters via the GoFundMe.

If the GoFundMe fails to raise enough money to successfully win the ring, the money raised will be donated to the 107ist and used for charitable purposes. If the GoFundMe raises in excess of what is needed to win, the excess will be donated to the 107ist as well.

The bottom line is any money raised ends up going back into the community as charitable giving, and maybe the supporters get their own ring.

The auction is Wednesday, so the timeline to raise the funds is compressed.

If your believe in this effort and have a few dollars to spare, the GoFundMe can be found here: Campaign is no longer active.

All 2016 non-Cascadia Away Matches now on sale

107ist Admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 18:51:45 GMT

Want to go to DC? Salt Lake? New York? Houston?

If so, you're now able to purchase your tickets for these matches!

If you'd like to buy away match tickets, simply visit http://timbersarmy.org/ta-tickets/away-tickets-travel/away-tickets and you'll be able to purchase there.

Please note some of the games coming up soon, such as Orlando and Los Angeles, are nearly sold out. If you've tried to buy LA tickets and they were sold out, the Galaxy made some more tickets available for us!

We'll announce our Seattle and Vancouver away closer to that event date, as per usual.

Are you interested in being a blogger for timbersarmy.org?

107ist Admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 17:51:27 GMT

If you're interested in blogging for the Timbers Army/107ist, please email us at support@timbersarmy.org and include the following:

Your name and email address
A writing sample or links to prior work
What subject areas you'd like to blog about (yes, we know it's about 'The Timbers', but be a little more specific... how about 'New Fan Perspective' or 'North End Culture' or 'T2 Analysis' ...I'm sure you get the idea!)
How frequently, at a minimum, you plan to blog (We need a variety of posting frequencies. One-off blog posts are also accepted.)

Thanks! Spread The Love!

Know Your Opponent, Episode One

107ist Admin — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 05:42:31 GMT

—by Matt Lindley

Winning a championship can have a very definitive effect on a professional sports team, especially one with a strong supporters group like the Timbers Army. The biggest impact will likely be an influx of new blood into the North End, so as a service to our newest TA, I humbly offer the following:

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT, N00BS!
EPISODE 1: TWO TEAMS — ONE CUP!

Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew

So, who do we play this week (or, what did Matt learn on Wikipedia)?:
The Columbus Crew were an inaugural member of MLS and had the first ever MLS Draft pick: USMNT legend, Brian McBride. In 1999, they moved into the first soccer-specific stadium in United States history. 16 years later, that stadium hosted an MLS Cup final. (Things did not end well.) Speaking of MLS Cups, the Crew won one once! That’s right! In 2008, the Crew won an MLS Cup under head coach Sigi Schmid. Schmid promptly resigned his post to live out his dream of opening a dessert bakery in the Seattle area.

Last time we saw them... Time flies when you have a three-month off season.

What to watch for…: NEW COLUMBUS UNIFORMS!!

They might be wearing these beauties. Prepare for the drunk guy behind you to make pee jokes… a lot of pee jokes.

Player to watch for: Kei Kamara. Despite his choice in hairstyle, he finished second in the league in scoring. He’ll be coming in hot and probably want to make a statement against team that ripped the MLS cup from his grasp just three months ago.

Know your fellow supporters: The Columbus supporters are called the “Nordecke” and were born out of a merging of the team’s original three SGs [that stands for “supporters groups,” kids]. They will likely travel well, considering the circumstances.

FUN FACT! “Nordecke” is German for “Hey, youse guys look thirsty down there!” Hospitality at its finest.

Match prediction: Being opening day, this one will have all the bells and whistles:
Epic tifo? Check.
Pre-game ceremonies? Check.
More than one annoying person in your section that co-opts WAY too much British slang? “I’ll be right chuffed, guvna!”

As far as the match, the atmosphere will be insane, but the Timbers always come slow out of the gate, so I’ll have to guess…

2-1 Timbers :)

Opening match tickets raffle to benefit Pondo memorial

107ist Admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 19:10:17 GMT

Good news! Ray Terrill has graciously stepped forward to donate season opener tickets to be raffled for a good cause. Thanks to Ray, we have a pair of tickets in the CLUB SECTION to the season opener, 1:30pm Sunday, March 6th v the Columbus Crew.

Match tickets will be raffled in memory of Pantelis "Pondo" Kosmas, beloved TA member and Mad Greek Deli owner who died unexpectedly on February 14th. Tickets are two (2) club seats. If you would like a shot at having these opening match tickets, you can donate below.

$5 gets you one chance at the tickets, $20 gets you five chances. All proceeds will go toward supporting local youth soccer, in memory of Pondo Kosmas.

Drawing will be held Friday, March 4th at 9pm at the fanladen. Winner will be notified via email.

Thank you for your support for youth soccer in Pondo's name.

We are Mental and We're Twangy: The Ballad of Greenhorn

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 19:06:28 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

My two biggest passions on earth have always been music and football, and nothing pleases me more than when the two meet in the middle ground of supporter culture. This marriage is never more apparent than in the Timbers Army. It’s in the electro call to action of Popinski Popcast and the punk pep rally of Green Flag; it's Ridgy and the departed Urruti dancing to Justin Bieber and Sean McAuley dropping classic rock earworms at the Championship Rally. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, this melding of support and song can even find its way into the realm of… country music.

The origins of Greenhorn come from the very same source as many fine country ballads—heartbreak. Early on, in what was to become the dismal 2012 season, Scott Jeffries took to Twitter with a simple plea:

Accepting applicants for the @timbersarmy country band, Greenhorn. #rctid

Meanwhile, later that season, John Nyen and Mike Perron began trolling each other on Twitter with rewritten country classics with Timbers-themed lyrics. These lyrical distractions became the staples of the Greenhorn catalogue. Towards the end of that season, Mike and John decided they wanted to film themselves in front of the stadium performing one of their new arrangements. For the taping, they needed a guitar player; Mike knew Scott Jeffries, and Greenhorn was born.

In 2013, Greenhorn was invited to open that season's opener show. John and Scott grabbed Green Flag’s Paul Regan and Lexi Stern to round out the group. Unfortunately, Mike Perron was unable to attend—a Robert Hunter to his “Timber Tonk” Grateful Dead, singing the lyrics of their absent muse.

Greenhorn emerged again in 2015 opening for Green Flag and The McGillicuddys at The Railway Club in Vancouver, BC. This time, new compositions were joined by the original Perron numbers to bring the house down. In December, post-Cup glory was met with Greenhorn headlining the season ender show, this time doing it right with the originator himself, Mike Perron, joining the band he helped inspire.

That brings us to this weekend: a now complete Greenhorn has the honor of joining The Royal Enfield and Green Flag once again at the season opener show at Ash Street Saloon.

You may not immediately think that country music and soccer go together, but if Green Flag are the angry, punk rock fist-in-the-air voice of the TA, Greenhorn are its traveling troubadours, putting the stories that make up our history to song and documenting where we’ve been, for wherever we are now. All parts comical, sentimental, mawkish and silly, with one helluva train beat when it fits.

Greenhorn play with Green Flag and OG TA powerhouse Eric Tonsfeldt's band The Royal Enfield at the Season Opener Show and Raffle at Ash Street Saloon on Saturday, March 5, 2016. Doors at 8, music at 9. $5 admission; proceeds benefit the TA tifo fund.

Duane Graf Annual Homebrew Competition

107ist Admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:43:46 GMT

We are pleased to announce that the Second Annual Duane Graf Homebrew Competition will be held Sunday, May 29th, at 9 a.m. at Lompoc Sidebar, 3901 N. Williams. The winning entries will be brewed at Lompoc, Widmer Bros, and new this year, Base Camp!

The categories are:

Pride of Cascadia: Pale Ale, IPA, Imperial IPA, Cascadian Dark Ale, and Northwest Red

Full 90: anything sessionable. The goal is a beer that you can drink for the full 90 minutes of watching a match: blonde ales, golden ales, Kölsch, and pale lagers are good examples, but this is a sessionable summer beer category, so whatever you think fits.

BundesOregon: A beer with both an Oregon and German twist to it. A German style with Oregon flair; Oregon beer with German flair; be creative! The only caveat is no long fermentation styles like lagers or sour beers. (Base Camp needs to be able to fit it into their brew schedule.)

The category winners are selected by a panel of judges who are not necessarily picking the best BJCP style, but what best represents the categories.

Entries may be dropped off at these locations:

FH Steinbart Co. — 234 SE 12th Ave, Portland
Bader Beer & Wine — 711 Grand Blvd, Vancouver

** Entries must be received by Friday, May 27th **

To enter, bring two bottles of each beer, tagged with this label, located here and a completed entry form. The fee is $10 per entry; $5 per entry for 107ist members. Please make checks payable to 107ist.

Judges will also be needed! Some experience would be wonderful, but not necessary. Please let me know.

If you have any questions, contact peter.keith.107@gmail.com. Also check out the Timbers Army Fermentation Corp on Facebook.

Input Needed for Multimodal Study of the West Burnside Crossing at 18th, 19th, and Alder

107ist Admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 19:01:43 GMT

Crossing West Burnside has long been a concern of the community, city planners, and the 107IST with notable concern for the intersections of 18th, 19th and Alder at the Firefighters Park. On match days especially, with the large number of us taxing the system, accidents have been an unfortunate inevitability in this high crash corridor. As many of you know, one of our members was hit by a car here last season and really touched close to home the need for improvements. While her recovery has been going well, it is important for us to act to reduce the likelihood of it happening again, with more devastating results.

Some funding has recently become available for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to study this complex intersection and they are looking for comments from the community. If you are a transportation professional, active user of the city’s bicycle and pedestrian system, or simply interested in the subject matter, please review the project site, check out the presentation, submit your comments to staff, and participate in the dialog below to help the 107IST make collective recommendations and raise appropriate concerns. The window for comments only runs through February 29th so, please help us inform the process as best we can by participating.

Additionally, there has been talk in the community of hosting a charrette to study the area and how the local transportation infrastructure can be improved. If you are interested in participating, please email Stephan.Lewis@107ist.org so we can gauge interest.

Other factors to consider:

While the main presentation focuses on the “Preferred Alternative,” many other alternatives are not off the table. Some of these include decoupling 18th and 19th, and having car traffic both ways on 19th and bikes both ways on 18th; connecting the bus island to the Firefighters Park and having Alder traffic travel around the south sides of the park; and more.
Trimet may expand the route of the Fremont line 24 to cross the Fremont Bridge and travel north-south along NW 18th and 19th into Goose Hollow. While this plan will provide better transit access to and from the stadium for those along its route, it could further complicate this W. Burnside crossing.
If the Fix Our Streets Portland campaign is successful at the ballot this spring, 20th Ave is slated to become a “Neighborhood Greenway” with increased pedestrian and bicycle facilities. How will this connect around the stadium, and how will it affect the study area?

If SW Alder St is to have two-way bicycle traffic, how will it impact the intersection being studied? Also, how would it connect to the stadium?
Could this site contain more bike parking? Bicycle parking is at a premium in the area on match days and, with the FO’s bike parking on Morrison disappearing shortly after matches for them to reopen the street, many are forced to leave the area after matches when they could/should hang out for a while before beginning the journey home.

The 107IST is what it is because of the volunteer work of so many of our members. We have a great knowledge base within our ranks that can be tapped to address this issue. Together we can show the community how we do what we do.

Let’s do this, Portland.

Thank You, Children’s Book Bank Volunteers!

107ist Admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 18:46:49 GMT

107ist volunteers show off their work at The Children's Book Bank book cleaning day on 2/20/2016

Volunteers signing in for their 3 hour work shift. Participants noted how fast the time flew by!

THANK YOU to the more than 30 dedicated 107ist volunteers who spent the day before the Simple Invitational cleaning books for donation to local elementary-school children. Because of your hard work preparing more than 700 used books at The Children’s Book Bank, almost 100 students at Bridger, Chief Joseph/Ockley Green, Sitton, Rosa Parks and James John schools will be able to select 8-12 lovingly restored books to call their own. We also want to thank The Children’s Book Bank for hosting this volunteer event and for their tireless efforts to support children’s literacy in the Portland area.

Shawn Jaquiss from The Children's Book Bank provides detailed instructions on how to clean each book. Like the Timbers Army, the CBB is all about "Quality, not Quantity".

Even if you missed this chance to spread the love, there’s still plenty of time to support The Children’s Book Bank by participating in the 2016 Booked! Drive. We will be collecting gently used children’s books through the 3/19 match against RSL, so stop by with your book donation any time the Fanladen is open. Booked librarians also will be available before every pre-season and regular season match through the end of the book drive to accept your donations. Our goal is to collect 107 books before 3/19.

Inga and Matt Ward putting care and artistic flair into making these books ready for a child to love.

Bilingual and multicultural books are greatly appreciated! Only about 1 percent of donated books received by The Children’s Book Bank contain multicultural content, but more than 74 percent of children served by the nonprofit organization identify as biracial or ethnically diverse. Suggested titles are listed on the 2016 Booked! Drive page.

A Portrait of an Artist as a Pro Bono Designer

107ist Admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 18:20:31 GMT

The following is a guest post from one of the No Pity Originals designers. As they don't like the spotlight, we won't post the name.

When I moved to Portland 8 years ago, I moved here in my shitty car filled with what few possessions I had and $1,500. I had no job and no prospects. All I knew is that I wanted to live in an art city and get a fresh start. The first year in Portland was filled with living out of people's dens and garages. It wasn't all bad though—it afforded me the opportunity to explore the city, find inspiration and create (also play a shit ton of disc golf, GOAT unemployed activity).

During these first few months in Portland, I read a Willamette Week article about how the Timbers (the local USL soccer team) were playing Seattle Sounders (arch-rivals) and the cost was only $10. The price was right, so I hopped on my bike, a Portland hand-me-down heavy steel bike made entirely of found parts, and headed to PGE Park (former name).

*I'm going to stop here, because we all know what happens as soon as we step in the stadium for the first time, and continue on.

As a full-blown shiny-eyed Timbers noob, I started attending more games, hanging out at tailgates and signed up for SCUSA (a infamous and now defunct Timbers Army message board). During all that I found my first full-time job in Portland, illustrating email blasts for an engineering software company (yeah, it was about as unenjoyable as it sounds complicated). As crummy as the job was, it afforded me the opportunity to buy into Timbers season tickets for the next season. That winter my contract was not picked up and I began another stint of unemployment. It wasn't all bad though, I got to refocus on my artwork and live in an affordable place with a basement that I could spend long hours painting in during the long and cold winter.

By the time spring came I had found another job at a publication company working on their website and online publications (was so desperate for this job that I lied my way in and taught myself Java, CSS and other outdated web coding as I went, with only having a basic understanding of HTML before being hired). As an artist who purposely tested out of math my freshman year in college, writing code and working on websites was not for me, but I needed the job. This was also around the time that i finally procured a No Pity scarf.

*Little educational break here: The way No Pities were distributed in those days was a lot different. One would have to check SCUSA for days waiting for a nice lady by the name of Gisele to start a new thread on SCUSA with the latest order. There you would put down your name and sponsor a set of five scarves. Eventually you would go to the next Timbers army meetup and pick up your set of scarves months down the line. It was a lot of waiting. Either do that or find someone with a set of five scarves that had extras they were looking to sell.

That Timbers season was pretty magical. With a found confidence I would go to tailgates and events to make friends and learn more about this (still) newfound obsession. There I started to see a few people selling their own specialty Timbers Army scarves and shirts out of the back of their cars or shady-looking bags, raising money for tifo. Tifo at this time was single overhead banners, a line of two-stick banners placed across the field's dugouts, or the occasional actual two-sticks. This sparked a thought in my brain: "Dude, you're a designer and an artist, let's make some TA graphics." Through the next weeks I flooded SCUSA and people's inboxes with ideas. I wasn't even trying to figure out what to put them on (tifo, shirts or scarves), I was just brain-dumping on anyone who would look. I don't think I was insufferable, but I was definitely relentless. It should be said that no one really cared (only thing I ever made were some spoke tags for the Bike Brigade), but what did pop up was a handful of people on SCUSA trying to organize a website committee for the Timbers Army. Obviously I wasn't the best web developer, but I signed up regardless as a way to help out and get more involved.

What working on the web team did for me was defining. I finally saw behind the curtain. Saw how many hardworking and caring people were out there using whatever skills they possessed to keep the Timbers Army legacy protected and DIY (I would go as far to say DIY as FUCK). There was a committee that met with the Front Office to keep our section GA and make sure they could bang drums and raise banners. There were legit lawyers (fans working pro bono) working to trademark the TA logo and the phrase "No Pity." As a punk kid, this just made everything all the more sweet. This was before MLS was even whispered. It also allowed me some face time with a group of guys interested in organizing Timbers Army merchandise under one umbrella. And after about a year and a half of being relentless in helping make graphics and constantly putting my name out there to help with whatever I possibly could, I was brought in for the first ever "merch" meeting.

Through the next year, two nonprofits were formed: the 107ist and No Pity Originals. I'm going to speak to the latter as I was an intricate part of that whole process.

*The NPO name wasn't going to come around for another year or so, but our standards and practices were set in stone. Rule #1 and pretty much the only rule: No one gets paid!!!! This was bittersweet for me, because I was broke as fuck and like any designer, I wanted to get paid for my hard work. But also being my mother's son, I knew what good I could do for my community (I grew up watching my mom volunteer her time to no end, whether it was Meals on Wheels or reading to the elderly). We felt obligated by Gisele trusting us to sell No Pity scarves hand to hand that all the profits from our little merchandise operation would go straight towards tifo and community outreach, period.

Due to the limited startup capital, we were really only able to make two different shirts (the green and white TA ringer and the classic crest tee) and No Pity scarves. We had an old trailer donated to us that was painted like the Sunshine Flag; we hollowed it out and started selling from it on game days. Since the very start and to this day, I'm still amazed by how many No Pity scarves are sold, and because of them we had enough money to expand and make more shirts and more scarves. By the end of the year I had made a bunch of awesome TA punk rock shirts, been the primary designer on the "Little Beirut" scarf, and helped with the "Your Magic is Real" scarf. I was out of control making graphics for this little brand we started. So much so that it affected my shitty job and I was fired (there's also a little more to this that involved me skipping work to go to Vancouver, BC and kinda breaking the handle on the Cascadia Cup, but that's another story on someone else's blog).

This began one of the most trying times of my life (and remember I was living out of garages and dens when I first moved here with barely any cash in my pocket). Here I am getting a chance to work on a brand from the very inception, I can see all the amazing successes we're going to have in front of me, but I'm unemployed at probably one of the worst times in recent memory. I remember a particular low day where I called an old apparel company I used to work for asking if they'd be able to manufacture headwear for NPO and then riding my bike to apply for food stamps.

By the time the next season rolled around, we had started selling product online (warehoused in a deep NE garage with no heat) and we bought an old step van to sell out of. I had also began a new job delivering wine around Portland for a company based up in St. Johns. So my days consisted of riding my bike from SE Portland 8-10 miles to St. Johns, working a 10-hour day, then coming home and cranking out designs until I passed out. That season our merch operation got a name, No Pity Originals, and we opened up with a fleet of goods: hats, hoodies, tees, scarves, stickers and patches. With the name came more legitimacy, branding our products with tags and registered Timbers Army trademarks. We even started making seasonal lookbooks, which are just great to work on because they're super-spontaneous and just one day winging ideas with your friends hoping the pictures come out in focus. That was the last year of the USL Timbers and was pretty much our breakout year as far as a merch operation goes.

I'd like to say that since then everything has been peaches and cream, but not really. I got fired from the wine job for accidentally flushing a key down the toilet (I'm serious) and started another all-too-familiar stint of being unemployed. During this time and probably the entire time I was delivering wine, I was getting a lot of pressure from the close people in my life (parents, brother, girlfriend at the time) about what the fuck I was doing. Here I am, constantly unemployed or in a dead-end situation and basically working another job doing what I wanted for free. It was a lot of pressure, embarrassment, self reflection and it did look all too familiar. I'm sure my answers of "Hey, it's different this time, this Timbers Army stuff is going to be huge," stopped being believable. But it was different though, because before this I had a college portfolio of work full of a bunch of irrelevant projects that were probably never that good to begin with. Now, I had a ton of actually-made apparel with lookbooks! With my newfound free time we were really able to organize probably one of my favorite seasons of product and lookbooks.

Coming into the spring of that season I started getting staffing agencies calling me, saying they saw my updated portfolio and that there's some interest from some local apparel companies looking for designers. Since that time my life has changed a bit: I got a decent paying job, I live on my own in a normal apartment and pay all my bills on time!

It's not over though, this story keeps going for 4 years before we're at the present day (also I think I might be missing a season in there, don't drink kids!). Because No Pity Originals is a nonprofit, I've been able to keep volunteering despite my job situation! Why would I? Because I believe in the No Pity Originals ethos and my love of this community has never changed. It's the right thing to do. Since the days of just a handful of us struggling, now we have these super-talented kids that want to work with us. I get to return the favor and help them the way NPO helped me. It's a wonderful cycle to be a part of.

During which we've done seasons of awesome swag. We opened the Fanladen, which I got to help decorate. I spent a long weekend in a warehouse with an amazingly talented artist helping him put together the largest non-traced tifo display America has ever seen. Countless amounts of products designed, times figuring out how to make a better web store, arguments about whether to sell No Pity Scarves online, miles driven in the No Pity van. As tiring and frustrating as having a pro bono second job can be, there's always been a silver lining: seeing a playground built for children of all abilities, child-specific soccer pitches, high school programs getting to keep offering soccer programs to their students. It's something that I feel will always keep me grounded and humble. Every morning when I get dressed, I stare at a piece of that little trailer we used to sell out of when we could barely afford to sell anything more than a couple shirts and No Pity scarves.

This isn't just a bio piece that I'm writing. The whole reason it started was because we were looking for a story as a way of marketing ourselves (and like everything NPO does, we all pitched ideas and this was mine)...No Pity Originals is constantly being accused of being non-inclusive (elitist), bogarting all Portland soccer merchandise or just being a bunch of jerks. Maybe the latter is true but there is good reason why we only want to work with certain folks. None of it is because we're elitists. In fact, technically we are a business and businesses bring in the right people for the job and a lot of people don't make the cut. It's not personal, but we have prided ourselves since our inception in making the best designs we can. We receive so many submissions and we want to review them all and give feedback, but sometimes we just can't. I always kinda wondered if we we are some sort of outlier? Do people send other big brands unsolicited ideas and do they even look at them? Regardless, it means the world to know that people want to help and are willing to hit us up! Hearts are definitely in the right place! There is also a reason why we're protective over our intellectual property or harsh towards people selling Timbers Army related product for a personal profit. The 107ist is a nonprofit that benefits and depends on NPO product profits to help the community that we live in and our team plays in. Not only are there other and better ways to make yourself a living, but it also takes money away from our community. A community where we are trying to build handi-capable playgrounds, soccer fields located in low-income neighborhoods (and running soccer camps), after-school programs for kids that may not be able to afford a camp, or any other myriad of community projects the Timbers Army funds. It's why we wake up in the morning. It's why after an 8-hour day of staring at a computer making apparel, we head home, crack a beer and keep on making apparel or head downtown to help pack shipping. Or show up 4 hours before a match to work the NPO van to get you those No Pity scarves. It's being my mother's son and putting my community first!

Pondo Kosmas Memorial

107ist Admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 19:24:25 GMT

We were saddened to learn that Pantelis "Pondo" Kosmas, owner of the Mad Greek Deli and ardent Timbers supporter, passed away unexpectedly of a brain hemorrhage at age 49 this past Sunday.

Pondo was a huge presence in the community and soccer was his passion, as all knew who gathered regularly to watch matches at the Mad Greek. A soccer prodigy as a child in Beaverton, he was a devoted Timbers supporter, traveling with many of us to Columbus for the Cup match.

His friends and family have requested that donations be made in his name to the 107ist to support youth soccer programs.

Details about Pondo's prayer service and funeral can be found in today's Oregonian. There will also be boxes in Timbers colors at the cathedral for cash donations.

(Note: Donations to the 107ist are not tax-deductible)

Free Tickets for World Indoor Track & Field Opening Night Available

107ist Admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 18:55:54 GMT

If you missed out on the Timbers Army section tickets for the World Indoor Track and Field Championships there is one more opportunity to get in on some of the action! Organizers have provided us with an allotment of free opening night tickets which includes the World Pole Vault finals.

The 107ist will be in charge of distributing these tickets which you can obtain on our eventbrite page HERE.

Your event ticket will also get you 2 free beers (or other beverages) during the Fan Fest at Pioneer Courthouse Square (read below).

DEADLINE FOR TICKETS IS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14.

TIMBERS ARMY AT PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE

Pioneer Courthouse Square will also host a fan festival throughout the weekend and feature the medal ceremonies as 26 track & field world champions are crowned.

107ist members and those with tickets from the Timbers Army section will have access to two free beverages during the medal ceremonies on Friday & Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon (March 18-20).

The 2016 107ist AGM: State of the IST and Lots of Volunteer Opportunities

107ist Admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 19:16:06 GMT

Tye Ortega of OPI. Photo by Karen Gjerning

Thanks to the approximately 90 members who came out to the Mission Theater for the 2016 107ist Annual General Meeting, and thanks to Todd Diskin and Jerry Makare for organizing.

As we do every year at this event, each committee shared their accomplishments from the previous season, plans for the current season, and current volunteer needs.

Here you can view some of last year's accomplishments in infographic form. We've got a lot to be proud of:

Infographic by Lindsey Moore

Download the 107ist 2015 infographic as a PDF

Thanks also to Chris Wilson of the Timbers Front Office for bringing the Cup by for a photo op. We were bummed we weren't able to drink delicious victory beer from it this time since it's recently been polished by Tiffany, Chris was the only one authorized to handle it and he had to wear special gloves—but just having it there brought back all those warm fuzzy feelings again.

Karen Gjerning with the Cup

Volunteer Signup Forms

Nike Pass at Last

107ist Admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:51:29 GMT

We're pleased to announce that Nike has invited members to the company store again this year. Those who are 107ist members by 2/11 may visit the Nike Company Store once between 2/13 and 3/12. Nike does have some strict rules for who takes advantage of this pass. Please see details below before setting out on your shopping trip. You will not need your membership card to enter, but you will need your photo ID.

Access is limited to one entry during the authorized dates.

Everyone MUST provide a photo ID (e.g., driver's license) at check-in, including your spouse, permanent partner, and/or dependent children age 15 and older.
The member signed up must be present for eligible family members to gain access.
Your spouse/partner must provide proof of the same address to accompany you into the store.
Your dependent children must be:
- 22 or younger with the same address
- 24 or younger with a valid college ID
Please do not wear any competitor brands into the Nike Company Store.
Merchandise may not be purchased for reimbursement/resale.
Select merchandise may be available to employees only.
No exceptions will be made to these rules.

ADDRESS: Nike Company Store | 3485 SW Knowlton Rd., Beaverton, OR 97005
Phone: (503) 671-1601

STORE HOURS: 10am – 7pm (Monday – Saturday), 10am – 5pm (Sunday)

NOTICE TO ALL STUDENT ATHLETES: National Collegiate Athletic Association rules strictly prohibit student athletes from receiving special arrangements or “extra benefits” based upon athletic ability. Shopping at the Nike Company Store is considered by the NCAA to be an “extra benefit,” which may lead to the ineligibility of a student-athlete.

Away Travel 2016: Tickets on Sale thru April!

107ist Admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:25:19 GMT

We're happy to announce you can now purchase tickets for the first few matches through our website! If you're going to San Jose, Los Angeles, Orlando, or New England, tickets for these matches have been placed on sale here: ta-tickets/away-tickets-travel/away-tickets

You'll want to buy early if you know you're going! Tickets are limited to the capacity of the section we've been allotted, which varies by stadium.

Unlike previous seasons, we won't be putting every single non-Cascadia game up for sale at the start of the year as we continue to explore options to improve away travel ticketing. Keep a lookout here, on Facebook, or on Twitter if the game you plan to attend isn't available for purchase yet.

As always, our Timbers Army tickets are purchased in the visiting supporter section. You will receive your match ticket from the TA shortly before the match, and the entire section is treated like a Timbers Army section (standing, drums and flags where allowed, et cetera).

Cup Bound and Down: The Army's Road to Columbus 2015

107ist Admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 19:15:53 GMT

–by Gabby Rosas

Nearly a month has passed since we won the Cup. As we progressed through playoffs, it became more clear that the road to the final was going to go through Ohio. I took the gamble the night before the semifinal match, while texting with a couple of friends to coordinate which flight, which hotel, who was getting a rental car. This was all well before the charters, and well before we had any idea how many Timbers fans and Timbers Army were going to be making the trek to Ohio.

My story is similar to others’: I burned all my Alaska Airlines miles, was on the phone with Customer Service to try to figure out how to do it in the most direct way, crammed 5 people into my hotel room (also covered by points), and shared a rental car. But there are a number of unique stories about how TA got to the match. Below are a few, direct from the Traveling TA themselves:

Green: starting points, yellow: ending/transit points (map by John Holden)

On Friday December 4th I drove 2 hours to PDX, flew to SFO, flew to ORD, drove from Chicago and slept in the rental car somewhere between Chicago and Indianapolis. On my way out of Chicago I was in the middle of a high speed chase in south Chicago. I finished the drive to Columbus the next day. – Jonathan Haase

One of my favorite stories was from one of our futsal buddies. Ben Harris mentioned after one of our matches that he was thinking about driving to Columbus from Portland, even though he didn’t have a ticket. And he did just that - driving across the country with his ex-GF to help her move. At one point, they calculated the time and almost weren’t going to make it, so they doubled down and drove straight through to Ohio. After he got to Columbus, he got tickets from the Marsh family after they were given tickets by a winner of the FO drawing. Believe Beyond Reason. – Recounted by Ray Terrill

I flew on the red eye flight from Portland to Detroit on Friday night before the game. Lots of PTFC on the flight. Many of us continued to Columbus on a puddle jumper at 6:20am–probably half the flight consisted of Timbers supporters. We were delayed on the tarmac in Detroit for over an hour (most of us got some additional sleep), but finally arrived around 10am. – Bryan Smith

We flew into Cleveland late on Friday night and spent the night, then drove to Akron on Saturday morning. It was cold and foggy, and walking around on the pitch where so many of our guys got their start was pretty amazing. We packed ourselves back in the car and made our way to Columbus and our date with destiny. – Ray Terrill

I traveled to MLS cup alone, planning to meet my cousin in Ohio. Luckily, half the flight was composed of green and gold, so I was fortunate enough to sit with folks I could actually speak to. I've been in Oregon since 2009, so I have a lot of friends in the TA, but there's also a few thousand I don't know. Not knowing anyone on this flight, I made the great decision to sit with Mike and Charlotte Kocher on my first leg. These two original 1975 fans were more than a pleasure to chat with, as the ride was filled with history lessons about the city of Portland, the team, the TA, the chants, and even how to be a good grandparent. – Benjamin Stern

I found myself in Charlotte, NC for work when I got the call from the Front Office. It was my ticket rep letting me know they had a seat for me to Sunday’s MLS Cup. I was scheduled to fly back from Charlotte to Portland on Friday. But knowing how tough it was going to be to get a flight on Saturday back to Charlotte, I tried to reroute through Columbus. That didn't work either. A quick look on Google Maps, a call to Delta (sorry Alaska), a check on rental car prices, and I found myself driving over the Appalachian Mountains, through North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and into Ohio, to watch a 90 minute soccer game. – Kevin Murphy

While driving over the Appalachian Mountains may seem like quite the ordeal, I was on a flight from LAX to Columbus, and one of the TA members with whom I had traveled from PDX to LAX had a medical emergency. Edward was also on the flight. This happened at about 2am:

While on our flight from LA to Columbus, a passenger experienced a medical emergency. One of our fellow TA members, Jose Rodriguez, immediately volunteered to help the man. He spent the next 30 minutes making sure the passenger was stable. – Edward Kilgarriff

Green: flight routes, yellow: driving routes (map by John Holden)

The night before the match, many of the Timbers Army faithful gathered at a couple of bars in downtown Columbus to drink and share in the merriment. Throughout the night, people climbed the stairs to the balcony area and hung over the crowd to start chants. The atmosphere was at times electric and other times familiar, as fans met up, sharing hugs and stories while the pints flowed. At some point the truck showed up with the log, and people gathered around it for photos, including several stunned Columbus fans.

Seeing the log pull up was pretty amazing. Probably the two things that stick in my mind from that night are seeing IceFunk lead chants again from the balcony (miss that guy), and getting to see, talk to, and hug Timber Jim. – Ray Terrill

The day of the match, everyone had their own routine, their own pregame ritual. I was completely off my game. I arrived in Columbus with my 2 travel mates at 5am, drove to the hotel and collapsed face first into the hotel bed around 6am, only to get up at 9am and try to force down some breakfast and coffee. Then, the 5 of us staying together had to play musical showers/bathroom time to try to get to the tailgate by 11am or so (we didn’t want to miss all the fun!). Others had some slightly different pre-game experiences:

On the morning of MLS Cup, my buddy Kyle and I were on our way out the door from breakfast downtown, and were walking behind some middle-aged women wearing black overcoats and pushing a stroller. As we got closer, I saw that one of them was wearing a football scarf, but nether green-and-gold nor the Columbus yellow-and-black, which didn’t make any sense. Sort of a red-blue-yellow thing with an odd logo. I thought, “Is that an RSL scarf?” We got closer still, and I saw the lettering: “NAT BORCHERS.” We had to ask, “Excuse me, ma’am, but why are you wearing a Nat Borchers scarf?” She turned around with a beaming smile and said, “Because I’m his mom!” The other woman was his aunt, and the little boy was (I think) his son! She explained to us that the RSL claret-and-cobalt was her only soccer scarf; that she’d been hoping Nat would get a Timbers one for her, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. I asked her for the honor of giving her my own No Pity scarf. She tried to politely refuse, but I assured her that it would mean so much more to me than she could know if she took it and wore it for the Cup final. Moreover, Kyle had two scarves on at the time, and he could immediately replace mine (which I appreciated, because my neck was cold). She graciously accepted, and I placed it around her neck. It was an amazing moment knowing Nat's mom would be sporting my scarf as her son marched on to victory! – Thomas Raines-Morris

There have been a lot of figures thrown around regarding how many TA or Timbers fans actually made the trek to Columbus. There was a wild tailgate before the match, hundreds of people decked out in green and white having fun and pinching each other because “How did this happen? Can you believe it?!” We shared our stories of how we were able to drop everything and make this happen in person. Some stories were so ridiculous: canceled flights, rerouting, driving thousands of miles. And then there were the fortunate few that were able to be on the Front Office charters.

I was one of the lucky ones who won the trip to fly with team on Thursday. I first though a friend of mine was punking me when he called and said I had won, but then when I received the notification I knew it was true. Now the hard part started. I had to get my boss to let me off work and let me go.....which I did by inviting her along. Then I had to get the rest of the week's work done in a day plus reschedule the meetings we had for the week plus the following Monday. Then arrangements had to be made. Well, Thursday rolls around and the day has come to fly out with the team. We board first and get the rules about the flight told to us, let's just say it felt like detention......but the team needed to be focused so it needed to be that way. – Gary Read

After traveling to Vancouver and Dallas to cheer on our boys, it was an easy decision to follow them to Columbus. We used the last of our airline miles and $1200. Secured our hotel room, but then we missed the first game ticket lottery while flying home from Dallas, we missed out on the next lottery, etc. I whined on the TA page pleading for StubHub to be kind. A friendly TA faithful had two extra tickets that we were able to buy for a reasonable price. Feeling the love.

Then we learn that we won seats on the Alaska Air Supporters flight and game tickets!!! Wow! What a flight. Timber Jim and the indomitable Shawn Levy on board to help cheer us along, love notes from us to the players, great trivia games–so much positivity and great energy; with all the sponsors, the supporters, the city had done, there was no way the Timbers could lose! – Becky Patterson

Then there was the actual match. I had planned to stand with a few of my friends from 208, and through some miscommunication, we were split up. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience. I ended up meeting up with everyone after the match for a low-key dinner (well, almost dinner) at the pub down the street from my hotel. I was wiped. A red eye plus that match? I needed to sleep for a week! Others, not so much. Here’s the take from fellow travelers about the match and post-match experiences:

I tracked down my new friends at the tailgate before the game and in the stands after the game. I missed them at the Union for the TA afterparty, although I did get two beers on MP's tab. I spent the evening adding foil star stickers to the crests of happy TA members for the next two hours. We sang along and drank along and rocked the house. Drag queens arrived later–it was like a "party in Portland, no one [was] sleeping [that] night". A wonderful time made significantly better by all my TA brethren in Columbus. – Bryan Smith

After the match, we tracked down an Uber outside Mapfre and made our way to the victory celebration at Union Cafe in Short North. Drinks and food were ordered and shared (thanks Merritt!), and we sang ballads and show tunes for hours and hours (including some tear-inducing renditions of “In the Air Tonight” and “We Are the Champions”). An absolutely amazing night with hundreds of my favorite TA people. A perfect way to end an amazing season. – Ray Terrill

Two season ticket holder lottery tix, two TA tix, and airfare? Check! My husband Steve and I were ready. We couldn't miss the -year anniversary of the Akron-Louisville final college cup 2010. Where Nagbe & Porter walked away winners while my son Buckminster's team came in 2nd. Fast forward to 2015. With 30 family members waiting, we flew to into Louisville, picked up my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson for the trek to Columbus. Decked out in green paint and employee-store Space Jam J's, my party of 5 took on Mapfre Stadium. Now my son Buck, instead of taking the last shot on goal against Akron, was in the stands teaching his 3-year-old Tucker how to Tetris and pogo hug during the game. To imagine that 5 years could bring such changes to so many fortunes had to be witnessed in person. Proud to tailgate, proud to be in the TA, proud to win, proud to attend the rally, proud to plant trees to honor the city of our beloved team. Our Thursday-Monday flight, our multiple family reunions would have only happened through the hard work of the timbers and the faithful TA. This time, it was nice to be on the same side as Porter & Nagbe. After five years, all is forgiven. – Elizabeth Tufty

I joined close to 2000 people, most I barely know, and yet in the last five years I consider them some of my closest friends for at least a few Saturdays and Sundays each season. I barely understand the game or how in just a few years it's driven me to do crazy things like this. But it is special. – Kevin Murphy

We met up with my husband's babysitter from 1968. She wanted to drive us to the game where she planned on tailgating through the game because she didn't have tickets. Perfect, our chance to Spread The Love. We gave her our extra tickets, our scarves from the flight, and welcomed her to the Timbers Army! Her Crew friends tried to light the scarf on fire but by the end they were all sharing a little post-game love. – Becky Patterson

I started my trip back to Portland early on Monday morning. I just had to retrace my steps back to LAX and then Portland. I arrived within 15 minutes of the team plane, mainly because they experienced a delay leaving Columbus. I was able to see the team, the trophy, Porter, MP, and everyone from inside security. I was able to see the plane land. I was very fortunate to have the whole event come full circle.

Watching our boys stomp the Crew was amazing and then the partying began. Well, the next thing you know it is time to fly home, so we head to the airport and end up delayed for an hour and a half. Hmm, strange parking place for the Timbers plane. Well, they get that sorted out and we finally load up. Well, this time the flight felt more like a classroom in which the teacher had left the room. The players were having fun, the fans were having fun, it just felt right. Pictures with the Cup, oh oh this is just amazing. Well, then the turbulence started on our approach in to Portland and that's when things got real interesting, the team all raised their arms and broke out into a rendition of Tetris.....the plane bouncing around providing the movement back and forth. Then the team had enough of that and started the "blow the fkn whistle" chant, too funny. But I can't end this story without thanking the team of nameless people who made this once-in-a-lifetime experience happen, I have no idea who all of you are but THANK YOU ALL for my moment in Timber history. – Gary Read

On the trip back, a huge number of us were stranded in Midway Airport for hours on end. Being the lone wolf that I am, I wandered the airport with a huge grin on my face from the previous day's events. Eventually, a small group of TA beckoned me over for a picture and to chat a bit. Tye, Gordon, and Rob were kind enough to invite me into their conversations of footy, TA history, and life. I mentioned that it was Icefunk who notoriously welcomed me to the SCUSA community 6 years earlier, and the irony of him welcoming me to this meeting of the minds in the airport was... well... A bit of SCUSA nostalgia. It's the people like these, and the shared obsession over a game of footy, that make this whole experience one of the pieces to living a fulfilled life. – Benjamin Stern

Do you know what? It was worth every penny and every second to be there for our boys. I met so many amazing people and fellow road warriors along the way. Can you believe that we won the league?! We can now say that we have the best team along with the best fans in the league. – Jonathan Haase

So many great stories from so many people. Our magic is real. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.

A Travis in Portland

107ist Admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:36:15 GMT

—by Travis Hefner

=================

Author's Note: Originally written around Thanksgiving of 2015 as a sappy note of thankfulness during the holidays.

Part I: The Time Before

I like soccer. A lot. I find entertainment in just about every skill level, style, and type. I kind of proved that by, some might say insanely (they're right), staying at my local soccer bar, Piper's Pub, for sixteen straight hours once upon a time.

See, there's a team I love above everything else when it comes to soccer: the Portland Timbers. The things I've felt for this team, in traveling to see them, sharing small talk, laughter, and eventually other parts of our lives with fellow fans, and living and dying with every touch of the ball are near indescribable. Especially considering, at that point, I'd never even been to Portland, Oregon.

This irrational love shouldn't exist, it shouldn't matter, right? But it does. It matters because of all the people you know involved. You know their happiness. You know their sadness. Joy, frustration, bemusement, all of it you know because it is yours, too. All of these emotions that you group together with friends and family become more than it ever would be on its own. Why does it matter so much? Because we all make it.

So, I sat at a bar for sixteen hours because of it. I watched soccer while I waited to watch MY soccer. I watched a bar of Spurs and Gooners sing and chant during the North London Derby. I watched...less during La Liga and Serie A matches. Less still during women's college soccer. I perked up slowly as MLS playoff games began. It wasn't my team yet, but teams in the same league, at least. DC United went out. Montreal went out. Seattle (hysterically so) went out. Portland was staring me in the face. Something happened, though, first.

My friend Bobby walked in. He, despite being a Sporting Kansas City fan, came to the pub for solidarity. I'd been drinking by myself for a bit as there aren't too many MLS fans in Pittsburgh, PA, so the company was welcome.

We talked about soccer. We remained stunned over the penalty kicks between Portland and Kansas City. We talked about travel.

I'd never been to Portland. My days with the Timbers Army had always been with the wonderful people of the East Coast Platoon. DC, Philadelphia, Columbus, New York Red Bull, New England, New York City FC, and Toronto have been my games. I'd never been home.

Not a game goes by without being reminded of this. "When are you going to Portland?" "You gotta get to a home game!" "Fuck, Travis, go to Portland already!" I honestly love the reminders. To a certain extent, it meant I was as special to the people in this group as they were to me. There was no malice in these reminders, just the strong desire to share something so special with someone else.

Bobby had experienced this emotion and was about to again. He had recently flown across the country to see the NFL team he follows in person. He would, the next weekend, go to South Bend to see his beloved Fighting Irish. "Just fucking go," he said about his reasoning for this. "What else are you doing? What's holding you back?" This wasn't about me, but at the same time, it was. I knew what I had to do. Just one problem still: Vancouver.

The Timbers, however, didn't see the Whitecaps as much of a problem. They were brilliant. They scored their goal and then never let Vancouver sniff a strong chance. Diego Chará put it out of reach late. I grinned, I beamed, I sang to no one in particular and everyone. Portland versus Dallas was going to happen.

I got home. I slept on it. I posted a screenshot of prices for flights from Pittsburgh to Portland. From there, it was all formalities. East Coast Platoon became Enabling Coast Platoon. I drowned in kind offers of tickets and places to stay, not to mention constant “Yesssss!”s and “Do it do it do it do it do it”s.

It had to happen. A few mouse clicks later, it did. Years of loving a city from a far, a city I'd never been to, would finally come to a close. November 22nd the Portland Timbers would play FC Dallas in the first leg of the Western Conference Finals. And I was going to be there.

I was going home.

Part II: The Rose City

I got into Portland after an adventure. Wind and ice in Denver made my flight to PDX a bit more nervy than I thought it was going to be. It didn't matter, though. The turbulence didn't matter, the hours of flying didn't matter, the fear of takeoff and landing didn't matter—all because the Rose City was on the horizon.

In between grins when we touched down, I mouthed songs to myself. My elation mixed with delirium due to the long day of travel, but landing in a city you had only dreamed of prior will give you a second wind like you can't believe. Portland and I were occupying the same time and place.

Due to my Denver shenanigans I expected to travel downtown to where I was so graciously put up for the weekend by Scott Brown. A text waited for me, though. The next light rail downtown left soon, and we'd better be on it. The other part of that "we," of course, was Scott Brown.

If you're ECP, you know Scott. If you're ECP, you've been helped by Scott. If you're ECP, you owe Scott. My debt, now? Astronomical. Scott will shrug this off with a smile like he does when we chant his name at the end of away days, but fuck it, I'm writing it anyway. Scott Brown is an excellent person and I'm privileged to know him.

Anyway. My flight was supposed to arrive an hour earlier at the same time as Scott's. Pretty easy plan from there, yeah? Nope. Mother Nature fucked some things up. Still, Scott waited, and we got on the light rail.

Portland lay before me. Places that I'd only seen on TV and shady internet streams; places that I only knew existed because friends told me as much, were now in my personal eyesight. I whispered them all with varying degrees of reverence: "Mt. Hood," "Moda Center," "Burnside," but only one name got caught in my throat. "Providence Park."

The tears welled, the voice failed; the body kept going, though. Around midnight that special Friday, I got off the light rail. I ran (as well as a 5'11", 220-pound dude can, anyway) to my personal heaven. I touched it for the first time. I grinned. I giggled. Scott laughed. I was home. Two days later? I'd get to go in. But my love of the Timbers extended to the city itself, and getting to explore it was going to be incredible on its own.

I always say, "It was the Army that kept me," when people ask how some jackass from Pittsburgh became a diehard Portland Timbers fan. No, it wasn't the chants or the size or my fellow supporters' diehardness (that's a word, shut up). It was the community. Years ago, when I first started watching the Timbers on TV, I always loved the atmosphere. But, what always touched me the most was seeing gay pride flags waving in the crowd. Those flags expanded to banners and eventually to tifo. The Timbers Army, for me, is about acceptance. And, it's never been lip service. The phrases "Spread the love," from Timber Jim, and "If you want to be Timbers Army, you are," were never empty words. In the city, and eventually at the match, I was once again reminded of this.

I hadn't seen the city save for the street lights. Lucky for me, I was still on Eastern Time, so 5AM seemed like a good idea in terms of when to wake up. While we were waiting for Blue Star to open (I was hanging with doughnut connoisseur Scott, recall), I got to walk in the city and just experience it all. A sunrise by the river and the Rose City slowly came into view. It's a beautiful city, you guys.

After doughnuts (double doughnuts, actually, cause we might have gone to Voodoo, too...) I had to explore for myself. So, naturally, the guy with a history degree went to Powell's. It was there that all that acceptance I spoke glowingly about came so into focus.

I hear the f-word a lot still where I'm from. I'm sure some of you are saying "Yeah, it's still here, too," but, I can assure you, it is not the same. I'm sure for most of you in Portland, seeing an openly gay couple in public is so normal that it doesn't even register with you. It registers with me. I saw, in my short time in Portland (honestly just browsing Powell's if I'm honest), more openly gay couples that I have in years where I come from. What's better? I seemed to be the only one caring or taking notice of this fact. For everyone else? Totally normal happening. Because it fucking is. Truly, Portland is the accepting place it always says it is, and the soccer club within the city is a reflection of that.

This belief in community, in acceptance, in doing all you can continued into the night. I heard about the Special Olympics/Timbers Army game that was going to be played at Lincoln High School. I had to go. I was amazed by the amount of people there despite factors such as the cold weather. As the uncle of a special needs child, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be a part of a group that not only does events like this, but does them because it's just the right thing to do. There's no patting oneself on the back here, merely "Uh...yeah? Of course we did?"

I had had my day in the Rose City. Prior to going to bed, I took one long last stare at Providence Park from the window. I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Not only because tomorrow was match day, but because the city was everything I had thought it was. The Rose City has my heart.

Part III: Match Day

Finally. Finally after years I get to go in. I get to stand in the North End. I get to lose my voice during a home game.

I get to be a part of #LineCulture.

Waiting in the wristband line was something I was always excited to do. I had no idea why until I actually did it.

Everyone had a buzz about them. Everyone had a story to tell or a smile to share. Spots were saved as someone jumped out of line to go grab coffee or breakfast for those around them. Friends saw each other as they walked the line and embraced. Cars and the light rail chimed the tune to "When I Root." It was incredible. Apparently I waited in that line for hours, but it didn't feel that long. As we approached the staffers handing out the bands, the emotions rose again. It was almost time. The band was placed around my wrist, number 656, a number that will forever have an irrational importance to my life, and my whole body quaked with anticipation. A mere few hours from now, I'd be inside.

But first, let's have a drink.

So many people have made being a Timbers fan incredible and easy. Andrew Simon extended a hand and a beer in welcome as I nervously approached my first away day in Washington DC years ago. Brian Fiore-Silfvast grabbed me to help him assemble flags for that same game when he noticed me quietly drinking by myself. Ellen Wallin grinned at me and shouted, "You don't say stupid things!" when she realized who I was from the East Coast Platoon Facebook page. Jade Chen always gave me someone to talk to about soccer, whether serious or a completely ridiculous joke. All of these people are special. All of these people probably don't even realize such simple acts of kindness make a world of difference to someone.

In Portland? Happened all over again. Alex Leeding, someone who I'd certainly met before in my travels but didn't know that well, didn't think twice about inviting me into his apartment to share beers with friends both old and new. Again, it's such a simple thing, but it means the world.

It's a weird thing, when you think about it. For me, all of these people I see a handful of days a year. But, at the same time, because of social media, you feel like you know them better because even when they aren't around, they kind of still are. So, because of the Portland Timbers, strangers (and honestly people I shouldn't know at all based on where I'm from) are actually really good friends.

This group of people drank together, laughed together, worried together, and got ready for the match. It was finally time to head into the stadium. I, however, had two more stops before that.

The No Pity scarf is magical to me. It was a physical embodiment of the Portland Timbers in Portland. When I first started as a Timbers fan, the scarf was never sold online. You had to be in Portland. You had to go to the No Pity Van. This was the talisman of my pilgrimage. And, at long last, I got one. I really don't remember anything except how the fabric felt in that moment; the ground wasn't there and the voices talking to me were distant. Holding this scarf in my hand I finally felt like a legit Portland Timbers fan (maybe I already was one, maybe I never will be) and it was amazing. I turned, grinning, for my one last stop before going into the stadium. The Fanladen.

I'd seen what my money does in being a member for 107ist in person. It was time to renew my dues. Makes sense to do that in person, right? I walked into the Fanladen and Sheba was there to guide me through it all. Sheba, someone I'd known only as a legendary persona on Twitter, was right here in front of me, explaining to me the beauty of the place. I had another moment, not going to lie. Everything that I've spoken about when it comes to the Timbers, comes from right here. This is where everything that makes the Portland Timbers more than 11 dudes kicking a ball around a pitch comes from. It was incredible to be in there, even for a few moments, and renew my dues happily. Never am I more sure that I know my money is going to good things than when I give it to 107ist.

I got lost in the stars. Scott, my guide (and at times, babysitter) that weekend, slapped me on the shoulder as I stared at everything in the Fanladen, "Dude, we gotta go!"

Oh, right, the game.

Never before had I seen so much green and gold in my life. Years of knowingly nodding at someone wearing Timbers gear was thrown at the window. I didn't have to nod today, everyone knew. We lined up and slowly made our way inside. I took a shuddering breath before I took that final step through the open door.

I stepped. Holy shit. Holy shit holy shit holy shit. I was in the home of the Portland Timbers and I had no idea what to do with myself. A hand, I'm pretty sure it was Scott's, grabbed my shoulder and guided me to the North End. I immediately looked at the ground. I stared at the ground as I walked down the stairs to our seats, knowing I'd lose it if I looked up even once. Finally, I got to my seat (well, where I was going to stand, anyway). I was in front of the drums. Wayne's World played in my head. I'm not worthy.

Another friend made sure I had this place. Maggie Williams was also the first to check on me when I finally looked up. I lost it. Jesus, the field was right there. I covered my mouth, my eyes went wide as they filled with tears. I was home. Maggie smiled that easy, knowing smile and put her hand on my arm. "You having a moment?" she asked, then added, "I understand." Everyone did. Everyone let me have it. It took damn near until kickoff to regain my composure.

It's weird, being a Timbers fan from the other side of the country. You know people in Portland without ever having been there before. I awkwardly said hello to Shawn Levy, someone I had met by happenstance in New England before he traveled with the Timbers on their Champions League run (remember that? Good times). He grinned and welcomed me, so happy that I could finally make it out. I embraced Darren Lloyd like someone I'd known for years (which, I guess, is kind of true), after he came down from his drum. He was so excited for me. In asking around for Darren, I made a new friend, Lexi Stern, who listened to me ramble and babble (not unlike what you yourself have been doing at this point) about how I became a Timbers fan and how important and special it all was to me. Doing that, saying why I was here, brought me back to Earth a little bit. Thanks for that, Lexi.

As we approached kickoff, I was once again reminded of my love for the Timbers Army with two simple items: A French flag flying in the air, and a "Refugees Welcome" banner in the North End. These simple actions are by no means going to win wars, but they tell the world who we are. We are a group of people not cowed by the worst humanity can offer, but one ready to lift up with solidarity and also accept those who are in need. I am so proud to be part of the same group of people that brought that flag and banner.

The anthem. Good God, the anthem. It was real now. We were all singing, until we finally hit the end, "And the home...of the...TIMBERS!" and I stopped. I wanted to hear it, I wanted to feel it, I wanted to get lost in it. Just for a moment, as I held up my piece of the tifo with everyone else as the other pieces rose in front of us, I let it wash over me. It was everything I had hoped for. It was loud, it was joyous, it was incredible. I added my voice again, and I didn't stop for over ninety minutes.

At halftime I walked the crowd like I'd been there before, seeking out people I knew to interact with them for the hundredth time, but to say hello to them for seemingly the first. Mike Kurfis was one of the first people I met when I became a Timbers fan. We talked about soccer, beer, and even Pittsburgh sports teams as Mike is coincidentally a fan of theirs, too. All of this was on Twitter. But, that halftime, I was able to meet him and his wife for real. It was great. Friendships that had been cultivated for years online were able to be in person for that moment. It was great to meet Mike, embrace him, and tell him how good it was to meet him after so many years.

The same is true for Don Baldwin and Shecky. It was great to see them again after meeting them this year in Toronto as part of the Timbers contest to fly out with the team. I'd gotten my passport the day before I drove up from Pittsburgh, so being able to meet them almost didn't happen. I'm glad I did, because they, like so many others, made me feel so welcome in Portland. I worried about not being accepted; I never should have been afraid.

I wish I could tell you about my experiences during the game, but I can only vaguely remember them. They are flashes. Crouching down and covering my head when Dallas had a chance or the Timbers missed one of theirs. Screaming at the ref, for, well, pretty much everything. Clutching friends and strangers alike for every other touch of the ball.

The goals, though? I remember those. I remember being momentarily stunned and not sure if I should celebrate when Asprilla scored. I remember tackling anyone who was within arm's reach with a hug. I remember standing on a chair waving a flag. I remember tasting and breathing in the green and gold smoke. I remember singing.

FC Dallas got smashed by the Portland Timbers, 3-1. Dairon Asprilla scored one of the most insane goals I've ever seen. The Timbers have a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference final. And I was there. I was there for all of it.

I got to go home.

Part IV: Goodbye

This was always going to be the hardest part. After the match, I clung to the remaining hours with friends; sharing laughter, disbelief, and joy. I found myself back in Alex's apartment, watching Timbers highlights of all types: the lows of a crushing defeat to LA Galaxy and the joys of beating Seattle with goals from David Horst and some guy named Kris Boyd. Everyone else watched the Sporting Kansas City kicks from the spot again but I still refuse to watch that out of fear that the ball will go in one of these times. Instead, I pulled my hood over my head, stared at the ground, and enjoyed liquor straight from the bottle until it was over. Look, it made a lot more sense when I was doing it, alright? We also danced. To Drake. It was perfect.

These people are special. The moments I shared throughout the weekend and that night, up until the very end, were special. They were special because while they included soccer and the Portland Timbers, they also went beyond that. What started out as just me having an affinity for a soccer team has turned into friendships I never thought I'd have. Each of these moments makes the bond stronger.

As I shook hands and embraced people as they left, thanking them for their part in making my weekend one of the best of my life, I hoped I would see them all again. I couldn't wait.

But, I knew there was one more thing I had to do before I left. I had to see the park again.

I hadn't checked my phone for a while. I pulled it out just as I leaned against a pole and looked up at Providence Park. I looked down at my phone. I slid to the ground crying. I cried the best kind of tears. I had so many people sending their well wishes to me on my trip home and sharing their happiness that I was able to come out to the game. It was a Sally Field moment, if I'm honest. I felt special. I felt part of the family.

I had to get back on that plane, though. It was weird, feeling like I was going home and leaving home at the same time. I know this, though, deep in my heart. I'll be back to Portland one day. But, for now, I can finally say I understand that Viva Voce song.

I wanna be back in Rose City.

Thank you so much Portland, the Timbers, Timbers Army, East Coast Platoon,

Love,

Travis Hefner

Whipsaws Score Their Biggest Win Off the Pitch

107ist Admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 17:57:21 GMT

—by Aimee Wright-Chase

I wanted to share something amazing with you in which the Portland Timbers and the Timbers Army have unknowingly played a role.

Whipsaws FC, with Aimee and Angie front and center

It truly all began while I was standing in line during the inaugural MLS season. I became better acquainted with a woman I had played soccer with over the years. As we began learning more about each other, she told me about the health struggles her partner, Blanca, had been enduring. You see, Blanca was slowly dying from a condition called nephrocalcinosis.

During a National Kidney Walk, I asked Angie, no longer a mere acquaintance thanks to the line culture of the Timbers Army, what Blanca's blood type was. We were a match.

Just before Aimee's surgery

Long story short, on Monday, January 11, 2016, Blanca and I became kidney buddies. The amount of change for Blanca in the next 48 hours was amazing! Her creatinine levels dropped from a 14 to a 3 and into normal levels the following day. Look it up; that is awesome! She was even eating before I was and we got a chance to visit the day after surgery. We were both tired, but she looked so amazing!

The list is long of new challenges ahead of Blanca and Angie. But we all know, through experience, what a community it is that we belong to and how much that support system of the Whipsaws and Timbers Army can do. If there was ever a surgery wrapped in a secure blanket of prayers and positive thoughts, it would have been ours.

Recipient and donor see each other for the first time post-op

I am sharing this with you for a couple of reasons—one being that we partially owe the friendship between Angie and me, and now Blanca, to both the Timbers Army line culture and the creation of the first women’s TAFC team, the Whipsaws, on which both Angie and I have proudly played since it began. But most importantly, we also want to raise awareness about living donation.

Heading home, I find myself at times overwhelmed with how quickly life changes and how sometimes it truly feels out of our control and more like destiny.

As Coach Porter would say, the magic was real!

Interview with KPTV: http://www.kptv.com/story/30789784/portland-woman-getting-new-kidney-from-partners-soccer-teammate

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/kidneyforblanca

Pre-Season Desert Friendlies!

107ist Admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:03:52 GMT

Off-season too long? Need a fix?

Catch your Championship Timbers in pre-season action at the Desert Friendlies Tournament in Tucson, AZ.

Match Schedule:

Sunday, January 31st vs. FC Tucson

Wednesday, February 3rd vs. Houston Dynamo

Saturday, February 6th vs. Seattle Sounders

Thursday, February 11th vs. RSL

Single tickets can be purchased here.

Have a group of 15 or more? Check out the Group Sales option.

Info on Timbers Army gatherings and activities will be posted here as it becomes available.

2016 Booked! Drive

107ist Admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:41:55 GMT

–by Todd Diskin

Located at the Fanladen, BOOKED! seeks to promote literacy related to the beautiful game of soccer. Our library hosts literature and media from the grassroots of soccer all the way to the global influences the sport holds in everyday life.

This Booked! Drive is in partnership with the Children’s Book Bank who gives bundles of books free of charge to kids in need, increasing their chances to succeed as future readers and learners.

NEED

Children need books to be successful readers. Many homes have 4-5 books per child; however, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children.

The Children’s Book Bank gathers thousands of new and gently-used books from the community, organizing volunteers to spruce up and sort donated books.

OUR GOAL: To gather 107 soccer books to put into the hands of children, ages 5-13, by the March 19th Timbers home match vs. RSL.

HOW

Take a look the list of books below or go through your home library. Each person who donates one or more of the listed books will receive the limited edition Booked! do-gooder badge which can only be earned. Bring any of these titles to any of the following events:

1/28 – Fanladen 6:30-8:00 PM (Booked library open hours)
1/30 – Fanladen 2:00-5:00 PM (Booked club discussion)
1/31 – 107ist Annual General Meeting
2/21 & 24 – Fanladen open office hours before Simple Invitational
2/20 – Children's Book Bank Volunteer Book Cleaning (more info here)
2/25 – Fanladen 6:30-8:00 PM (Booked library open hours)
3/6 – Timbers Home Opener – Fanladen only
3/19 – Timbers v. RSL match – Fanladen or at the 107ist table inside Providence Park

You can also contact the Booked! team to arrange other pickup options at booked107@gmail.com

Booked! values socially responsible purchasing, so whenever possible please reuse old books and support local, independent and/or union businesses. We also welcome gift cards.

THE BOOKS WE ARE COLLECTING This year, the Children's Book Bank is focused on acquiring more culturally specific and multilingual books. The following list contains some suggested titles for donation this year:

Native American/Alaskan Native

On Mother’s Lap by Ann Herbert Scott
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leiteich Smith
Kunu’s Basket by Lee DeCora Francis
Rainbow Crow by Nancy Van Laan

African-American

More, More, More Said the Baby by Versa B Williams
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats
Anansi the Spider: An Ashanti Tale
Cherries and Cherry Pits by Vera Williams
Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen
Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
David’s Drawings by Cathyn Falwell
Grandfather and I by Helen E Buckley
In My Momma’s Kitchen by Jerdine Nolen

Latino/a

¡Libro! Book! by Kristine George
My Colors, My World/Mis Colores, Mi Mundo by Maya Christina Gonzalez
Tortillitas para Mama by Margo C Griego
A Spoon for Every Bite/Una Cuchara Para Cada Boca by Joe Hayes
El Fandango de Lola by Anna Witte
Hairs/Pelitos by Sandra Cisneros

Culturally Specific Soccer Books
Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails by Michael Kusugak
Briana Scurry: Super Saver by Mark Stewart
Pele, King of Soccer/Pele, El Rey del Futbol by Monica Brown
Gol! series of books, which have Spanish/English editions.

Wordless picture books are also appreciated.

Want to donate money to the cause? Click the link below and we'll use your financial contribution to buy copies of these books and get them into the hands of children who need them.

NOTE: Contributions to the 107 Independent Supporters Trust are not tax deductible.

107IST Supports Mick Hoban and Friends of Jimmy Conway

107ist Admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 19:05:51 GMT

—by Cody Goldberg and Patch Adam Perryman

Cody:

It was my great honor to represent the 107IST in our coordination with Mick Hoban for his annual “Friends of Jimmy Conway” team at the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s. While honored, I was certainly nervous about taking on such an important task. Mick is not just a living legend, but I know of his exacting standards and I well aware that he expects as much as he gives, and he gives A LOT. I gleefully volunteered for the chance to support Mick’s worthy efforts, and I’m very thankful to the 107IST for having entrusted me with the important role.

Mick invited me to meet with him and Noeleen Conway for lunch in June of 2015 to begin our planning efforts. I cannot put to words how impressed I was by Noeleen’s warmth and strength. She was so thankful that we were planning to be involved, and her humility and grace were really noteworthy. I’d heard stories about the incredible bond between her and Jimmy, and it really showed during our meeting how much she loves and adores him.

Over lunch, I presented our plans. In short, we planned to host a viewing party at Kells on NW 21st which would serve as an initial fundraiser, as well as a way to get the word out about the walk. In addition, we planned a unique t-shirt design paying tribute to Jimmy to be used as an incentive to sign up for the walk. Mick and Noeleen were very generous in their full gratitude and support for the plans.

While it was not needed, I walked away from our lunch meeting with much deeper commitment to be sure that the 107IST showed Mick, Jimmy and Noeleen our due respect and support. For those unfamiliar with Jimmy’s impact on the beautiful game, especially here in Portland, I can do no better here than to share the notes as originally prepared by Mick himself…

JIMMY CONWAY BRIEF FOR USE WITH 107IST/TIMBERS ARMY ACTIVITIES
Jimmy Conway is one of five (5) members of the Timbers Ring of Honor. He was inducted for his 30 years of dedicated service to soccer in the Pacific Northwest.

His career started in Dublin, Ireland and he became a distinguished player for Fulham FC, Manchester City, Portland Timbers and the Republic of Ireland. After finishing his professional career he joined a local amateur team, ‘St Pat’s’ which became Pierre’s SC, and played with distinction in the Oregon Adult Soccer Association.

His distinguished career in coaching included spells with Pacific University, Oregon State University, Portland Timbers and the Oregon Youth Soccer Association where he spent more than 28 years as State Coach.

Very few people have had such a positive effect on soccer in the Pacific Northwest and, odds are, if you are involved with the game in any way Jimmy contributed to the development of the organization you are a part of.

In late 2009, Jimmy was diagnosed with ‘Trauma Induced Dementia’ and since then has suffered the consequences of this deadly disease. He is currently hospitalized for treatment of his condition.

Each year since 2010 family and friends have joined together at the ‘Walk to End Alzheimer’s’ to raise awareness and donations, in Jimmy’s name, (Friends of Jimmy Conway) to show our respect and gratitude for his selfless devotion to the sport of soccer and to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Please join Jimmy’s wife Noeleen, and friends within the soccer community, on Sunday, September 13th at P.I.R. to show our respect and gratitude for Jimmy’s contribution to soccer and to raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s.

Thanks!

Mick Hoban

The match that we chose for hosting the viewing party/fundraiser was on Wednesday, June 24th against the Los Angeles Galaxy. We arranged door prizes and promoted the event a lot. The place was packed. The energy was really good. We were down 0-Many at halftime.

I recall cheering, “We believe beyond reason!” really loud before introducing Mick. In spite of a final score of 0-5, it was a really nice event which raised some good money and was very well attended. While nobody might believe this now, I swear I remained very hopeful about the remainder of the season. We all know how that turned out. I am convinced that our amazing run this year is very much tied to the amazing community that we are blessed to be a part of. I’m thankful for Mick and Noeleen and Jimmy for being instrumental in having created this community.

Onward to September 13th. What a magical day it turned out to be.

Patch:

This was to be my third time as a participant in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as one of the contingent known as "Friends of Jimmy Conway". Cody had asked me if we could have a banner created to take with us as the group walked around the track at Portland International Raceway. This seemed like a no-brainer, and so we exchanged a logo he had created and used at the watch party at Kell’s and had placed on tees for all the participants to wear. It was a particularly warm and very sunny day as I arrived early to the Walk and located a place for us folks supporting Jimmy to converge. After setting out this fair-sized banner onto a concrete barrier along the racetrack and near some vintage automobiles, it wasn’t long before a few, then a couple dozen, then close to a hundred folks arrived and started trading stories, laughter, and embraces. Events like these, I remember thinking, are what brought out the best in people; and for us who support a football club, and the men who play(ed) for it, there was a sense of being people first and everything else took a back seat. I’d brought a bunch of Sharpie pens and a white matte panel that participants could sign. The plan was to get a group shot framed and offer it to Jimmy’s wife who arrived a short time later. It was something Cody and I had considered doing at the Fanladen before a match as a chance for everyone do something personal for Jimmy and his family.

We formed up for that group photo and were joined by a school cheer squad who performed impromptu to a Timbers Army chant. Next, we moved the track to begin the 1.3 mile walk. Folks took the initiative to identify and take on duties that considered our group’s needs: volunteering to carry extra water and snacks, carrying the banner in front of our contingent, ensuring we had enough room to not step on other groups’ toes. I took my wife’s hand and we carried our daughter, surrounded by many in the middle of the pack.

As we started walking, Tim Birr set the tone with an unmistakable rendition of “Portland Boys” on his bagpipes that got everyone singing along. Everyone had topics discuss while we walked: Our club’s season, family members affected with dementia, working or schooling or both or neither. Coach Porter had brought his family to join us and walk for Jimmy. He made the rounds throughout the crowd, humble and warm in his personable way. At the final turn we were met with applause from the groups who’d finished before us, thankful for our contribution to the cause. We reassembled at the same spot we’d met up, wished each other well, and dispersed.

A few days later I was part of a group who received an email from Mick Hoban, within which is one sentence that I’m sure he’d not mind having shared with you:

“The 107ist/Timbers Army are a force to be reckoned with in the stadium, on the road and in the community and they are never stronger and never more focused than when they are showing their support for a member of the Timbers family.”

It’s true for Jimmy and for so, very many more: Yesterday. Today. Forever.

Op-Ed: Quick Takes on the 2016 Timbers Schedule

107ist Admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 18:59:38 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

107ist Board Elections

107ist Admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 21:18:52 GMT

Results are in. Serving on the 107ist board is a difficult task that requires an incredible amount of time and dedication. It isn't for everyone. We had an incredibly qualified group of candidates this year and the election was a success. We would like to congratulate Sheba Rawson, Mike Coleman, and Lexi Stern for winning positions on the board. We would like to thank both Ray Terrill and Andrew Picard for running for the positions.

Results below

Recap: Timbers Army at Oregon Food Bank 12/19/15

107ist Admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 19:24:42 GMT

—by Keith Palau

Is it still volunteering if it feels more like fun than work? I’ve been involved in helping out at the West Side Oregon Food Bank with the official Timbers Army group for the past 18 months, and took over as the point person in 2015. I consider it an honor to be part of the TA, and have found that there’s a place for everyone who wants to get involved beyond the very important roles of paying dues and standing with us home and away.

East and West groups together at Bethany Pub post-OFB

Why did I first volunteer? Selfishly, the Beaverton OFB is 5 minutes from home, so it seemed like an easy way in which to join the TA. Plus I had a few friends who were going. I’ve made quite a few new friends now by scooping frozen veggies across from them.

We’ve now begun meeting afterwards at the unofficial home of the Westside TA, Bethany Public House, so the TA/OFB events have become a way for TA who may not know too many others to connect and make some friendships.

But those are important side benefits: the TA gets in there and works, and it’s been terrific to see how much gets done to help out fellow Oregonians who are experiencing a shortage of food for themselves and their families.

Between the East side and West side OFB volunteer shifts the TA took part in during March, June, and December, a total of 106,009 pounds of food were bagged and boxed, totaling 88,872 meals. To some degree, numbers that big are hard to get a feel for. The OFB staff do a good job of sharing some stories of individuals and families for whom these efforts make a very real and tangible difference. I have also met more than one fellow TA who told me that volunteering at OFB is a way of giving back, since they had personally received food from the OFB at some critical times in their lives.

December's OFB West TA volunteer group

Lexi Stern, who is point person for the East side, and I have a friendly rivalry over which side is doing a better job each time we volunteer. While she may try to point out that the East packed nearly twice as many pounds of food as the West did in December, I would graciously inform Lexi that potatoes weigh significantly more than corn kernels, and that it’s vastly easier to toss potatoes than to painstakingly and lovingly pack millions of kernels into plastic bags. Still, they do an ok job over there, I guess. ;-)

So if you’re looking for a way to make a difference as well as connect more broadly within the TA, I highly recommend picking one of the many volunteer activities that will come up in 2016, and jumping in with both feet. I’ll hope to see you there!

Ballots Are in Your Inbox - Please Vote!

107ist Admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 19:37:43 GMT

Earlier this week, 2015* members should have received a ballot in their email inboxes to vote for the 2016 board of directors. This email came from "electionbuddy Elections" (elections@electionbuddy.com), not the usual 107ist email.

Please take a moment to locate it and vote for the three open positions. Voting closes on December 22nd, and winners will be announced on December 23rd.

You can find more information about the candidates in the following places:

Review candidate profiles.
Watch video of the candidate forum.
Participate in each candidate's thread on the member forums (login required).

If you have any questions or are not able to locate your ballot, please contact elections@107ist.org.

*A 2015 Member will have been fully paid up for the 2105 season prior to October 31st 2015. If you joined/renewed during the playoff run (Nov/Dec) you have a 2016 membership and will be eligible to vote in the election next year, but not this year.

107IST Candidate Forum Now Available

107ist Admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 19:30:45 GMT

Video of the 12/12 candidate forum, featuring candidates Mike Coleman, Drew Picard, Sheba Rawson, Lexi Stern, and Ray Terrill is now available online. Huge thanks to Josh Barrett for moderating, to Jerry Makare for capturing the video, and to Artists Repertory Theater for once again being gracious hosts. Ballots to 107IST members will be in the mail soon. You may also continue to ask candidates questions in the members only section of the forums.

December 12th 107IST board candidate forum

Meet Jack Jewsbury and Support a Great Cause!

107ist Admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 19:36:02 GMT

Jack Jewsbury is hosting a golf tournament and he's asked Timbers Army members to cheer him on. The tournament is at the Tualatin Country Club from Monday 12/14 from 11-3, with proceeds to benefit the Pediatric Brain Foundation.

You're invited to set up at Hole 3, where you can enjoy the complimentary keg provided for you by tournament sponsor Widmer, along with wings, Dutch Brothers coffee, and food afterward.

More info over on our EventBrite page.

Darren's MLS Cup Travel Log

107ist Admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 19:40:48 GMT

Darren Lloyd is one of the drummers in the DnT, and had a crazy idea to write down the tale of his journey to Columbus and back. What follows is a stream-of-consciousness travel log. Pull up a chair, you'll be here a while.

*********

2:40 AM. Friday December 4. PDX. Is that really my alarm? It's strange. Normally I'm somewhat lazy with alarms, but this one popped me out of bed like a jack-in-the-box. Damn it's early. Who does this......oh. Right. We're going to the MLS Cup, and I have a 5 AM flight.

Wendy picks up Kris from downtown and rolls over to pick me up. It's just after 3:20. I'm not entirely awake, but the drive from NoPo is blissfully straight so I don't have to do toooooo much navigating. We arrive at PDX around 3:45, but the Alaska desk doesn't open until 4 AM (and I have a 5 AM flight), so it's time to stand in line. Timbers fans are pros at standing in line, so no big deal. I take a photo of my drum and my feet standing on the PDX Carpet, as one does. And, seeing how my drum doesn't fit in an overhead bin or under the seat in front of me, checked it is! I also learned something new...PDX has nifty check-in kiosks that print baggage tags for you, so you walk up, show your boarding pass and ID, they scan your bag with a tablet, and off you go. At 3:45, those don't print bag tags...and they won't until 4. So. The more you know.

More lines, this time for security. Everyone's half asleep, but there's green and gold, jerseys, No Pity scarves, jackets, and hats, everywhere. Those wearing gear give one another a knowing nod. Security, as usual at PDX, is a breeze. I'm still amazed no one wants to take a closer look at my mallets (in my carry-on) when they go through the x-ray machine, but I've flown with them several times with no issues. The flight to s*ttle is about 30 minutes from Portland. There's one every 30 minutes or so, and in all the times I've done it, I think I've been stuck in my seat with the seat belt light on for the duration of the flight—it's not that they don't do in-flight service, it just doesn't seem to happen often because I always wind up flying in bumpy conditions!

We finally make it to the fishing village. Just like Jail in Monopoly...I'm just visiting. I have about two hours to kill, and I'm getting hungry, so after I take the tram to the N terminal at SeaTac, get some food, and chill for a bit. I'm flying to Detroit, which is a 4.5ish hour flight. I got a free checked bag (the drum), so I instead spent the ~25 bucks on upgrading my seat to row 6, so I'm one of the first on the plane...then I just have to wait for everyone else to get on board. In one of those wonderful moments that you want when traveling alone, no one is in the middle seat, so I can just relax and not worry about personal space issues. As we push back from the gate, I realize that my Fighting 106th pin, which someone gave to me before the final Dallas game at home, isn't on the lapel of my jacket. I mention it to the flight attendant as she comes by to make sure seat belts are fastened and tray tables are in their upright and locked positions, just in case it fell somewhere between the door and my seat, but I resign myself to the fact that I left something behind in the terminal.

I feel like you taxi FOREVER at SeaTac. Maybe shorter only to Denver in my experience. But eventually, the pilots throttle up, trip the brakes, and away we go. I smile as the nose of the plane rotates into the air. Here we go, one more step on the journey complete. Losing that pin is weighing on my mind. It's silly, a souvenir, but like the poppy I got in Vancouver for Remembrance Day in Canada during the Western Conference Semifinals, it's become part of the "routine" for the day. The captain levels out at our cruising altitude and flips off the seat belts sign. I get up and check around the seat area. Maybe I knocked the pin off when I unshouldered my bag to put it in the overhead bin. Nope. I open the overhead bin and there, stuck to the strap of my messenger bag, is the pin. Jackpot. The back is long-gone (maybe I left THAT in SeaTac), but I have the pin, so into my pocket it goes.

Flights across the United States are generally, well, uneventful. I'm in an aisle seat, so the glimpses I do get out the window show, well, clouds. Maybe snow-covered ground occasionally. It's a big country. In a blog post in the Daily Mail made after the game, our English center back Liam Ridgewell points out that PDX-CMH (Columbus) is farther than London to Moscow. Sure, I'm going s*ttle to Detroit, but it's a long flight. Finally, we touch down in the Motor City. It's my first time in Detroit. Farthest I'd been in the Eastern part of the US was Cleveland. South Bend, while a great trip memory, is not as far east. I take my phone out of airplane mode and immediately the emails start flowing in. While I was in the air, plans were finalized back in PDX. Our Gameday Ops and Travel teams had been in talks with Columbus operations and security, getting approval for flags, banners, tifo, and drums. Travel in particular is an unsung hero of this weekend. In addition to herding cats with ticket sales, they worked with the Columbus front office to get five drums approved. Then someone gets a wild idea...what if we bring Epic, one of our two 40-inch bass drums? So we ask on the security call. Columbus says yes. Now we just have to get it there. By the time I'm leaving Seattle, it sounds like it's not going to happen. We go as far as deciding to pull the plug, and reaching out to Alaska Airlines, who'd agreed to let us bring the drum on the chartered flight Saturday. Alaska says, "well, we'd really like to work with you guys to get it there if it fits." So the emails are flying. Guys build a crate to ship it. It will get dropped up Saturday morning at the airport, in the hopes that it'll fit in the cargo hold. The news brings a smile to my face.

I get off the plane and head to baggage claim. I also get in touch with Cassandra. She's a Detroit City FC supporter, a member of the Northern Guard. She's also my ride. Detroit City is an NPSL team (that's the 4th division of the US Soccer pyramid), but they're a pretty awesome group of supporters. Smoke, flares, chanting and singing, language...there are a lot of Timbers Army parallels and connections. Members of the NGS offered to put up us traveling Portlanders. I meet up with Cassandra, my drum arrives on the conveyor belt, and away we go.

Detroit's airport is southwest of the city proper, and we're headed to a house just north of downtown Detroit. I can now say I've been on 8 Mile Road. We make a stop for some food, and then we arrive at Eric's place. He's another member of the NGS, and their trumpeter for gameday. It's a cool house and neighborhood, so many old brick houses set back from the street, something we don't have that much of in Portland. Eric is a college professor and musician, and there's a band rehearsal at his place that evening. He has a 70's Hammond organ in the corner of the room that I gravitate towards. I can't play it (I'm a percussionist, not a keyboardist), but there's something about the sound of these things that's awesome. It has a Leslie cabinet (ever hear an organ that has that oscillating Doppler effect? That's the Leslie.); it's one of the first ones Hammond built for home use. It used to be his grandmother's who was a church musician. He turns it on and plays around with it for a bit. Very cool. There's food and drink and LOUD NOISES, as a reggae/punk/ska infusion starts to play. They are running through songs for a show next Tuesday. Rehearsal winds down and the band members and friends go their separate ways. It's nearly 11. Cassandra has gone home to let her dog out and returned. We're left with her, Eric, another friend, and I, sitting around, chatting.

We talk soccer. We talk about how we thought there were tons of TA coming into Detroit— there are, but most everyone is going to fly in Saturday and drive straight down. We're waiting for Patch, one of the capos, to land in Detroit. Finally, he's close to landing, so Cassandra goes to collect him. They finally return around midnight. We hang out for a while longer, until someone sends me off to bed. I don't exactly feel tired, but I know I look it. I set an alarm for 8 AM, and am asleep once my head hits the pillow.

*********

The alarm jolts me awake. I momentarily wonder, "What time is it, and where am I?" Then I realize. It's Saturday. MLS Cup. Detroit. You're headed to Columbus, Ohio. Who in their right mind is excited to head to Columbus in December?!

There's something about flying that generally makes me feel gross—sweaty, sticky, something like that. I hop in the shower, which despite my best efforts remained cold. Maybe it's the 30s plumbing of Eric's house, maybe I did it wrong (probably that). Regardless, I'm awake. I pull my bag together and bring it downstairs. Eric's got soccer on TV, and coffee ready. I sit down and watch the game, as Patch shuffles in with more coffee. We're prepped and ready for our 9 AM pickup. Gene, another NGS guy, is our ride to the match. Well, he was. He thought we were leaving Sunday morning, but Patch and I have things to do in Columbus Saturday. Other NGS are driving down, so we start to scheme. Who can get us there? In the meantime, Eric drives us to breakfast. He and Patch stayed up later than I did--like maybe 4 AM. They probably need the food more than I do! We go visit some Detroit City FC reps-- they have a booth a a local marketplace where they're selling season tickets for their upcoming season. We chat with them for a bit; they wish us good luck. Then it's back to Eric's. Cassandra, while without a match ticket, volunteered to drive us to Columbus, stay overnight, then drive back Sunday morning. She's organized a watch party with NGS for the match at one of their regular haunts. I check my phone, and Epic is going through TSA. Then, a photo of it being loaded into the belly of a 737 is posted to Twitter. It's actually happening! I repost the photo, captioning it with "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," as close as I can get to maniacal laughter in text form.

It's 11 AM and we're on the road to Columbus. It's about a 3.5 hour drive. We drive through the city, very suddenly coming upon Ford Field, Comerica Park, and the site of the new Red Wings arena. We pass the bridge to Canada (I always forget you can hit Canada with a well-thrown rock from Detroit), drive through the most depressing industrial/heavy industry place I've ever seen (smokestack on smokestack on smokestack), and then we're out of the city and headed south. We cross the border and give Ohio a salute—one finger—as one does when entering Oh*o. A quick pit stop for fuel and some snacks, and we're back on the road. We talk soccer—how I fell in love with the game (UP National Championships in '02 and '05); how Patch wound up becoming a capo; how Cassandra found herself in NGS. We talk shit about our rivals. Patch and Cassandra talk about their kids. Finally, we arrive in Columbus. We're staying near Ohio State...and there's people in green and gold all over the place.

We go to check in...and we have some reservation issues. There are no double rooms left, so we grab two singles, offload the gear, and walk over to Applebee's. We'd been talking about nachos at some point during the drive, and all of us suddenly wanted nachos. We sit in the bar, watch some high school football championships (being played at Ohio State's stadium), and have nachos and beer. Then we head into downtown Columbus for the real party. The Timbers Army has taken over two bars right next to each other. We wander into the first one and it's packed full of green and gold. We meet up with the flag crew folks, and flag assembly begins. Earlier in the day, people went to Home Depot, got PVC pipe cut to length, and drilled pilot holes for zip-ties. We have 300 flags to prepare for Sunday. Eventually we wander over to the other bar. I run into coworkers. I run into friends who have moved away. I meet people who have traveled the world to get here—London, Sweden, you name it. We drink, watch college football, reminisce, and plot and scheme about tomorrow. The victory log—which was driven out from Portland—arrives and people run outside, climb all over it, and take photos. In deference to our driver, Patch and I say our goodbyes and head back to the hotel. I nearly bowl over Jon as I see him walking up and jump to give him a hug. I haven't seen him since he and his wife moved to Minnesota. We get back to the hotel...probably at 1 AM. I prepare my gameday bag, get out my clothes for the day, and set an alarm...and immediately fall asleep.

*********

Sunday. Gameday. I beat my alarm to the punch. It's an early morning...the lots at the stadium don't open until 9 AM, with the tailgate scheduled to begin at 10:30. We load up and roll towards the stadium with Cassandra. We stop for breakfast at a diner at 8 AM; they've got soccer on TV. I think back to part of the gameday ops email thread and post two things on Twitter. One is a reminder to all of us that "the eyes of the soccer world are on us. Act accordingly. Jump. Clap. Sing for victory." The other I send to the Timbers Twitter account. It's a Clive Charles quote: "If you have fun, you will win...and you will make me very, very happy." Appropriate sentiments for the day, I think. The hostess asks if she can take a photo of us with our scarves—there ARE people who know there's a big game going on in this college football-crazy town. Then we roll to the stadium. Cassandra drops us off in a spot that looks like it could only be a tailgate area for the Timbers Army. It's in the right lot, and it's coned off. It's 24 degrees and sunny. Cassandra gives Patch her "Fuck Ohio" scarf (NGS hates Ohio the way the Timbers Army hates s*ttle) and heads off on her drive back to Detroit.

Patch spots giant, five-foot tall letters spelling out #MLSCUP in front of the stadium. We walk over for a photo opportunity, then chat with a local news cameraman. He's excited for the day, excited we're here. It's a theme I hear repeated from Crew fans throughout the day.

We wander back over to our bags as a giant box truck with the Timbers crest on the side rolls up. It's the advance crew for tailgate setup. There's so much stuff in the back of this truck...standing tables. Chips and sandwiches. Beer. Water. A DJ booth. Couches. Flags are put up on the sides of the truck. Patch and I start helping the guys unload the truck. More TA trickle in and, in one of the displays of what I love about this community...just jump in. People are organizing food. People are assembling tables and propane heaters. People get beer on ice and pick up trash.

The Epic has landed.

The TA kegs and cases of beer arrive a bit later. We have kegs of Widmer IPA and cases of Hefe. The taps flow freely as we all get a taste of home. A wedding (yes, really) breaks out in the tailgate lot. We all sing "Can't Help Falling In Love," like we do during games. The flag crew appears and stack of assembled flags are shuttled to a central place in the lot. A van carrying Epic appears. I grab some hands and unload it, then roll it to an out-of-the-way place with the rest of the drums that have arrived. Finally the remaining drummers arrive, and I borrow a drill to uncrate Epic. We set it up in the parking lot as people shoot photos and video. We panic a bit as we can't find the tiny baggie of hardware, but after tearing everything apart, all the parts are located and the drum is reassembled. A new head is on it, so I give it an initial tune and let Ben fine-tune it (I hate tuning bass drums!). People come up to take their photo with the drum. More food arrives. More friends arrive. A drummer and his wife, who recently moved away, arrive. It's good to see them; I am happy he gets to drum with us for this game. Ticket distribution begins and it finally hits me. The Timbers are about to play a game for the right to wear a star. For bragging rights over the league and rivals. None of our rivals (looking at you, s*ttle and vancouver) have won the Western Conference, let alone the MLS Cup. Is this our destiny?

Drums at the ready. Drummers must be getting beer.

1:30. Flags, banners, tifo, and drums roll to the side entrance we'll be using. We set everything down so that the K9 unit and police can check everything over. This isn't just any game, it's a major championship with high visibility to the sporting world, and with current world events...none of us really object. Then, it's go time. They let us in and we make our way to the south end of the stadium where they've put the TA. We get the drums into place and look around going "Wow, we're really here. This is really happening." The drummers all pose for a group photo, as if we were to drop a single...a total album cover photo. It's fantastic. Banners are hung along the rail in front of our section. Gisele, Howie, Duane all together. The tifo is set out in position, ready to be passed overhead. The BAF (big-ass flag, the sunshine flag that is passed overhead after goals) is readied.

Gates are about to open. one of the drummers and I head to get beer. A Crew fan stops us and says, "Here's where you go to get good beer." We thank him, and head that way. I grab an IPA and head back to my seat. The TA is already streaming into our section. The PA system apparently is all housed in the giant scoreboard behind us and the damn thing is annoyingly loud. That is, until we start to play. The boys come out and the drums bang out the beginning of "When I root." The TA erupts in full voice: "WHEN I ROOT I ROOT FOR THE TIMBERS!" We sing off and on during the warmups. I hand my GoPro to a friend, who's standing next to me. She shoots video the whole night, most of which looks like Blair Witch footage, but that's okay.

Then, over the PA, In The Air Tonight comes on. The TA starts singing. We know every word. I step up to Epic, spin my mallets between my fingers, and wait, as one does for that drum solo you know by heart. Phil Collins is a lefty. It's like required listening for a fellow left-handed drummer. The solo comes. I play, and the TA gets even louder. We all laugh and high-five each other. The teams come out. For some reason Crew fans unveil their tifo. Why they did it then is beyond us, but we don't care. We're 90 minutes from a star. The anthem singer turns it into a solo. The TA belts out the anthem like we do every game, oblivious to his flourishes (serious pet peeve—it should be something EVERYONE can sing together, not a solo piece). Right on cue—"...and the home of the ~~bra~~ TIMBERS!", our tifo goes up. It continues the "Cup Bound and Down" theme from the postseason, this time saying, "We're gonna do what they say can't be done." Fitting, as we were the underdogs.

Then, it's game time. We've just started "Portland Boys," as we do to start every game, when Valeri scores 27 seconds in. There's a split second where everyone goes "He's gotta get called for a foul, that's what always happens to us with something like that." But he doesn't. We go nuts. The Sunshine flag goes overhead. High-fives go around. Then, we begin to start "Portland Boys" again. We get a bit further...then Rodney Wallace scores. Grown men are weeping. Voices are being shredded. Flags wave feverishly. Crew fans hurl cans of beer at Wallace (unacceptable). We're leading 2-nil and it's not even the 10th minute. Timber Jim leads us all in "Mighty Mighty Timbers." Then the game gets chippy. Villafaña gets NFL-tackled from behind, as does Ridgewell. We get louder. They get quiet. Kamara scores a garbage goal and it's the only time I hear the stadium all night. We sing "Livin' On A Prayer" as the halftime whistle blows. They play The Ramones over the PA and we sing along again: "HEY! HO! LET'S GO!" The second half starts. 45 minutes to go. We wonder how the ball stays out of the net twice, and wish that their keeper had fumbled the ball across the line instead of out for a goal kick. We jump up and down and pray the bleachers aren't going to collapse. Timber Jim leads us in Sunshine and many of us fight off tears. We look at our watches. We scream for the ref to "BLOW THE FUCKIN' WHISTLE!"

He does.

The Timbers have won. First ever championship in MLS. Fifth year as an MLS club. 40 years since their founding. Hugs. Tears. We're screaming at the top of our lungs. A cigar is lit and passed around. I take one hit, then another, and pass it back. We keep singing. We Tetris. The team comes over and dances with us. We stay there, singing, dancing, cajoling our players. I reach into my bag and pull out sheets of gold stars. I put the first one on our expat drummer's chest, and we pass them around, sticking them above our crests and our hearts. I put one on Timber Jim and he gives me a bear hug.

We sing "Can't Help Falling In Love" again and I stand on the bench, arms to the sky, and use what remaining voice I have to get the words out. My hands are at the point where trying to open them requires more effort and energy than just leaving them curled around my mallets. Caleb Porter comes over, stops dead center, and loses his mind, yelling something along the lines of "this one's for you." It's like none of us can quite believe this is happening. Then, as quick as it was over, it's time to go. Flags and banners are collected. Drums bagged up. We have to get things put away.

We head back to the tailgate lot. It's deserted, but for bags of trash set next to the remaining trash cans. We break Epic back down and return it to its crate for its flight on the charter the next day. We have another beer or two. Crew fans come by, thank us for coming, apologize for the idiots who hurled beers at our players, and say "We're coming to Portland next year. You guys are awesome." Then, Patch hails a cab for a trip to a bar downtown. Merritt Paulson's credit card is showing up at 8 and is buying drinks.

We arrive and find a group of TA outside in the smoking area. Drinks are thrust into our hands. We look around at each other and ask ourselves, "How did we get here?" More hugs. Some of us have been waiting 40 years for this moment. Merritt's card arrives. Rounds are bought. Patch gets the last pitcher on Merritt's tab, then proceeds to walk around drinking straight from the pitcher. I head to the restroom and only then realize that in something so Portland...we took over a gay/drag club. I chuckle about it and return to friends and beers. Another cigar appears. We're winding down when we hear the location of the team party. We pile into cabs and head there.

We arrive and I stash my drum, out of the way of Liam Ridgewell, who seemed pretty keen to get it up onstage. I say hello to Sam Younie, the equipment manager; to Pat Rice, one of the front office guys who we work with often. I get a few minutes to talk to Jack Jewsbury and Nat Borchers. It's like a competition to see who can be more gracious and thank the other more profusely. These guys get it. Taylor Peay sips a tequila shot with some fans, then smiles and pours it into my Maker's on the rocks. It's the signal that maybe I'm done sipping something that isn't water. Patch and I find our way to the stage, where we each hoist the cup and take photos with it.

A purple fringe No Pity scarf is tied around the handles of the cup. Backstory needed—the purple fringe scarves were a special run with all proceeds benefitting the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund. Gisele was a special person who many others have written about, but what the TA and the Timbers meant to her—and her to us—can't be overstated. Sam knows some of the history, but he's told how important it is for THIS scarf to be attached to this trophy. He gets it, and promises to relay that to Merritt and Caleb.

It's 2:40 in the morning on Monday, and the party's over. Patch and I hail a cab, and two women ask if we can share it to their hotel. We introduce ourselves; Patch, a capo; Darren, a drummer. They introduce themselves—Caleb Porter's mom and his sister. We're floored. They thank us, and pay for most of our cab ride to our hotel.

We unload the drum from the back of the cab and walk to our rooms. Our ride arrives in 5 hours to take us back to Detroit. My legs hurt. My arms hurt. My face hurts from grinning. I have no voice. Alarm set, I turn off the lights, chuckle to myself, and fall asleep.

*********

If Friday's alarm was too early, Monday's was too harsh. Mostly because of all the celebratory drinking. It's time to go. "Once in a Lifetime" rolls through my head: "And you may ask yourself, how did I get here?" I clean up and pack my bags. Patch shows up, then our ride. The drum doesn't fit in the trunk, so into the middle seat it goes. I nod off in the back seat at some point for about an hour. Eventually, we find ourselves back in Detroit and at the airport...where the ticket counter won't open for an hour. We put our stuff down in line and wait. More TA appear in line behind us. We smile and talk about how we almost can't believe it. We start talking about the silly season—news about contracts and options will drop before we land in s*ttle and we begin to speculate. It's sad, but we know it's going to happen. Guys that won the trophy will find out not even 24 hours later that they won't wear the green and gold for us next year.

Finally the counter opens and I can check the drum back in. Patch and I make our way to a bar inside the terminal and order burgers—honestly, first real substantial meal I feel like I had all weekend. We pay our bill, head to the gate, and meet more friends. This time Patch and I are in row 6, surrounded by more TA. Someone in first class comes back and hands the two of us whiskey, saying "You gentlemen look cold!" I listen to music until my headphone batteries die. As we begin our approach into SeaTac, I hear people around me quietly sing, "If I had the wings of an eagle, if I had the ass of a cow, I'd fly over s*ttle tomorrow, and shit on those bastards below!"

There's nothing like a roving group of 20 TA sauntering, cocksure and smiling, through the airport of the city of your rivals. "I'd get a drink here, but s*ttle has no cups!" one of our number exclaimed. We laughed. We posted up at Alaskan Brewing for pints and toasted the victory. Patch found copies of the New York Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer and we made a quick video. Then it was off for the final leg of the journey. 30 minutes to Portland. What plays over the PA in Portland once inside the terminal?

"Welcome to Portland International Airport, home of the 2015 MLS Cup Champions."

*********

It's Tuesday and I'm on the phone with my boss and his boss. They ask how it's going and I answer, "It's pretty surreal." "Why's that?" they ask. "Because the Portland Timbers are the 2015 MLS Cup Champions," I reply. It's starting to set in. I tell them some of the tidbits recounted here. I watch the victory parade. The emails between capos, flags, and DnT are flying back and forth. We're setting up for the championship rally like it's gameday. Drums. Flags. Trumpets. Tetris. It's like matchday all over again. It's what the team deserves. It's what the TA deserves.

Off I go to meet people at the Fanladen and the Tifo Warehouse. We'd taken everything out of the stadium after the Western Conference Final game at home against Dallas, so we have to grab drums and bring them back into Providence Park. We have to uncrate Epic and set it back up—but none of the hardware is in the box. It got carried back to PDX in someone's bag, and they're not able to arrive early. We carry it in pieces up to 18th and Morrison. People are already in line in the pouring rain. We walk to Gate 4 and carry everything we have into the stadium. The flag crew is waiting—they had taken all the flags off poles and cleaned them at the same time we'd removed all the drums from the stadium. Some of the flags went to Columbus, but they have to prep as many as they can before the gates open in 30 minutes. I walk into the concourse, carrying Epic with the help of some of the flag crew. We set drums into place, and place El Diablo (the other big-ass drum) in its spot. The rain swirls around the North End, the wind whips at the banners attached to the stage set up on the field facing us. One comes loose and has to be anchored back down. It won't stay up for the duration of the celebration.

Suddenly I get an idea. We use bungee cords to hold the stands of the big drums in place so they don't move around while they are played. The important hardware we're missing are the screws that hold the base together, but I play a hunch. I figure we can use a bungee cord to hold the pieces in tension. It works, and as the gates open we carry Epic into place. A beer arrives. I toast the deliverer and take a sip. 50 minutes to go before the celebration begins, and the lower bowl is effectively full.

Slowly the rest of the drummers stroll in, finally off work and able to make it downtown. The roads are a mess due to the weather. Every few minutes, a player comes out of the tunnel and peers up at the crowd, still gathering. We chant their name and wave. They wave back. I look at the clock. 5:57. I ask our trumpeter if we should play "Final Countdown." He nods and grabs his trumpet. The TA erupts in full voice.

Timber Jim and Timber Joey come out and place scarves on the victory log, sitting to the side of the stage assembled in front of the North End. He holds his "Spread The Love" scarf aloft over his head and immediately 108 begins to sing "You Are My Sunshine." Jim walks to a railing and hangs the scarves around his neck there. Then takes off his overcoat and unties his tie. He walks to the middle of the stage and begins to unbutton his shirt. He's wearing an old shirt with the original crest and a picture of Clive Charles. He shows it to the camera, it appears on the video board, and the crowd roars. It's the closest I've come yet to crying. (My wife, who is sick and watching at home, tells me later that people online were of two minds: "That's awesome!" and "Who's Clive?" The latter need to look up to the Ring of Honor more often, it's the only number that's retired! Maybe we're biased as University of Portland alumni.)

The team is announced and the drums kick in. Merritt talks. The mayor talks. Valeri, Borchers, Jewsbury, and Chara talk. Porter talks. He also brings the team onto the capo stand. We sing more. Timber Joey cuts a slab for Valeri's goal, then brings Timber Jim out to cut Wallace's slab. Tetris breaks out, smoke bombs go off, and the team mirrors us on the stage as we pogo about the North End. A very shy Nagbe appears, thrust from the back of the stage by his teammates and basically held there by Porter. An...interesting singalong to Journey, Queen, and Neil Diamond breaks out. Merritt and Rodney Wallace drop more F-bombs. George Fochive gathers the team to do a call and response, and as the crowd quiets down, Will Johnson leans in and says "Fuck seattle." We cheer and laugh. It's not about them, but it's funny all the same. I'm pretty sure Will is probably getting traded—he wants to play and the Timbers finish to the season really kicked in when he was removed from the lineup due to lingering issues from his leg break last year. He gets it...and I think we're pretty sure where he won't be going.

The call and response happens (finally) and what started as players responding ends up with the North End singing along. We sing "Can't Help Falling In Love" again and the players hold up their scarves while we all sing. Ridgewell (who from the final whistle Sunday through the night last night I have yet to see without a beer in hand) literally drops the mic. We light off more smoke bombs as the team leaves the stage.

The smoke clears, and while we want to linger, people slowly clear out. Nat Borchers comes back onto the capo stand and shakes hands/takes pictures with fans. Finally the concourse is empty enough we can get drums upstairs. We reassemble everything, cover the big drums, and roll them back to the Fanladen, where they'll stay until it is time to return.

The 2016 preseason starts in 77 days. There are still things that will happen. Contracts to be renegotiated. Trade rumors to be proven true or false. Player contracts sold and acquired. But. Finally. We have a cup. We have a star. And we have a moment to catch our breath, think about the wild ride that was 2015...and before we know it, the North End will fill once again with friends, flags, songs, and smoke.

See you then.

The Timbers should invite Detroit City FC to the Rose City Invitational

107ist Admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 19:39:07 GMT

—by Scott Jeffries

The following is an opinion piece. It represents the views of the author, and may not represent the views of the Timbers Army or 107ist Board of Directors.

------------------------

Every year the Timbers kick off their home campaign with a tournament featuring three other teams: two MLS sides and a foreign club. The inaugural tournament hosting AIK was a memorable one that forged lasting relationships. Now the Timbers need to recognize another potential partner and invite Detroit City FC in 2016.

"Detroit City FC Supporters at Cass Tech" by BPesqueira - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Detroit City FC is a fourth-tier club in the National Premier Soccer League. They have existed for all of three years. They currently play at a high school. Their players don't get paid. In spite of all that, they have some of the most passionate fans in American soccer. The 800-strong Northern Guard, DCFC's supporters group, was founded by members of the Timbers Army, brothers Gene and Ken Butcher, who brought the same ethos to that group. They sing loud and proud (often songs they adapted from us), they Tetris, they set off smoke, and they are active in their community. They are everything a supporters group should be.

When the Timbers came to Columbus to capture the MLS Cup, the Detroit City supporters jumped at the chance to help their cross-country brethren, offering rides to and from the airport and places to crash for anyone who needs them without asking anything in return. They did it out of a sense of community and shared identity. We were both there to hate Ohio, sure, but our ties run deeper than one mutual rivalry. The Timbers Army and the Northern Guard are one and the same, cut from the same cloth. I am a Detroit City fan now, and I can't imagine any Detroiter left that game not having become a Timbers fan (if they weren't already).

The Timbers have fanbases all over the country and Detroit is no exception. But the Timbers have unique potential to form even stronger ties to Detroit soccer fans. Their closest MLS teams are in Chicago and Columbus. No self-respecting Detroiter would ever support Columbus, and between the Lions-Bears, Pistons-Bulls, and Red Wings-Blackhawks, I can't imagine they're jumping to get on the bandwagon of a dismal suburban Chicago soccer team that their own city even struggles to support. This is a huge untapped market, somewhere from the 11th to the 14th largest in the country depending how you count it, that the Timbers can seize on, that already has a built-in connection to our city and club. The Detroit fans would surely jump at the chance to come to Portland for what would likely be their first Timbers game, the ones who stayed behind would follow the games with great anticipation, and those travelers would return home with tales of a vibrant and hospitable supporters group that helped birth their own. And Detroit as a city deserves to play on a higher profile stage than they ever have.

I can't think of any other team I would rather have in Portland next spring than Detroit City FC, and I can't think of any other fans I'd rather have in town than the Northern Guard. It would be great for the supporters and it would be great for both teams. But our club needs to know we want this to happen. Please, take a moment to write or call your ticket rep and request they invite Detroit City FC to the 2016 Rose City Invitational.

A Message From Our Popcast Provider

107ist Admin — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:23:42 GMT

The Popcast happens for a reason and Barnacle Brian is that reason. This doesn't reflect the 107ist board but it reflects literally a lifetime of support.

Tomorrow is the MLS Cup final. I’m about to witness the biggest football match in my entire life. As I sit here on a Saturday Night, I can’t help but wonder how we got here. It’s all just a dream really. Something magical has happened, but that magic started way before MLS in 2011. In fact, it started before USL in 2001. It humbly started in 1982. It started the day the papers wrote about the NASL Portland Timbers franchise folding. I was a footy crazed eight year old. Too young to understand why, yet more than old enough to understand the loss, and the pain. Imagine being a kid and having NO team to support, NO local club to look up to. Nothing. FUCK ALL.

There were a few flash in the pan startups over the years, but nothing lasted. Certainly nothing to invest your heart and soul into. Fast forward to sometime in 2000. Rumors of the Portland Timbers reforming circulate. I think nothing of it. I’m not about to have my heart broken again, but sure enough Civic Stadium eventually has a football club again. Except this club is green and white, and has a new badge. The stadium is now named PGE Park. Timber Jim has returned. It’s a link to my childhood. It’s in the same stadium. The same stadium my parents took me to. In fact, my parents and about 40 of their closest Scottish friends hovered in the bleachers a little west of the North End goal. (About where present day 108/109 is today) In 2001 it’s a few ruffians with no rhythm, beating pickle buckets. You see, I’m in the beer garden sitting as close to the action on the pitch as possible. I’m talking shit to anyone within earshot. Linesmen were always my favorite. I was in denial. I didn’t want to get emotionally invested in this club. I figured it would fold any minute, so I might as well have fun taking the piss.

In 2002, I’m almost kicked out of the stadium for “spilling” a beer on the awning above the hot dog stand and onto the people below. (frat boys were starting to invade my beloved beer garden) Around this time, I hear bagpipes playing in the North End. My migration into the Timbers Army has begun. By 2003, I’m lurking on the fringes. Yet, I still don’t want to get too involved because I don’t want my heart broken. In 2005, a friendly against the EPL’s Sunderland is announced and as a longtime Newcastle United fan, I lose my shit. People start to follow Sunderland, I’m no longer lurking in the shadows of SCUSA, no longer observing, no longer scared of having my heart broken. It’s like all those years of remaining quiet have suddenly been released all at once. I became the most vocal opponent of the friendly and all around cyber-hool. I talk more shit than Richard Pryor on a coke binge. My vitriol knows no bounds. I don’t realize it at the time, but I became a full on supporter of the Portland Timbers in the process. I’m fully invested. There’s no turning back now. Sign me the fuck up. Hometown pride kicked into overdrive.

Over the years, friendships are formed, alliances are made. Plans and dreams are discussed. Something truly magic was in the process of creation. You could feel it. Some of the greatest people I have ever met are involved. We felt something beautiful blossoming in our collective dreams, yet in reality, it’s too much of a long shot. We’d dream about the PTFC playing in the MLS, or winning the League, or just simply being able to beat Vancouver or Seattle on the road. Hell, we’d dream of survival of the club.

Over the next couple of seasons we become more organized. Our numbers grew, our dreams became bigger, our chants become louder. Yet, there’s a sense of sarcasm and desperation in almost everything we do. None of us know if there will be a team next season, next game, next half. How close we came to losing the Portland Timbers was a serious possibility, I’ve been told. I didn’t want to think about it, my heart would not be broken again.

Eventually, some baseball loving rich kid buys the club. His name is Merritt Paulson. The MLS whispers are a bit louder now. In fact, before any of us know it, MLS is a possibility. Just so happens, my roommate at the time is running a campaign called MLS2PDX. I’ve got a front row seat. I can’t fucking believe its happening. We’re about to become an MLS franchise. Our little world, our little army is about to hit the big time. I can’t help but think about that horrible day I lost my Timbers as a kid. That giant gaping hole in my heart is gone. That overwhelming sense of fear has disappeared. This club will not die. This club will thrive. I’m the proudest motherfucker on the planet. Dreams do come true.

We become even more organized. We have meetings in movie theatres. We all choose something specific to help the TA, help the 107ist, help football in general. I choose media. I choose producing a Podcast. I watch my friends, build this thing with more blood, sweat and tears, than I have ever witnessed in my life. There are so many unsung soldiers in the TA, and the 107ists. They are my heroes. They are my friends. They never get their due.
It’s now March 2011. I’m in Denver. I’m about to witness the first MLS match for the Portland Timbers. I’m on top of the world, and I’m not just talking altitude. I reflect on the day in 1982. I constantly do. It keeps me humble. I may be a loud, obnoxious sarcastic SOB on the surface, but I’m also the most thankful, blissful smiling bastard on the inside as well.

A few seasons go by. A few ugly wins, a few pretty losses. More or less, It’s just typical PTFC… That is until the end of this season. We didn’t limp into the playoffs. We literally collapsed on the finish line and the wind blew us over. We fell in. And now here we are… The Cup final. The ultimate ride is about to end. The ultimate ride that started that horrible day in 1982 when I found out my local football club folded. You see, fate is a hell of a thing. This is destiny. This is karma. Good things come to those who wait. I’ve been waiting 40 years for this moment. My entire fucking life. So here’s to my hometown club. Here’s to proving magic is real. Here’s to that little redheaded boy reading the newspaper in 1982 drenched in tears.

Match Day in Columbus: Here's the Plan

107ist Admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 19:37:30 GMT

The Portland Timbers will play in MLS Cup! Here's what you'll need to know if you’ll be there to see it.

OUR SUNDAY TIMELINE AT CREW STADIUM

All times local/Eastern

9:00 AM - Parking Lots open ($20 to park)

10:30 AM - Timbers Army Tailgate starts in the B Lot on the east side of Mapfre Stadium. All are welcome – more details below.

12:30 PM to 2:00 PM – ticket distribution at the Timbers Army Tailgate tent

1:00 PM – If you have a banner you want hung, drop it off with the tifo crew at the Timbers Army gate (south side of stadium near tailgate). The tifo crew will hang it inside for you before the game starts.

2:30 PM – Timbers Army enters Mapfre Stadium

4:00 PM+television hold time – MLS Cup begins!

Due to recent world events, please expect a heavy security presence and please have patience when entering the stadium. Please plan to enter the stadium at 2:30 PM.

YOUR MATCH TICKETS
If you have purchased tickets through the Timbers Army, we will distribute these starting at 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM at the tailgate tent (more on that below). If you cannot make it by 2:00 PM, we will drop off the tickets at a dedicated will call window by Gate 4.

If you have general admission TA Tickets, you will pick up your tickets in the alphabetical lines. If you have reserved tickets you bought through the TA (section 112), you will have a separate line at the end.

TIMBERS ARMY TAILGATE
We will be holding a tailgate before the game! Come to the B Lot starting at 10:30 AM.

There will be catered barbeque with vegan options for the first 500 fans. We are asking for a $5 donation to the 107ist to help cover costs. Oregon beer will be available as well in limited quantities.

If you'd like to make your donation now, you may do so through this PayPal link:

POSTGAME

We will be held in our section, but this situation will be fluid.

You will not be able to leave the section at all – even to go to the bathroom – from the 80th minute to the final whistle. Same for extra time – 110th minute through penalties.

If we win MLS Cup, we’ll be held in our section for 30 minutes after the match to watch the trophy presentation.

If we lose MLS Cup, we’ll be free to leave immediately. If we stick around and cheer off the Timbers as expected, the Crew will put a hold (not let you leave) on those remaining fans until after the trophy celebration has ended plus a few minutes.

The hold will be partially lifted at some point during both of these events to allow us to use the restrooms on the concourse.

PARKING
General parking will be open for all ticket holders. The cost is $20. Our tailgate will be in Lot B, which will also be a parking option, but because of the tailgate the number of spaces in this lot is limited, so please expect to park in general parking.

PROHIBITED ITEMS
The following items are prohibited at Mapfre Stadium:
Coolers
Backpacks
Duffel Bags
Luggage
Detachable lenses (camera okay, just no lenses)
Drones
Pyrotechnics
Smoke bombs
Video cameras
No food or beverage through the gates.

ALLOWED ITEMS
Purses and bags no larger than 14x6x14, a cinch/drawstring sack, camera bags within the requirements, and diaper bags are allowed.

TIFO, FLAGS AND BANNERS
The Crew strongly encouraged us to bring as many flags and banners as possible. Flags cannot be bigger than 3x5, and PVC pipe can be no bigger than half an inch in diameter, and cannot be longer than three and a half feet below the flag. If you have a banner, please drop it off with the tifo crew at 1:00 PM by the Timbers Army gate. It will be hung for you.

ALCOHOL
If you are in sections 113 or 114, you must pour your alcohol into cups. The Crew will take care of this. Two drinks per order maximum. Food and alcohol cutoff will be the 80th minute.

RESPECT
The Crew have asked us to please be respectful. They are holding us to the same standards they are holding their own supporters group to and we have agreed to follow their supporters code of conduct, which relies heavily on respect and common sense.

Please enjoy the MLS Cup!

The Timbers Army Travel Team

Worldwide MLS Cup Watch Parties

107ist Admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 19:44:05 GMT

Where are you watching the game on Sunday?

If it's not at Mapfre Stadium, here are some options for you from around the world!

If your viewing party isn't on here, let us know in the comments and we'll get it added.

Send your viewing party photos to todd.diskin@107ist.org and check out these TAWW parties from the Western Conference Finals.

Austin, Texas

The Tavern

Bend, Oregon

Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill

Boise, Idaho

Double Tap Pub

Chicago, Illinois

The Globe Pub

Detroit, Michigan

Cladagh (Livonia)

Helena, Montana

The Sapphire

Little Rock, Arkansas

Blue Canoe

London, England

Jet Lag Sports Bar

Los Angeles, California

The Fox and Hounds Pub

Lostine, Oregon (Wallowa County)

Lostine Tavern

Miami, Florida

Elwoods Gastro Pub, 188 NE 3rd Ave

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nomad World Pub

Missoula, Montana

Meagher Bar

New York, New York

Foley's on 33rd (by Empire State Building)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Skinny Slims Bricktown

Omaha, Nebraska

St. Andrew's Pub (Benson)

Oviedo, Spain

Desvan Pub, Calle Rosal 49

Phoenix, Arizona

The Rose and Crown, downtown Phoenix

Redmond, Oregon

Checkers Pub

St. Louis, Missouri

Hot Shots (Webster Grove)

Amsterdam Tavern

San Antonio, Texas

Lion and the Rose (North Park)

Salt Lake City, Utah

The Republican, 900 S. State St.

San Diego, California

Shakespeare Pub

San Francisco, California

Mad Dog in the Fog

Tampa, Florida

Hamburger Mary's Ybor City

Thousand Oaks, California

The Crown and Anchor, 2891 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Tucson, Arizona

Pueblo Vida Brewing Company

Washington, DC

Irish Channel (Chinatown)

What To Do In Columbus: Official Timbers Army Events

107ist Admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 19:40:28 GMT

Will you be in Columbus for the final? We've got you covered on things to do!

Official Timbers Army Events Google Map

Flying Out Saturday?

Stop by Made in Oregon on Concourse C of the PDX Airport for

Cider Riot! Cider Riot (ciderriot.com) will be offering a #cupboundanddown tasting of their cider between 8am-11am!

Saturday Night

We'll all be kicking back in downtown Columbus! Please come down and enjoy Columbus with your fellow Timbers Army members on Saturday night.

The Three Legged Mare

We've booked the upstairs room at the Three Legged Mare in downtown Columbus. Kid friendly. Conveniently located near the Gordon Biersch. Start time 8pm.

401 N Front St #150, Columbus, OH 43215

www.threeleggedmare.com

+1 614-222-4950

Gordon Biersch

We've booked the banquet room at the Gordon Biersch. Pool tables, apparently. Kid friendly. Conveniently located near the Three Legged Mare.

401 N Front St #120, Columbus, OH 43215

gordonbiersch.com

+1 614-246-2900

Saturday Afternoon

Play pick-up soccer with the Timbers Army! Details and map here.

Saturday and Sunday Morning

We're hosting a tailgate at the stadium Sunday morning/early afternoon which we highly recommend checking out, but we know some of you will need to check out your less important team across the pond on the television.

The games Sunday: Newcastle hosting Liverpool at 11am, Sheffield Wednesday hosting Derby County at 8:15am, Marseille-Montpellier at 8, Bordeaux-Guingamp at 11, Stuttgart-Werder Bremen at 9:30, Eintracht-Darmstadt at 11:30, Zagreb-Osijek at 9am. Milan fans: the Carpi game starts too late. Real, Barça, and Scottish football are off. The FA Cup is also on for you lower division English football fans.

That said, all of these will work if you're in town Saturday morning and need some Special One in your bloodstream.

More information on our tailgate will be released tomorrow.

Here are a list of viewing options:

Claddagh Irish Pub

Claddagh will have all BPL matches on their many TVs both Saturday and Sunday. All supporters are welcome.

585 S Front St #100e, Columbus, OH 43215

www.claddaghirishpubs.com

+1 614-224-1560

Fado Irish Pub Columbus (Easton)

All BPL matches on both Saturday and Sunday as well as other European matches. Viewing information can be found here: http://www.fadoirishpub.com/columbus/sports/?v=1448993538012 Open to all supporters.

4022 Townsfair Way, Columbus, OH 43219

www.fadoirishpub.com

+1 614-418-0066

Hendoc's Pub

Hendoc's is the home of the Columbus Gooners and is an Arsenal viewing pub (Saturday, 10 AM vs. Sunderland). It is also the home to the Crew's Hudson St. Hooligans. TA Arsenal supporters have been welcomed. We ask that you be respectful, as this is the home of ardent Crew supporters.

2375 N High St, Columbus, OH 43202

www.hendocs.com

+1 614-297-1217

Zauber Brewing Company

Home to the local Tottenham Hotspurs supporters group. Zauber has a cafe that opens at 6 am and their own brewery. They will show all BPL matches on Saturday and Sunday. All supporters are welcome.

909 W 5th Ave, Columbus, OH 43212

zbeers.com

+1 614-456-7074

Hope to see you around Columbus!

You Just Never Know, or What I Learned from the 2015 Timbers and the Timbers Army

107ist Admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 19:36:29 GMT

—by Mike Coleman

The following is an opinion piece, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Timbers Army or the 107ist board of directors.

------------------------

On October 3^rd, this team sat below the red line with a handful of matches left to be played, and with two on the road in places where wins hadn’t been easy to come by: Salt Lake City and Carson. I don’t think I am alone in admitting that I didn’t think the mighty PTFC was going to the playoffs.

On October 4^th, I was lucky enough to be a guest at the annual Stand Together banquet. Merritt got up in front of the audience and guaranteed that the team would get the results that were needed for a playoff push. He said once we were in, anything could happen.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure they could do it. I won’t say I had completely given up hope of making the playoffs, but part of me didn’t believe there was any way we were going to be playing after October 25th.

Well, Merritt was right… and I was completely wrong.

48 hours ago we won a trophy. Silverware. Western Conference Champions.

In five days, we will challenge the Columbus Crew for the MLS Cup.

I never saw it coming. I just didn’t.

This team suddenly started playing in a manner that defied explanation. A gritty win in Salt Lake, dismantling the Galaxy in their home, and then finishing strong at Providence Park against Colorado.

We didn’t limp into the playoffs — we flat rolled into them.

Then two posts, a visit to our house in the middle of BC, and one bull ride later here we are.

It’s just so glorious.

But there’s a lesson here, at least for me: You never know what’s going to happen. It’s not over until the soprano sings her final aria. (Is that a thing? I’ve only been to one opera.)

The 2015 Portland Timbers have taught me that you don’t give up hope: As long as there’s a chance, there’s a chance.

And don’t even get me started on the Timbers Army as a whole. The past 48 hours have been absolutely bonkers for those of us who volunteer behind the scenes. Frankly, I was a bit afraid of how it was going to come together, but what I have seen is everyone pitching in like a family does:

Joe needs a ride from Detroit to Columbus. We got you, fam.
Can someone help put together a tailgate? Totally. What do you need?

Sorry we sold out of tickets, and our site crashed. It’s ok. We appreciate the effort.

I’ve heard it said that you don’t learn about character until you face adversity. I think that I’ve learned a metric shit ton about the character of our Team, Town, and Timbers Army in the past 48 hours while we’re experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime run.

So where does this all leave me? I used to tell people, “I don’t know enough about soccer to comment on player moves or tactics.” I’m not sure when I felt like I got smart enough, but clearly I was wrong: I didn’t know diddly squat.

So going forward, I’ll leave it to people way smarter than me to debate what are the good trades vs the bad ones or which formation gives us the best chance for success. When things once again look grim in the middle of some future season (this is sports, it’s bound to happen) and folks start to grouse, I'll just say, “Remember 2015?”

Regardless of what happens on Sunday, I’m just going to spend the rest of my days in the TA reveling in the fact that I’m part of a vibrant, diverse community of supporters who are aligned behind a club that never gave up, even when part of me did.

MLS Cup Final Wait List Link

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:51:54 GMT

If you'd like to add your name to the Timbers Army tickets waitlist, please follow the link below:

We will be making tickets available to waitlist members on a first-come, first-served basis if people with tickets refund their purchases on Eventbrite. We do not expect very many tickets to become available, but some already have!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mls-cup-final-107ist-ticket-waiting-list-tickets-19804384447

We will not be able to let you know where you are in line on the waitlist, but we will be announcing how many people are on the waitlist on Twitter at @TimbersArmyAway to let you know what your odds of receiving a ticket are.

If you have a ticket and would like to release a ticket to the waitlist, please follow the refund instructions on Eventbrite.

MLS Cup Final Wait List

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:50:48 GMT

At 2pm today we'll be opening up the MLS Cup Final wait list to 107ist members!

We'll post a link to the waiting list right here at timbersarmy.org. The waiting list will be first come first served and we will release tickets until Saturday as people request refunds.

We do not expect many tickets to be made available this way, but there should be a few available.

I want to be added to the waitlist

Come back at 2pm PT and add your name!

Note due to high demand we will NOT be able to confirm where you are in line at any time, but we will be releasing the number of people on the list so you will have a sense of what your odds are.

I have a Timbers Army ticket I want to release to the waitlist

Simply request a refund for the Timbers Army ticket you purchased from Eventbrite and we'll take care of getting your ticket into good hands!

I have tickets outside the Timbers Army I'd like to offer to sell

The waitlist is only for Timbers Army tickets. If you'd like to sell your ticket to a 107ist member, please check the 107ist forums.

MLS Cup Tickets: Alaska Airlines Raffle

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:48:55 GMT

The Timbers have asked the 107ist to pick 10 raffle winners to receive a place on the team charter from Portland to Columbus. Each raffle winner will receive 2 complimentary seats on the charter and 2 Timbers Army seats to the MLS Cup Final. While the flight is complimentary, both Timbers Army seats together will cost $90+fees, and will come out of our remaining allocation. Supporters will have the option of selecting from one of two Alaska charters — a special fan charter departing on Saturday, December 5 and the team charter (yes, the one with the players) departing on Thursday, December 3.

Here's the link to sign up:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mls-cup-airfare-raffle-107ist-members-only-tickets-19774175090

PASSWORD: CupBoundAndDown

This offer is exclusively for 107ist members. Any non-107ist entries are void. We will be checking.

This is non-transferable. Before entering, please make sure you are able to pay the $90 for both tickets. If you have not paid for your tickets by Sunday at noon we reserve the right not to release them to you. Also, if you are not on the plane, we will void your tickets, refund your purchase (if made) and release your tickets to the waitlist. You cannot enter this contest just for the tickets.

You will be invited to select from the Thursday flight with the team or the Saturday flight. We will be drawing 5 winners for each plane.

If you’ve already purchased tickets to the game, you are still welcome to enter, but if you have already purchased tickets, you will not receive any additional tickets, unless you have only purchased one ticket, in which case you’ll purchase the second ticket. We’ll release your tickets to the wait list. If we draw someone who is not a 107ist member, we’ll re-draw.

The draw will be made 6:30pm PT tonight, Dec. 1st, at the Fanladen by a board member and two independent observers. This offer is open exclusively to 107ist members as of December 1, 2015. Winners do not need to be present to win. We hope to live-stream the event. Odds of winning approximately 1:1000. Approximate retail value $1300.

MLS Cup: General Public Raffle

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:48:03 GMT

Here is the link to sign up for the second raffle. The link will be open from 12pm to 5pm.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ticket-drawing-for-mls-cup-final-tickets-tickets-19795747614

NOTE: In case you missed it, we changed this to a lottery last night because Alaska Airlines and the Timbers Front Office gave us seats on their charter plane, which unfortunately cut into our remaining allotment. If you're a 107ist, you're welcome to enter both raffles. If you win the first raffle you will not be eligible to win this raffle. See here.

The winners will be drawn at 6:30pm PT tonight live from the Fanladen. No purchase necessary. Winners do not have to be present to win.

We will be drawing 29 tickets after the conclusion of the first drawing. We hope to live-stream the drawing. Winners will be notified immediately following the drawing and will be allowed to purchase 1 ticket in the Timbers Army section for the MLS Cup final within 24 hours of the link going out. We will contact all winners. If you do not purchase the ticket in this allotted time frame, the ticket will go to the next person on the waitlist. If you already have two tickets to the TA Section at the game, we reserve the right to refund your purchase and release your ticket to the next person on the waitlist. One entry per person.

The prize for this raffle is the right to purchase 1 ticket and has no retail value. Odds of winning approximately 29:2000.

Congratulations to our Raffle Winners!

107ist Admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 19:45:14 GMT

The following 10 people have won the Timbers Army Alaska Airlines raffle:
James Callahan
Rachael Snow
Sean Karp
Chad Smith
Megan Drake
Taylor Leischman
Steve Pierson
Gabriel Bliss
Gary Read
Jon Hance

The following 27 people have won the Timbers Army General Public raffle:
Chris Fortney
Shelby Hasti
Leila Sanders
Angela Gurchak
Barbara Anderson
John Lundin
Bridget Cook
Coby Cohen
Kyle Findley
Christopher Knotts
Krista Tate
Trista Zugel-Bensel
Zack Jackman
Steve Neal
Kyle Layton
Mark Brenneman
Luke Nettleton
Kimberly Kahn
Mindy Chambers
Jose Gutierrez
Reuben Unrau
Eugenia Kim
Andrew Kirkman
Kirk Sandberg
Matthew Brown
Joaquin Diaz

We will be emailing all winners tonight with information on how to purchase. Do not expect the email immediately.

We have no more tickets available in our allocation, but will be releasing a small number to the wait list tomorrow morning.

Op-Ed: Why I Should Get MLS Cup Tickets

107ist Admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:52:53 GMT

Cuz I'm TA since 2007 and I've got a book with my name in the title!

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

Still Looking For MLS Cup Tickets?

107ist Admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:52:44 GMT

We've sold almost all of our Timbers Army tickets, but there are still a few ways to make it to the match!

Timbers Season Ticket Holder Sweepstakes

The Timbers will raffle off a couple hundred tickets to season ticket holders. If you are a season ticket holder, you should have received a link from the front office. These seats are not in the Timbers Army section, and we are not administering them.

Timbers Charter Sweepstakes

If you're looking for a ticket AND transportation, check out the very cool Timbers charter sweepstakes here: http://www.timbers.com/MLSCup-flyaway The club has chartered two planes, one for fans and one for the team, and winners will be able to fly out to Columbus and receive a match ticket. These seats are not in the Timbers Army section.

Noon Pacific Time for the final Timbers Army allotment

See here: General Public Sale and Travel Offer MLS Cup Final

Tickets will be distributed at MAPFRE Stadium before the game. You will have to show photo ID to pick up your ticket.

The Timbers Army Waitlist

We'll be launching the Timbers Army tickets waitlist through Eventbrite. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be opening up a link for you to put your name down and we'll be releasing tickets first-come first-serve if we get any extras. Check back here or on Twitter ( @TimbersArmyAway ) tomorrow morning for exact times - but it will definitely be after the other sale. We don't expect much movement, but it can't hurt to put your name down! The waitlist will be exclusively for 2015 or 2016 107ist members

The Secondary Market

We can't recommend this, but sometimes StubHub is your only way into the match.

If you have a ticket...

As noted above, tickets will be distributed a couple hours before the match begins at MAPFRE Stadium. You will have to show a Photo ID to pick up your ticket.

General Public Sale and Travel Offer: MLS Cup Final

107ist Admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:51:20 GMT

Alaska Airlines is chartering a plane – yes, chartering a plane – for Timbers supporters to attend MLS Cup this Sunday, December 6 against the Columbus Crew! Timbers supporters will have a chance to fly to the MLS Cup in style via their very own Alaska Airlines 737. Alaska Airlines and the Portland Timbers front office have graciously offered a select number of seats exclusively to 107ist members on their two charters! The 107ist just received the full details from the Timbers front office tonight, so we apologize for changing the ticketing procedure on such short notice, but here goes.

The Timbers have asked the 107ist to pick 10 raffle winners to receive a place on the team charter from Portland to Columbus. Each raffle winner will receive 2 complimentary seats on the charter and 2 Timbers Army seats to the MLS Cup Final. While the flight is complimentary, both Timbers Army seats together will cost $90+fees, and will come out of our remaining allocation. Supporters will have the option of selecting from one of two Alaska charters -- a special fan charter departing on Saturday, December 5 and the team charter (yes, the one with the players) departing on Thursday, December 3.

Because we are doing a lottery for the plane tickets, because of high demand, and because of the fact many people experienced problems refreshing during today's sale, we'll also be doing a lottery for our remaining allotment, instead of the first-at-12pm setup we had planned.

Here's the plan.

We will be opening two Eventbrite links at noon PST tomorrow. The links will close at 5pm PST, and getting in early won't increase your chances of winning.

The first will be a raffle exclusively for 107ist members for the seats on the charter plane. If you've already purchased tickets to the game, you are still welcome to enter, but if you have already purchased tickets, you will not receive any additional tickets, unless you have only purchased one ticket, in which case you'll purchase the second ticket. If we draw someone who is not a 107ist member, we'll re-draw. We'll also release any tickets to the wait list.

The plane raffle is non-transferable.

The second will be a raffle for the general public for our small number remaining TA seats. No plane travel involved. One entry per person. The winners will have the right to purchase 1 MLS Cup TA ticket within 24 hours - if no purchase is made, the ticket will be offered to the TA wait list. If you've already purchased 1, you'll be able to win a second, but you can't win a third.

107ist members are welcome to enter both raffles but cannot win the second raffle if they win the first raffle.

We reserve the right to make changes at any time.

The drawing will be held at the Fanladen tomorrow night by a 107ist board member and two independent watchers.

The approximate retail value of the Alaska Airlines raffle is $1300. The approximate retail value of the second raffle is $0. First raffle open exclusively to 107ist members as of December 1, 2015. No purchase necessary for the second raffle. Odds of winning first raffle approximately 10:1000, second raffle 29:2000.

MLS Cup Final Ticket Information

107ist Admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 19:55:16 GMT

The Timbers will be playing the MLS Cup in Columbus, Ohio!

Your next steps to booking a place at Mapfre Stadium in the Timbers Army sections:

Are you a 107ist member (for either 2015 or 2016)? We'll be in touch with you shortly about purchasing tickets. They'll go on sale at 8am Monday morning, Pacific time.

Are you not currently a member? Tickets will go on sale at noon Pacific Time on Tuesday. We have held back a very small number of tickets in case we sell out to 107ists, so we will definitely be selling tickets Tuesday at noon, but the quantity is based on how many tickets we have left. If you become a member now, we apologize you'll still have to wait until Tuesday in order to purchase a ticket. You'll be able to do so here at timbersarmy.org so keep checking back!

Frequently Asked Questions

Cost: $48.47

Where will we be sitting? We'll be sitting in sections 113-117 at Mapfre Stadium. Seating will be general admission, just like the normal Timbers Army.

How many can I buy: You can buy two tickets per 107ist membership.

How many do we have? 900 tickets.

Are there ADA seats available? There are 4 ADA seats available in sections 113-117. Please contact us if you'll need an ADA seat.

Will the 107ist be offering travel packages? Unfortunately, for a number of different reasons, we're not able to provide any sort of transportation package to this match. You'll have to get there on your own.

Timbers Army Regional Groups in Action

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 21:49:20 GMT

—by Todd Diskin

The Timbers Army is famous for its unparalleled home support and creating the best environment in North America. Without a doubt, the support is spread well beyond the PDX area and throughout the world! Here are some photos of viewing parties, activities and community outreach from our amazing supporters in our regional supporters groups.

If you have photos, video or other media you would like to share, send them to todd.diskin@107ist.org.

If you would like more information about our regional groups (or interested in starting one) head over to the Timbers Army Regional Groups page

12/6 Watch Parties: CHAMPIONS EDITION

Marine Sgt. Greg Mock (undisclosed location)

Marine Sgt. Greg Mock , Crewmaster of the C130

Brazil

"These are some photos from last Monday, when I was celebrating the MLS Cup winning with some soccer friends. The jersey and scarves are all a gift from Edwin (Trejo). He came to Rio for the World Cup final, and we exchange Timbers and Coritiba goodies.

By the way, congratulations for Timbers Army great work. The supporters are the main reason I started following the team, and suddenly became a fan just like you all, most of the times sleeping badly just to watch the Portland boys on the field till 2am. Once again, congratulations for the epic star above"
-Rodrigo Salvador dos Santos

Uruguay

A watch party hosted by Dan Upp in Montevideo, Uruguay with friends Artigas Zorrilla, Alexandre Borges, and Jorge Bremont from Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela (not pictured).

Natural State Squadron (Arkansas)

MLS Cup Watch party at Blue Canoe Brewing Co. In Little Rock, AR. The tailgate/pregame party was at Michael McLellan's house in Fayetteville, Arkansas. From left to right: Dave Hudak, Alex Spinx, Oswald Lawson, Michael McLellan, Richie Freuteg, Kevin Krai, Chase Hundley and Zach Chandler. Photo by Theresa McLellan.

Heartland Regiment (Midwest)

Minneapolis

TA Heartland Regiment in Minneapolis at Nomad's World Pub.

TA Heartland Regiment in Minneapolis at Nomad's World Pub. Photo by Jordan Cox (TA of Portland). Pictured: Don Cox, Michelle and Michael Cox from Portland (and vicinity). Not pictured: Dave and Jonathon Cox (formerly of Portland, now in Minnesota), my aunt Carol Shipley (Minnesota) & Minnesotans in Heartland. We were joined by Minnesota United SG, Dark Clouds.

Here is a great moment when local Heartland-MSP and Minnesota Dark Clouds supporters started a chant during the second half of the MLS Cup: Heartland-MSP Video

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry (Montana)

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry at the Sapphire in Helena, MT. Photos by Hanna Warhank

1st Montana Volunteer INFANTry at the Sapphire in Helena, MT. Photos by Hanna Warhank

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry home party in Helena. Photo by Melissa Henderson

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry at the Meagher Bar in Missoula. Photo by Elliott Niblock

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry at the Meagher Bar in Missoula. Photo by Jake Simonich

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry at the Meagher Bar in Missoula. Photo by Elliott Niblock

Special thanks to Tim Baumgartner, Joseph Larson, Jack Simonich, Aaron Wilson and Elliott Niblock for organizing and spreading the word about the gathering in Missoula.

Green and Golden Gate (San Francisco)

Green and Golden Gate supporters at the Mad Dog in the Fog. Photo by Victor Castillio.

Midnight Sun Elite (Alaska)

The Midnight Sun Elite in Anchorage, Alaska.
From Left to Right: Seth Lund, Bob Ernisse (holding Robert "Bou" Ernisse), Clayton Byers, Gwendolyn Luther, Logan Tucker, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Dieckgraeff, and Adam Wilson.
Photos courtesy of Gwendolyn Luther

The Midnight Sun Elite in Anchorage, Alaska.
From Left to Right: Logan Tucker, Bob Ernisse, Sky Dawg, Seth Lund, Gwendolyn Luther, Will Vajdic, Alex Rodriguez and Clayton Byers. Photos courtesy of Gwendolyn Luther

Lone Star Brigade (Texas)

Lone Star Brigade in El Paso, TX.

Lone Star Brigade, Alamo Militia, San Antonio.

Lone Star Brigade, Austin.

Jefferson Reserves (Southern Oregon)

The Jefferson Reserves watch party. At Frau Kemmling's Schoolhaus Brewhaus Jacksonville, OR. Photo Joel Carrick

The Jefferson Reserves with their newly painted a Jefferson Reserves Seal. Look for it in Providence Park in 2016. At Frau Kemmling's Schoolhaus Brewhaus Jacksonville, OR. Photo Joel Carrick

Jefferson Reserves enjoy a little halftime footy. JeffersonReserves-halftimefooty Video by Joel Carrick.

Sunshine Squadron (Florida)

Larry Zoller and his Sunshine Squadron friends in Tampa, FL.

NY Loggers

NY Loggers of the East Coast Platoon.

Echo Squadron (Eugene, OR)

The crowd goes wild after Rodney Wallace's goal at Oakshire Brewing in Eugene. Oakshire is the sponsor for LUFC and this place is crazy for Timbers viewings! Photo by Lacey Harrison.

...and in the "other" category, Miami supporters rooting for PTFC. See you....soon?

Photo by Patrick Barnhill with the Miami Southern Legion

11/29 Watch Parties: Western Conference Finals, Leg 2 vs. Dallas (Going to the FINAL version)

Marine Sergeant Greg Mock (undisclosed locations)

Marine Sergeant Greg Mock, a die hard Timbers supporter based in North Carolina. Traveling the world, supporting our club.

Sunshine Squadron (Florida)

Sunshine Squadron at Hamburger Mary's Pub House, Ybor City, Tampa, FL. Photo credit, Larry Zollner

Heartland Regiment (middle America)

Des Moines, IA

Des Moines contingent of the Heartland Regiment. Eli Nicholes hosted this party at his apartment (which is like a museum of TA scarves) with his fiancé Melinda Martin. In attendance Tanya Keith with husband Doug Jotzke their three kids and three friends. Photo credit: Tanya Keith's son.

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis contingent of the Heartland Regiment at Nomad World Pub. Photo by Brandon Maurisak. Also included: Lindsey Goss-Maurisak, Stephen Sedler, Clayton Moore, and Bob Strootman

Midnight Sun Elite (Alaska)

Midnight Sun Elite, Alaska Midnight Sun Elite, Alaska

Timbers Army: Covert Ops (Seattle)

TA:CO at the Ballard Loft, Seattle, WA. Photo credit: Brenden Bullock

Southland Irregulars (Southern California)

Southland Irregulars at the Fox & Hound, Studio City, CA.

Jefferson Reserves (Southern Oregon)

The Jefferson Reserves at Frau Kemmling's Schoolhaus Brewhaus. Bigham Knoll Jacksonville, OR

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry (Montana)

1st Montana Volunteer Infantry at the Sapphire Bar, Helena, MT. Photo credit: Kris Goss

Desert Corps (Arizona)

Desert Corps at The Rose and Crown, Phoenix, AZ

Green and Golden Gate (San Francisco)

Photo by Sean Rea at the Mad Dog in the Fog, San Francisco

The moment we clinched it.#RCTID pic.twitter.com/vhFC4j7P92

— Green & Golden Gate (@RCTIDinSF) November 30, 2015

East Coast Platoon (eastside, yo.)

Boston, MA

Victor and Casenya Jaworski at The Fields Pub, Boston, MA Charlottesville, VA

Charlottesville, VA

At Champion Brewing in Charlottesville

Washington, D.C.

At the Irish Channel, Washington, D.C.. Photo by Rainy Olsen

New Haven, CT

Pittsburgh, PA

At Piper's Pub, Pittsburgh, PA

Echo Squadron (Eugene)

Echo Squad at an undisclosed bunker.

11/22 Watch Parties: Western Conference Finals, Leg 1 vs. Dallas

Lone Star Brigade (Texas)

At the Fox and Hound, Dallas.
Pictured from front left clockwise: Nancy Song, Kyle McGee, Christie Lee, Molly Diamond, Bryant Ramirez, David Snyder, Erik Ritter, Dionne Ritter, and Maryann Graham Snyder.

Desert Corps (Arizona)

Photo by Colin Smith at the Rose and Crown Pub, Phoenix

Green and Golden Gate (San Francisco)

Photo by Sean Rea at the Mad Dog in the Fog, San Francisco

Jefferson Reserves (Southern Oregon)

Photo by Brandon Johnson at Frau Kemmling's Schoolhaus Brewhaus in Jacksonville, OR Video from the party by Katherine Leppek at Frau Kemmling's Schoolhaus Brewhaus in Jacksonville, OR.

Jefferson Reserves Video

East Coast Platoon (all parts east)

D.C. Reserves at the Irish Channel, Washington, D.C.

Cary Clarke and Meri Dunn on their way from NYC to CT to watch the match.

Echo Squadron (Eugene)

[ ECHO SQUAD Location: Undisclosed bunker in Eugene, OR (aka, "Little Portland" - "The North End of the 541."

Special Olympics Unified Match Recap

107ist Admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:56:32 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

For the second year in a row, the Timbers Army showed that their commitment to community is as strong as their commitment to club as they came together with Special Olympics Oregon for another Unified Match.

Photo by Ray Terrill

The cold air was illuminated by the stadium lights at Lincoln High School as the lucky TA and SOOR athletes took the field for warm-ups. Split into two teams, Green and White, the teams were introduced to their honorary coaches for the match: Timbers midfielder Ben Zemanski for Green, and Thorns defender Kat Williamson for White. Both teams loosely figured out their formations, and the match was kicked off to the delight of gathered family, friends, and TA.

Green came out aggressive, scoring two quick goals for an early lead. But, as newly discovered teammates got better acquainted, the White were not to be denied as they clawed back and equalized just before halftime.

While the assorted TA were certainly there to enjoy the experience, this didn’t seem at all like an exhibition to the Special Olympics athletes on hand, and they tried—and often succeeded—to run rings around their counterparts. The game was a fast-paced, 7-on-7 affair with many offensive chances for each team, leading to each team adding another goal before three whistles brought the evening to an end with a fitting 3–3 draw.

Photo by Ray Terrill

Hugs and handshakes ensued as both teams gathered for a customary group photo displaying both the Special Olympics and Timbers Army banners. Another memorable night in a series that will hopefully become a fall tradition for both organizations.

Thanks to Ray Terrill for the pictures. You can see all his photos here.

Travel to the Finals: FC Dallas and possible MLS Cup Ticketing Schedule

107ist Admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 19:56:27 GMT

Now the Timbers have played their last home game of the year, there are up to two more games you'll be able to travel to see.

First, we have a few tickets remaining for the FC Dallas game on Sunday. Follow this link to purchase. We've almost sold out our allotment, so act quickly!

If the Timbers advance to the MLS Cup final, we're proud to announce we will be receiving a supporters' group allotment. If the Timbers advance, these tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday to 107ist members. At 12 p.m. Tuesday, we will be opening up the allotment to the general public.

Please note, you must be a 107ist member (either a current 2015 member, or a new member for 2016) by 12 p.m. Sunday in order to receive an email for the members' sale!

More information on pricing and how many tickets will be available to purchase per member will be available in due course.

Until then, go Timbers!

Support Your TA Friends and Special Olympics Athletes on Saturday!

107ist Admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 19:57:28 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

If Sunday just can’t come soon enough for you, I have good news. There is a match on Saturday afternoon.

No, you won’t see Diego Chara, there won’t be tifo, and there is no conference title on the line. But to the players on the pitch, this might as well be the MLS Cup final.

Saturday at 5:30pm at Lincoln High School, Special Olympics of Oregon teams up with the Timbers Army for the 2^nd annual SOOR Unified Match. Two teams comprised of half TA and half Special Olympics Athletes face off in an exhibition.

Just seeing the faces last year of these athletes as they received their complimentary jerseys for the match, met their new “teammates” (the TA) and marched out in front of their gathered family friends and coaches, I knew this was one of the single greatest things I’d ever be honored to be a part of. I don’t remember the names of my teammates that day, but I’ll never forget the smiles.

Get to know the candidates for the 107ist Board

107ist Admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 19:58:27 GMT

Every election season we hear from people who wish they knew the candidates for the board a little better in order to make an informed choice. Here's a list of ways you can get to know these fine individuals, grill them with impossible questions, and thank them for stepping up to lead.

1) Review candidate profiles.

2) Participate in each candidate's thread on the member forums (login required).

3) Join the fun for the in person moderated forum at Artists Rep on December 12. Doors at 1:00, forum starting at 2:00. Please submit questions for the moderator to use as well.

Voting will run from 12/16 to 12/21. If you are a 2015 member please keep an eye out for the email with your ballot on the 16th.

Western Conference Finals - Timbers at FC Dallas!

107ist Admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 20:01:54 GMT

Tickets are now on sale for all. Get them here

How much are tickets? $25.

How many do we have? 210

How long do I have to buy them? Sales will end Monday, November 23rd at 5:00pm.

How do I get my ticket? Tickets will be distributed electronically via email in the form of a PDF sometime during the week before match day.

What time does the match start? We don't know yet. Time is still TBD. Per the FC Dallas website, it will either be 4:00pm or 6:30pm.

What section will the Timbers Army be in at Toyota Stadium? We will be in section 122

Will there be a tailgate or something before the match? Most likely. Check out the Lone Star Brigade on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/lonestarbrigade

Questions? Contact travel@timbersarmy.org. We'll respond as quickly as possible.

WCF Dallas Away - Link for Members

107ist Admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 20:00:27 GMT

Tickets are now on sale for 107ist members here.

How much are tickets? $25 for members. $28 for non-members.

How many do we have? At least 250

How long do I have to buy them? Member pre-sale ends 11/18. After that, tickets will be open to non-members. Sales for all will end Friday, November 20th at 5pm.

How do I get my ticket? Tickets will be distributed electronically via email in the form of a PDF sometime during the week before match day.

What time does the match start? We don't know yet. Time is still TBD. Per the FC Dallas website, it will either be 4:00pm or 6:30pm.

What section will the Timbers Army be in at Toyota Stadium? We will be in section 119

Will there be a tailgate or something before the match? Most likely. Check out the Lone Star Brigade on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/lonestarbrigade

Questions? Contact awaytravel@107ist.org. We'll respond as quickly as possible.

107ist Volunteers at Willamette National Cemetery

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 20:03:38 GMT

On September 23^rd we had the honor of being a part of over 1,000 volunteers around the country in 27 veteran’s cemeteries for the first annual Saluting Branches event. Arborists from 220 companies donated an estimated $1 million of services doing pruning, removals, planting, and taking inventories. For our part, we had a crew of our members at Willamette National Cemetery. The only non-arborist organization involved in the national event, our group followed behind the crews doing basic cleanup. This enabled the professionals to focus on the skilled labor and our help was greatly appreciated. Together we helped make our local place of honor for our veterans become a safer, more beautiful place. Thanks to our friends at Urban Forest Pro for inviting us. It was a very special day and the weather was perfect. Let’s do it again next year, shall we?

Vancouver Away Playoff Ticket Info

107ist Admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 20:04:53 GMT

Vancouver Away Playoff Tickets On Sale Now!

We have been in conversation with the front offices of both clubs and can now update you with the following information:

Price: Tickets will be $35 for 107ist members; $40 for non-members.

Allocation: 750

Deadline: Thursday November 5th, 2015 at noon

107ist member Pre-Sale: 107ist members will have first chance to buy tickets through Monday, November 2 at noon. Check your email now for the link. If you did not receive an email, check your spam/junk folders and then contact: memberinfo@107ist.org

General Sale: Tickets to general public will go on sale on Monday at noon. Go here to purchase.

Pick-Up Location: Tickets will NOT be distributed electronically. Pickup in person at the Railway Club beginning at approximately 2:30 pm on match day.

Transportation/Lodging: You will need to make your own arrangements for both transportation and lodging. We will not be doing buses/trains.

Thanks all!

Buy Your Capo a Pint

107ist Admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:05:16 GMT

The below comes from our beloved 108 capo, Sunday White. Please honor the tradition and buy your capo a pint for a great cause!

Get out your piggy banks, dump out those growlers full o’ coin, and grab some bills off that stack under your mattress because it is time for our annual #BYCAP Capo/DnT fundraising event.

The game day volunteers you know as the Timbers Army Capos/DnT, supported by our non-profit leadership, the 107ist, have championed an annual fundraiser for the last 5 years to support a cause that we, the vocal and passionate Capos, drums and trumpets of this team and town, can really get behind. This Thursday it is time to Buy Your Capo A Pint. (aka #BYCAP)

The jist of this is that we Capos/DnT, help the people of the Timbers army to find their voice during match day. We are raising funds on this day to donate to Camp Meadowood Springs. A youth camp that helps children and teens find their voice.

http://meadowoodsprings.org/about/

Camp Meadowood Springs is a unique summer camp experience for individuals and their families impacted by communication and/or social learning challenges and is open to children and teens. Since 1964, Camp Meadowood Springs has helped over 3,000 individuals overcome their unique social learning challenges, and continues to grow and adapt.

Buy Your Capo A Pint is a chance for you to say a resounding and effective “THANK YOU” to the volunteers of the MLS’s most insatiable supporters. We [Capos/Drums/Trumpets] are requesting that you take that spare change, that small bill, whatever you would consider to be the value of a ‘thank you beverage’ for a hard-working capo, and put that money into our pickle buckets and help our future, our youth grow into their voice.

We are also asking that those of you that want to say thank you, but cannot make it to the stadium on Thursday’s 10/29 match, to be a part of this fundraising endeavor by donating via this paypal link. Every dollar helps. #TeamTownTA

If you are unable to make the match to donate in person please follow this link.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UJC6PYWN3TBX6

2015 Supporters Player of the Year

107ist Admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 20:08:40 GMT

Each year we have a fan vote to see who ends up as Supporters Player of the Year. This player can be anyone on the team. There is no criteria. This player can be whomever you feel is the best player, most embedded in the community, or you feel who wears the badge with pride. Here's the list of past winners.

2011: Troy Perkins
2012: Diego Chara
2013: Will Johnson
2014: Diego Valeri

We are happy to report we have our first repeat winner. The man with the million dollar smile himself.

With 30.4% of the vote Diego Chara is your 2015 Supporters Player of the Year. Congratulations, Diego!

The Votes Are In: Your Favorite MLS era Timbers Match

107ist Admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 19:08:05 GMT

In the wake of the historic win in Carson, I suggested (with the help of Twitter) a list of 10 of the best matches in the Timbers' MLS era. Almost 300 people weighed in on the list, and the results are in.

One thing is clear, beating Seattle in any form is always a favorite. Nearly half of you chose beating Seattle in the playoffs as your top choice, with an almost even split between beating them up at Seahawks Stadium or down here on our home pitch. The 3rd place finisher was the meltdown in Tukwila this year, and ~4% of the votes went to the leading write in candidate: Adi's Chainsaw Massacre/Timbers Wonderland (6/28/15) - truth be told this was one I should have included because the result was OUTSTANDING, the tifo was amazing, and the energy that day was off the charts.

For a full list of how the voting went, check the graphic below.

Thanks to those of you who chose to weigh in with your comments here, on Twitter, and Facebook.

What's Your Favorite MLS-era Timbers Match?

107ist Admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 19:11:10 GMT

—by Mike Coleman

Sunday was amazing.

I will admit I didn’t think there was any way we could win that match. I was prepared for another drubbing. And, going into the half ONLY down by 1, I felt at least we wouldn’t be humiliated.

And then the team clicked. All that potential turned into production. Adi nets another brace, and does his best Hakeem Olajuwon imitation holding up two defenders before flicking to Wallace who feeds Chara for a header (WHO knew he had hops). Nagbe dances past Ricketts, and Urruti drills one home after Villfaña makes the LA defense look silly. What a night.

In any case, as I sit here watching the highlights for the umpteenth time, I ask myself - where does this performance rate in Timbers MLS history.

Here’s my top 10 list after some Twitter convo this AM (presented in chronological order)

What's your favorite MLS-era Timbers match?

Let us know via our survey below.

(Survey is closed, but results can be found here.)

A Dream Comes true: MLS Home Opener (4/11/2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWfOH55MOuQ

What’s there to say about this one. It was a dream that had been brewing for many years, and the culmination of a lot of hard work by folks who were here LONG before me (thanks to them, btw).

Timbers Beat Down Club Beckham 3-0 (8/3/2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqytxRzCyvc

Earlier in the year LA had embarrassed us 3-0 down in Carson, but at home it was a different story. The Timbers hammered LA at home in a mid-week match that nobody saw coming.

Captain Jack hammers one home to win the Cascadia Cup (10/21/2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0XRIJjsCno

In a season with very little to be excited about, Captain Jack drilled home the lone goal against the Whitecaps to lock up the Cascadia Cup. Our house in the middle of BC, indeed

Signature win and delicious BBQ (4/27/13)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNf2-VgpmEo

An epic back and forth affair that might of been the first time we all thought that the team really was good, and 2013 was going to be something special.

AJB Scores at the death to turn back LA (7/13/13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mw_sbZdYoU

Just when you think it’s over, it’s not. AJB scores a goal that ignites a celebration so loud it’s reportedly heard over a mile away.

First time for 5 (sure, it was Chivas, doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun) (10/26/13)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPdxs24iZA

In a game that sealed the #1 seed in the Western Conference the Timbers put up 5 goals for the first time in MLS. Diego Valeri was magnificent, and it really was The Diego Valeri Show that night in Carson.

Welcome to YOUR Nightmare! (11/2/2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVy1uP1dLzM

What needs to be said. First ever MLS playoff match, and it’s in Seattle, and we win? And we got a great new chant to mock their lame ass tifo?

Timbers send Seattle packing (11/8/2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSc8WwS3-U

Maybe you preferred the return leg where we sent Seattle home from the playoffs, we wouldn’t blame you if you did. Pretty sweet watching that merry band of clowns leave our stadium as we celebrated.

The Meltdown in Tukwila (6/16/2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2h_vPQ-bdM

What more could you have asked for? Timbers win and Seattle completely loses their minds. This is truly one where people who weren’t even in the state will say they were at the match. Not to mention it kicked off a long slide for $$FC - the gift that kept on giving

HOLY LEAPING DIEGO - did that just happen? (10/18/2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIdKrApcC68

Forget that LA Galaxy hand only lost once at home this season, that they’d only given up 11 goals in 16 home games. Disregard Gio, Gerrard, and Keane. Pay no attention to the fact the Timbers had never beaten them at home. AND WITNESS DIEGO CHARA SCORING WITH HIS HEAD - along with four other quality goals.

That's my Top 10, what's your favorite MLS-era match?

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/timbersarmy/best-timbers-moments/

Op-Ed: Predicting the Timbers' Final Three Regular Season Matches

107ist Admin — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 19:11:36 GMT

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

To Renew or Not Renew: Some are asking the question

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:11:47 GMT

The following is a letter Timbers Army season ticket holder, Erica Goode, sent to the Portland Timbers front office. It is reprinted here with her permission.

The opinions she expresses are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the 107ist board of directors.

I renewed my tickets today, but I thought about it for a long time. As much as I love the Timbers, I am finding it hard to justify giving money to a front office, in particular, an owner, which seems to disdain its supporters. Many of his comments on Twitter reflect someone who is more concerned with his own ego rather than the progress of the club. I am often embarrassed by the immaturity in his tweets. But that is obviously a personal reaction that I have – one shared by many others but not universally.

A more tangible example is the charging for Trimet tickets, which is incredibly tone deaf and really short-sighted. Partnering with Uber, an organization with questionable business practices for its “non” employees, makes the situation worse, but it is really the money grab regarding the passes that bothers me.

I understand that the club is a business. I understand the need to make a profit. But it is a football club. Its purpose is to win. But I do not see that happening very often, and I do not see an owner that values winning over maximizing profit. That is extremely disheartening, especially as I was a huge champion of the MLS2PDX campaign. I attended the march to City Hall and attended the hearing. Through the years, I have given my tickets to cashiers at grocery stores, bank tellers, people I don’t really know, in an effort to spread the love of the club. Long before current ownership was anywhere near the club.

The financial and marketing success of this club in MLS have been on the backs of supporters who have given their all to make the best atmosphere in the league. But what has the organization done to put the best eleven on the pitch? I hear a lot of whining about referees and excuses about the weather, the altitude, the schedule, etc. Winners rolls with the punches; they don’t petulantly tweet about them and then delete those tweets an hour later.

I have pride in the supporters and the history of this club. But it is hard now to feel the same about the current situation. I always hate venting to you about these things, because you cannot change them. Still, I felt you ought to know.

RCTID,

Erica

Portland Timbers Make an Unfortunate Trade

107ist Admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:12:34 GMT

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden

[A statement from the 107ist board of directors.]

For the past 5 years, PTFC has offered a Trimet pass for the day of each match free of charge with season tickets. This pass was a great benefit to the community.

It cut down on traffic in an already congested area. Having that already-paid-for pass burning a hole in your pocket made it that much easier to hop on a bus or train to get to a match.
It cut down on the number of people parking in a neighborhood with limited parking.
It likely prevented any number of DUI incidents by easily inclining many fans to use a free ride before a couple of beers at the match rather than making the choice after, with their vehicle already away from home.
It encouraged public transit usage, reducing the carbon footprint of every PTFC season ticket holder.

The Timbers are in a unique situation with historic Providence Park. They have been given keys to a stadium situated in the heart of downtown Portland in a location that money simply cannot buy.

Indeed, Providence Park is one of the few stadiums in North America without ANY parking belonging to the stadium itself. In 2011, PTFC recognized this situation and responded with innovative and unique programs from bike parking to arrangements with local garages to the free transit pass.

Are we as Timbers supporters owed a free ride to the game? No. Are we responsible for the decisions we make on game day about getting behind the wheel? Certainly. But it was nice to see our club making that smart investment in the safety and enjoyment of our community. It was a brilliant thing to do and demonstrated their commitment in making the Goose Hollow neighborhood a vibrant, pleasant, safe place to be.

It was part of what made PTFC and Portland better—a cut above every other team and city. Seeing PTFC slash that Trimet pass in the season ticket package was hugely disappointing.

They approached the board about it in the months leading up to renewals and we voiced our objection to no avail. They state that they are still “subsidizing” Trimet passes by offering them at half price, but it is hard to imagine that this is anything more than PTFC simply passing on the discounted price they get from Trimet. So, at no cost to the club how can it be reasonably described as a subsidy provided by the club? Indeed, a significant savings has been achieved by PTFC in cutting the expense of providing these discounted tickets for free as in previous years (a true subsidy).

This decision is especially puzzling when PTFC is by every metric financially healthy. Indeed Forbes magazine ranked PTFC the 4th most valuable franchise in the league with an estimated value of $185 million (remember Merritt Paulson paid $35 million for the franchise) and yearly profits of $4 million.

All of this comes at the same time PTFC has signed a sponsorship deal with Uber to provide discounted rides to and from the games. Setting aside the questionable business practices of this company, it is exceedingly difficult to believe that the deal with Uber had no influence or was not dependent on the decision to cut the budget for the Trimet passes.

From our perspective the club has traded an investment in our community and a benefit for its most loyal customers for yet another “partnership” designed to benefit the already healthy bottom line of PTFC. This is at best completely tone deaf, and at worst downright shady. Trading the expense to Trimet for the income from Uber demonstrates a change in values that is sincerely disheartening for people who love this club and this city.

Recap: TA at the Vancouver VA Community Living Center Garden

107ist Admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:13:40 GMT

—by Scott Jeffries

This past Saturday, a group of 107ist members went to the Veterans Affairs Community Living Center in Vancouver, USA to begin improving their courtyard garden. Over the course of three hours, an army of nine people pulled a year's worth of weeds, hacking away at blackberry vines, digging up dandelions, and clearing out patches of thistle. The project was the beginning of a larger effort to make the garden a more attractive and accessible space with the ultimate intent of building some raised garden beds for the wheelchair-bound residents to use next spring. We had the privilege of being joined by Timber Jim, whose love of gardening knows no bounds. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than sitting in the sunshine while Jim tells the story of the first time he brought a chainsaw to Civic Stadium. As an added bonus, the courtyard looks out on the Clark College soccer field, allowing the residents to sit and take in the beautiful game.

On a personal note, I work in public health and am a student at OHSU. I've ridden the 8 past the VA hospital for the past two years and any Daily Show devotee will remember Jon Stewart's crusade to improve the state of the VA. Without going too far into a political rant, the state of our health care system is appalling, especially so for veterans who get nowhere near the funding or services they need after putting their lives on the line. This is not to malign the good people at the VA but rather a government that cares more about starting wars than taking care of its soldiers when they're over.

Before we started, we were instructed not to touch the watermelon and tomatoes that had been planted by a resident and were surrounded by weeds. As we finished up, an elderly man in a wheelchair came by, and seeing the now-pristine dirt, exclaimed, "Now that you've done that, I'm going to have to find some winter crops to plant!" It was the gardener himself, and seeing and hearing his joy was a great reward. And next year, he'll be able to tend his own garden.

Op Ed: The $5 Million Dollar Man

107ist Admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 19:14:06 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

This summer the Timbers announced they had acquired Lucas Melano from Argentina club Lanus. While the terms of the deal were not officially announced, it was widely reported the Timbers paid a $5 million transfer fee and signed Melano to a 4 year guarantee contract fee paying him just over $1 million a year; making him the 2^nd highest paid player on the Timbers and about the 20^th in the league.

The disparity in those two numbers jumped out at me: a $5 million transfer fee for a non-U.S. National team star is basically unprecedented in this league. A $1 million a year salary is not.

It was a historic move by the Timbers that in many ways represented a shift in how MLS does business for one very important reason: the Timbers expect to recoup their $5 million invesement.

A Little MLS History

MLS (and it’s member franchises) has long been a league very reluctant to play in the high stakes world of big money buying and selling players we see in international football. There was a good reason for this: for much of MLS existence the financial wherewithal was simply not there to pay millions in transfer fees on top of the salary requirements that accompany such players.

So MLS has shopped in the “free transfer” section of the world football market. Most of the big names all came to MLS “on a free” (meaning they were out of contract and no compensation was paid to a club for their rights) : David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Carlos Valderamma, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Rafa Marquez, Frank Lampard, Andres Pirlo, Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba.

Still the best hair to ever play in MLS.

Of course these big names command(ed) big salaries and MLS and it’s clubs have paid these salaries with no hope of recovering that cost in the world transfer market as these players are coming stateside for one last swansong prior to retirement. They are/were willing to accept these sunken costs in the form of high salaries in hope these big names would pay off in the ticketing and marketing columns of the club spreadsheet.

Even when clubs were willing to invest in buying players, the league office has famously stepped in and blocked clubs from doing so when they didn’t like the terms of the deal or precedent it would have set.

So $5 million for a relative unknown forward from Argentina represents a rather radical shift away from MLS traditional business model.

A New Approach

In fact in the history of MLS, only one non-U.S. national team player has commanded more than Lucas Melano: Jermaine Defoe. When MLS has paid transfer fees for foreign players it has been for relatively known quantities (Robbie Keane, Obafemi Maertins etc) and generally in the $1 to $3 million range.

Here are the top 10 transfer fees paid by MLS/member clubs:

So why does all this matter and why should you care as a Timbers fan?

You should care for three reasons:

1) It means this club has money. Despite the recent high profile acquisition of aging Euro-stars (Lampard, Pirlo, Gerard) I believe MLS willingness to allow the Timbers to spend $5 million dollars on a “flyer” speaks volumes to the financial health of both this club and the league.

2) The Timbers invested in potential (and future profit) in lieu of current skills. Lucas Melano is NOT a $5 million a year striker. Do not confuse transfer market investment in a player’s potential with his current worth as a player. The players making $4 million a year or more in MLS are: No sane Timbers fan will argue that right now Lucas Melano is in the same company as Keane, Martins or Giovinco. The Timbers have pegged Melano’s skill as worth $1 million a year which puts him in the same company as Federico Higuain, Innocent Emeghara, Liam Ridgewell, Kennedy Igboananike and Octavio Rivero.

3) The Timbers will want a return on their investment so don’t get too used to the player in a Timbers jersey if he starts banging in the goals for the boys in Green and Gold.

Only time will tell whether Lucas Melano will be a success in MLS. If he has a great year or two in a Timbers jersey Merritt Paulson, the team and the league will profit handsomely when some European club comes calling. If that happens, the Melano signing may very well mark the moment MLS moved from a “retirement league” to a “sell on” one.

Op-Ed: Super Deep Data Analysis of the 8/30/15 Match vs. Seattle

107ist Admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2015 19:19:55 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

Seattle Away – August 30, 2015

107ist Admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 19:15:47 GMT

Tickets are now on sale to all!

Members, use the link and password that was emailed last week.

Bus/ticket combo: $60 (member price)

Ticket only: $24 (member price)

Non-members, use these links:

Bus/ticket combo

Match ticket only

Buses and captains are:

Bus #1 - Drew Picard — Rev Nats

Bus #2 - David Auxier — Bridgeport

Bus #3 - Matt Lindley — Burnside

Bus #4 - Eric Berg — Cascade Lakes

SOLD OUT - Bus ~~#5 - Patch Perryman — Gigantic~~

Bus #6 - Nick Brock — Hopworks

Bus #7 - Richard Sheals — Lompoc

Bus #8 - Sara Nelson — Lucky Lab

Bus #9 - Steph Nova — Portland Cider

Bus #10 – Patrick Musto – Rogue

If you are a paid-up member but have not been receiving the weekly emails please first check your spam folder, if they are not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

FAQ

I bought a "ticket only" for the Seattle away game. Where do I get the real ticket?

Tickets will be distributed in Seattle. You will receive an email closer to match day with all the details on where and when.

I bought a bus/ticket combo. Where do I get my ticket for the match?

You will be given your match ticket as you get on the bus. Make sure to put it in a secure place as we do not have replacement tickets. If you lose it, you will need to pay for another one.

I'm taking the bus. Where can I put all my stuff when I'm at the match?

You can leave your personal belongings on the bus. The bus will be secured.

I'm not a member, can I buy a ticket to the match?

Tickets are available to 107ist members at this time.

I just joined, should I use the link above?

You will be mailed a link to purchase tickets at the member price within 48 hours of you joining (sooner if we can)

How many tickets can I buy?

Members may purchase two tickets, one of which can be for a non-member.

Are the tickets general admission or assigned seats?

Tickets will have a seat number printed on them. However, the section is general admission and you are free to stand anywhere within our designated area.

What section will we be in?

301 & 302

I can no longer attend, can I get a refund or sell my ticket to someone else?

Refunds only given in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
You may sell or transfer your ticket to someone else. IMPORTANT - Email awaytravel@107ist.org with the purchaser's name, email address and contact info

What if I can't get to the ticket pick-up in time?

It is imperative that you pick up your ticket on time.
Due to security procedures mandated by Seattle front office and CenturyLink, we are required to enter the stadium as a group.
If you cannot make it in time due to a genuine emergency**, please contact awaytravel@107ist.org AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and we will leave your ticket at Will Call.
Please be aware that the travel committee has their hands full on match day and are not always available by email. An emergency contact number will be emailed to everyone closer to the match

What if I get to will-call and there's an error with my order?

Call the emergency contact number (will be emailed to everyone closer to the match)

*Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part.

**Staying at the bar to drink longer is NOT a true emergency.

Op-Ed: Scarf Will Eat Itself

107ist Admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 19:17:11 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

** Know that this is an opinion piece, and it doesn't reflect the official opinion of anyone (except Matt). **

This last Friday night, as the Timbers found their way into a 1-0 home win, I was wearing a scarf I had gleefully just made a trade for — a scarf dedicated to a certain classic arcade game. That’s when a friend asked the question, “What the hell does that have to do with the Timbers?” And all I could answer was “Umm… It says Rose City?” My comment properly earned a hardened look of disdain.

The thing is, he was wrong and right at the same time. I love soccer scarves and scarf culture in general. I remember seeing different scarves when I would watch EPL matches before I even moved to Portland and thinking what an amazing aspect of support that was. I bought an FO scarf the first day I walked into PGE Park in 2007 because I already knew I couldn’t quite support right without team colors around my neck. All I wanted in the world was the amazing-looking green and black bar scarf I saw so many wearing around their necks. On that day in 2009 (my first day in the TA) when I finally had one around my neck, I truly felt like I belonged.

From there, like many others, I lost my damn mind. I started collecting other Timbers- and TA-related scarves, scarves from other supporters groups, scarves of my beloved Liverpool, scarves of bands I was seeing, and so on and so forth. My true obsessive-compulsive side has been in full overdrive since that first day. I love my scarves, every single one of them, like children. Well, children you’d be willing to trade for better-looking, more sought-after children. (Note: Matthew does not actually have children.)

It used to be there was only that one scarf: Chelsea Chris paid money out of his own pocket, asking only for cost in return, so that this new group of supporters taking up behind the north goal would have a cool scarf to wear at matches. Over the years, a few more scarves found their way around the necks of the “Green White Army” — Legends, Magic Is Real, ACES, etc. All shining beacons of what was had and what was growing under that wood roof.

In the old halcyon days of pickle buckets, SCUSA, and tailgate parties, scarf-trading was about as good as it got. Sponsoring a set of the latest piece of awesome someone posted online, trading for some other piece of awesome someone brought to the parking lot or the North End. Getting a new scarf was like Indy grabbing the idol in Raiders, complete with booby traps. (Make of that what you will.)

Cut to now, present day, and a whole new world — a dystopian land where SCUSA is dead, the evil Lord Facebook rules, and scarf-trading culture is overrun by greed, saturation, and completism. It’s no longer “Spread the Love,” it’s “What can you do for me?”

Gone are the days of “Who did you scarf?” threads; instead, it’s “Who did you persuade to give you 35 of their scarves for the one they think is rare this week?” Also gone is the idea of “Hey, remember that cool thing that happened on the pitch?”; it’s “Caleb wore a tan jacket this week. Let’s make a tan scarf that says CALEB on one side and NICE JACKET on the other, and we can all hold it up, in for a set, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!” And absolutely finished are the days of “Boy howdy, that’s a cool scarf! I sure hope I find my way into one!”; instead, it’s “I didn’t get one of those back in the day, so let’s make another run of it!” “Who the hell is this Clive guy?” “Let’s make a Legends scarf with Jorge Perlaza and Kenny Cooper on it!” Trust me: If you’ve watched the Total Recall reboot or listened to the Flaming Lips “cover” of Sgt. Peppers, some things should just be left classic.

Now look, I know I may be coming off harsh at best, and at worst, curmudgeonly, and I know there are some newer TA members who really wish the “Care Like We Do” crowd would just curl up and die, but when venom and vitriol reaches the fever pitch it has lately, what the hell does it have to do with our boys in green? If this team lost every match the rest of the season, but you were able to make a seven-way trade for your all-time unicorn, would it be worth it?

All I’m saying is this: Trade scarves; they are awesome. Make scarves, even if they have nothing to do with the Timbers, but everything to do with your own little pocket of geekdom. Wear scarves, even when it’s 103 degrees out, and your non-footy-loving friends make fun of you. But please, don’t forget why we all got gathered here in the first place, and stop taking everything so godforsaken seriously. Try scarfing a noob every once in a while. Spread the Love. And if that isn’t enough, shoot over to this link and help out some amazing members of the TA… you might even score your “white whale” in the deal.

Once you’ve finished that, if you’ve got an original Tetris, I’ve got five scarves, a case of spiced IPA, and a lock of Taka Suzuki’s hair I’d like to trade.

Op-Ed: The All-Star Game Isn’t Fun Anymore

107ist Admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 19:18:13 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

** BTW, this is an opinion piece, and it does not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Timbers Army, 107ist, or 107ist board of directors.**

By the time you read this, our yearly 90-minute nightmare will be over: Another MLS All-Star Game will have come and gone, and many a Timbers fan will join alongside fans throughout the league in dosing their torches for yet another year. Personally, I am not one of the “trophies, not friendlies” haters of all things extracurricular; in fact, the drooling junkie of a soccer nerd in me enjoys friendlies quite a bit. But there is a big factor that ruins it all for even the widest-eyed consumer such as me: They’ve sucked all the fun out of it.

There has always been a very tense marriage between the “world’s game” and “American sports culture.” The old NASL had its “fouls” for TV timeouts, loosened offside rules, and hockey-esque overtime shootouts. The MLS has its pyrotechnics, post-season playoffs, and an All-Star Game.

When I was a kid, all-star games were my favorite thing ever. “You mean I get to watch Griffey play against the National League?” Yes! “You mean Jordan and Kobe are just going to take circus shots all night long?” Sign me up. “You mean all of the players that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl are going to play each other a week after the Super Bowl, when everyone is completely burned out on football?” Ok, they can’t all be gems.

But that is just the thing: Your particular sports’ all-star game used to be their showcase night (or weekend) of the year for the best and brightest to show off and goof off in equal portions. John Kruk batting with his helmet on backwards after Randy Johnson buzzed the tower in 1993. Vince Carter giving up his spot so that Jordan could start his final ASG. Davey Allison passing at the finish and then crashing in 1992. (Yes, I mentioned NASCAR, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.)

And, like its fellow American-sports brethren, the MLS All-Star Game used to be fun, too: traditional West vs. East, Landy Cakes copying the Brandi Chastain “sports bra” celebration, legendary GK Jorge Campos entering as a position player and scoring a goal... Imagine how much press the league could grab with moments like that now that they are more popular than ever — but they won’t, because the match isn’t an all-star game anymore.

From the moment that the Taylor Twellman’s 2005 MLS all-stars took the pitch against Fulham in Columbus 10 years ago, the MLS All-Star Game became a friendly and, in some a cases, a relatively competitive one (see last year’s “Handshake-gate”). Sure, the MLS team is a ragtag group of all-stars, but any foreign team they play is usually less than a month away from the start of their regular season. They are here to be a part of Don Garber’s Cavalcade of Stars. They are here to get match fit and/or not get hurt long enough to get back on the plane.

The Mad Notebook Killa himself, Clint Dempsey, suggested this week that the league go back to an East vs West ASG, and then award the MLS Cup Final to the conference that wins. WORSE IDEA! This is the idea that has pretty much rendered the MLB game unwatchable.

As much as it makes me throw up in my mouth a little, I do agree with something Dempsey said: Go back to the original East vs West format. This would be great… Hell, it wouldn’t even need to be East vs West. Do North America vs the world. Do South America vs North America vs the World in the first-ever televised match of three-team soccer! (Google it.) While you are at it, throw in an NHL-style skills competition the night before for good measure. No matter what you do, find a way to make the All-Star Game an all-star game again!

There will forever be the haters who will pepper Twitter with vitriol halfway through each season. But for the smiling, drooling, impressionable American soccer geeks like me, oh please, Lord Garber, give us an all-star game we can enjoy again.

Join the Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Friends of Jimmy Conway, Timbers Army Team

107ist Admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 19:19:29 GMT

By registering to walk as part of the Timbers Army team for $19.78 (the year Jimmy joined the Timbers), you are not only supporting the Friends of Jimmy Conway's fundraising efforts for the Alzheimer's Association, you are also receiving a team-specific t-shirt (art pictured below). The walk is on September 13 at Portland International Raceway.

More about Jimmy Conway and the Friends of Jimmy Conway

Jimmy Conway is one of five members of the Timbers Ring of Honor. He was inducted for his 30 years of dedicated service to soccer in the Pacific Northwest.

His career started in Dublin, Ireland, and he became a distinguished player for Fulham FC, Manchester City, Portland Timbers, and the Republic of Ireland. After finishing his professional career, he joined a local amateur team, St Pat’s, which became Pierre’s SC, and played with distinction in the Oregon Adult Soccer Association.

His distinguished career in coaching included spells with Pacific University, Oregon State University, Portland Timbers, and the Oregon Youth Soccer Association, where he spent more than 28 years as state coach.

Few people have had such a positive effect on soccer in the Pacific Northwest, and odds are if you are involved with the game in any way, Jimmy contributed to the development of the organization you are a part of.

In late 2009, Jimmy was diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia, and since then has suffered the consequences of this deadly disease. He is currently hospitalized for treatment of his condition.

Each year since 2010, family and friends have joined together at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s to raise awareness and donations in Jimmy’s name (Friends of Jimmy Conway), to show our respect and gratitude for his selfless devotion to the sport of soccer, and to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Please join Jimmy’s wife, Noeleen, and friends in the soccer community on Sunday, September 13th, at P.I.R. to show our respect and gratitude for Jimmy’s contribution to soccer and to raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s.

To register, click here.

Have questions about the Walk to End Alzheimer's: Friends of Jimmy Conway, Timbers Army Team? Contact 107 Independent Supporters Trust.

Pride, Not Prejudice: TA Pride Parade 2015 Recap

107ist Admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 19:21:15 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

Here in the North End, you are not black or white— you are green and gold.

You are not gay or straight — you are Timbers Army.

Those are the words TA board member Garrett Dittfurth used to end his amazing piece in 2013 about the tifo for International Day Against Homophobia. That tifo set into motion a partnership that saw its third chapter a few weekends ago: the Timbers Army and the Portland Pride Parade. As big a presence as we in the TA are at times, the Pride Parade is so much larger that even being in the pre-parade area is a truly humbling experience.

The day began with a contingent collecting flags from the cage at Providence Park as others began to gather at the staging area in the Park Blocks. The area was buzzing like the wristband line on Derby Day as folks collected and excitement rose about the day’s impending event. Finally, after watching the parade start for organizations such as the “Raging Grannies,” the Unitarian Church, and even Hot Lips Pizza (which brought about a fantastic chant of “WE EAT PIZZA”), the TA/Riveters group stepped off around 12:15 p.m.

For Marion Skinner, the lone drummer of the day, marching with the TA in the Pride Parade is a culmination of the acceptance she has felt all along. “Last year, I got divorced, and though I was really new to the 107ist, it was TA who was there to support me during rough times, whether it was by inviting me to participate in volunteer and social activities, or hooking me up with an extra bed for my kids,” said Skinner. “Be it your sexuality, religion, race, class, or position in life that sets you apart, the TA is there to accept you.”

This year’s organizer, Drew Picard, led everyone in Pride-themed versions of TA chants as we marched through the streets of the Rose City. Those lining the route were excited and amused by songs such as “Pride, Not Prejudice” (to the tune of “Onward, Rose City”) and “When you hear the cheers of the Timbers Army queers/We’ll be comin’ down the road.” Even the obligatory protestors — hey, there were three of them this year! — found themselves drowned out as we jumped, clapped, and sang for equality. There would be an occasional cheer when we came into view, pictures taken, and — most rewarding of all — a thank you.

“Having the 107ist represented in the parade is a reflection of this Portland community and soccer community understanding, and supporting each of our trials and successes regardless of gender/race/ethnicity/sexuality,” said Sunday White, TA and Thorns Capo, who marched up front with the Timbers Army banner. “It is a large group of the community stating that ‘HEY! WE ARE PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY TOO, AND WE LOVE YOU!’ ”

There are a lot of things the TA does to be proud of — charity, outreach, support, etc. — but to be part of the TA, standing beside the rest of the city we call home, and showing the world that we support love and equality above all else, I’m hard pressed to find a day where I’ve been more proud to call myself TA.

Op-Ed: Sober Saturday 2 – Soberish Saturday

107ist Admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 19:23:01 GMT

As much as I don’t care to participate in sequels, I felt the circumstances justified a rehash of this modern classic. (Seriously, I still get asked about it these days. Thanks Deadspin and Seattle PI!)

In our last edition, I proposed curbing your alcohol intake on the day before a mid-day match on Sunday. In theory, less hangovers would equate to a more lively crowd to cheer on the boys in green. I still support this idea, but the overall response leaves me to believe that the pure concept of Sober Saturday is not reasonable. Apparently Portland has a penchant for beer and/or spirits. Who knew?

(Full disclosure: even I didn’t observe the original Sober Saturday, as I was returning from vacation on the east coast that day, and sitting in FIRST CLASS! That’s too long of a flight to not partake in the offerings. Plus, did I mention I'm a baller?)

With the upcoming perfect storm of a Sunday 4pm kickoff, a nationally-televised match, projected triple-digit heat, and the crapheads from craptown crossing the Interstate Bridge and invading our ‘hood for a few hours, perhaps it’s time to discuss a more appropriate version of Sober Saturday, one that Portlanders can be more willing to adopt.

I now present a list (in no particular order) of beverages considered to be acceptable for the new iteration Sober Saturday.

Hefe Shandy

By Widmer Brothers

It’s Hefeweizen, which is beer. We like beer. It’s also Shandy, which is not beer. I’m no scientist, but this seems like a local craft beer with slightly less beer in it, therefore making it appropriate for this occasion.

Zima

By Coors Brewing

It’s clear, which probably means it’s better for you. Hell, you’re probably an idiot for NOT drinking it. Which might explain why Japan is not made of idiots, cuz that’s the only place you can get Zima these days. Book your flights today!

Jack and Water

A collaboration between Jack Daniel Distillery and Portland Water Bureau

In a nutshell (which, ironically, is what Jack Daniels tastes like), this is an American whiskey that’s “cut” with water. It’s pretty simple. If your pouring ratio is exactly 50/50, you could have two of these and feel as is you just had one full drink of Jack Daniels. Consult your nearest mathematician for details. For a unique spin on this classic, try it with fluoridated water, which can be obtained 10 miles in any direction outside of the city of Portland.

Iced Tea w/ Chamomile Liqueur

A collaboration between J. Witty Spirits and the Lipton Tea bags in your pantry

If you like to make your own iced tea in the summer, add a splash of this chamomile liqueur to give it just a minor kick. And I do mean minor. This liqueur is only 40 proof, which is the equivalent of a packet of Splenda sitting out for a decade to naturally become some form of alcohol. No joke, this is my summer jam. I used to get this stuff at New Deal Distillery, but I haven’t been there in a while, so I can’t say if they still carry it or not.

Note: the author does not necessarily endorse, nor was paid by, the products / makers mentioned above. However, the author will accept free products from said makers cuz diapers ain't cheap.

Double-note: please drink responsibly.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

Congratulations, Ken!

107ist Admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 19:22:08 GMT

—by Fernando 'Nando' Machicado

There are a ton of people who are responsible for making the Timbers Army an amazing experience. This year however marks the 15^th anniversary for Ken Puckett, VP of Facilities for the Timbers Front Office.

He has seen the TA grow from 12 people, to 150 people, to over 5,000. Hell, he even banned several of us back in the day.

Through all the conflicts he has been a proponent of the TA, he has provided access to the stadium, worked with our capos, drums and trumpets, tifo crew, travel liaisons etc.

I want to thank him on behalf of the board of directors and the TA as a whole, not only for the wonderful job he does for the Timber FO, but also for being a friend and a representative of the Club.

Without Ken Puckett and the facilities staff the Timbers Army would not be what it is today.

Thank you for all the years, beers and tears!

Fernando

PS - There are a ton of other folks in the front office that make it possible for the TA to be TA, I just wanted to note my appreciation to KP on his anniversary.

Sunday Sunday Sunday

107ist Admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 19:27:52 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

*Yadda yadda this isn't the official statement of the board it's just one guy's opinion yadda yadda*

All kinds of things happened on June 28th. The Battle of Sullivan's Island, which was the first decisive victory of the Americans in the Revolutionary War. Labor Day was declared a national holiday. Seoul was captured by North Korean troops. Mike Tyson Chewed Evander Holyfield's ear off in an act of cannibalism. So basically it's a day that things happen. Oh yeah this year the Timbers play too. They play the Sounders. You've heard of them I'm sure. They're the fishing village to the north that wears nuclear goat urine stained uniforms. It's very appealing to those with a taste for the late 80s and early 90s fashion strategies. I mean I get it. It was the 80s. I had a ski jacket that looked like an experiment of J. Robert Oppenheimer. OK enough with the nostalgia.

It's going to be upwards of 100+ degrees on Sunday. At 4:00. Right when the match starts. Most of you are going to be in the sun for the majority of the match. They could move the match like sane people would but they would cause TV. So you're going to be in the sun at about 100 degrees for the majority of the time you're at the stadium. Here's some advice.

#1) Bring a water bottle. You can bring in an empty water bottle. There is a new water bottle filling station in the north end. If you don't want to wait in the line just go to the bathroom and fill it in the sink. Seriously every single one of you do this. It isn't worth passing out with heat stroke to drink a bunch of beer in the sun. You also probably don't want to pay $4 for a bottle of water, which is the insane price they charge. Or at least it was the last time I had to buy a bottle of water in 100+ degree heat at the stadium. Just bring an empty water bottle and fill it. Drink several of these during the match.

#2) Don't spend the entire day drinking. Seriously nobody wants to carry you up a flight of concrete stairs and miss the rest of the match because you thought mimosas and beer all morning were a wonderful combination. You'll feel like crap on Monday and someone else will have to miss the match to deal with your hot mess.

#3) Bring misters. You know...basically a water bottle with a squirt handle on it. Fill it up in the bathroom and then squirt everyone around you. Rinse and repeat. In 100+ degrees you'll be the hero and someone will probably buy you a beer...don't buy the $4 bottles of water for misting. Actually no I'll say it. Don't buy the $4 bottles of water. #1 they're terrible for the environment and #2 it's a goddamned ripoff to charge $4 for water. Bring your own bottle and refill it...many, many times.

#4) Dress cool. No I don't mean dress in pink neon (though that would be rad) dress cool. Wear shorts and short sleeves. Do not dress like Borat unless you want to be made fun of for the rest of your natural born life.

#5) Put on sunscreen. Am I your mom? Most of the north end will be under the sun for much of the match and all of the pre-match. Put the stuff on or you're going to be a potato chip by halftime.

Hey if they won't move the game time (and they won't because TV) we may as well enjoy it. Just enjoy it safely. We have people in the TA who will help you out if you're having distress but please please please don't do anything to cause that like drinking excessively. They want to watch the match too. If anyone in your section has serious issues like passing out please get an usher who can get the correct medical personnel to come help. It's going to be hot. Drink a lot of water and enjoy the match. Just take proper precautions and also rub some sticks together for the players on the pitch. That turf is 20 degrees hotter than it is in the stands. No joke. The Seattle match in 2012 with the huge tifo I spent the first half of it pulling down the rigging. I poured two bottles of water into my shoes because it was so hot on the turf and I was just pulling down ropes right under the wall by the TA.

107ist at the 2015 MFS Community Cup

107ist Admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 19:25:45 GMT

This past weekend a group of 107ist members volunteered at the Metropolitan Family Service Community Cup Soccer Tournament and Resource Fair (formerly Soccer de Mayo), hosted at Davis Elementary. The Community Cup is an annual soccer tournament for elementary students in East Portland who participate in the SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) program through Metropolitan Family Service. The SUN program serves area kids who are homeless, living in poverty, and/or at risk of academic failure. The event featured matches between 12 different MFS SUN Community School coed teams; activities including T-shirt decorating, a photo booth, and a version of duck duck goose with sploosh balls; a delicious lunch for participants; and a community resource fair for families.

We pitched in on a fairly wide variety of volunteer tasks alongside neighborhood parents, teachers, and other community members. Some of us reffed matches, while others helped kids with spelling as they decorated their T-shirts, or prepped food, or checked in the teams and handed out extra shin guards and keeper gloves. The kids' energy and passion for soccer was infectious, both for their own game and the international game—between matches, kids from every group were writing Messi, Ronaldo, or Neymar or drawing the Barça or Real Madrid logo in fabric marker on their blank T-shirts. Who knows, maybe there was a future Timber or Thorn or another Rubio Rubin among the players who got to benefit from this great opportunity.

It was a pleasure to spend a sunny day running around, making art and eating burritos with so many young fans of the beautiful game. We hope to see you there when this event rolls around next May!

The Timbers Army Football Club Presents the Inaugural Donut Derby Day

107ist Admin — Sun, 31 May 2015 09:02:54 GMT

WHAT: A 7 vs 7 Half Field Outdoor Soccer Tourney

WHEN: Saturday August 1^st from 10am to 8pm

WHERE: Buckman Field Park

WHO: Room for 20 teams of 10 players each at a cost of $250/team or $25/player. Players must be 16 yrs of age or older

WHY: A Fun in the Sun Fundraiser for the weeknight schedule of Open Play sessions at Jefferson HS Field. PLUS, Who doesn’t like Donuts and Soccer?

BONUSES: (even if you aren't in the tourney)

Expansive and shaded Beer Garden

Koi Fusion Food Cart

Sweet Limited Edition Tourney Specific Merch for sale

Delicious Donuts provided free to players (courtesy of 107IST Partner business Coco Donuts)

FULL PAYMENT OF THE $250 REGISTRATION FEE SECURES YOUR TEAM'S SPOT. You can get this done all at once with a team payment of $250 or you do it individually by getting 10 players to each pay $25 using the payment links generated for the team (email the registrar or your team manager if you don't have your payment link).

Or, if you do not have a team, register as an individual and we will work to place you on one.

THE DETAILS

Snappy Soft Tourney Tee

The TAFC is putting on our first ever outdoor tournament as a summer companion to our wildly successful Winter Classic Futsal Tourney. Come out and enjoy a day in the sun at Buckman Field Park. Each of the 4 divisions is limited to ONLY 4 TEAMS. All teams will play within their division only. Each team will play 3 games. Divisional Winners will be determined by point total.*

NEW TO THE 7 v 7 GAME?

The rules are very similar to Futsal; 2-25 min halves and a 5 min halftime, Place on the line kick in for throw in, No offside rule, No slide tackles, played with a standard outdoor ball and on a half size field with smaller goals than standard outdoor.

DIVISIONS (we must have 4 teams registered to launch each of these divisions)

Gold Open** – Skilled players; men or women

Green Open** – Regular players; men or women

Recreational Open** – (CANCELED - Lack of interest)

Women's World Cup Redux – Women players only; regular skill level and above

Recreational Coed*** – Occasional or new players

TO REGISTER - HARD DEADLINE 7/20

Registration is now open. We are accepting Full Team Registrations AND Individual Registrations to a team. Email the tourney registrar Justin Warber to secure your spot. He will take your information and will send you a link for payment. Existing TAFC teams will be given priority for the first 2 weeks of registration (until 6/12) but we WILL be accepting waitlist requests starting right now.

Come on out and join the fun. Food Cart, Beer, Soccer, ....DOOOOOUGHNUTS.

What could be better?

* If we are unable to fill any particular division with 4 teams by the registration deadline of 7/20 we will contact the registered teams in that division to discuss a format solution, be that a modified format or refund.

**Open Division teams have no gender limits on roster or field players

***Coed Division teams must have 4-6 women AND 4-6 men on their limited roster of 10 players and field 3-4 women AND 3-4 men at all times

One Man’s Opinion On Support

107ist Admin — Thu, 28 May 2015 19:29:11 GMT

—by Mike Coleman

While I serve on the 107ist board of directors, this is an editorial piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Timbers Army or 107ist board as a whole.

“Real supporters support their team through thick and thin”

This is what Twitter user @andyjpdx tweeted at me in response to a discussion we were having on the “Same as it ever was” banner.

And, I’ve had other conversations with my fellow TA about what is appropriate and not appropriate behavior for supporters. To some you can never hold a player accountable for poor performance. To some our coach is beyond reproach. To some the Timbers as a unit should never be questioned.

I’m not for one second trying to convince you, Constant Reader, how you should support the mighty PTFC. That is, and always should, be your choice.

But, for me, as I’ve said on Twitter, support does not equal blind allegiance.

I don’t support any particular player (although I do have ones that I really enjoy watching play the game, and I have others that consistently leave me shaking my head). I don’t support any particular coach. I don’t support a specific GM, owner, or other administrative team.

I support a club. To be more specific I support the Portland Timbers Football Club.

This is the distinction for me: Clubs persist. They stand after players and coaches have passed through their grounds, and they persist after owners have either made enough (or lost enough) to decide it’s time to sell.

In my world, I (and my fellow supporters) are the stewards of this club. We are the ones who will remain constant throughout all the turmoil. We are the ones the club should be striving to reward.

Rewards don’t have to be silverware (although, that’d be nice). Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a winning season.

To me, I want a team that fights. I want players who battle for each other. Who hustle, who play their hearts out every match. We have players like that.

We also have players who don’t hustle back on defense, who hang their heads when things get tough, and who aren’t playing up to the level they should be. Put them on the bench or ship them out.

We have a front office who I believe wants to win. They want the exact same things that the supporters want.

But, this is also a front office who feels it’s ok to routinely lash out at their fans by calling them “idiots”, “morons”, and (the latest) “Einstein”. A club who’s personnel decisions have often left us scratching our heads.

So, what’s my point?

My point is that calling out a player or a coach or an owner or a GM for underperforming doesn’t mean I don’t support my club.

In fact, it’s 180 degrees from that. It’s saying that this club matters, and performance matters. And, if there are pieces of this organization that are consistently failing (hint: there are), then get rid of them.

Let me repeat: I believe 100% wholeheartedly that the entirety of this club wants to win. They want it as much, if not more, than we the supporters do.

But . . .

Our run in MLS has been less than stellar. Our performance this year has been hit or miss. And, it’s not just this year. John Nyen over at The Axe PDX has done a great job of detailing not just our MLS shortcomings, but also the USL days as well (which are before my time).

To those who would say “this is all too soon”: Is it? We’re basically in the exact same place we were last season when we missed the playoffs - except we are once again without the best player on our team for at least one more game. And, it’s not just 2014 or 2015. It’s 2011, and 2012 (and a bunch of years in USL).

In the end, to me, support means I show up and give my all in the stadium. I do what I can to give my team an edge when they’re playing at home. I travel to let them know they’re not battling on the road alone. I create tifo. I spend an inordinate amount of my free time working to make sure we are the best supporters group in MLS.

None of this means I’m going to tolerate mediocrity. I’m not going to stand idly by when I see incompetence and (perhaps) apathy holding this club back from what it can achieve.

Because, when it’s all said and done, I’ll still be here when most (if not all) of the people associated with running or playing for this club today are long gone.

A Day with the Inland Ultras

107ist Admin — Wed, 27 May 2015 19:29:59 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

Back in mid-April, while most of the TA’s attention was focused on the 400 strong that made their way to our boys’ first trip to “the House that Steinbrenner Built,” I was having a monumental away experience of my own.

It was midway through the offseason that I found out about the Inland Ultras, a regional supporters’ group based in the “Inland Empire” region of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. I was immediately intrigued because—being a Spokane native and a Washington State alumni—there was finally a group of fellow supporters in my old stomping grounds. Luckily for me, the stars aligned when a conference had me travelling to Pullman and Spokane the same weekend as the match with NYCFC. Through the magic of social media, I was able to contact Dan Scott and Peter Anderson, who organize the group, and they arranged a get-together in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at Capone’s Bar and Grill.

Capone’s is one of a couple bars in the area that the Ultras use for their viewing parties, and I wasn’t the only one who traveled to watch our boys: Dan, along with his father and brother, drove the two hours from Moses Lake, Washington, while Peter, a current student at WSU, traveled in from his home in Moscow, Idaho.

Dan got the group started a few years back. Although never a Portland resident, he credits trips through the Portland area to run at cross-country events as the reason he became a Timbers supporter. He says seeing the passion of Timbers supporters around town—even back in the USL days—made him PTFC before he was ever able to see a match in person. His cohort Peter, on the other hand, is a Portland native with fond memories of coming to pre-MLS Timbers matches, but now finds himself in the distant confines of the Palouse.

So there we were, the five of us, outliers in a sea of NASCAR and NBA fans, but occasional odd looks from fellow patrons didn’t faze anyone — our boys in green were on. The modest turnout is par for the course: Dan and Peter say the most they’ve had at a watch party is eight or nine, but they have enough passion for the game and the Timbers to fill any room. Around the time that Dairon Asprilla scored his eventual game-winning goal, we realized we had a few more Timbers fans in our midst, and they joined us for the closing moments of the match. As the third whistle blew, I snapped up my newly acquired Inland Ultras scarf and thanked my hosts—not just for providing me a place to watch the boys while on the road, but for bringing a part of the culture I love so much to the area where I grew up.

I must admit that at times I have been skeptical of the regional groups, but these guys are just as PTFC as anyone back home in the Rose City. So if you should find yourself in Spokane, Pullman, Walla Walla, or anywhere else in the northeastern portion of Cascadia, be sure to hit up the Inland Ultras.

Bang for the Buck: Does spending equate to success?

107ist Admin — Wed, 20 May 2015 19:30:40 GMT

This piece does not necessarily reflect the official opinions or attitudes of the Timbers Army or 107 Independent Supporters Trust

Earlier today MLS released salary figures for all 20 MLS sides. Now, if you've heard Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson talk on the subject of salaries, you've heard him say that these numbers aren't the complete picture - but until MLS decides to be a bit more transparent on total compensation we'll have to take whatever data we can get as being gospel.

Additionally, Merritt has also repeatedly praised Timbers GM, Gavin Wilkinson, for his ability to work within the convoluted rules structure of MLS to pull together amazing deals. Again, until we see proof of those rules, we'll have to take his word for it.

When I saw these numbers I was curious if there was any parallel between spending and results. And, yes I realize we're less than a third of the way through the season. And, I also realize that some teams have had key (high priced) players battling injuries early in the season (I think we ALL realize this here in PDX).

But, that doesn't stop me from drawing ridiculous conclusions from the numbers.

The chart above shows the amount each team (reportedly) spent on salaries, as well as their points per game through this morning.

The third column is how many points per game they earn for every million they spend in salary (otherwise known in technical terms as "Bang for your Buck"). You can see something right away - the big spending teams are all at the bottom of the list using this metric. Both $eattle and NYRB are posting very respectable PPG numbers (1.9 and 1.7 respectively), but they are vastly overpaying for those results when compared to DC United and FC Dallas. Those teams get roughly 4x the value for their dollar vs $$FC and NYRB. But, hey, at least they're not NYFC and Toronto who have two of the three highest payrolls, and rank dead last in my Bang for your Buck metric.

The fourth column represents how much a team spends relative to the league average ($7.9M) Toronto spends about 2.6x the average on the high end, while Colorado spends less than half the league average. It appears, Colorado seems to be getting exactly what they paid for.

The final column looks at how a teams "Bang for the Buck" metric plays against the league average (.227 points per $M spent). This is really just a way to easily see how efficient teams are with their spending. NYCFC is only about 19% efficient whereas DC United and FC Dallas are killing the efficiency game.

So, where does that leave the might PTFC (besides in 9th place). Our team spends about 75% of the league average. So, it sounds like there is at least some truth to complaints the we're not willing to open up the pocketbook. Merritt has said recently that if the right opportunity came along, Gavin could spend the money. Clearly that hasn't happened yet. As for efficiency/Bang for the Buck, They are near the bottom 3rd of the league (12th out of 20 teams with an efficiency rating of 88%).

So, clearly you can't draw any sort of conclusion with respect to spending and results. Teams like DCU are competing with $$FC, while NYCFC, with the 3rd highest payroll have the worst PPG. One conclusion someone could reach, however, is that overspending doesn't really buy you all that much - the top 6 spending teams are also the lowest in terms of Bang for your Buck.

107ist Pens Letter in Support of Harper's Playground's Latest Efforts

107ist Admin — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:35:02 GMT

May 7^th, 2015

Harper’s Playground
Attn: Cody Goldberg
1477 NW Everett Street
Portland, OR 97209

Dear Cody,

On behalf of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, I am pleased to offer our full support for the proposed Harper’s Playground at Couch Park.

As an organization whose mission is to promote playing the game of soccer in and around Portland, we understand the importance of providing all children with opportunities to play. We were proud to support the original Harper’s Playground at Arbor Lodge Park, which has become a destination playground for families across the city. It is a vital community space that is breaking down a major barrier to inclusion.

Bringing a fully inclusive playground to Couch Park will open new doors to the community in Northwest Portland, just a stone’s throw from the Timbers’ stadium at Providence Park and our own Fanladen location. The 107 Independent Supporters Trust welcomes this possibility, and looks forward to rallying the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters behind it.

We are the Rose City, and we believe in community, inclusion, and play!

Sincerely,

Scott Van Swearingen
President, 107ist Board of Directors

Duane Graf Memorial Homebrew Competition

107ist Admin — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:33:31 GMT

Our annual homebrew competition is coming up here on 5/17. You don't want to miss out if you're a homebrewer. Here are the details if you don't already know.

Former board member Abram Goldman-Armstrong, and editor of Northwest Brewing News has this to say...

The Timbers Army Duane Graf Memorial Homebrew Competition is dedicated to the memory of an avid Timbers supporter and homebrewer. Duane Graf was a longtime member of the TA, and like most of us love his beer and yelling at referees. For Duane, mocking the incompetence of officials in the A-League, USL, and later MLS wasn't the mere arm-chair critiquing that most fans of the beautiful game partake in. Duane had actually gotten certified as a referee years ago, so he knew what he was talking about.
As a homebrewer Duane had a focus on German biers, and hosted a legendary Oktoberfest party. He also enjoyed helping pick apples for cider, and told of his "midnight gleaning" of fruit in North Portland with a panking pole and bicycle. He was vibrant and full of life, always friendly and upbeat, as a member of the old "Row N Infantry" in section 107, or sharing his homebrew at tailgates or on bustrips. He is greatly missed in the community, and we dedicate the Timbers Army homebrew competition, running since 2010 to his memory.

Fly with the Timbers to Toronto

107ist Admin — Sat, 09 May 2015 19:35:02 GMT

The Timbers have chartered a flight for the team the May 23 match against Toronto FC and have generously offered 18 spaces on that flight to 107ist members. Included with the trip is travel on the chartered team plane, transportation to and from the airport, a match ticket and transportation to and from the match. Those travelling are responsible for their own hotel accommodations. The team is in the process of acquiring a group rate at a downtown Toronto hotel. The schedule for the trip is:

Depart Portland: Thursday, May 21 at 12:00 p.m.

Match: Toronto v Portland, May 23 at 5:00 p.m. (EST)

Depart Toronto: Saturday May 23 at approximately 8:30 p.m.

The drawing is now closed. Winners will be notified on 5/12.

How to Snag the Best Deal on Away Day Airfare

107ist Admin — Wed, 06 May 2015 19:35:30 GMT

—by Nicole Barker

In an effort to continue to sell out away supporter sections across North America, here are some timely tips on how to snag a good rate on away day airfare.

Where should I start?

First and foremost, check flights on AlaskaAir.com. Not only does Alaska Air regularly offer lower-than-average airfare, but 107ist members also receive 10% off roundtrip airfare from PDX to away games. In addition, for every 50 Timbers Army members that travel on Alaska Airlines during the 2014/15 regular season, the 107ist will earn one travel certificate, while you continue to earn miles as usual. To ensure your travel will count, register your Alaska Air mileage plan member number. Plus, you get priority boarding if you wear your Timbers jersey on a flight departing from PDX. Also, on select Cascadia flights, Alaska Air’s subsidiary, Horizon Air, offers passengers complimentary regional wine or beer.

When should I aim to book my airfare?

Start keeping an eye on airfare about 75 days before game day, and aim to book your airfare 47 to 54 days in advance. If a low-cost airline, such as Spirit or Frontier, flies to your destination, you could hedge your bets on scoring a last-minute deal 10 to 15 days beforehand. For example, Frontier typically releases promo codes that offer approximately 10 to 23% off flights to select destinations two weeks in advance of a range of dates that typically span three to four weeks. While last-minute deals can be valuable, they can be also tricky given how quickly away match tickets can sell out.

What’s the best way to keep an eye on airfare?

Currently, Google Flights is reputed to be the fastest and most robust airfare search engine. It doesn’t offer price alert emails, however, so you will need to manually check rates.

You can also sign up for email airfare alerts for specific dates and destinations from sites such as AirfareWatchdog.com and Kayak.com. Be sure to cross-reference rates with other airfare booking sites and, most importantly, directly on the airline’s website.

Also check SouthwestAir.com, too, as their rates do not always appear in airfare search engine results. When rates are equal between an airfare search engine and an airline, it’s usually best to book directly with the airline.

Enable mobile notifications for airlines’ twitter accounts to receive an alert when a promo is announced.

Enable price-alert mobile notifications for apps from airfare search engines such as Kayak.

Try searching for flights in “incognito” mode in your web browser. There are reports of folks getting different rates when doing so, but that may be due to dynamic pricing. It doesn’t hurt to try.

What else can I do?

Consider signing up for frequent flier mile programs — even with airlines you haven’t flown. It doesn’t cost a dime to join them, and the airlines may try to lure you with promos targeted for members who yet haven’t flown with them. Of course you can also sign up for airline credit cards, a game that when played right — with diligence and organization — can really pay off.

If you have a reservation with Southwest Air or Alaska Air and you see the price drop on your flight segments, kindly call and request a refund for the difference. Both airlines have been honoring this, even for non-refundable reservations.

If you have a bunch of frequent flier miles with an airline that doesn’t fly to an away day you want to attend, check whether the airline is part of an airline alliance, such as OneWorld, that allows you to book equally valuable — or even more valuable — reward flights with partner airlines.

If you are traveling for work or pleasure and an away game is located at a feasible layover destination, you may be able to schedule a stopover (an extended layover) for free or for far cheaper than if you had booked a separate roundtrip ticket. Even if you don’t see options for a stopover online, call the airline and ask a booking agent. Beware that some airlines charge for booking over the phone, so you may just want to get the flight codes from the booking agent and then book online.

Be familiar with the fine print. Airfare search engines and airlines are all required to post the total cost of a reservation within the dollar amount listed — no more additional fees at check out. However, some airlines have easily avoidable fees that can feel unexpected when you’re uninformed.

If you can fit everything you need into a single carry-on bag, consider flying with a low-cost airline, such as Frontier or Spirit. These airlines have a la carte pricing, which means you pay for anything beyond a cup of water, one carry-on bag, and a seat they choose for you. They can save you a lot of money, though, if you aren’t particular and don’t need a bag of pretzels.

Don’t write off booking with a travel agent, so long as their services are complimentary. If anything goes awry with your reservation, they have more leverage than you do alone. In some cases, they may be able to get you a group rate for your crew or perks that would typically cost you more, such as assigned seating with your travel companions and checked baggage.

Lastly, don’t forget the tried-and-true tactics of searching for nearby arrival airports (especially in more densely populated destinations east of the Rockies), bundling your flights with a hotel room and/or rental car, and having flexible dates. Currently, it is purported that Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly.

What if I see a great air rate but I am not yet sure whether I can attend the match?

If you see a great rate on Southwest Air, book it. You can cancel your reservation any time and receive a 100% credit to be used within a year, perhaps for another away match. No fees apply.

If you see a great air rate and can quickly figure out if you can attend the match or not, book it. Nearly all airlines offer 100% refunds with 24 hours of booking — no sob story needed. Just be sure to verify that the airline offers full refunds within one day of booking.

What if I acquire a last-minute match ticket but I don’t have a flight reservation?

Check out “GTFO,” an app that instantly displays the cheapest flights out of PDX for the next 24 hours.

Drive. Gas prices are forecasted to stay low this summer. You can research whether it’s cheaper to fly or drive with a price comparison calculator.

Children’s Book Harvest Exceeds Volunteer Goal

107ist Admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 19:36:43 GMT

Volunteers for the 4/25 Children's Book Harvest

Where there is a need, the Timbers Army shows up. It was a full capacity of 32 volunteers who spent 4 hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to help clean and prepare nearly 1000 books that will be distributed to area children who have few or no books at home. This is the final push for the Children's Book Bank Book Harvest to complete the task of making ready the 30,000+ donated books by April 30.

Help is still needed for the final day of work on Thursday, April 30 from 9 AM - 12 PM and 1 PM - 4 PM. Sign up for here for the Last Book Cleaning Events if you are available.

Moving the boxes of books onto the pallets for distribution will be May 13 and 14 from 9 AM to 4 PM. Please email Shawn Jaquiss at shawn@childrensbookbank.org if you can help during any of those hours.

Again, thank you to all the volunteers who made the day extraordinary and for supporting literacy in Portland.

Shawn Levy Reviews "Jack to a King: The Swansea Story"

107ist Admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 19:40:43 GMT

Need a little lift after last night's match, a small reminder of why we stand for our Team, our Town, and one another? Come spend a night out with your fellow supporters THIS Thursday 4/30 and see a story with parallels to our own. One of ascendancy born out of true devotion.

Tickets are still available here for $15. All ages welcome. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door on the day of the event for $18. Do not be late, though. With the new announcement of a FREE authentic Swansea kit complements of the club with the price of every admission, tickets are now going fast.

Reception with fundraiser craft beer and cider at 5 pm
Film starts at 7 pm
Live Q&A direct from the Swansea City AFC Board Room immediately following the film

Remember that all proceeds go to help fund the Jefferson HS field replacement project as well as the continued refurbishment of historic Cinema 21.

As promised a few weeks back, below is the long form review from our very own resident film critic extraordinaire and MC for the evening.

In the right setting, at the right time, a football team – a football CLUB – can mean much more than a collection of players trying to achieve positive results in sporting matches.

It can be an incarnation of the spirit of a place and a people, a celebration of a community, a distillation of collective identity, a sign post distinguishing one particular spot in the world from every other spot.

Wherever football thrives from the grassroots up, a message is borne in the communion of a team, a town and a tribe of supporters, a shout to the world that declares, 'We are here, this is who we are, and this is how we love and hate, succeed and suffer, celebrate and commiserate, strive and thrive.'

If you're a fan of the Portland Timbers, you're fortunate enough to live amongst a group of people who have felt the primal urge to pool their passion for a game, a team, and a town and turn it into a genuine collective that comes together to affirm Portland's singularity, to buoy the players, to benefit the populace at large, and to create a culture and atmosphere that turns every day into match day and every match day into an epic carnival.

Of course, Portland is hardly unique in being a place where football is an occasion for community-building. All over the world, especially in towns where the passion for the game runs thick and deep, individuals come together to lift team, town, and terrace as one.

Some of these places are global icons of the sport: Buenos Aires, Liverpool, Milan, Barcelona.

Others are best known to aficionados: Hoffenheim, Kiryat Shmona, Sunderland, and, yes, Cascadia.

But, as revealed in the sprightly, engaging, and sometimes moving documentary “Jack to a King,” there's a special spot for Swansea, Wales, in that list of places where a sport and a team become a living symbol of a community.

The film is subtitled “The Swansea Story,” and it is exactly that: the story of a team, Swansea City FC, and of its town, and how the two entities have, in the very recent past, taken turns lifting one another, the fans saving the team from bankruptcy, the team rewarding the fans with historically high levels of achievement. It's all true, but it has the feel-good romance of a Hollywood story – complete with comic villains, bumbling schemers, and hometown heroes.

“Jack to a King” brings viewers close in on a place which time, fashion, and, alas, football all seemed, at one sad point, to have forgotten. Founded in 1912, the Swans have spent a century as one of the dominant teams in a region with a small but ardent football culture. They'd long been a powerhouse in Wales, but they only reached the top-flight of English football for the first time in the 1980s, and their stay in those heady climes was brief. From the mid-'80s on, as the team struggled on the field and the town faced economic hardships of its own, it seemed that Swansea City were fated to plummet further and further into lower-division football, and maybe out of the professional league ranks altogether.

You could argue that the nadir came in 2001, when Swansea were sold to a dodgy businessman for £1 – that is ONE POUND STERLING, or about $1.85 at the time. Or you could argue that the nadir was just two years later, when Swansea took the field in the last game of the season needing a win to avoid being relegated into the Football Conference, where they were as likely to play matches against amateur teams as against other fallen league sides. But whichever you choose as your low point, you'd have to admit that it was very, very low indeed.

But a remarkable thing happened. When the situation was at its worst, the fans – the ordinary fans and some deep-pocketed angels among them – rallied to support the club and buy it outright from the various consortia that had attached themselves to it, barnacle-style. Under new ownership with strong local ties, the Swans, miraculously, resurrected, rising steadily back up the ladder of professional league football, building themselves a new home stadium, and, wonder of wonders, entering the last match of the 2010-11 campaign with promotion to the Premiership, the world's richest footballing league, hanging beguilingly in the balance.

Director Marc Evans tells this wild rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story with great intimacy, humanity, and humor. We get a strong sense of the people of Swansea, particularly a handful of those who swore themselves to save the club whether through money, hard work, or, in the case of a charmingly silly pair of would-be tough guys, sinister tactics. We hear from the players, the fans, and the owners – not only the heroes who rescued the club but even one of the carpetbaggers who nearly killed it. And we journey along with all of them, through highs and lows, glories and perils, from the frightening moment when the club dangled over the trap door to oblivion all the way through to the otherworldly spectacle of a caravan of buses headed to London to watch the team take a 90-minute chance at rising to the highest heights of the professional footballing pyramid.

“Jack to a King” is an exhilarating and inspiring portrait of how something as apparently meaningless as a sport can come to embody the very essence of a community. In its depiction of fans coming together to save their team and a team responding by lifting its fans to new heights of achievement, it offers powerful evidence that, in certain places, at certain times, a football team can be, in the words of Barcelona FC's motto, “More than a club” – it can be, indeed, the very heart of a place and its people.

- Shawn Levy

Op-Ed: What’s It Like To Support The Timbers?

107ist Admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 19:40:46 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

Popinski Popcast #37

107ist Admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 19:42:50 GMT

Out of the wilds comes another Popcast. DANCE!

Follow this link and download here

Spring Blood Drive Successful

107ist Admin — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 19:45:17 GMT

From Nick Brock, Blood Drive volunteer coordinator extraordinaire

The annual TA blood drive kicked off on a blustery April 10th. While volunteers continuously re-arranged the sign-in table to keep it from blowing away, Red Cross was hard at work getting the bloodmobile ready for the influx of donors. The day started slowly as most donors were taking a late lunch during their workday, but quickly picked up speed as the day wore on. Soon, our volunteers were assigning donors numbers to keep track of who was next in the donation queue.

All of our experience with line culture was obviously paying dividends. The waiting was taken in stride, as people stopped by with tasty baked goods, fluffy puppies and the occasional laughing baby. With donors munching on their free pizza slices (Thank you, 107IST partner HotLips Pizza!) and sporting their nifty complimentary pins, the table volunteers checked off the last donors of the night, folded up the table and put away the supplies that somehow miraculously had not blown down the street. All told, we wound up having 51 people attempt to donate, with 49 of them being successful. That is a potential of 147 lives saved, which is fantastic.

A very big thank you goes out to everyone who attempted to donate; Hot Lips pizza for donating pizza slices and soda; Holly Duthie for creating the awesome pins; the Timbers front office for supplying the space and restrooms; and, of course, to all our table and canteen volunteers who made this a very successful event. We would never be able to pull this off without all of your help, so a very sincere thank you to you all. We look forward to having another amazing blood drive in the future.

Seattle Away Ticket Info and FAQs

107ist Admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 19:55:28 GMT

Tickets are now on sale to all Timbers fans

Non-members can purchase their tickets using these links:

Ticket only $28

Bus/Ticket combo $69

Spots on these buses are still available:

10 Barrel — Kyle Jones
Cascade Lakes — David Auxier
Deschutes — Josh Lucas
Hopworks — Tom Argent
Lompoc — Richard Sheals
Lucky Lab — Sara Nelson
Ninkasi — Rick Curwen

Members can still purchase tickets using the link and password emailed to them. If you are a paid-up member but have not been receiving the weekly emails please first check your spam folder, if they are not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

FAQ

I bought a "ticket only" for the Seattle away game. Where do I get the real ticket?

Tickets will be distributed in Seattle. You will receive an email closer to match day with all the details on where and when.

I bought a bus/ticket combo. Where do I get my ticket for the match?

You will be given your match ticket as you get on the bus. Make sure to put it in a secure place as we do not have replacement tickets. If you lose it, you will need to pay for another one.

I'm taking the bus. Where can I put all my stuff when I'm at the match?

You can leave your personal belongings on the bus. The bus will be secured.

I'm not a member, can I buy a ticket to the match?

Yes! Non-member tickets are now on sale. See the links above.

I just joined, should I use the link above?

You will be mailed a link to purchase tickets at the member price within 48 hours of you joining (sooner if we can)

How many tickets can I buy?

Two bus and four match only.

Are the tickets general admission or assigned seats?

Tickets will have a seat number printed on them. However, the section is general admission and you are free to stand anywhere within our designated area.

What section will we be in?

Most likely 300 & 301

I can no longer attend, can I get a refund or sell my ticket to someone else?

Refunds only given in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
You may sell or transfer your ticket to someone else. IMPORTANT - Email awaytravel@107ist.org with the purchaser's name, email address and contact info.

What if I can't get to the ticket pick-up in time?

It is imperative that you pick up your ticket on time.
Due to security procedures mandated by Seattle front office and CenturyLink, we are required to enter the stadium as a group.
If you cannot make it in time due to a genuine emergency**, please contact awaytravel@107ist.org AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and we will leave your ticket at Will Call.
Please be aware that the travel committee has their hands full on match day and are not always available by email. An emergency contact number will be emailed to everyone closer to the match

What if I get to will-call and there's an error with my order?

Call the emergency contact number (will be emailed to everyone closer to the match)

*Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part.
**Staying at the bar to drink longer is NOT a true emergency.

Pip Pip Portland – The Popinski Popcast

107ist Admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:44:33 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

“We are the Popinski Brothers. We are here to support PTFC. We are the voice of the terraces. When it’s time to go to the football, follow us, and all will be good in the Rose Fu*king City.”

That is how the Timbers Army was introduced to the Popinski Popcast, the show that melds electronic dance music with an unrivaled passion for Timbers football, but also isn’t afraid to plant the tongue firmly in the cheek.

Popcast creator Barnacle Brian says the show started as a bit of a practical joke. “Back in the USL days, Bruce ‘Obi’ Eaton was doing a podcast called ‘The 107 Report.’ It was a traditional sports and news podcast. It was very well done, but I think Obi became bored with it and basically handed the keys over to me. I then decided to drop a ‘Hijacked 107 Report’ full of random electronic music, remixes, and whatnot and not tell a soul about it. I even deliberately added songs Obi didn’t like on that first Popcast. I think he still kind of dislikes me for that little prank, but to be honest, it was the best way to get attention.”

Barnacle says he intended the Popcast to be more “Pirate Radio” than podcast, with listeners never knowing when a new episode was coming. In fact, there have only been 36 episodes since 2009. Each episode is “hosted” by a snotty robot with a British accent, delivering equal parts rallying cry and snarky missive.

When asked about his inspiration, Barnacle nods to a belief that all music and football can go hand in hand. “Music and football culture parallel each other in various ways: Both are passionate. Both imitate life. It’s all sorts of musical genres. Look at Oi!, punk, classical, etc. Next time you watch a football match, grab a pair of headphones, turn off the TV audio, and play some classical music, or some DnB, or something that moves your soul. It makes the match even more intense.”

Breaking into the Popcast archives opens a Timbers time capsule. The first episode opens with PTFC at the top of the USL table and preparing to face the Rochester Rhinos. Occasionally, actual goal calls from matches are played over the music. Nothing quite compares to reliving John Strong’s call of Khalif’s amazing first goal for the Timbers against Puerto Rico, played over fantastic beats. The show’s rallying cry atmosphere is never more present than in the season kickoff episodes. For example, the premiere 2012 episode, featuring a remix of Adele’s “Hometown Glory,” will absolutely make you want to run through a wall in the name of the PTFC.

The show has had its special episodes as well, including a fantastic tribute to late Beastie Boy MCA (Episode #24) and Barnacle Brian’s favorite (“The Chavcast” #19), which is chock-full of TA inside jokes and a parody of soccer culture in general.

Seeing as there is no end in sight for the source material, you can rest assured there will be Popcasts for seasons to come. However, according to Barnacle, there is one thing you’ll never see: a live edition. “Not unless I was able to do it in a Sasquatch costume. And the Popinski Brothers would have to be on the dance floor dressed up as the Fruit of the Loom guys.”

Until then…Very Prepared.

All of the past episodes of the Popinski Popcast can be found at http://popinski.libsyn.com.

Op-Ed: Timbers player stats that REALLY matter

107ist Admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 20:01:53 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

Since we're so obsessed with stats lately (especially those around possession and passing, particularly when the boys in green don't win), here's some player data you can nerd out on.

Below are some top-line Twitter stats for all Timbers players on the current roster. Stats were pulled April 8, 2015.

Some key takeaways:

Tenure (a.k.a. old-timers vs. n00bs)
Top: Jorge Villafaña (2,033 days)
Bottom: Diego Valeri (24 days)

Tweets to date (a.k.a. who likes to talk?)
Top: Liam Ridgewell (5,337 tweets)
Bottom: Diego Valeri (7 tweets)

Tweets per day (a.k.a. who really likes to talk?)
Top: Liam Ridgewell (5.04 tweets / day)
Bottom: Andy Thoma (0.03 tweets / day)

Follows (a.k.a. who’s most interested in what others have to say?)
Top: Schillo Tshuma (552 follows)
Bottom: Diego Valeri (12 follows)

Followers (a.k.a. who’s interested in what I have to say?)
Top: Rodney Wallace (35,644 followers)
Bottom: Andy Thoma (583 followers)

Ratio (a.k.a. who’s too cool for school?)
Top: Liam Ridgewell (157.98 followers per 1 follow)
Bottom: Schillo Tshuma (3.67 followers per 1 follow)

OK, back to the real world.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

What could be better than coffee and renovating soccer pitches?

107ist Admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 19:48:41 GMT

Las Cruces, El Salvador and Portland, OR are separated by thousands of miles, but they are united in a joint love of soccer and coffee. So, when the opportunity arose for the Timbers Army / 107ist to partner with local coffee roaster Tanager Coffee, Operation Pitch Invasion, and Cuatro M Cafes, a El Salvadoran collection of coffee growers, to revitalize a soccer pitch at an elementary school in El Salvador through the sale of coffee, we jumped at the chance.

The Las Cruces soccer pitch in El Salvador

The Las Cruces School is situated in the mountains above Santa Ana, surrounded by coffee farms. It is the only soccer field for miles around, and is heavily used year-round. Thousands of children, coffee workers & even a semi-pro soccer team share the poorly maintained field. It is more than simply a place of recreation; it is a community focal point & essential to linking families, farms, and neighborhoods together. Unfortunately, the field itself is in need of major renovation. It doesn't drain properly, there are no stands for families and supporters to watch the matches, and its goals and other equipment are in serious disrepair.

In order to raise funds to complete these renovations, we are offering bags of a special Las Cruces Project blend of El Salvadoran coffee. Proceeds from the sale of this coffee will help raise funds to revitalize this local pitch. The project will donate all net profits from the sales to the field renovation fund. The goal is to raise a total of $35,000, which will support upgrades such as:

Re-grade the field
Install a drainage system that can hopefully capture the water for reuse
Replace goals and other equipment
Build stands and dugouts
Provide a picnic area
And so much more . . .

Local farmers, soccer players, and project volunteers.

And as if helping out doesn't feel good by itself, the coffee is pretty spectacular too. Las Cruces Project blend is a great example of the delicious coffee that comes from Western El Salvador. The name, Four Farms, come from the fact that the coffee is made up of a blend of beans from four neighboring farms. Expect to taste rich notes of chocolate and a natural, unrefined sweetness, much like a turbinado or brown sugar. As the coffee settles on your palate, there will be luscious notes of cherry, orange slices, and spice notes. The finish is smooth and long, leaving you to contemplate the project and the field itself, nestled amongst tropical trees and pines in the heart of the Santa Ana Volcano foothills.

Want to taste for yourself?

Join us at the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) for a FREE tasting Sunday morning, April 12, 2015, starting at 9:00am. You can get a cup of the brew, and purchase some to take home - remember, all profits go to supporting this amazing effort.

Once you’ve decided you’d like to help us support this amazing cause, there are a couple of ways for you to get your hands on this delicious coffee:

Single 12oz bags will be for sale at the No Pity Van as well as the Fanladen. You can also order them from the Las Cruces Project website.

If you don’t want to worry about running out, monthly subscriptions are available. The subscriptions will last 6 months and you have the option of ordering 1 (for $20 / month) or 2 bags ($35 / month) including shipping.

So, why not enjoy some great coffee, while supporting an awesome cause?

And, as always, we thank you for your support.

Op Ed: Wake Up

107ist Admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 20:51:22 GMT

We encourage Op-Eds at all times. Our latest come from Robert Cross. He is the the head of American Outlaws PDX. What's your take? His take is below in bold.

"We are the Portland, The Portland Timbers, We are mental, And we are green, We are the greatest, Football supporters, That the world has ever seen."

The Timbers Army has been the home to a supporters culture unlike any other in the history of soccer in North America. That culture has been cultivated, fostered, and grown through the years. All behind the passion and spirit of thousands of individuals. Each of whom has subscribed to the ethos of city, community, and club, or some variation there above.

Everyone who enters the North End on match day understands that they will be standing, chanting, and cheering for the Green & Gold for ninety plus minutes. Or they should ... but lately, when I look to my left or look to my right from the heart of 103, I see far too many statutes, selfie takers, and tourists. These people plod through a match with staid enthusiasm on a regular basis. You may observe them mouthing chants, going through the motions, or worse, standing idle. I want all of them to go away. Starting right now, and do me the favor of never come back.

It takes many years to build a culture and far less time for it to slip away. This is a beautiful thing we have and I don't want to lose it.

To that end, I challenge my fellow members of the Timbers Army to bring their best Saturday night. If you find yourself standing next to an aforementioned statue, politely encourage them to chant and sing. Poke them to see if they are still alive. If that doesn't work, please feel free to tell them to take a hike and go home. I believe the Trailblazers are still playing. They might be better off in a sleepy atmosphere, one that is ripe with balloon clappers and confetti falling from the sky.

I'd rather burn, destroy, wreck, and kill.

Sincerely, with a heart filled with compassion and love,

Robert W. Cross

RCTID

Looking back on Vancouver Away 2015

107ist Admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:52:14 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

Photos by Ray Terrill

Friday March 27th

An early start got us through the fishing village and the border without experiencing much traffic. We checked into the hotel and took the long stroll from downtown to the West End for the Cider Riot tasting at Bestie, a great little sausage shop in the middle of Chinatown. The place was filled with both Vancouver and Portland fans alike, a nice foreshadowing of the weekend’s festivities.

From there we moved to Doolin’s, the home bar of the Southsiders (the largest of the Whitecaps supporters groups), for the annual TA and Southsider meet-up. It was a rowdy get together as always, with pleasantries, drinks, and eventually chants being shared back and forth. By the end of the evening, everyone was warmed up and ready to completely despise each other for 90 minutes the next day.

Saturday March 28th

The morning began at Tim Hortons and news of the Southsiders scarf kerfuffle with the FO. I was legitimately curious if the consensus among the TA would be to cheer anyway, or join Vancouver in their silent protest. Fortunately, the resolution struck a few hours later would put all that to rest.

Photo Credit: Ray Terrill

We made our way to the Railway Club, the TA’s de-facto home bar in Vancouver, to pick up our tickets and pre-funk ahead of our en masse walk to the venue. Marching to a stadium is a rarity for the TA these days, but we never disappoint when we get the chance.

As we made our way to our section, Adam Kwarasey was already warming up on the pitch. He obliged the TA’s request to “Give us a wave,” and before long the rest of the team took the pitch. Oddly enough, Vancouver’s supporters’ sections are reserved rather than GA, which means they, and the rest of the stadium, are far from full until right before opening kick. By the time Vancouver fans reached their seats, the TA was already whipped up into an absolute frenzy. Derby day at its finest.

The match was frustrating on many levels. The Timbers backline and midfield looked great, but our boys couldn’t seem to accomplish anything in the final third. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps seemed to be having a contest for who could perform the better Shakespearean death scene — the best by far being Kendall Watson’s five-step barrel roll over the ad boards that earned Alvas Powell an inexplicable yellow card. It’s pretty bad when even Vancouver fans are apologizing to you after the match for the actions of their players. It’s a weird juxtaposition when you get along so well with the fans of a “friendly rival” while hating their players as much as Sigi hates it when Shari’s runs out of pies.

Near the end of the second half, with the score tied 1-1 and Caps GK David Ousted

Photo Credit: Ray Terrill

absolutely standing on his head, tensions were high. Around the 75th minute or so, a group of Whitecaps “fans” began starting trouble with the amassed TA. At one point, among other things, beer was thrown at the Army. Stadium security did an excellent job diffusing the situation and removing the offenders. From what we heard later, this wasn’t the first time that opposing supporters have had issue this season. It’s too bad really, because the three supporters groups (Southsiders, Curva Collective, and Rain City Brigade) are completely fantastic and a proper representation of soccer culture in Vancouver.

In the 90th minute, our defense (well, our center backs to be more exact), which had been stellar, got caught looking and Robert Earnshaw broke all of our hearts, and a frustrating match came to an even more infuriating end.

From there, we all somberly traveled back to the Railway in the hopes that loud music and strong drink would wash away the pain of our first-ever loss in “Our House.” Waiting for us there were many of our friends from the Southsiders, and frustrations eventually gave way to just a plain old celebration of Cascadian soccer and pride.

The night was kicked off by Greenhorn, a TA-themed country band consisting of members of Green Flag, Stars of Cascadia, and yours truly. After our rousing offering of twang, Green Flag took the stage to get things properly rowdy. The McGillicuddys followed, and the dance floor was not empty once the rest of the evening.

Finally, still smarting from the painful loss, we found the only true remedy for our post-match blues: a large poutine with two kinds of meat on top from La Belle Patate! I promise you, there are few types of heartbreak that can’t be cured by this wonderful concoction.

Oddly enough, the sadness of the loss can almost be forgotten because it was drowned out by the amazing weekend with amazing people from both cities.

Be aware: Vancouver comes to Portland the first weekend in May. We will hate the living bejeezus out of their team for 90 minutes, but we owe their supporters one hell of a good time in the Rose City.

Booked! Drive Doubles Donation Goal

107ist Admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:56:00 GMT

Late in January, the Booked Library and Literary Outreach Project challenged to the Timbers Army to collect 107 new and used soccer books for children who don't have access to many books at home. Partnering with the Children's Book Bank and tasked with at relatively short deadline of March 15, the challenge laid out was absolutely crushed by the TA faithful. On March 31, the Booked committee was proud to give the Children's Book Bank 156 soccer and 69 non-soccer books for a total of 255 books!

Key to the success of this book drive was the challenge laid forth by one of the newest Timbers Army regional subgroups, The Timbers Army - 1st Montana Volunteer Infantry, to all of the other regional subgroups to donate 5 or more books to the drive, a challenge that those groups embraced wholeheartedly. Throughout February and March, books poured in from all over the country with local participation keeping pace, filling the donation box on match days during pre-season and the first two home matches of the 2015 season.

Other highlights include special regional group sticker sales organized by Scott Brown of the East Coast Platoon and Aaron Flynn of the Lone Star Brigade, which together netted over $300 in cash, still to be used to increase the final tally of books.

Each and every book donation was important to the drive and the Booked Library Committee is beyond grateful to the many people who helped support literacy in our community.

Shawn Jaquiss (farthest right) of the Children's Book Bank, accepting the donation of books from the Booked team (kegs not included).

Booked! drive facts:

The donation of 225 books means 30-40 children will be able to select up 5-10 soccer books each that they will get to keep.
In low income neighborhoods the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children.
This year, about 15,000 books will be donated, cleaned and delivered to area children by the Children's Book Bank.
In the nearly 8 years the Children's Book Bank has existed, about 30,000 youth have received over 450,000 books.
The most commonly donated books in the Timbers Army Booked Drive was "Winners Never Quit" by Mia Hamm (28) followed by "The Kicks: Saving the Team" by Alex Morgan (20) and "Keeper" by Mal Peet (17).
The Booked! team will be teaming up with the Children's Book Bank for the final book cleaning project of this year at Marshall High School campus on Saturday, April 25th from 1:00-4:00 PM. An eventbrite will be posted soon for you to register.

TA As Told By TA: Vancouver Away 2011

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:55:05 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

In 2009, when it was announced that Vancouver would join Portland in receiving new MLS franchises for the 2011 season, renovations began on then 26 year old BC Place to convert it from an air-supported dome to a stadium with the world’s largest retractable roof and 2^nd largest video screen. As construction continued, the Whitecaps played the majority of their inaugural season at Empire Field, a temporary stadium built for the ‘Caps and the CFL’s BC Lions. Finally, on Oct 2^nd, 2011, their new home was finally opened for business, their maiden opponent…the Portland Timbers

In true TA fashion, a large contingent made the trip up, using various modes of transportation. The first order of business being a 4pm Friday show by The McGillicuddy’s at The Railway Club

Richard Sheals - We arrived at the train depot to meet the other people who wanted to travel by train. Everyone was excited and anxious to get going, and once on the train, everything seemed to a little more calm. People were moving about and chatting about the season and memories of other away trips. When stopped in Seattle, several of us enjoyed an extended single finger salute to the smelly fishing village up north. Since this was our first Timbers Away trip into Canada, it was special,

Paul Atkinson - This was my first away trip with the TA. My wife joined me on the bus and we had a brilliant time singing and sipping our way into Canadia. Our House and Build a Bonfire stick in my head from that drive. We checked into our hotel room and joined the crowd at the Railway Club. The music was grand and the company even better; we even made friends I still occasionally chat with among the Southsiders.

Abram Goldman-Armstrong (As originally published in the Whipsaw v2i4) - Approaching Seattle a reader board proclaimed that I-405 was shut. That meant all traffic was re-routed through the city center, and with no passenger I was doomed to the slow lane. Finally I got through Seattle, sped through the Skagit Valley and arrived at customs in Blaine. It wasn’t busy, so I got my hopes up, but sadly it was trainee day, and the woman dealing with me was so incompetent she charged me for someone else’s import duty. Finally I off load the cask at 4.45 find parking and head to the Railway. The bar is already filling with TA. I have Cascadian flags and scarves to transfer to Vancouver fans, the McGillicuddys are rocking the house. Victoria based, but Timbers Army. We own the pub. A few Southsiders are interspersed like islands in a sea of green and gold.

Matchday morning, the TA on tour met up at a local bar The Winking Judge for breakfast and to receive match tickets and a surprise before the inevitable march to the stadium.

Mitch Gray - Looking around the bar, the place was packed and it was around 9am. That's a guess on the time. While we were eating, the Portland Timbers run by the bar for their morning prematch jog. The speed of the TA to get out on the sidewalk and start the chant of PT clap clap FC clap clap was amazing. The look on the Timber players face was surprise. Here they are jogging down the road early in the morning and the TA is right there supporting them.

Atkinson - Including Captain Jack (who was suspended for that match, I think). We cheered them on their way, and they seemed pleased -- I've never been clear whether they knew where to find us or were surprised. Doesn't matter, though.

Goldman-Armstrong- The place is a madhouse as 500 Timbers Army eventually descend upon it in preparation for the walk to BC Place. Flags are distributed and we file down the road, chanting and singing, much to the surprise of onlookers.

Finally, the TA arrives at BC Place.

Sheals - Once inside, we were greeted with warm friendly Canadians welcoming us to BC place, the second event held (BC Lions CFL Game the night before) since the roof was replaced.

Goldman-Armstrong - The Timbers Army section is up at the top of the bottom level, with a roof overhead helping amplify our noise. In a classy touch, the Whitecaps FO has made 500 of the commemorative flags with green trim for us, with the rest of the stadium getting the same flag with blue trim.

Richard Clark – When the team came onto the field to head to the locker rooms, almost every single one of the players and staff had their phones out taking pictures of The Army.

Sheals - There were flags, banners, and scarves waving, and singing and laughing and chanting, while the boys were warming up. Once the Pre-Game festivities were underway, there were flags and a field display and fireworks, and the official opening of the retractable roof. The retractable roof, which cost millions to put in place took about 20 minutes to open or close. We started chanting "This Is Boring...Clap...Clap...ClapClapClap"

Atkinson - The locals seemed quite pleased with it. We just wanted to get to the football. The seats we were in were all new, hollow-core resin seats. Someone figured out that an open-hand slap made a powerful drumming sound. While we were in a "no drums" section of the stadium, we still managed to make a heck of a lot of noise.

Goldman-Armstrong - The TA is spread out very wide, so chants are easily picked up, and resound nicely throughout the stadium. Our unity and cohesion are the best I’ve heard on any away day this year. Maybe there is something to these early kick-off matches.

In the 25^th minute, Diego Chara capitalizes on a mistake by Alain Rochat. Chara drives the counterattack and finds Kenny Cooper at the top of the box. After that…a chant is born.

Atkinson - That goal. Kenny F**king Cooper with a blast from the top corner of the box for the only score of the game.

Goldman-Armstrong - Cooper’s goal is textbook perfect, and a bit of redemption for his lackluster season. I forget when it started but our clear domination in the stands inspires someone to start “Our House” by Madness as “Our House in the Middle of BC.” This sparks the ire of the families around us in a way even “Portland Boys” did not.

Clark - I thought John Spencer was going to soil himself when Coop hit that rocket from the edge of the box

Sheals - After Kenny Cooper scored the goal, the "Our House" chant was started, but didn't get really loud until the end of the game, when the Timbers had won.

With the match won, Timbers and Whitecaps supporters headed out into the Vancouver afternoon and new traditions and friendships were born at Doolin’s, the home pub of the Southsiders, the main Whitecaps SG.

Scott Jeffries - . I walked in wearing full Timbers gear to a sea of white and blue, a bit nervous about having a confrontation with a drunk and angry Vancouverite. As I walked in the door, someone in full Whitecaps regalia saw me and started walking toward me. "Here we go," I thought. He said, "I just want to thank you for coming. It's a real pleasure having you today." Canada!

Before 2011, I went to Vancouver every 3 or 4 years. It's just far enough away that you have to make plans, you can't just go on a lark. Since then I've not missed a year up there. I once flew there the day of the game after playing a wedding in Las Vegas. I love Vancouver as a city, I love their fans, and I honestly don't even hate the team. They're like our polite little brother, and we both share a greater hatred of Seattle.

Here's a little YouTube video of the trip as seen through the eye of Mike Coleman:

Huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this story. If you have a TA moment that you’d like to share your memories of, let me know at matthewlindley1@gmail.com

The Rockinest First Day Back at School

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 20:57:45 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

Normally, you don’t see this many hugs at a punk show, but then again the Season Kickoff show isn’t your usual punk show—it’s the loudest, rockinest first day back at school anyone ever had. Greetings and pleasantries were exchanged by some for the first time this year as a new season’s promise lay just a day away. There was also an added air of relief with the assurance that there would actually be a match the next day.

Green Flag split the musical duties with PDX Punk Rock Collective (a punk cover group that also features Green Flag bassist Paul Regan and drummer Mack Hagin), trading off short, four- to five-song sets punctuated by raffle giveaways.

Photo Credit: Ray Terrill

GF’s four sets, whether planned this way or not, seemed specific and thematic in their construction. The opening set was a warm-up, full of go-to crowd pleasers such as a cover of Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl,” while the second was a more politically tinged set, which was fitting in light of the recent MLS CBA agreement. This was highlighted by “Up with Portland,” a “Timberized” version of Stray Dogs’ “Up the Union,” which lead singer Corey MacMillan dedicated to the Timbers players.

The mood decidedly changed the next time Green Flag took to the stage with a third set that was more of a pep rally, including “This Is Portland,” the title track from the band’s new digital EP and which absolutely needs to be introduced as a chant in the North End. Finally, the night was finished off by a “party set” that featured a cover of Viva Voce’s “Rose City” and Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” rewritten as “King of Clubs.”

Photo Credit: Ray Terrill

Green Flag’s tag team partner of sorts, PPRC, added the perfect seasoning to keep the crowd moving, filling their respective sets with classic punk covers by everyone from Husker Du to Stiff Little Fingers, presented in their more conventional form, of course. All told, Timbers-themed or not, more than 40 classic punk tunes were unleashed on The High Water Mark lounge and its green-and-gold-clad patrons.

There are lots of ways to celebrate a new season, and many rituals folks rely on to start the new year off right—but you’d really be hard pressed to find a better way than enjoying a loud, driving call to action with a few of your closest friends from the North End.

There’s a Party in Portland, and it’s BYOS

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 20:56:22 GMT

On Sunday the 15th the Mighty PTFC take on the LA Glitter Kids at Providence Park.

For the match on Sunday, please bring WHITE streamers. Bring enough for friends. Break them down into 25-35’ lengths, and when we sing about the land of the free, and the home of the Timbers, let 'em fly.

But, remember:

It is not acceptable to throw streamers during the run of play
It is NEVER acceptable to throw ANYTHING onto the field of play; don't throw shit on the pitch
Throw your streams up in the air, not out. (Newsflash: This will keep them from landing on the pitch)
After the match, grab a handful of streamers, and throw them away. Providence Park staff would appreciate the assist.

Celebrate Cascadia Derby Week at Cinema 21 with a Special US Premiere

107ist Admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 21:00:54 GMT

“…This is OUR day!”

Thursday, April 30

5:00 PM - Reception including local craft beers and cider

7:00 PM - Film followed by Q&A w/special guests direct from Swansea

Tickets - $15 online or $18 at the door

In a rainy and sometimes overlooked west coast city, a professional soccer team is threatened with extinction, but the locals, in an upswelling born of love of team, town, and one another, manage not only to save it but to rise along with it to unprecedented glories.

The story of the Portland Timbers, right? Well, yes, in fact, it is – but not in this particular case.

It is, rather, the story of Swansea City Association Football Club as told in “Jack to a King,” an uplifting documentary about a century-old team which nearly disappeared from England's professional leagues in 2003 but which managed to survive, thrive, and ascend to the lofty climes of the Premier League and the plush confines of a new stadium.

The film tells a story of civic pride, sporting fever, and unlikely but unforgettable heroes and villains. The 107ist has arranged for the US premiere to be held at Portland's historic Cinema 21 on April 30, a special event to raise funds for the new all weather track and field at Jefferson High School and to assist with the continued renovation of the beloved and nationally respected independent theater.

A reception will be held from 5pm to 7pm in the Cinema 21 Lobby - 616 NW 21^st Ave (just a short walk from Providence Park) with a variety of local craft brews and cider on sale. All proceeds from beer and cider to be donated to finishing the funding at Jefferson.

Film will begin at 7pm and a Q&A will follow with special guests skyped in direct from the Swansea AFC Board room in Swansea City to the theater.

Don’t miss what may be your only chance to see this wonderful film, take part in a unique event, and raise funds in the spirit of home town pride that will be the touch stone for the evening.

All around the world, the greatest expression of hometown pride can be found in the passion of a people for their football club, and whether you're a fan or player from Jefferson High, a Timbers or Thorns supporter, or a member of the Jack Army, as Swansea's fans are known, this rare evening will make that point vividly clear.

Vancouver Away – March 28th

107ist Admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 21:02:33 GMT

Tickets on sale now!

Vancouver is truly an away day to be experienced and your opportunity to be a part of the legend is right around the corner! We're happy to announce that tickets are now on sale for the March 28th Vancouver away match!

Again, we are keeping things simple and only offering a match ticket. You will need to arrange your own transportation and accommodations.

Tickets are $32 for 107ist members, $35 for non-members.

107ist members should have received an email containing the discount code. If you are a member and did not receive the email last week, please email awaytravel@107ist.org

Purchase your ticket here

How Punk Rock Helped Create The TA Tifo Tradition

107ist Admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:12:02 GMT

—by Matthew Lindley

Editor's Note: This is the first in what we hope will be a series of articles that take a look at some of the Timbers Army's long-standing traditions. If there is a tradition or ritual you're curious to learn more about, drop me a line (mike.coleman@107ist.org), and let me know.

============

As Timbers fans feverishly count down to the kickoff of the 2015 season (fingers crossed), this Friday night brings another grand tradition in TA lore: the Season Opener Kickoff Show. For the better part of the last decade, the season has had its unofficial start with a punk concert that also serves as a tifo fundraiser for the upcoming season.

Drawing on the longstanding relationship between punk/oi/hardcore music and soccer culture, the event has showcased great local and regional bands such as Rum Rebellion, Shock Troops, The McGillicuddys from Victoria, BC, and the TA’s own resident punk band, Green Flag.

Joaquin “Wookie” Gutierrez, a longtime TA member active in Portland’s punk scene, was the organizer for the show for much of its history. According to Wookie, there was only one rule: any band that played had to have at least one Timbers supporter in the group. “We had big plans about bringing in touring bands,” Wookie says, “but in the end, we decided to keep it TA.”

Before the days of social media, this was often the first chance many TA would get to see each other before the season got underway, which made the annual get-together an integral part of any Timbers season. “We had people coming that didn’t like punk, and they still came,” Wookie added, “just for the show and just to hang out with each other.”

“It’s the classic pep rally,” according to Paul Regan, bass player for Green Flag. “The only thing that’s missing is burning someone in effigy.” But the show is much more than that: it serves as a fundraiser for tifo for the upcoming season, as it has since the first show back at the Bitter End. Before advent of No Pity Originals and other money-generating avenues, much of the display fund for the season came from this show.

This year’s show is organized by Green Flag guitar player, Lexi Stern, who is also a TA drummer at matches and an integral part of the TA flag crew. Stern mentioned that, while everyone is very excited to see each other and kick off the season, the money raised (nearly $2000 last year) goes a long way toward providing flags and tifo for the North End.

This year’s show features Green Flag and PDX Punk Collective. As always, in addition to music the show will feature a raffle with TA-related prizes as well as prizes from many local businesses. All proceeds from the raffle and the door will go to the TA tifo fund.

It goes down at High Water Mark Lounge, 6800 NE MLK, this Friday at 9 p.m. The cover charge is $5. And for those worried about the potential work stoppage, Stern promises this year’s show will go on “whether there is a match the next night or not.”

Friends of Trees Outing a Success

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 21:05:39 GMT

From Stephan Lewis

It was a great weekend to walk through the neighborhood getting our hands dirty with Friends of Trees this past Saturday, 2/21. Friends of Trees has sent on a big thank you to the 107IST for helping them find happy homes for 325 trees between the Portland and Vancouver plantings with our Portland contingent spanning 6 crews. They use us as an example of how groups can help out when they need volunteers and, once again, we didn't let them down.

While it’s always great to see some of the usual suspects out volunteering, it was really nice to see some familiar faces that don’t typically join us for these types of events. Maybe we should warn people that this type of work is addictive as there were guarantees made about seeing them at future events. Feel free to blame Kyle.

University of Portland students made up the other large group of volunteers, and even though they had more trained crew leaders than we did, our seasoned FoT volunteers are clearly better at planting trees. Those of you that attended the AGM may remember the high density of our members in this area of North Portland. As a result, this may be the largest number of 107IST members that have ever walked to this type of event. It was awesome. The U of P kids seemed nice and all, but we may need to do this one again just to prove our superiority.

Introducing the Crosscut Collection: a natural continuation of Team, Town, TA

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 21:03:34 GMT

In an effort to increase the impact that soccer can have in our community, as well as

providing fans of PTFC a greater array of lifestyle wear options, we have partnered with the Portland Timbers to create the Crosscut Collection: a unique lifestyle collection benefiting community projects of the 107ist and Stand Together; continuing the growth of Soccer City, USA.

By working closely with the Timbers, we are able to to use imagery we would not otherwise have access to. Additionally, proceeds from the sales of these designs will go back into the community - PTFC will be donating a portion of their proceeds to Stand Together, while our portion will be used to fund our ongoing efforts to support soccer from the grassroots to the highest level. This is a natural continuation of the “Team - Town - TA” mission that 107ist was founded on.

We're sure a few of you are wondering how this might affect No Pity Originals, and plans for our merch going forward. Simple answer: it won't, nothing's going to change on that front. We'll still be cranking out fresh gear from NPO (you won't believe what we have for 2015), and slinging it from the back of the van before every match (unless the van breaks down again, then we'll figure something out).

We are incredibly excited by this joint collaboration, and hope you are as well. You’ll be able to see these designs at the 2015 kit unveiling on 3/3. Additionally, these items will be on sale in the Portland Timbers team stores, as well as http://portlandsoccershop.com

Thank you Childrens Book Harvest Volunteers!

107ist Admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 21:08:43 GMT

Valentine's Day Volunteers for the Children's Book Harvest.

THANK YOU to the 22 volunteers who helped spread the love of books to children on Valentine's Day by helping prepare books for donation to local elementary school-aged children. Over 50 youth will have lovingly restored books thanks to your efforts! We are very grateful to the Children's Book Bank for all of their work supporting children's literacy in the Portland area.

Photos of the day can be found here.

Op-Ed: #LineCulture…you win

107ist Admin — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 23:09:08 GMT

Axe portrait line update: looking at about 3-3.5 hr wait. Plan accordingly. #Timbers540 #rctid
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) February 7, 2015

Three and a half hours for a picture holding an axe. Meanwhile, we all live in a city where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a freelance graphic design artist with a camera and above average PhotoShop skills. So much for that DIY spirit.

I'll go take my Geritol now.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

2014 - Lego Two-Sticks

107ist Admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 21:58:11 GMT

The final tifo of the year was unveiled on October 17, 2014 at the last regular season home game when the Portland Timbers hosted RSL.

Photo Credit: Diego G Diaz/Prost Amerika

Photo credit: Jamie Goldberg (@jamiegoldberg on Twitter)

2015 BOOKED! Drive

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 21:08:46 GMT

—by Todd Diskin, on behalf of the BOOKED! team

Located at the Timbers Army Fanladen, BOOKED! seeks to promote literacy related to the beautiful game of soccer. Our library hosts literature and media from the grassroots of soccer all the way to the global influences the sport holds in everyday life.

This Booked! Drive is in partnership with the Children’s Book Bank who gives bundles of books free of charge to kids in need, increasing their chances to succeed as future readers and learners.

NEED

Children need books to be successful readers. Many homes have 4-5 books per child, however, In low income neighborhoods the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children…

The Children's Book Bank gathers thousands of new and gently-used books from the community, organizing volunteers to spruce up and sort donated books.

OUR GOAL: To gather 107 soccer books to put into the hands of needy children, ages 5-13, by the March 15th Timbers home match vs. LA.

HOW

Take a look the list of books below or go through your home library. Each person who donates one or more of the listed books will receive the limited edition Booked! do-gooder badge which can only be earned. Bring any of these titles to any of the follow events:

2/18 - Fanladen 6:30-8:00 PM
2/22 - Fanladen open office hours before Simple Invitational
2/26 - Fanladen 6:30-8:00 PM (Booked library open hours)
3/7 - Timbers Home Opener - Fanladen only
3/15 - Timbers v. LA match - Fanladen or at the 107ist table inside Providence Park

You can also contact the Booked! team to arrange other pick up options at booked107@gmail.com

Booked! values socially responsible purchasing, so whenever possible please reuse old books and support local, independant and/or union businesses. We also welcome gift cards.

THE BOOKS WE ARE COLLECTING

Ages 5-7 Grades K-2

For the Love of Soccer! Age Range: 3 - 7 years Grade Level: Preschool - 2

Franklin Plays The Game Age Range: 3 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool - 3

Winners Never Quit Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool - 2

Madlenka Soccer Star Ages 5+

Hope for Haiti Age Level: 5 - 8 | Grade Level: K - 3

Ages 8-10 Grades 3-5

Saving the Team Age Level: 8 - 12 | Grade Level: 3 - 7

The Keeper: The Unguarded Story of Tim Howard (Young Readers' Edition) UNA Age Level: 8 - 12 | Grade Level: 3 - 7

Science at Work in Soccer Ages 8+

Neymar The Wizard Ages 8+

Ages 11-13 Grades 6-8

Soccer: Why Does It Matter? Easy and fun to read for kids with great illustrations. All you need to know about soccer. Master the game in a super short time. (Sports Soccer IQ book for Kids) Age Level: 5 - 18 | Grade Level: 1 - 12

Now Is The Time for Running Ages 9+

Keeper Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Op-Ed: Quick reactions to 2015 Timbers road schedule

107ist Admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 21:15:25 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

Every year when the MLS schedule is released, I add all games (home and away) to my calendar. For each away match, I have an instant reaction to the question:

What would it be like to travel to that one?

In five words or less, here are my thoughts to each Timbers road match for 2015:

3/21 @ Sporting KC
Not too hot, plus BBQ.

3/28 @ Vancouver
Japadogs. Poutine. Stupid border crossing.

4/19 @ NYCFC
Go Yankees!

4/26 @ Seattle
Tacoma traffic can eat me.

5/9 @ Montreal
Hear the strip clubs rule.

5/16 @ Houston
Might only be 110 degrees.

5/23 @ Toronto
Montreal has better strip clubs.

5/30 @ Colorado
Weed. Oregon. One month left.

6/24 @ Los Angeles
CSU Dominguez Hills in session?

7/11 @ Philadelphia
Where's the cream cheese factory?

7/25 @ Dallas
Texas in summer? No thanks.

8/2 @ San Jose
New stadium. Same thugs.

8/15 @ Real Salt Lake
Bottomless beers. Bottomless urination.

8/30 @ Seattle
Tacoma traffic still hasn’t moved.

9/26 @ Columbus
Buckeye AND Juggalo leftovers.

10/14 @ Real Salt Lake
Flares just keep us warm.

10/18 @ Los Angeles
Steven Gerrard is how old?

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

107ist Board Elections

107ist Admin — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 19:23:31 GMT

We have always made our results known as soon as possible and the election has closed. Congratulations to Scott Swearingen, Harper Morgan-Werner, Fernando Machicado to reelection on three year terms and please welcome Todd Diskin as the newest board member. Our results are as follows:

Fernando Machicado : 417 votes - 13.5%
Scott Swearingen: 539 votes - 17.4%
Todd Diskin: 499 votes - 16.1%
Kyle Jones: 199 votes - 6.4%
Mike Pacific: 328 votes - 10.6%
Stephan Lewis: 221 votes - 7.1%
Harper Morgan-Werner: 518 votes - 16.7%
Gilmer Gongora: 127 votes - 4.1%
Rob Frisina: 245 votes - 7.9%

Timbers Army Shamrock Run

107ist Admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:19:04 GMT

Jumping, clapping, singing...join your Timbers Army Running Team and run for victory! Or at least a beer and a T-shirt. Sunday March 15, 2015 at Waterfront Park, join us for the Shamrock Run, the largest running and walking event in the state of Oregon! Pick your distance: 1k Leprechaun Lap for kids, 5k Walk, 5k Run, 8k, 15k, or (new this year!) Shamrock Half Marathon. All participants receive an Adidas T-shirt, and participants 21 or older get a 12 oz Widmer at the finish. 15k and Half Marathon finishes are awarded fancy medals! Team members save $4 off the registration fees for any distance.

REGISTER EARLY! The total field is limited to 35,000. Shamrock has sold out for the last five years will very likely do so again for 2015. Adult entry fees increase by $5 (by $10 for the Shamrock Half) on January 15. The Timbers Army Team number is 1077.

When we reach 75 adult team members, we will be considered a Super Team! The Shamrock Run will donate $5 for each registered member to our charity of choice, so your entry helps earn us money for our work at Jefferson HS. For example, a Shamrock Super Team with 120 participants age 13 or older would raise $600!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team lead, Jodi (JBurckhart at gmail dot com)

The 11 Best Things of 2014

107ist Admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 21:21:50 GMT

—by Mike Coleman on behalf of the 107ist Board of Directors

It’s always nice this time of year for those of us on the board to look back, and think of all that the 107ist has accomplished in the past 12 months. We are always amazed and humbled by what our collective membership can accomplish, and we wanted to make sure everyone was aware of just how great 2014 was.

As you read the highlights below, remember we do all of this together, whether it’s via dollars from membership dues or awe-inspiring volunteer efforts from 107ist members.

With that in mind, if you haven’t already, now would be an outstanding time to renew your 107ist membership

So, without further ado, here are the 11 Best Things of 2014 (in no particular order)

Bless Field

In June the Timbers Army, along with local civic and business leaders, celebrated the opening of Bless Field, an all-weather soccer pitch for the children of the New Columbia neighborhood. Several TA members donated countless hours to endure the project came to fruition. With a $50,000 contribution, the Timbers Army was the largest single donor to the project. This money was raised throughout the Army, via merch sales, membership dues, special fundraisers, individual donations, etc. It was a truly a community effort demonstrating the magic we can realize together.

Jefferson High School Field
With Bless Field in the books, the Timbers Army did not wait long to begin its next major project. With a donation of $50,000, the TA became the lead community donor on the renovation of the field at Jefferson High school. This insured that Jefferson would become the home field for our Timbers Army Football Clubs, as well as providing the teams of Jefferson High with a safe new playing surface for both proper football and that other kind.

Timbers Army Football Clubs (TAFC)
TAFC had another amazing year. The women’s team, Whipsaws, helped coach girls soccer at Jefferson High. Additionally, TAFC put together a futsal tournament which raised over $1600 to help fund our Timbers Army CPR initiative. None of this would have been possible without the contribution of several new members on the TAFC committee who came in, rolled up their sleeves and did work.

TA CPR
Speaking of the Timbers Army CPR initiative . . .

Dale Montgomery did an amazing job this year of leading free monthly CPR classes for anyone in the Timbers Army. The Portland Timbers generously donated the use of their community room to allow for larger class sizes, and the 107IST supported the work with scheduling and with an initial outlay for training mannequins and the like. This is exactly the type of project we on the board love to see: member led with an assist from us, really engages our membership, and leverages existing partnerships.

All told, over 215 people were CPR certified this year through these efforts. The Timbers Army REALLY does save lives.

Tifo

The Timbers Army are the greatest football supporters the world has ever seen, and our tifo this year proved that once again. In particular the Portlandia tifo for the home opener, and the Dorothy tifo for the Seattle match, were both on another level compared to anything else done this year in MLS. What makes all of this year’s tifo so special is we did it by involving several new project managers and designers, as well as dozens of new workday volunteers.

On the Rose City Riveters side, their end-of-season display was literally a work of art. It featured hand painted two-sticks, each adapting a classic masterpiece by featuring a Thorns player. The team was stunned by the gesture. This tifo once again showed how the Riveters are the premiere women’s SG in the world.

“Thank you!” to anyone who came out to cut, glue, paint, lift, draw, trace, haul, or clean up. These displays would not happen without you!

Seattle Away / World Cup Viewing Party
When the geniuses at MLS HQ decided it would be a good idea to schedule Seattle Away the same day as the World Cup final, many TA worried about how it was all going to play out. Not our crack travel team. They went to work immediately, and overcame several logistical hurdles to not only get 1,500 people up to Seattle for the match, but also hosted our own private World Cup viewing party. Hat tip to everyone involved in that Herculean effort.

Timbers Army Block Party

It’s not every day you get to close down a city street, and hang out with 2,000 of your closest friends.

But that’s just what we did for the Timbers Army Block Party. Featuring beers from 23 local breweries, DJ’s, food trucks, a dunk tank, a bouncy castle, and a Timbers away viewing, there were smiles for days. We can’t wait to do this again in 2015.

The Fanladen
We are truly fortunate to have our own club house, and this year the Fanladen was the hub for both the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters. On game days supporters exchanged face-value tickets for both Timbers and Thorns matches. Through another outstanding member-led project, it became home to Booked!, a soccer-themed lending library. And, was also the place for Riveters game day merch sales.

Supporting Local Schools
We already mentioned our work on the field at Jefferson High, but our commitment to schools did not stop there. In addition to our ongoing support of AC Portland, which helps kids excel in school through soccer-related programs, we also donated books to every Title I elementary school in Portland Public Schools, and supplied uniforms for teams at both Fort Vancouver and Kelso high schools.

Gisele Currier Memorial Fund (GCMF)
Named in memory of the Timbers Army’s matriarch, Giselle Currier, the GCMF provides funds to allow exceptional players with limited resources a chance to excel at the beautiful game. This year we took a major step forward by completing the application process to make GCMF a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Thanks to those who worked on that effort.

Rubio Rubin Earns a Cap with The USMNT

One of the first beneficiaries of the GCMF was Rubio Rubin, a young man from Beaverton. The support he received from the Timbers Army allowed him to attend the USMNT residency program in Bradenton, FL. And while we were stoked to see him get picked up by FC Utrecht in Holland’s Eredivisie, what really put a lump in our throats was when he earned his first cap last month as a starter for the senior USMNT. This is our vision for the GCMF: to help kids reach their highest potential.

It’s hard not to swell with a bit of pride when you read this list. Take a moment to savor all that you’ve done these past 12 months. Now, realize that NONE of this is possible without the support of 107ist members.

We’ll say it again: if you haven’t already, now would be an outstanding time to renew your 107ist membership.

Once again, on behalf of your 107ist Board of Directors, THANK YOU!

Op-Ed - 107ist Election: Is the Board Prepared to Be Replaced?

107ist Admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:29:36 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

No, really, are they? I'm not necessarily talking about next month's election. I'm speaking in more general terms.

We've all heard grumbles here and there about how the people "running" the Timbers Army are the usual suspects, seen at every event, with four scarves saving their one front row seat in section 107 at every home match so they can avoid the Oklahoma Land Rush for seats and stroll in five minutes prior to kickoff. How they do everything together (parties, away game buses, weddings, bar mitzvahs, front yard gardening, back yard chicken coop construction, etc.), vote in blocs, and look to be inseparable.

OK, so maybe the Board can come off as a bit clique-ish now and then, but what they do for this thing we love truly is a thankless job. Case in point: have you, the reader, actually THANKED them for doing this job? That's what I thought.

The point I'm trying to make is that the Board of XI (as they're known in the 107ist Bylaws) has some consistency to it, and that might not always be the best thing. New blood for the sake of new blood is not what I'm pushing here. So let's go back to my original question:

Is the Board of XI prepared to be replaced?

As in, have they taken the steps needed to ensure this great thing known as the Timbers Army can maintain such a legacy after they're gone? Or are they clinging onto a seat at the table because they're not comfortable with who might fill the seat once they leave? I hate to break it to folks, but people can't do one thing forever. Even the most dedicated member of the Timbers Army (you know...scarf kilt, patch vest, USL-era everything, etc.) will eventually have to pass the torch, usually due to things like jobs, marriage, kids, illness, etc. It happens.

Is the Board of XI prepared to be replaced?

Have you, Mr./Ms. Board Member, taken the time to document and share your learnings with potential future Board Members? Have you identified younger Timbers fans (ideally late teens through late twenties) that appear to have a brain and be capable of manning the ship after your time is up?

One of my great fears for the Timbers Army is that a large number of Board Members (who may or may not associate with each other outside of Timbers-related events) just decide they're fed up and suddenly abandon ship all at once. They're certainly within their right to do so, but where would that leave the ship? I don't care how much money is in the bank account, if you replace a large number of capable people with a large number of less-than-capable people, the results won't be great.

Is the Board of XI prepared to be replaced?

As a youth, I belonged to a youth organization. The keyword there is "youth." Once I turned 21, I was ineligible to call myself a member anymore. So as I approached that age, I was constantly asked this question: "what did you do to replace yourself?" Did I do everything in my power to ensure that the organization was in capable hands as I left the building?

One thing I'll be looking out for in the next couple election cycles is a quality related to ensuring that this Timbers Army will continue its legacy of high standards among supporters groups well beyond our time in this realm. If it's only going to deteriorate down the road because we didn't solidify the foundation during our time in charge, then what's the point?

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

107ist Board Elections - Call for Candidates

107ist Admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:48:52 GMT

As a board member, you can help guide everything from how we interact with the front office, to organizing our work in the community, to inspiring new ways to get our merchandise into the hands of soccer fans. Board members participate in all board/FO meetings (currently the second Tuesday of each month). Additionally, they lead subcommittees including membership, game day operations, merch, partnerships, communications, etc. Board members also assist with special events and other tasks as they arise. They typically spend about 15 or so hours per week on their duties. This is a huge commitment of time and energy, not to be taken lightly.

There are four open positions in this election.
Elected terms will run from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017.
You must submit your intention to be a candidate by midnight on November 30, 2014 to get onto the ballot.
The election of the board of directors will take place from December 13, 2014 to December 20, 2015.

More information and the application form can be found at the board member candidate portal. The email address for all questions and feedback in relation to the 107ist elections is elections@107ist.org.

Sign-up is Now Open for 2015 Memberships

107ist Admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:32:13 GMT

The mission of the 107ist (107 Independent Supporters Trust) is to support soccer in and around Portland, Oregon, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. The 107ist is a member-based non-profit organization open to anyone (regardless of where they sit in the stadium) who loves soccer, the Timbers/Thorns, and Portland.

We have always said that if you want to be Timbers Army then you already are… simply show up and cheer for the team. The same now goes for the Rose City Riveters. But you can become even more involved in supporting soccer in our community – by Join / Renew

The 107ist exists as a means to coordinate all the things that the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters do. We promote playing the game we love through donations of time, funds and expertise to local soccer programs. We facilitate supporters culture through working with club management in resolving issues, creating the tifo displays you see in the stadium, and arranging travel to away matches. And we organize and contribute to our community through volunteer efforts and charitable contributions.

In addition to rallying volunteers for efforts such as the Operation Pitch Invasion, Oregon Food Bank, Friends of Trees, American Red Cross, Harper’s Playground, CPR Training, and Portland Public Schools; since 2010, the 107ist has also donated over $150,000 to build playgrounds and soccer fields in the Portland area and over $70,000 for uniforms, soccer equipment, soccer library books, etc. to local schools and charities. We continually raise funds for and manage the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund which assists local youth with fees associated with their clubs and tournaments.

When you register as a member of the 107ist you’ll receive:

Members-only 107ist tote bag and 107ist sticker
Nike Employee Store pass for the month of January 2015 (if you register by 12/25/2014)
Timbers Army Topps Baseball card (first 3000 members only)
A 2014 membership card which gives access to specials and discounts from local merchants
Members-only access to away ticket sales and limited edition merchandise
A weekly emailed newsletter informing you of all the current opportunities available to members
The right to seek election to the 107ist Board of Directors
Voting privileges on key issues and access to the online candidate’s forum to lend a voice in the annual board member elections (held early December each year.)

The 107ist is a registered non-profit organization in the state of Oregon, and has Federal 501c(7) status.

New Dog Food, Same as the Old Dog Food?

107ist Admin — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 20:36:57 GMT

—by Andrew Brawley

Dear Timbers Front Office Staff,

It's a little after 10pm local time on Saturday, October 25th.

I don't want to even assume what kind of shape you're in right now, but I imagine it's close to what everyone else is feeling right now in Timbers land (if not, more so). Also, like the rest of us, I'm hoping there's at least some kind of consumable alcohol within reach (but not too much).

Anyway, I feel the timing of this week's events:

The CCL loss / elimination in Honduras
The rivals to the north winning the Supporters Shield
Tonight's MLS playoff elimination

all occurring on the same week that this was announced:

THANK YOU Timbers Season Ticket Holders! Just reached 99% renewal rate (a new MLS record) for next yr. You’re absolutely incredible. #RCTID

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) October 23, 2014

calls for a bit of explanation. As one of the 99%'ers, I don't want you thinking you suddenly owe me something for how this season went. My investment as a season ticket holder doesn't justify that. However, I think I need some kind of open reassurance that you are taking the necessary steps toward improving in the future.

The Western Conference will only get tougher in 2015. The Timbers will have to improve year-over-year merely to match 2014's 6th place performance. An even greater amount of improvement will be needed to make the playoffs next year.

I don't need to know all the details around your improvement plan. However, I need to be reassured that you are willing to "eat your own dog food" here, because I'm starting to question why I keep eating it.

Take the weekend to decompress. We all need it. But for the sake of our sanity, please convince me that things will get better, because if this were a professional relationship, I'd start putting an RFP together.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the TA.

2014 Timbers Army Supporters Player of the Year

107ist Admin — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 20:57:31 GMT

The vote is in and it was LOUD and CLEAR. It shouldn't be a surprise given the play of the man this year. Diego Valeri has won the belt as the 2014 Timbers Army Supporters Player of the Year. El Maestro! Stick around post match win or lose for the presentation of the championship belt on the main capo stand.

Diego Valeri joins:

2011: Troy Perkins
2012: Diego Chara
2013: Will Johnson

Blanket Drive for our Upstairs Neighbors

107ist Admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 21:09:48 GMT

It’s that time of year again. The nights are getting longer, colder, and wetter. As Oregonians, we have many ways of enjoying this weather and seeking comfort in its embrace. However, other Oregonians don’t have access to the same environs and could use our help.

If you've ever been outside the Fanladen around 9pm, you've seen the queue of homeless youth waiting for the lottery to determine who will be the lucky 30 to have a warm bed, meal, shower, and access to laundry facilities that night and who will be left to fend for themselves on the streets. Run by Janus Youth Programs, the Porch Light Shelter is Portland’s only 30-bed crisis shelter for homeless youth ages 14 to 24 in need of immediate shelter as they work to secure permanent housing. While they shelter over 500 youth each year, they overflow their capacity every night.

Witnessing the lottery is a highly emotional event. The absolute joy of those selected and upon the selection of their friends is quickly balanced by the immensely weighted lows of those being turned away. When they can, staff will offer food and blankets to those on the losing end of the deal. These small gestures can make a huge difference in the emotional aftermath of the lottery which has had a tendency to get heated which has culminated in some regrettable instances.

As the nights have been getting colder you've probably been contemplating turning the heat on and assessing your blanket stash. As you do so, think about which blankets you didn't use last year that you may be willing to part with. Maybe you have a coat or two you didn't even wear last year or, are ready for an upgrade. Bring your clean blankets and coats by the Fanladen pre-match Friday and we’ll add them to our donation to our upstairs neighbors. They can make a world of difference in the life of a neighbor.

2014 Supporters Player of the Year

107ist Admin — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 20:45:38 GMT

Each year Timbers fans to vote for the Supporters Player of the Year. The voting is now open for the 2014 Portland Timbers Supporters Player of the Year. This can be whomever you feel is the best player, most embedded in the community, or you feel who wears the badge with pride. There is no criteria other than what you feel is best. Voting is now open and the belt will be awarded following our match against Real Salt Lake on October 17th.

Follow the link embedded in this sentence to vote.

(voting is closed, results can be found here)

Complete results will be made public only once voting is over.
Votes are limited to 1 per IP address.
Voting will be closed the night of the 15th and announced on the 17th.

Past Winners
2011: Troy Perkins
2012: Diego Chara
2013: Will Johnson

Rivalry means something to some of us

107ist Admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 21:08:19 GMT

—by Mike Coleman

The views expressed here are my own. They are not the views of the Timbers Army or the 107ist.

As most of you know, I’ve not been around the Timbers nearly as long as some of my friends. But that doesn’t mean my love of the club is any less than those who’ve been around since 2001 (or 1975). Sometimes I feel like I live and die by what the club does on the pitch. The Timbers Army are my family, and I know that this thing we have has literally saved lives.

My relationship with the TA and the Club is nothing to be trivialized or trifled with.

So the suggestion that I should, for one night, root for Fishing Village FC is not only ridiculous it’s insulting.

Some readers may say “Lighten up, Francis”.

From where I sit, those people don’t get it; feel free to go root for a club that plays on gridiron lines, and offers refunds to its customers. That's certainly your choice - but, it won't be mine.

Let’s leave logic out of this. Let’s forget that we were up by two goals in Toronto and lost 3-2. Let’s forget that we took 5 out of possible 24 points in the first two months of the season. Let’s forget that Fishing Village FC has put 8 goals in the back of the net in two visits to our park (and, let’s forget in one of those games we were up 4-2 late in the match).

Because, clearly those aren’t the reasons we’re teetering on the brink of elimination from the playoffs.

Take care of business on your own, and you never have to rely on anyone else to do it for you.

But, back to the point at hand: Our owner feels that we don’t have a sense of humor if we found his permission slip ridiculous.

I say this to him: It was ridiculous for our club to sink to that level. To give those scum to the north the satisfaction of seeing our club groveling at their feet.

Let me be completely clear on this: I will not, ever, root for those clowns running around in rave green with their flamethrower goal posts and marching bands.

Even if it means my club's season ends on 10/25.

Sometimes you have to sit with the consequences of your actions.

Do I want the team to make the playoffs? Sure. But, not if it means rooting for the one team I hate more than any other in all of sports.

In case that wasn’t clear enough for you, let me state it differently:

Fuck. ‘Em. All.

The Winter Classic - TAFC Futsal Tournament at Rose City Futsal

107ist Admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 20:54:59 GMT

Gather together a group of 9 or 10 players and join the field of 32 teams that will be starting off the New Year on the right foot. On January 3rd and 4th the Timbers Army Football Club is once again taking over the courts at Rose City Futsal for the Winter Classic. The teams that joined in this past June had a blast and we think the Winter Classic, with its cooler climate, will be an even better time.

The Cause

Open Play Under the Lights for Everyone: Rose City Futsal has generously pledged 25% of the registration fees to help 107ist cover the cost of providing field rental and lights for the weekly evening open play hours during the Spring and Fall outdoor seasons at Buckman Field. These free open play hours are open to all, TAFC player or not. 107ist member or not. It’s all part of promoting the game we love.

The Venue

Rose City Futsal (5010 NE Oregon St, Portland, OR 97213) is a premium facility centrally located on the east side of Portland right off of I-84. Two artificial turf courts and one large hard surface court serve the matches. Enjoy a pint ($1 off for 107ist members) and a meal with the family as you all watch the replay of your match on one of the many flat screens in Clive’s Pub directly above the playing floor or visit the newly opened Far Post Soccer Supply store on site. You’ll love this well established Timber’s Army partner business.

The Format

This family fun style tournament event will be held on January 3rd and 4th (Saturday and Sunday). You’ll get a minimum of 4 games in for the low price of $35/player. No player’s card needed. No commitment to a season. Open to members and non members, Mens, Womens and Coed teams will all be scheduled. Your team will play twice on Saturday (either in the morning or the afternoon) and twice on Sunday with the possibility of an additional Championship bracket match on Sunday afternoon.

There will be a BBQ, a special Tourney Shirt for sale, fundraising kegs, a 107ist Membership Table and the Winter Classic Trophy will be there waiting to have the name of the winning team from each competitive bracket added to it. There will also be a new non-competition bracket exclusively devoted to teams and individuals as an intro to futsal and will be a great fit for those that just want some good fun on the weekend.

The Process

This will be on a first come first served basis, so jump on it quick. Once the 32 team spots are gone, that’s it.
Forming a Team? All you need to do is get 9 or 10 players together (names and emails) and identify a team contact leader and team name (don’t worry, we’ll do all the work for the team leader) and contact Tyler Segal at tyler@factorynorth.com
Already play for an outdoor or futsal team and want to join with them for the tourney? Then just ask your team manager for the paypal link for your team (they will be provided shortly) or have your manager contact William Packwood at william.packwood@107ist.org
Are you without a team or just want to sign up and have some laid back fun? We’ll sort you, no problem. Simply use the individual link to pay here: No Team Payment Link and then email Justin Warber at justwarber@gmail.com with your desired skill level.
Registration is $35/player and ENDS ON 12/28. Hurry!

Cascadia Supporters Groups and Major League Soccer Reach Agreement on Cascadia Cup Trademark

107ist Admin — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 21:11:12 GMT

Portland, OR., Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, WA. — Ahead of Friday’s Cascadia Cup match between the Sounders and the Whitecaps, the Emerald City Supporters, Timbers Army, and Vancouver Southsiders are pleased to announce we have reached an agreement with Major League Soccer in regards to the Cascadia Cup Trademark and its use around all MLS matches concerning the three Cascadian teams. The agreement was reached after a productive negotiation between the league and the Cascadia Cup Council (CCC) representatives, and the three supporter groups are pleased with the end result of the agreement.

The Cascadia Cup Council is encouraged by the fact that Major League Soccer recognizes the importance of the supporter-owned Cascadia Cup for the growth of soccer in the Cascadia Region. This agreement ensures that the Cascadia Cup will remain a supporter-owned cup.

About the Cascadia Cup Council: The Cascadia Cup Council is a recognized non-profit entrusted with the management of the Cascadia Cup. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three founding Cascadia Cup supporters groups. For the 2014 season those individuals were Jeremy Wright – Timbers Army, Greg Mockos – Emerald City Supporters, Brett Bird – Vancouver Southsiders.

Oregon Cultural Trust Contest

107ist Admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 21:11:36 GMT

—by Garrett Dittforth

I was alerted by a Timbers Army friend at the Oregon Cultural Trust about a contest they're running this week. Sadly I didn't see the email until today so we're one day down. Here's the deal. Our culture makes up a pretty decent part of what makes Oregon great. Here's the idea. You just use your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account to post a picture you took at a game, making tifo, of tifo, fixing a field with OPI, volunteering with the TA at the Food Bank of Oregon, at the Bless Field opening or maybe the Harper's Playground opening. Anything about our culture that you think makes Oregon great. It's up to you. Just make sure you use the hashtag #thisisculture

Make sure to check out the daily prizes below. You might be keenly interested on the October 8th prize that I have highlighted in bold font below.

It's time to celebrate Oregon’s culture!

As part of the 2014 Days of Culture campaign, we are inviting you to post snapshots on social media Oct. 1-8 that illustrate your cultural experiences -- anything from a good meal or a concert experience to a backwoods hike or a family event. The possibilities are endless as culture is all about who we are, what we do and how we experience life!

Participating is easy! Just capture a cultural moment and post it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #thisisculture. The goal is to digitally showcase a range of cultural experiences from around the state. Everyone who posts will be eligible to win a daily prize. Prizes include:

Wednesday, October 1: Gift Certificate for a weekend stay at the Lodge at Kah-Nee-Ta

Thursday, October 2: Gift Package from the Portland Trail Blazers

Friday, October 3: Tickets to the Oregon Symphony and lodging in Portland

Saturday, October 4: Gift Certificate for an overnight stay at the historic Balch Hotel

Sunday, October 5: Free admission to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and lodging in Newport

Monday, October 6: Lunch, winery tour, and special tasting for four at the Sokol Blosser Winery in Dayton

Tuesday, October 7: Tickets to performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Wednesday, October 8: A Certificate for a 2014 Portland Timbers Team Signed Jersey

Traditionally a weeklong celebration of events and activities presented by Oregon’s 1,300 cultural organizations, coalitions and tribes, Days of Culture commemorates the Oct. 8 anniversary of the Cultural Trust. The decision to expand the 2014 celebration to feature individual experiences came from a desire to demonstrate how interwoven our culture is with everyday life.

Days of Culture also launches the Trust’s fundraising season. As you know, those who gave or give a 2014 donation to one of Oregon’s designated 1,300 cultural nonprofits are eligible for a tax credit if they make a matching gift to the Cultural Trust. Giving to the Trust is easy, and annually provides over a million dollars to cultural programming across our great state! Cultural funding for you, from you!

We are counting on you to help us make the 2014 Days of Culture celebration the best and most inclusive ever! Get those cameras ready.

TA Merch, Profits, and Trademarks: A Polite Request

107ist Admin — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 21:12:00 GMT

For many years, the merchandise sold by members of the Timbers Army has given us a way to show our pride in our club while elevating what our club brings to the community. The profits earned have gone not into a person’s or corporation’s bank account but back into our community. By community, I mean both our game day operations and our charitable efforts. Merchandise pays for smoke, paint, fabric, drums, trumpets, and has also made our community outreach activities like Operation Pitch Invasion, Harper’s Playground, and the Jefferson HS Field renovation possible. All that is not possible without our merch sales

By profits, we’re talking about around a third of the sale price, or $5 from a $15 T-shirt. The rest of the $15 example goes to the cost of goods and the printing of the design. The artist who creates the design donates their work. The people stocking, selling, and tracking the merchandise all donate their time. This model is how we are able to do such amazing work in the stadium and in our community.

Think of what the TA has done over the last decade. Most of that was made possible in part by our merch sales, whether by No Pity Originals or by countless others who have designed and sold merch individually and donated those profits either to our game day activities or to a charity.

So, you have a great idea for merch to be sold to the TA? Awesome. If it’s good, it will sell. If it’s bad, you’ll learn. But please sell it while honoring the traditions that have made the TA the force that we are today. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does the profit ($ earned after purchase of blank and printing) go back into the Timbers Army’s game day work or charitable work? If not, please consider changing that. When you keep profits made off of the TA for yourself, you lessen the amount of good the TA $ can do in our community or for our club. You’re an artist who deserves to be paid for their work? Well, OK, but other artists donate their work to make all that we do possible. What would happen if they all took the attitude of needing to be paid? Most of the good things you see the TA doing would cease to exist. Smoke? Tifo? Soccer pitches? Yes, that all goes away. Please consider making your profits elsewhere and using your Timbers love to benefit our community and TA support. It's not personal. Truly. Yes YOU may be a great person with good intentions but for every you, there is some Merch pirate intent on making a TA mouse pad and charging $25 for it.

2. Are you violating any trademarks? The FO/MLS owns Timbers, Thorns and any and all forms of their crest starting in 1975. If you use these things, you’re putting yourself at legal risk that’s probably not worth it. It also puts stress on the rest of the TA as it provokes stricter attention from their attorneys. No Pity, Axes and Rose, No Pity Originals, TA Crest, Cascadia Cup are owned by the 107ist on behalf of the Timbers Army. The 107ist protects these so that they can be used to benefit our club and community exclusively, rather than to line the pockets of anyone who wants to make a buck off of your passion.

Creative ideas from individuals are what make the Timbers Army a vibrant and interesting place to be. They’re also what allow us to do the amazing work that we do both inside and outside of the stadium. We ask that you honor this and use your brilliant ideas to uphold the traditions we hold dear. If you want to sell merch individually and not connect it to the 107ist, no problem! Just please honor the same traditions the 107ist does. They are what has made and will make the TA possible.

2014 – Defend Cascadia

107ist Admin — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 21:13:22 GMT

—by Clifford Eiffler

The Timbers took the message to "Defend Cascadia" to heart as they trounced the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-0, in this derby match on September 20, 2014.


Photo Credit: @geoffreyCarnold/Twitter	Photo Credit: Chris Rifer @chrisrifer/Twitter	Photo Credit: Steve Abreu @zipsix/Twitter

Video credit: The BOG Blogg

This Shouldn't Be Needed

107ist Admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 21:14:14 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

Hi there,

Personal note to everyone out there with the moral outrage on social media over the fact the Timbers Army was chanting PTFC during the Honduras national anthem. Normally I wouldn't bother but there is a really large portion of you out there with moral outrage. I just wanted to make some things pretty clear.

#1 The Timbers FO played a recorded version of the Honduras national anthem. Here it is so you can hear what they played. It's not exactly the 1812 Overture finale. It is a beautiful and quiet composition. I sat in section 96 over on the other side of the field from the Timbers Army for this match. It wasn't played loudly. Even if they had the volume way up from normal it just isn't going to come in at high levels.

#2 At a regular match the teams come out and stand for the national anthems. They didn't do that for this. When you can't hear announcements, like in the north end of the stadium because the crowd noise is too loud, it makes it a little tough to know what is going on.

#3 Did you know they turn the speakers off in the North End of the stadium where the Timbers Army is? That's because nobody in the North End needs piped in noise to create atmosphere. They were creating the atmosphere themselves. That's why they were chanting PTFC well before the Honduras national anthem and only quieted down when they heard something they recognized. No disrespect was meant. NOBODY HEARD IT BEING ANNOUNCED.

#4 I respect the national anthem of the United States as much as I respect the national anthem of Bulgaria or the Federated States of Micronesia. I also respect people that don't have respect for that. They don't have to rise for the national anthem, take their hats off or put their hands over their hearts. We live in a free country, folks. If you think that stuff is required I hear North Korea will take you in.

#5 Please get over it. The Timbers Army would have shut up had they known what was going on. There are bigger things to let your moral outrage loose on via social media. The fact that 4,500 people were chanting their brains out and didn't hear an announcement that was made when they don't have sound turned on in their section at a time that was out of the ordinary isn't a good reason to rage yourself to death on twitter about how there is a lack of class and disrespect.

Celebrate a great home win in our little club's MLS history like the rest of us. We're looking good to advance in the group stage with this win. If we pummel Alpha United next Tuesday it will be even an even better chance that might make that trip to Tegucigalpa for the rematch against CD Olimpia a snoozer rather than worrying about advancing.

What You Need to Know & Upcoming Events - 9/17/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 20:37:15 GMT

The following information was originally emailed out to all members. If you are a paid-up member but not receiving our emails please first check your spam folder, if it's not there email us at memberinfo@107ist.org and we'll look into it.

Limited Edition Special Fringe No Pity Scarves for Jefferson HS

In a special release, we are making available a limited, one-time run of No Pity scarves with blue and yellow fringe, in honor of Jefferson High School’s colors. Sales of these scarves will be in sets of 5 only, with each set of 5 scarves selling for $100. Scarf sales will benefit Jefferson HS in two ways: money from sales will go toward the Jefferson High School field renovation, AND sales of scarves will ALSO cover the cost of ensuring that every Jefferson HS student receives a special fringe No Pity scarf of his or her own as a gift in celebration of the field renovation.

Buy a set, help pay for the field, and make sure all Jefferson HS students have No Pity scarves of their very own. Click here for details and to purchase your set today.

TAFC Tuesday Open Play Nights Return

Starting on Tues 9/16 (and continuing through the next 10 wks) the TAFC will once again be sponsoring “Soccer Under the Lights” at Buckman Field (300 NE 12th Ave) every Tuesday evening from 8pm to 10pm.

Are you curious about joining a team? Just want to take advantage of the nice evening weather for a bit of a kick around with your fellow supporters? Grab your cleats and come on out and join us.

Open to ALL.

Four More Chances to Pick up Your Mug

If you have not done so already, remember to stop by the Fanladen to pick up your 107ist mug and purchase extras if you like. You can do this before or after any of the four (just four!) remaining regular season home matches. Rumor has it there may be cookies and beer waiting for you there as well.

The Beautiful Game of Cascadia - 9/27

There’s only one Steven Lenhart. He is our own Nevets, a phenomenal photographer and TA legend who will be showing his latest collection at Bazi Bierbrasserie 9/27-10/1. The Beautiful Game of Cascadia touches on the love affair Portland soccer fans have for the Timbers. Although several images were shot after the 2010 season, many pre-date the move to MLS, truly solidifying the mark of Soccer City USA. Join us at Bazi for an artist reception on 9/27, 1-4pm. A special keg will be tapped for the reception with $1 of every pint sold going to the 107ist.

If the Timbers Were Wine - 10/7

If Chara were a wine, what would he taste like? You can try that cheerful, playful and rugged wine, along with wines identified as having qualities attributed to ten other Timbers at the Portland Pairings Wine Shop’s Taste Me Timbers event on 10/7, 5-8pm. A portion of sales will go to the 107ist, and in return we will not get pushy about their starting lineup.

Fanladen Office Hours

The fanladen will be open at 10:30am on Saturday 9/20 before the Vancouver match and at 3:30pm on Tuesday 9/23 before the CCL match for special fringe scarf pre-order pick up, game day ticket exchange, and member services.

Featured Partners

This week's featured partner is the fine folks at Rodda Paint. Show your 107ist card to receive discounts of up to 30 % on all paint and supply purchases. Check out the link above for locations!

If you can’t make it to the match in person try out Tanker Bar at 4825 SE Hawthorne. Show your 107ist membership card and receive a pint of Green and Gold Kolsch AND a shot of Bushmills for $7.50. $3.50 Micro Pints and $1.00 off Bushmills.

What You Need to Know & Upcoming Events - 9/10/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 20:47:58 GMT

Timbers Army Block Party - THIS SATURDAY 9/13

We are shutting down SW Alder street outside of the Fanladen for an all day beer, music and watch party. Multiple brewers will be on hand to pour beer as well as D.J.s and a big screen to watch the Timbers take on Colorado. All proceeds to help fund the replacement of the Jefferson High School Athletic Field.

So far the tap list Includes beer and cider from: 10 Barrel; Bridgeport; Cascade Lakes; Cider Riot; Deschutes; Gigantic; Hopworks; Laurelwood; Lompoc; Lucky Lab; Portland Cider; Rogue; Widmer; and Worthy.

Date: September 13, 2014 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Where: SW Alder Street between SW 17th and SW 16th.

SEATING WILL BE LIMITED FOR WATCHING THE GAME, SO PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR IF YOU KNOW YOU’LL WANT TO SIT.

Block Party Volunteers (Still) Needed

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS, FOLKS! On 9/13 we are holding the of the mother of all block parties. We need your help to make this happen! We still need volunteers to pour, to put wristbands on people who’ve shown IDs, to help with setup, to be bar backs/gophers, and to help with cleanup. Click here to see what’s needed, and please sign up to help to make this party/fundraiser a success.

Limited Edition Special Fringe No Pity Scarves for Jefferson HS

Buy a set, help pay for the field, and make sure all Jefferson HS students have No Pity scarves of their very own. Click here for details and to purchase your set today.

Scarf pickup will be available during the block party from 2-6pm at the fanladen for those who have pre-ordered and paid for sets before that time.

TAFC Tuesday Open Play Nights Return 9/16

Are you curious about joining a team? Just want to take advantage of the nice evening weather for a bit of a kick around with your fellow supporters? Grab your cleats and come on out and join us.

Open to ALL.

TA CPR Class - Saturday 9/13

Got some spare time in the morning before the block party? Take a few hours and learn to save a life! There are still open slots in the CPR/AED class offered by our very own Dale Montgomery, 9:00am-2:30pm at the Providence Park Community Room. Take the class, then make your way down to the fanladen for the party. Classes are free of charge to 107IST members. Click here for more information and to sign up.

Rose City United: Police vs Fire Match - Thursday 9/11

Teams representing the Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue will square off in a charitable match at Providence Park on Sept. 11 at 7pm. The match is free and visitors will be treated to an array of interactive booths and tours of Portland Police Bureau and Portland Fire & Rescue emergency vehicles. If you haven’t yet seen the inside of a Portland Police car, here’s your chance.

Fanladen Office Hours

The Fanladen will be open during the block party this Saturday 9/13 beginning at 2pm for membership services and for special fringe pre-order scarf pickup.

Timbers Army Invites Portland to a Block Party Fundraiser for Jefferson High Field Replacement

107ist Admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 21:14:45 GMT

Portland, OR. – The Timbers Army is pleased to invite one and all to their Fanladen and the surrounding block (1600 SW Alder-1700 SW Alder) to celebrate the season and raise money for the Jefferson High Field replacement. The free family friendly event runs from 2:00 pm until 9:00 pm on Saturday September, 13 2014, and the Timbers Army has secured a large screen for viewing the Timbers match vs Colorado in Denver at 6:00 pm. 107ist members can enjoy pints of beer from local breweries for $3.00 (107ist card needs to be shown when purchasing a pint) while non-members can enjoy pints for $4.00 with all funds raised go to the Jefferson High Field project. Local breweries and cideries that have donated are Widmer, Lompoc, Deschutes, Worthy, Laurelwood, Portland Cider, Hopworks, 10 Barrel, Cider Riot!, Gigantic, Cascade Lakes, Lucky Lab, Bridgeport and Rogue Brewing.

In order to add to the fun the Timbers Army have secured a bouncy castle and dunk tank that will be filled with a rotating cast of characters available to be dunked, a PA system, DJs. Additionally, the No Pity Van will be on-site with art prints from years past at special prices and for pick up of Jefferson High colored fringed No Pity Scarves sets.

About 107 Independent Supporters Trust
The 107ist (107 Independent Supporters Trust) is a member-based non-profit organization open to anyone (regardless of where they sit in the stadium) who loves soccer, the Timbers, Thorns, Portland, and especially the combination of the four.

The Morrison Report: Ants in the Pants Edition

107ist Admin — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 21:17:10 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

They’re the two most bizarre trends of the season.

The Portland Timbers have allowed 13 goals between the 16^th and 30^th minutes of matches and scored none. The next leakiest teams during that period? Chivas USA, Toronto FC, San Jose Earthquakes, and LA Galaxy are all tied for a shameful second with seven. Yeah, the same number seven that is almost half of the Timbers’ 13. As for the Timbers’ inability to convert in the second quarter-hour, Portland is the only team in MLS to have failed to score in each 15-minute interval. In other words, the only entry in the 114-square league-wide scoring interval chart with a zero is the Timbers’ 16-30 minute entry.

And then there’s this: The Timbers 1.70 goals-against average is tied for 15^th in MLS. But that really doesn’t tell the story, because the Timbers only allow 1.38 goals per game on the road, which is stingy enough for a very respectable 5^th in the league. At home, however, the Timbers ship a staggering two goals per game, dead last in MLS and 0.62 goals per game higher than their away average.

Neither of those trends are anywhere near normal, but looking at the two trends together paints a picture.

As a baseline, keep in mind that the Timbers have allowed 28 of their 46 concessions, 60.9 percent, at home. At home in that decisive 16-30 minute interval, the Timbers have leaked 10 goals—the most of any fifteen-minute interval at Providence Park and 35.7 percent of all the goals they’ve allowed on Morrison Street. On the road, however, the Timbers have only conceded three of 18 goals in the 16-30 minute interval—the 3^rd least of the six quarter-hour intervals and only 16.7 percent of all road concessions. Thus, of the 13 goals the Timbers have allowed during this horrible stretch of the ninety, 10 of them, or 76.9 percent, have been at home. Keeping our baseline number of 60.9 percent of goals being conceded at home in mind, the 76.9 percent of 16-to-30-minute goals conceded in the friendly confines demonstrates that, even relative to their more generalized home foibles, the Timbers are significantly worse during this period at home than they are on the road.

But why? That’s the $64,000 question.

Caleb Porter was asked about the disparity between their home and road form in an interview on Stumptown Footy’s Soccer Made in Portland last week.[1] His answer to that question was three-fold. For one, Porter mentioned that the additional emotion provided by the crowd can make the team overeager to attack. Porter’s related second point was that, as a function of having one of the best atmospheres in the league, the are Timbers often on the receiving end of opponents’ best shot at Providence Park.

But while there may be truth to these two points, they don’t explain the Timbers dramatic drop in home form from 2013 to 2014. In 2013, with the same energetic home crowd and the same fired-up opponents, the Timbers conceded 11 goals all season. That’s just one more than the Timbers have conceded between the 16^th and 30^th minutes of home games thus far in 2014.

Porter’s third point—and, if we’re being fair, his primary point—was that at home the Timbers have often been too aggressive early in games, resulting in the team frequently getting caught once the initial surge subsides. Here, Porter was explicitly discussing the intersection of the two twilight zone trends discussed above.

Indeed, the Timbers have scored seven times while only conceding twice in the opening fifteen minutes of home matches in 2014. This net of five goals in the Timbers’ favor turns around awfully quickly, however, when it’s blitzed by a minus-ten goal difference in the next interval.

While in 2013 the Timbers also disproportionately conceded goals between the 16^th and 30^th minute—five of the 11 home goals were conceded were during that period–only two such concessions came after March 9^th. Notably, whereas the Timbers have already scored seven goals in the opening fifteen minutes of home matches in 2014, Portland only cut three slices off the log in the opening spell of games at Jeld-Wen Field in 2013.

Thus, there is statistical support for the notion that the more aggressive the Timbers are early in games, the more vulnerable they are once their opponent has weathered the initial storm. In 2014, the Timbers have been too aggressive in the early stages at Providence Park and the consequence has been the Timbers being crushed in the middle section of the first half. Hence Operation Come from Behind.

Despite Porter making these comments on Soccer Made in Portland last week, perhaps the best example of his point came on Sunday against San Jose. After the Timbers bludgeoned the Earthquakes by squeezing off ten shots in the first 20 minutes, San Jose capitalized on the ants in the Timbers’ pants by opening the scoring—as so many Timbers opponents do—against the run of play in the 21^st minute. The scent of blood in the water lured the Timbers midfield and fullbacks forward, exposing a rickety backline to the counter of Salinas and Wondolowski.

The names may change, but the trend doesn’t.

Those ants in the Timbers’ pants, then, explain both the team’s habit of conceding between the 16^th and 30^th minutes and their surprisingly mediocre home form. When at home, the Timbers are more aggressive and thus more susceptible to being rope-a-doped. All too often this results in Operation Come from Behind being a-go after the Timbers fly out of the blocks only to be caught on the first turn. When away, however, Port(er)land is more pragmatic, and their more patient game management yields fewer goals against the run of play and more consistent results.

The same aggression that has caused the Timbers to concede a forest of goals between the 16^th and 30^th minute, then, has deflated Portland’s Providence Park fortunes relative to their away success.

Those two bizarre trends of 2014? They’re related. And fixable.

Onward, Rose City.

[1] Although I recommend listening to the whole interview if you haven’t already, this portion coincidentally begins at 25:00 of the podcast.

Jimmy Conway Walk and Tribute September 7th

107ist Admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:25:24 GMT

Jimmy Conway's decades of service to the soccer community are beyond my ability to sum up in a single paragraph, so I'm not even going to try. I direct you instead to the fine work of others. For instance:

Stephan Lewis summarized Jimmy's talents, accomplishments, and contributions in this ta.org article describing the summer TA work party at Jimmy's home
Jason Quick shared a lovely piece in the Oregonian
Jimmy Conway's tribute site in support of the Alzheimers Association has a lengthy biography, along with trivia, FAQs, and a place to send well wishes

Mick Hoban is once again organizing a team for the Walk to End Alzheimers this year to honor Timbers legend and Ring of Honor member Jimmy Conway. Since the walk is on September 7th, a match day, we will also be coordinating with the Timbers front office to honor Jimmy Conway with an in-game tribute. Jimmy will be recognized on the reader board before the match. Everyone in the stadium is encouraged to engage in a one minute standing ovation for Jimmy at the 8 minute mark, in honor of his jersey number.

If you’re not attending the match, you can show your support by signing up to join the team here. If you’re attending the match and can’t participate in the walk, you can also show your support with a donation to the Friends of Jimmy Conway team here.

Again MLS? Really?

107ist Admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 21:25:02 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

Known MLS blowhard Simon Borg decided to post something related to the NWSL championship being won by FC Kansas City. Congratulations to them. I saw the last 15 minutes or so after switching over from the New York-DC United game. They survived a furious attack in the last 10 minutes or so from the Seattle Reign to capture the championship. I can't lie. I was pulling for them. Kansas City is a great town with great supporters for the mens and women's team.

In the article he adds a poll questioning what city is Soccer City USA. You know what question I'm really getting sick of? You know what question is lazy as hell to ask? You know what question is something a paid MLS schlub would use to drum up hits to his article? Asking what city is Soccer City USA.

You're welcome for the hits to your post, Simon. We'll always be Soccer City USA. You know why? We have historical proof. Something nobody else does. So go on drumming it up. You're like the Fox News of the soccer world. We all just sort of laugh at you at this point. We'll continue to have the most insane crowd in MLS and the largest turnout in NWSL. You can go about trying to drum up hits for a poll in NYC. You can continue to speculate. Here's the proof.

But seriously...Simon Borg is like the Steve Doocy of the MLS Network. I know they had to create a network of their own to drum up coverage because nobody was covering MLS but you could practically have a Steven Colbert style show of people mocking Borg week in and week out. His over-animated videos are the best.

The Morrison Report: The Symbiosis of UrrAdi Edition

107ist Admin — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 21:44:47 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

Caleb Porter just can’t get this one right.

He starts Maxi Urruti against Seattle and Fanendo Adi registers a brace after coming on as a second half substitute. So naturally the skipper starts Adi against Vancouver, but then it’s the substitute Urruti who kills the game off with his ninth goal of the year.

But believe it or not, there’s a reason for this—and it’s not that Caleb Porter doesn’t know how to select a striker for his eleven. Rather, it’s that Adi and Urruti are very well matched as a striking platoon.

First, the topline statistics. In 36 MLS appearances comprising 1,973 minutes in 2014, UrrAdi has 15 goals and four assists. That’s elite. Stunningly, those 15 goals have come on just 75 total shots between the pair. By comparison, Robbie Keane—a fairly well reputed striker in his own right—has 14 goals on 100 shots in 2,010 minutes this year.

But the substitute portion of the platoon has scored at a much more efficient rate than the starting portion. Of UrrAdi’s 1,973 total minutes, only 299 have been as a substitute. Yet five of UrrAdi’s 15 tallies and three of the platoon’s four assists have come out of the bullpen. The starting portion of the platoon, then, is scoring every 167.4 minutes while the substitute end is finding the net every 59.8 minutes. The former is respectable. The latter is dizzying.

So why is substitute-UrrAdi so much more productive than starter-UrrAdi?

Well, one reason is obvious. More goals are scored at the end of the game than in the beginning and middle. Of the 690 goals scored in MLS this year, 159 have been scored in the final fifteen minutes—a period of time roughly equivalent to the 18.69 minutes substitute-UrrAdi averages. While that number is above the 115-goal average for 15-minute intervals in MLS, it clearly does not account for substitute-UrrAdi scoring at triple the rate at which starter-UrrAdi scores. So, we must dig deeper to find another reason for substitute-UrrAdi’s prowess.

Another potential reason, however, can be eliminated. Relative to each other, neither Urruti or Adi are especially prolific as a substitute. Three of Urruti’s nine goals have come as a substitute, while two of Adi’s six have come in relief.

We’re left, then, with this: The contrast between Urruti and Adi’s respective styles makes the substitute portion of the platoon especially effective.

When the ball is in and around the box, Adi is a true target man. If a teammate has the ball in a position to cross, Adi’s singular goal is to get to a good position in front of goal. In this respect, Adi’s goal is to press the backline as much as possible and get into a tangle to get on the end of the ball. Adi’s first goal against Seattle is a perfect example; as soon as Rodney Wallace picked up the ball on the left wing, Adi made a beeline for the back stick.

Lacking Adi’s imposing stature, Urruti is a little bit different. Instead of relying on his ability to tower or muscle on the end of crosses, Urruti is a little bit cleverer in looking for spaces in the box in which to receive the ball into his feet.

Which brings us to the sad case of Kendall Waston. You see, on Saturday the new Whitecaps central defender put in an admirable 68-minute shift banging and bruising his way between Fanendo Adi and every ball that came the Nigerian striker’s way. Adi put in a lot of work and earned a secondary assist for his troubles, but he was never seriously goal-dangerous.

But then Urruti came on. And whereas Adi invited the physical challenge of beating Waston onto the end of the Timbers midfielders’ service, Urruti preferred to float around the box looking for his moment.

And that moment came for Urruti just eight minutes after entering the game. After Michael Harrington picked up the ball on the right wing and went on a long run toward the byline, Maxi Urruti started running to the near post. “Eureka,” Waston likely thought, “I’m going to beat him near post and clear away the service.” That would have been—and for the first 68 minutes had been—exactly the right thing to do with Adi in the game. But it wasn’t Adi. It was Urruti. And as the pair neared the six-yard box, Urruti cut back his run and received the ball between the lines where he turned in plenty of space and fired a top-shelf finish off the underside of the bar and into the net. Waston, for his part, kept going and wound up on his stomach with David Ousted yelling at him.

Being a central defender against UrrAdi, then, is a little bit like a batter in baseball facing Tim Wakefield for three trips through the order before stepping in to face off against Randy Johnson in relief.[1] The good habits the defender forms against the tendencies of the starter-UrrAdi can be the defender’s undoing against substitute-UrrAdi.

Thus, the work the starting end of UrrAdi puts in—even if somewhat thankless—can set up defenders to succumb to the strengths of his platoon partner. It appears this phenomenon got the best of Kendall Waston, and, if UrrAdi’s efficiency as a substitute is any indication, the Costa Rican is not alone.

So maybe Porter has been getting this one right all along.

Onward, Rose City.

[1] For non-baseball fans, Tim Wakefield was one of the best knuckleball pitchers of all time—a pitch that is very slow and relies on its unpredictable movement to flummox batters. Randy Johnson had one of the most devastating fastballs in history.

The Morrison Report: Timbers Find Rhythm in Vancouver

107ist Admin — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 21:45:39 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

The scene was far from foreseeable six days earlier.

Merritt Paulson bounding out of the locker room, his head bobbing to the beat of hip hop spilling through the open door. Alvas Powell testing the ability of his cheeks to contain his smile as he shyly faced the media as the game’s, and potentially season’s, hero. The Portland Timbers, for the first time in 2014, sitting above the year-defining red line.

No fewer than five times since May the Timbers have had the opportunity to surge past the red line with and win, only to come up short each time. As Caleb Porter put it postgame, the missed opportunities “start to wear on you.”

As Paulson’s rhythm and Powell’s smile demonstrated, the weight of the Timbers’ seemingly infinite chase of the red line was gone from the Portland locker room on Saturday night, after a professional first-half performance turned dominant post-intermission.

Vancouver created the best chance of the first half early on, as Mauro Rosales found Pedro Morales in the center of the box against a well positioned, but still vertically limited Diego Chara. Morales got his head to the ball, but sent his header just over the bar.

But those first five minutes were Vancouver’s best spell of the day, and thereafter the Timbers slowly seized control. In a move that was in character for the Timbers, but out-of-character for Whitecaps opponents, the Timbers pushed both fullbacks on, starting Alvas Powell and Jorge Villafana over a bench full of more defensive options.

As a result the Timbers repeatedly found space on the Whitecaps’ flanks, and Powell and Villafana – players with only eleven 2014 starts and 44 years between them – became two of the most influential men on the field. But while the Timbers tactics had much of their desired effect in the first half, Portland didn’t create anything especially dangerous on account of a couple missed links and a steady Vancouver backline.

Viewed in isolation, nothing in the first half suggested a season-defining moment was forthcoming. But if Portland can ride their newfound momentum into the playoffs, that’s exactly how Saturday’s second half will be regarded.

In light of the first half, the Timbers’ first goal of the second half was no surprise. After solid holdup play from Fanendo Adi, Portland found space on the right wing where a wide-open Diego Valeri lifted a ball into the box where Powell nodded it down and into the net.

The visibly shaken Whitecaps recovered momentarily after Darren Mattocks replaced Kekuta Manneh, creating a pair of chances to level the game by way of Mauro Rosales and Mattocks shots from the right side, but in the 75^th minute the Timbers marauding put the game away. After Michael Harrington forced – and then blew by – a very high Whitecaps flank rotation, the substitute easily found Maxi Urruti in the middle of the box where, given plenty of room, the Argentine nine put the ball off the under side of the bar and in.

If all that was missing to that point was the spectacular, Darlington Nagbe wasted no time in ticking that final box. In the 79^th minute Nagbe picked up a pass from Villafana, rounded Matias Laba with ease, and slotted the ball past three defenders to an onrushing Rodney Wallace, who slid the ball past David Ousted for the exclamation point.

What ensued was in many ways a microcosm of the past three months between the Timbers and the Whitecaps. Since the teams met at Providence Park in June the Timbers have looked like a playoff team, posting a 5-4-3 record and averaging 1.5 points per game. The Whitecaps, on the other hand, have limped to a 2-4-7 record while averaging a tepid one point per game over the stretch.

And so it was in the last ten minutes at B.C. Place, as the Timbers easily moved the ball around and through a defeated Vancouver side. Aside from the traveling Timbers Army’s chants of “Our House, in the Middle of B.C.,” the Vancouver stadium sat silent as the Timbers ran out the clock on the Whitecaps’ hold on fifth place.

That silence was shattered moments later by the beat pumping from the Timbers locker room – a room from which the Timbers have never emerged as losers.

And like Paulson, the Timbers found their rhythm at the right time on Saturday.

Onward, Rose City.

The other, other side of the trip. Beyond the match day and police escorts.

107ist Admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 21:38:14 GMT

I want to say thank you to Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson who extended an invitation for Shawn Levy and I to take part in this historic trip. It was an honor to not only represent the club and the city, but all of the Timbers Army, both as fans and also as professionals in our chosen crafts.
We both understood the historic aspect of this trip and that hundreds, if not thousands, of folks who consider themselves Timbers fans would have done nearly anything to have been in our shoes for this journey. We respect you and did everything in our power to honor you.

I am very grateful, and in return, both Shawn and I did our best to keep folks up-to-date of our adventures through the various social media tools at our disposal. Needless to say it was more than we could have ever imagined, starting from the first email confirmation to the time we stepped back off the chartered plane back to PDX. The entire team representing the Portland Timbers accepted us in, and made sure we had all the best every step of the way. In the end I got pretty emotional thanking Coach Porter, Gavin Wilkinson, the entire team who made the trip, and every Timbers staff on the airplane back to Cascadia.

Not only was it an honor to be with the club, but I've been very thankful for the opportunity to have traveled with Shawn Levy. He's a pretty amazing writer and travel partner. My rule of thumb is to always follow a New Yorker in the city.

-Steven Lenhart

Guyana is a tough place. I've traveled Eastern Europe before the Euro, and have spent extended time in Mexico City and surrounding areas on two occasions, but Georgetown, Guyana is different. A certain smell is in the air that isn't pollution but decay. Only a few places seemed safe, and even fewer were safe for eating. Oh, and the water, forget about it. No one can drink the water. Sanitation is a huge concern with open sewers and piles of garbage littering the streets. To me it seemed it's a fight just to deal with life.

I struggled to locate sanctuaries where a person could just go to chill out. Certainly not the "Seawall," a place where you would at least think one could go to ponder life's wonder in a level-headed way. The shoreline did indeed have sturdy benches but although we had walked the hustle of the market for over an hour I did get a potential "this is a dangerous area" vibe about the Seawall. Maybe it was the folks milling around in the hot muggy sun next to open piles of waste, or maybe just the cow/bulls with big horns hanging out in-between missing barbed-wire fences? Pick your poison. It was a truly dark place.

I didn't realize how intense such an adventure could be.

Normally when making decisions about what type of camera gear to lug around I think ahead about what types of shots I want to frame before even coming into situations where subjects exist. With Georgetown, Guyana the only thing I had to go by was the very limited trip reports and images found on sights such as google image search and flickr. Photos of the market clock tower, the Cathedral, and Providence Stadium being the most common.

Add in to the idea that Shawn and I had warnings about theft in the streets by our traveling team security man and the very taxi driver who was about to "drop us off in the safe area" around the market. Despite those concerns we still were determined to explore this ourselves, and explore we did. We walked Georgetown's fringes and depths for six hours, going off the map grid for much of the day despite more safety warnings from passers by on the streets.

As a visual person I've always had great wonder when flipping through National Geographic and seeing exotic locations and how photographers have dealt with such scenes. This time it was me exploring in a potential beehive of a place behind a camera. For me the making of memorable images includes taking in more than just what I see. Although I'm not a writer I do feel meeting, talking and asking questions adds depth to my best images or the best images I desire to make. By breaking through all warnings, Shawn and I were able to experience some pretty amazing moments both on and off camera.

The guy who identified Levy as being from New York because of his walk and me being a little "country," the teenager with whom we yelled back and forth across the street about our Chelsea predictions, the group of kids we saw huddled around a television playing FIFA, the two kids we met on Bent Street who told us the history of Alpha United, and the cab driver who wanted to talk Landon Donovan and had questions about who the best footballer we have ever seen was. Truly amazing. Truly memorable. Truly comforting in the name of a round ball.

But indeed we were here for the game, a game. The big game. A Timbers CONCACAF Champions League match to be exact. A Portland Timbers "Club" I have followed in one form or another since childhood. They had a job to do and I was here to document these important moments for my friends back home.

On match day, once inside the stadium and while messing about with my camera gear, I was greeted by a fellow who introduced himself as a local photographer. We chatted and I mentioned my lenses fogging up after only a few shots from the humidity. He advised me to keep my lenses out so they were acclimated to the air and within 10 minutes the fogging would no longer be an issue.

His side-kick for the night was a Guyanese fellow who now lives in New York City and hadn't been back for 25 years, until this current visit of two weeks. We talked about the struggles of the people and he lamented the total lack of infrastructure. He then pointed out the standing water in the aisles of the stadium, the stadium that's "supposed to be the prized national stadium of the country". Despite my Timbers evangelism, before we parted ways, he said NYCFC is who he will be following starting next year. I wished him well.

As we all know the Timbers put in a most excellent performance against a motivated and feisty Alpha United FC team. The match ended 4-1 Timbers, with a free kick strike by Alpha United being the best of the bunch. I left the stadium feeling content and proud, but I returned to the Pacific Northwest different. Ask me about it.

The return group match in Portland should make for another memorable night for both clubs. Trust me.

2014 - There's no place like home...

107ist Admin — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 21:48:38 GMT

—by Clifford Eiffler

Featured on Sunday August 24th, 2014 during a home match in front sold out crowd at Providence Park in the final regular season meeting between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders.

There is nothing like a visit from the fishing village up north to bring out the best from the tifo crew. A brilliant display which brought out the darker side of Dorothy.

Photo Credit – @meluhkneebee on Instagram

Video of the tifo by Brian Gjurgevich

TA v ECS matches AND a Seattle TA/GA Ticket Raffle

107ist Admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:49:58 GMT

TA v ECS soccer, TA/GA tickets for the Seattle match, and the chance to raise money for Jefferson High School's field renovation. What could be better?

This Saturday, members of some of our own Timbers Army FC teams will be playing against Emerald City Supporters in three matches at Buckman Field: a D4 match and a women's match at 4pm and a D1 match at 6pm. Come on out to cheer for our men and women as they take on their our fishy rivals to the north. And while you do, you can also enter into a raffle for one of two TA/General Admission tickets to Sunday's PTFC game vs the Sounders.

Golazo has graciously donated two TA/GA tickets to the Seattle game as a fundraiser to help cover costs (the cost of field rental, referees, etc.) for Saturday's matches. Any money raised beyond that cost will go directly toward supporting our fundraising for Jefferson High School's field renovation.

Raffle chances cost $5 each, or 5 chances for $20. Drawing will be held at 6pm at Buckman Field, in between matches.

Click below to donate and enter the raffle:
And, of course, huge thanks to Golazo for their gracious ticket donation.

Vancouver Away - tickets now on sale and going fast!

107ist Admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 21:53:48 GMT

Vancouver is truly an away day to be experienced. You've heard the stories of legendary gatherings, gracious hosts, and poutine, and you're eager to take part in the action. We're happy to announce that tickets are now on sale for the August 30th Vancouver away match!

Again, we are keeping things simple and only offering a match ticket. You will need to arrange your own transportation and accommodations..

Tickets are $35 for members, $38 for non-members. We are asking you to limit your purchase to 2 tickets.

Click here to buy tickets

Members should have received an email with a discount code - if you have not received this email first check your spam folder, and if it's not there please email memberinfo@107ist.org and we'll look into it.

Ticket distribution info will be sent in a separate email the week of the match.

IMPORTANT

For this trip you MUST have a current passport, enhanced ID, or other acceptable international travel document.

If you are NOT a US Citizen, please consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website for your specific ID and visa requirements

Canada, like the United States, has rules that prohibit entry for persons with specific ineligibilities. For example, anyone with a criminal record (including misdemeanors or Driving While Impaired (DWI)), no matter how long ago, may be barred from entering Canada and must obtain a special waiver well in advance of any planned travel. To determine whether you may be inadmissible and how to overcome this finding, please refer to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

All Star Week

107ist Admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:52:12 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

I shouldn't have to do this but I'm gonna.

It's finally over and we can now focus on what's important. The Timbers. We play the soon to be renamed Chivas USA squad on Saturday. We'll be back to our normal configuration in the North End and we'll have capos directing chants for the Timbers that were intended for the Timbers and not some conglomerated team made up of MLS's best players.

It was incredible to have the all-star game here. Run ins with world famous athletes happened daily and they were all actually very cool. Yo DeAndre Yedlin is incredibly hard to dislike and so is Clint Dempsey despite the fact they play for Seattle. Yes I do have personal experience. I'm still solidly club before country. Though after meeting them I am fairly certain both of those players understand that while they both may be booed by a crowd in Portland one is a national team legend and the other is probably going to be. It's ok. They get it. What struck me hugely was how others don't get it.

You've got famous MLS blowhard, Simon Borg tweeting about how he doesn't understand why Julian Green is cheered while Clint Dempsey is booed.

Did that just happen? #USMNT captain Clint Dempsey gets booed by Portland crowd. Julian Green, with 2 caps, gets loudest ovation. Huh?
— Simon Borg (@SimonBorg) August 7, 2014

It almost made my head explode. He's the biggest player on the most hated team Portland plays, Simon. We have a history you probably have failed to comprehend at this point because you live in your NYC bubble. Sorry, bro. 30+ year history of hating everything related to the Seattle Sounders. Their players are going to get booed even if DeAdre Yedlin is actually a really cool dude who is a sick soccer player.

Here's how you know when MLS actually got there. It happens when people remember non-competitive matches don't mean anything and while they can be fun you don't have to pretend it's like the club you love is playing a life or death match against a competitor in a completely different league that really doesn't care about the result because they're just trying to get their players fit for the league competition they actually care about. The all-star game is a nice event that shouldn't be cared about by a league that is in the top 5. At some point the league has to grow up and realize they don't need to do celebrity stunt friendlies to attract attention. Yes I realize we don't have to do this in Portland with our team and yes I understand teams in other places in MLS aren't there yet.

Some clubs and maybe MLS needs it. They fly in some big club from Europe and they can sell out the stadium to promote the sport. Every full kit wanker will show up. It kind of works in certain cities. It was actually pretty cool a few years ago when the Kansas City Wizards beat Manchester United. Once in a while it is worth it. I get certain markets needing to bring in a gigantic club they'll probably toss 7 figures at to play there to bring attention to the sport. Portland probably isn't that place though and it's probably going to reflect better on MLS when no club is willing toss 7 figures at any club to run out mostly scrubs in a meaningless game. If a club would like to tour the US to promote their brand and play for a cut of the gate then that's fine but we all know that as it is now teams from Europe are getting PAID to come here.

To address some of the butthurt. Yes the Timbers Army didn't have tifo. Why would we? Did you want us to drop $5,000 on a tifo display for a game that meant nothing to us rather than investing it on the next Bless Field? We didn't have capos either. Did you want them to just appropriate Timbers Army chants for the meaningless all-star game? Remember how most of the Timbers Army clowned Seattle for doing Seattle Sounders chants during MLS Cup when LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake were playing in Seattle? Oh wait that was in 2009. I'm going to be the dick that reminds you that the many of the people who have problem with this weren't there in 2009. Some people need to look inside themselves and realize that happened then and they are giant hypocrites. Yeah also we weren't going to modify a chant to say all-star in place of Timbers. We are not trained seals and do not perform on command. We have always been better than that. If you are sincerely butthurt just grow up. We have the best atmosphere in MLS. We don't need a meaningless friendly between two teams that are not named the Portland Timbers to prove that. We prove it day in and day out when the Timbers take the pitch. Who cares about anything else?

The whole week was great. If anyone walks away thinking the Soccer City USA moniker bestowed on us in the 1970s wasn't deserved I would be shocked and the denier would probably be lying. At maybe 25% power our stadium still sounded better than 75% of the stadiums across the league. The Timbers FO did everything right this week with events. MLS did everything right this week. I even saw Sunil Gulati out this week with a huge smile on his face, which I assume means US Soccer was pretty happy about this week.

Now let's get back to what's really important. The Timbers play the soon to be renamed club Chivas USA. Let's just support our club and beat Chivas.

ASG Ticket Raffle to Benefit Jefferson HS Field

107ist Admin — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:56:57 GMT

As you probably know, one of the biggest community outreach undertakings of the 107IST this year is the renovation of Jefferson High School's field. If you'd like to have a chance at an All Star Game ticket and put some money toward a worthy cause at the same time, now is your chance.

We are fortunate to be able to raffle four (4) general admission tickets to the MLS All Star Game vs. Bayern Munich this Wednesday, August 6th. For $10, your name will go into a drawing for one of these tickets. For $25, you'll get three chances at the drawing.

Drawing will be held on Tuesday evening, August 5th at 9pm. Winners will be notified by email, and tickets will be emailed via PDF.

Click the link below for a chance at the tickets, and to help to support the Jefferson High School field project:

What You Need to Know & Upcoming Events - 7/30/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:59:11 GMT

Play a Game of Footy on the Bricks - FREE

Come on down Sunday 8/3 from 4-8pm and experience a unique soccer event right in the heart of Portland. As part of the MLS All Star game celebration, Adidas will be putting down a small pitch in the middle Pioneer Courthouse Square. This Sunday the Timbers Army will be running an informal tournament “Kick on the Bricks” on that pitch open to all in a free walk up and register format. There will be a beer garden and food carts at the event, so come for the afternoon and enjoy a great night in downtown!

All-Star Week Announcements and Party

We’re ready to have some fun sharing the town and game we love with a ton of out of town visitors during All-Star Week. Keep an eye out for an email later this week with more information on some special events and an invitation to a party.

Kick Kick Score!

KKS is a family friendly event on Sunday, August 3rd for fut-golf aficionados and newcomers alike. Think miniature golf, but with soccer balls. Participants will complete nine fut-golf holes along Hawthorne Boulevard, with an awards ceremony celebrating the Best Kickers held afterward at 6:00pm outside Bazi. Cost is $5 for youth and $10 for adults. A limited edition t-shirt can also be purchased during registration for $10. Learn more at the Kick Kick Score Website. The No Pity Van and the Rose City Riveters Merch table will be stationed in front of Bazi if you need to purchase t-shirts, buttons, scarves.

Fanladen Office Hours

The fanladen will be open on Thursday, July 31st 6:30pm-9:00pm. Come on by if you have membership questions, if you want to pick up your membership swag/mug, and/or to pick up preorders of R/W/B special fringe scarves.

We’ll also open before the Thorns match on Sunday August, 3rd 5:00pm-6:30pm and briefly after the match. Stop in to buy Riveters merch, pick up your 107ist mug, or participate in our face-value ticket exchange.

The fanladen is located at 1633 SW Alder, on the corner of SW 17th and Alder. And yes, you do need your mug coupon to pick up your free mug; additional mugs may be purchased for $5 each.

MLS All-Star Week Volunteer Opportunities

If you’d like to score two free TA/GA tickets to the September 23rd CCL match vs. Alpha United FC, while volunteering to be an ambassador for Soccer City USA, now is your chance. The All Star Game comes to Portland the week of August 6th, and we have the chance to introduce visitors to the town and the sport we love.

Check out the volunteer opportunities available. If any of them sound like something you’d like to do, sign up at the link provided. You’ll receive two free TA/GA tickets to the CCL match on 9/23! Click here for details and volunteer sign up links.

Download the MLS All-Star App

MLS All-Star Week is coming to PDX, featuring 6 days of epic showcase games and events. Only one app connects you to all of the action, and OregonLive.com and The Oregonian are delivering:

Get event + player info
Create your personal game plan
Read MLS news
Share photos + updates
Connect with other fans

Plus score points, badges and prizes when you use the app. Take your place at the top of the Leaderboard! Download It Now – FREE

Away Match Partners

Looking for a partner bar to catch Saturday morning’s match? Check out our longtime partner Paddy’s (65 SW Yamhill Street, Portland). Present your 107ist card and get happy hour prices on food and drink all day on both home and away games days. Additionally, the first 20 members who show their card on game days will receive their first draught beer for $1.07 in honor of the section that started it all.

Further afield? Check out another longtime partner, Dublin Down Irish Pub (813 Main St., Vancouver, WA). Dublin Down continues to honor 107ist members with $1.00 off all regularly priced, micro/import draught beers and appetizers. This special is available all day, everyday!

Featured Partner: Chunky Pig

Remember, the 107ist has numerous non-bar partners as well. Check out Chunky Pig, which offers candied bacon confections combining sweetness, salty & pork. Featuring Niman Ranch bacon, there’s plenty of pig packed into every bite. Chunky pig offers 15% off entire purchases to 107ist members who use the code RCTID15 at www.chunkypiglove.com.

More Events and Volunteer opportunities

8/2 - 8/3 TAFC Futsal Tourney/TACPR Fundraiser - Play some footy and help save a life.

The exclusive 107ist registration phase is over, but you can still sign up through Rose City Futsal during public registration while space is still available. Join us for a great weekend of futsal and fun with the TAFC at Rose City Futsal. Enjoy BBQ, CPR demonstrations, and a few surprises. More details here.

8/15 - 8/17 - Mt. Hood Campout

August 15-17 join the Govy brigade for a weekend of pub crawls, camping, and, of course, match viewing. PTFC will be away that weekend at New England, so why not make plans to spend a few days with fellow TA enjoying all that Mt. Hood has to offer.

More details can be found here.

8/15 - 8/16 Glendoveer FootGolf to Benefit Playworks

Another fun opportunity to wear silly caps and kick a ball and raise some money. The FootGolf craze has hit Portland at Glendoveer Golf and Tennis to benefit Playworks Pacific Northwest (a local nonprofit supplying trained personnel for school day recess programs at 16 low income schools in the Portland area). They will also show the Timbers vs. Revolution after the event on Sunday. Check it out here http://www.playglendoveer.com/footgolf/footgolf-open!

107ist Survey Results Overview

107ist Admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 22:06:55 GMT

Earlier this year the 107ist board conducted a survey of our membership to help guide our decisions as a board as well as get a better sense of the priorities and demographic makeup of 107ist members.

As a member, you’re likely interested in the results as well. We’re sharing a brief overview below.

Methodology and Response:

A questionnaire was sent in January to all 2014 107ist members. About 63% of members completed the survey, which is an excellent response rate in the non-profit survey field.

Demographics:

75% of respondents were male and 25% female with just over 45% falling between the ages of 18-34. Oregon dominated geographically with 90% of respondents hailing from our great state, but we have members in nearly every state and as far flung as Kathmandu, Nepal. Unsurprisingly the Timbers were the first choice as a favorite team:

Favorite Team	Percentage
Portland Timbers	91.0%
A team not based in Portland (e.g., another city's club, an EPL team, another international team, etc.)	3.4%
Portland Thorns	2.7%
U.S. Men's National Team	2.2%
A University of Portland team	.5%
U.S. Women’s National Team	.3%

Membership Priorities

One of primary goals in commissioning this survey was to receive feedback from members of their desired priorities for the organization. When asked to rank their reasons for being a 107ist member in order of importance respondents overwhelmingly chose gameday activities followed by charitable efforts. Our spending and effort for 2014 will closely align with those priorities, as it has for the past 3 years.

Activity	1^st Choice Percentage
To support the Timbers Army game day experience	63.2%
To support the 107ist charitable efforts	19.6%
To purchase Cascadia away day tickets and travel	11%
To purchase exclusive merch and swag	2.8%
To support the Rose City Riveters game day experience	2.4%
For partner discounts and specials	1.6%

Timbers Support

We first asked respondents about their Timbers attendance, viewing habits and ticket purchases. Some key findings include:

107ist Members Are Financially Committed

It was not a surprise that 107ist members attend a lot of Timbers matches. However, their financial commitment to the club exceeded our expectations. Over 94% of participants attended at least one Timbers home match during the 2013 season and over half (54%) of members who live elsewhere in the U.S. traveled to a Timbers home match last year. In all, 64% of 107ist members have season tickets.

Attending a Timbers match is a Family Affair

Half of all season ticketing holding 107ist members who responded have 2 sets of season tickets in their household and 25% have 3 or more season tickets.

Timbers Army Dominates but West Side Strongly Represented

The vast majority (73%) of 107ist members who responded have tickets in the Timbers Army/General Admission sections, while 24% of STHs sit on the West Side.

Thorns Support

We also asked about the Thorns and 107ist member’s activity with the club. Over half of the respondents attended a Portland Thorns match in 2013 and nearly a third are Thorns season ticket holders. While, participation in supporting the Thorns is lower than that for the Timbers it is certainly of significant interest to our members. It’s important to note the club is only it its second year. We expect interest to continue to grow.

Some key findings included:

51% of respondents attended a Portland Thorns home match in 2013
29% of 107ist members owned Thorns season tickets in 2013 or will own in 2014
66% of those season ticket holders stand with the Rose City Riveters

Communications

Having heard anecdotally that our members would like more effective communication from the board, we solicited feedback on how members prefer to access information.. Members overwhelmingly (88%) said they prefer to access information via email from us (with social media being the second choice) and that they’d like to receive information on a weekly basis.

Based on the survey results we have adopted several new communications strategies that you may have noticed. The weekly “what you need to know” email is part of that.

In Conclusion

We would like to thank every member for taking the time to respond to this survey. We would like to thank in particular 107ist member Amber Hayes who volunteered her time to draft and administer the survey.

We intend for this to become a regular survey in the coming years in order to help guide the 107ist board. In the meantime, feel free to contact the 107ist board and committees of volunteers via the contact forms on the website.

A Thank You Note from Mick Hoban

107ist Admin — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 22:09:14 GMT

—Posted on behalf of Mick Hoban

A word of thanks to the 107ist/Timbers Army members who participated in the ‘Work Party’ at the Conway’s ‘new’ home yesterday. Timber/Jim and Mike [Coleman] can tell you more specifically who was there but we had around 20 volunteers all told which turned out to be a perfect number – enough to get the work done expeditiously but not too many that people didn’t feel personally involved in the project. I’ve attached a group photo and Mike took photos to share with members of your organization too.

Under the leadership of Timber Jim who taught us ‘city folk’ many valuable skills including tying knots, the group had an enjoyable day clearing out the Conway’s back yard. The ‘skip’ was filled in record time and Noeleen, true to form, provided cold drinks and food which provided everyone with an opportunity to meet and greet others.

As a former Timber, a former team-mate on Jimmy’s and a fellow ‘Ring-of-Honor’ member of Jimmy and Timber Jim I was extremely proud of the way that everyone contributed to the call for support. Timber Jim is to be thanked for the impetus and a big thank you is in order for your group.

Thanks for your help and support. It is much appreciated.

Best wishes,

Mick Hoban

The Morrison Report: Home Run Edition

107ist Admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 22:08:36 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

Throughout the Timbers’ frustrating start to 2014 a common refrain around Portland has been that the Timbers’ woes were, in large part, caused by a lost offseason. The signings, the conventional wisdom dictated, hadn’t worked, and the Timbers, let down by those who remained, were missing some lost pieces from 2013.

And in one significant respect, this has been true to date. The signing of Norberto Paparatto has been a disappointment, with mistakes and injuries constituting the highlights of his 2014 season thus far.

But this conventional wisdom ignores one increasingly apparent home run the Timbers front office hit in the offseason: Gaston Fernandez.

For starters, there’s this: 10 goals in all-competition appearances.

But Fernandez’s value extends well beyond his top-line statistics. Over the course of 2014, Fernandez has molded himself into a utility man off the Timbers bench that gives the team the tactical and personnel flexibility to succeed both in MLS and tournament competitions. As Caleb Porter said of Fernandez at training on June 26^th, “I think you guys are seeing that he’s a really good player and he can play a lot of different roles, and I like that because I like different pieces to play with, and toy with, and figure out . . . the right fit.” And all of this is facilitated not only by Fernandez’s quality, but also by his selflessness.

It’s no surprise that La Gata’s impact is best summed up with a team statistic. Over the course of their last five home games, the Timbers have scored an impressive ten goals. Eight of those goals have come after Fernandez entered as a second half substitute.

In Porter’s toy box, Fernandez is a Transformer. With the ability to play every position in the attack – he’s made appearances on both wings, as an attacking central midfielder, as an underneath forward, and as a lone striker – Fernandez essentially allows Porter to set up multiple changes in one substitution.

That was never more apparent than against Vancouver. Before Fernandez came on, the Timbers were in a 4-1-3-2 with Diego Chara sitting deep, Nagbe on the left wing, Will Johnson in an advanced central role, Diego Valeri on the right, and Maxi Urruti and Fanendo Adi paired up top. The Timbers attackers, however, became a little bit disconnected with Vancouver doing a nice job of exploiting a good amount of space between the Timbers’ attackers, and within ten minutes Porter looked to Fernandez.

With La Gata on for Urruti, Porter shifted the Timbers back into their usual 4-2-3-1, but with Will Johnson roaming forward liberally from the deep midfield role and both fullbacks starting to press up. By sitting in the ten-spot, Fernandez was able to play back with the midfield line during the buildup, but – unlike the way Diego Valeri plays this spot – Fernandez also looked to press forward in the box without the ball, looking at times more like a second forward than a number ten. The result was excellent, as the Timbers took command of a game that looked moments earlier to be slipping away and Fernandez logged a goal to pull Portland within two.

Fernandez was again involved in the next move, when Kalif Alhassan replaced Jorge Villafana. There, Porter shifted to a 3-5-2 (you could probably call it a 3-3-4 if it weren’t impolite to write down a formation with more forwards than defenders), with Chara and Johnson holding, Valeri central, Alhassan an inverted left, Nagbe on the right, and Fernandez up top with Adi. If the first shift stretched Vancouver thin, the second one nearly broke them, as Adi assisted a Will Johnson goal moments thereafter and Portland came very close to pulling themselves all the way out of the 1-4 hole they dug for themselves. And yet, Fernandez’s flexibility to not only play at different spots of the same level of the attack, but to bounce back and forth (and, indeed, in between) levels of the attack gave Porter the flexibility to make the shifts.

But none of this would be possible without Fernandez being remarkable for his selflessness. Against Colorado on Friday, Caleb Porter elected to play Fernandez deeper in the midfield after he came on with Maxi Urruti to replace Steve Zakuani and Fanendo Adi. Lining up with Diego Valeri to his left – in a little twist we’ve rarely seen before – and Darlington Nagbe to his right, Fernandez stepped in as a facilitator rather than a true creator, to help the on-fire Valeri take over the game. And in doing so, Fernandez played his defensive part as well, turning Colorado over five times – four of which were in the Timbers’ attacking half.

This selflessness was crucial to the Timbers scoring the equalizer against the Rapids, as Fernandez stepped back to midfield to provide an outlet for Diego Chara and then again for Michael Harrington. But at the point the ball reached Fernandez a second time, Colorado was fine – they were sitting with seven players behind the ball. La Gata took two touches, however, drew Dillon Powers out of his line, then played a ball along a newly-freed passing lane to Diego Valeri where, one flick later, the Timbers had a four-on-three situation. When the ball reached Gaston’s foot the Rapids defense was sitting comfortably. By the time it left two touches later, Fernandez had delivered the ball to the Timbers’ most dangerous attacking players in a situation in which an undermanned defense was at their will.

Fernandez’s quality, flexibility, and selflessness, then, have been a crucial part of Portland’s success at salvaging points late in games, and – as we saw on Saturday – keep them alive in the playoff race.

In other words, La Gata has been a home-run signing.

Onward, Rose City.

What You Need to Know & Upcoming Events - 7/16/2014

107ist Admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:03:26 GMT

MLS All-Star Week Volunteer Opportunities

Download the MLS All-Star App

MLS All-Star Week is coming to PDX, featuring 6 days of epic showcase games and events. Only one app connects you to all of the action, and OregonLive.com and The Oregonian are delivering:

Get event + player info
Create your personal game plan
Read MLS news
Share photos + updates
Connect with other fans

Plus score points, badges and prizes when you use the app. Take your place at the top of the Leaderboard?

Download It Now – FREE

Fanladen Office Hours

The Fanladen will be open on Friday, July 18th from 4:30pm-7:30pm for ticket exchange, member services including mug pickup, and RWB special fringe pre-order pickup at 1633 SW Alder Street, at the corner of SW Alder and 17th. Yes, you do need your mug coupon to pick up your free mug. Additional mugs may be purchased for $5 each, no coupon needed.

The Riveters will also have Fanladen open pre-match Sunday, July 20th from 12:00pm-1:30pm for all the usual activities: merch, ticket exchange, 107ist membership services.

More Events and Volunteer opportunities

7/17 - Fore the Animals

If you love golf or pets, join Fore The Animals on July 17 at the gorgeous Ghost Creek golf course to help support Oregon Humane Society! If you don’t golf, join them for dinner, wine tasting and auction! Register here: http://foretheanimals.org/

7/17 - Thorns v. Chicago away viewing

We’re back home at Bazi Bierbrasserie for Thursday’s match against Chicago. It’s a 5pm kick and we’ll have merch available. Reservations are encouraged: bazipdx.com.

7/19 - Jimmy Conway Work Party

Timbers Legend Jimmy Conway has been suffering a continual decline in health due to trauma-induced dementia. We have the opportunity to help his family directly as they cope with these changes. In order to better take care of him as his condition worsens, his wife, Noeleen, is moving them to a different living space that better meets their needs. Mick Hoban and Timber Jim have organized to clean up the home and have asked for our help to get the job done on Saturday, July 19th from 9am-4pm in SW Portland. Read more about Jimmy Conway here; and then sign up here to volunteer.

7/27 - Thorns Away vs. Seattle Reign

The first bus is sold out, but a limited number of tickets for the second bus are still available for July 27th’s #SpaceNeedleAway. Info on pricing, schedule and everything else can be found on the Rose City Riveters’ website.

8/2 - 8/3 TAFC Futsal Tourney/TACPR Fundraiser - Play some footy and help save a life.

8/15 - 8/17 - Mt. Hood Campout

More details can be found here.

2014 – The Stronger Wind, The Stronger Trees

107ist Admin — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 22:12:15 GMT

Featured on Sunday July 13th, 2014 during an away match in front 64,207 at Century Link field in the second meeting of the regular season between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders.

It's no easy feat to pull off a tifo. Between the planning and execution of the tifo there was a smattering of injuries, a celebration of our nation's freedom to work around and probably a couple babies born in Del Boca Vista.

There were many different motifs considered for the tifo before inspiration struck in the form of a poem by the 'Lumberman's Poet,' Douglas Malloch called, "Good Timber." The third stanza reads;

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

The poem reflected the trials of Timbers supporters in 2014 and really, over the years. A reminder that our love of the club is born of disappointment, our resolve often tested, and when we suffer together as a family it makes our victories all the more sweeter.

Putting it together presented challenges including finding a warehouse big enough to fit 3,600 square feet of canvas and finding the time to realize this vision. There were many volunteers that put in full 8 hour shifts while juggling their normal lives and the 4th of July holiday weekend. Yet the challenges didn't end there as the tifo crew, tasked with not only creating the display but making sure the unveiling came off without a hitch or risk ending up becoming the next, "Bule." Their effort was commendable and soon became a shining moment in an otherwise dismal night for the Timbers.

Tifo is a collective effort that taps into the consciousness of the Timbers Army. For one moment we get to share with the world and with the players, our message. Originally the tifo was to be painted in Cascadia colors but as the tifo developed it made sense to show that as supporters we bleed 'green & gold.'

A Bunch of Cotton Headed Ninny Mugginses!

107ist Admin — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 22:11:01 GMT

Apparently the ad wizards over at The Oregonian saw another reminder about their dying industry and needed some click bait to get web traffic up.

This "article" summarizes the recent hullabaloo around something a guest columnist from Clownville posted to The O's site.

This is nothing new. Recall, if you will, this gem from 2009. (Apologies for linking to a Canzano piece, but honestly...he's not the problem here.)

The Timbers Army has been dealing with more than its fair share of Flanders families in recent memory, and will likely continue to do so over the foreseeable future.

As a parent of a 1-year-old girl, I finally feel justified in engaging with this topic. I stand within the parent outpost known as Del Boca Vista (a.k.a. section 208) of the North End at Timbers matches. When I'm able to make it (read: when the kid allows) to a match, I'm surrounded by other parents, many of whom bring their kids along. All of these kids range from infant to teenagers.

We bring our kids because we feel 100% comfortable doing so. We feel that way because we are among friends and professionals who know how to conduct themselves accordingly. It's the rare individual who makes an arse of him/herself. If that happens, they are asked to leave before security even steps in. We police our own, and we're better for it.

When it comes to curse words, I hate to break it to Mr. Mancini, but it's nothing your kids haven't already heard. I don't know your kids, but I'm willing to bet a large amount of my annual income on them having heard a curse word in their short time on this earth. It's a fact of life. It's YOUR job as the parent to explain to them the reason why you may not want them repeating such words.

I try not to curse around my kid. But I'm not so ignorant to think she'll never hear me curse, or that she'll be a teenager in high school and not use those words herself. I'll be proud if she doesn't use them, but I won't condemn her if she does. They can be a crutch, used for cheap laughs. Jerry Seinfeld has a great reason behind why he doesn't curse on stage. (Warning: this clip has cursing in it.)

My approach will be to actually have a conversation with her, explaining why curse words are cheap, and that she will sound smarter without using them. Then, when she's an adult, we'll go to a Seth Rogen film festival and LOLZ all over this scene from 'Observe and Report.' (Warning: that 1:51 clip has more cursing in it than all of 'Scarface.')

Bad words happen. I'm not proud of using them, but it's who I am. You can decide to like me because of it, or not. If not, you're free to carry on about your business.

Mr. Mancini, nobody held a gun to your head forcing you to take some kids to Starfire last week. (Lord knows that's what it would take to get me back there.) If you're not dad enough to talk to your kids about what they just heard, perhaps you should've just gone to church that night. Nothing scandalous ever happens there.

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the TA.

All Star Game Volunteer Opportunities in August

107ist Admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:10:24 GMT

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

If you'd like to score two free TA/GA tickets to the September 23rd CCL match vs. Alpha United FC, all while volunteering to be an ambassador for Soccer City USA, now is your chance. The All Star Game comes to Portland the week of August 6th, and we have the chance to introduce visitors to the town and the sport we love. Check out the volunteer opportunities below. If any of them sound like something you'd like to do, sign up at the link provided. You'll receive two free TA/GA tickets to the CCL match on 9/23!

Sunday, August 3rd

VW Rose Pedal Ride

8:30--noon

Volunteer duties for the VW Rose Pedal include but are not limited to course marshals, directing bike traffic, and general info providers. Please meet at the Rose Pedal entrance which is located at the Northeast side of the Waterfront Bowl. If you have any questions please contact Susan Gonzalez 503-869-8657. Click here to sign up.

Sunday, August 3rd

Preconcert and Concert

1:00pm--7:00pm

Volunteer duties for the Waterfront include but are not limited to checking concert tickets, directing overall traffic, general info providers, manning emergency exits, and recycling. Please meet under the Hawthorne Bridge near the operations tent. If you have any questions please contact Susan Gonzalez 503-869-8657. Click here to sign up.

Wednesday, August 6th

Experience to the Match

4:00pm--7:00 pm

Volunteer duties for the Experience to the Match will include but are not limited to parade marshals, activity coordination, water station, and directing traffic. If you have any questions please contact Carolyn Kaleel 503-709-2166. Meeting location will be at 12th and SW Taylor near The Gentry Apartments. There will be a tent there to check in.Click here to sign up.

UPDATE 7/17 11:30am

Saturday, August 2 - Thursday, August 7th

Various three- and four-hour shifts

Airport Greeter

Be one of the first friendly faces to greet athletes, journalists and other visitors coming for the All Star Game.

The duties will be simple: you will be welcoming any visitors, athletes, and various delegations arriving for the All-Star Game and providing information about the game, events, and the city of Portland. You will be provided with information sheets to hand out to visitors.

PLEASE NOTE: this event has several different dates and shifts available. Please be sure to make a note of which date and time you have selected! Contact: Emily Hasenauer, Oregon Sports Authority (503) 234-3213 Click here to view available dates and times and to sign up.

UPDATE 8/7/14 3:20pm:

If you served in one of the volunteer shifts listed above, please allow a couple of weeks to hear back from the front office regarding how and when you'll get your two tickets to the CCL match. Chris Wilson and I will be coordinating on that front. Your patience is appreciated: this past week was a massive undertaking and folks are understandably taking a little time to process all of the aftermath, which was overwhelmingly positive.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the work you did to make the All Star Game week such a resounding success. I am continually amazed and impressed with the level of commitment our volunteers have when it comes to giving back to the community.

In Seattle? Want to Watch the World Cup Final With Us?

107ist Admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 22:18:25 GMT

World Cup Viewing

We have an all-ages viewing party at the Showbox SoDo (1700 1st Avenue South) Note: there are two Showbox venues, this is the one closest to the stadium, NOT the one near Pike Place Market. All of our traveling bus members will be there and all of our local Seattle ticket pickups will happen here. If you're a Timbers Army member in exile living in the Seattle area feel free to join us! Showbox SoDo should be open around 11:30 and will most definitely be open once the buses from Portland arrive.

There will be a $10 buffet at Showbox SoDo for your dining enjoyment, as well as beverages for purchase.

Walking to the Match

We will depart the Showbox SoDo at 4:30 to leave to head to the Clink Events Center where they’ll do a search of your bags etc. Remember no alcohol or other contraband is allowed.

Jimmy Conway work party July 19th

107ist Admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 21:28:15 GMT

—by Stephan Lewis

After decades of service to our community the Timbers Legend, Jimmy Conway, has been suffering a continual decline in health due to trauma-induced dementia. Dementia is most difficult for the people closest to the affected individual and we have the opportunity to help them directly as they cope with these changes. In order to better take care of him as his condition worsens his wife, Noeleen, is moving them to a different house that better meets their needs. Hoban and Timber Jim have organized to clean up the home and have asked for our help to get the job done on July 19th from 9am-4pm.

Sign up and join us as we thank Jimmy for his service by giving back in this small way. He has earned it and so have his loved ones.

What makes Jimmy Conway a Timbers Legend?

Jimmy was raised in the Stella Maris FC development program in Dublin which has long been a hotbed for producing future national team players and international managers. Jimmy himself had 20 caps with Ireland throughout his career. After a stint with local club Bohemian FC, he was recruited to play for Fulham FC during the club’s most prolific era and is still fondly remembered by Cottagers, to this day. Ten years and 360 matches later, he did a stint with Manchester City before coming across to play with the Timbers in 1978 at the age of 31. He wore the armband for the team the next year, was a player/assistant coach the year after that, and it has been argued that he was the most talented player to ever wear Our Crest over his heart. More than an exceptionally skilled player, he has always been a man of integrity and this transpired in the way he played. Through 15 years of playing (443 games), he never received a caution or ejection. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to a persistent injury and has developed long-term health issues caused by putting his head where it belonged as a part of the game.

As was the hope of the Timbers FO back in the day when recruiting, Jimmy got stuck in and shared a dream to cultivate the love of the beautiful game visible through the support of the NASL Timbers. The years following his retirement from competitive play (other than the Timbers indoor team) Jimmy continued on as an assistant coach. In 1981, he and Clive Charles were hired by Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) as head coaches in the organization’s 7th year. It was through his role as the director of coaching with OYSA over 28 years since then that his true legend has been created. Jimmy’s experience growing up in a top flight youth system gave him the ability to facilitate the growth of the local youth development system and knew it would take an army of well-trained people to pull it off.

One of his greatest skills which has made him a great player, a great captain, a great coach, and a great person overall, is his ability to spot the strengths in others and foster the abilities within those individuals. In his early years with OYSA, he scoured the countryside giving intensive clinics to moms and dads, many of whom were new to the game. Through this, he was able to identify individuals for higher level training and ultimately was responsible for licensing well over 1,000 people, truly, creating an army. Forget teaching a man to fish, if you teach someone to teach, you can benefit the entire community and that’s his gift to all of us. If you grew up playing the game in this area, odds are good that you were coached by someone trained by Jimmy if not by Jimmy himself. Yeah, that’s stuck in. Unfortunately, due to his declining health, he retired from the organization in 2009. The Oregon Youth Soccer Foundation (the non-profit arm of OYSA) has created the Jimmy Conway Coach Education Scholarships to honor his impact and provides those of lesser means the opportunity to attend the US Soccer Federation National “D” license course, run by OYSA.

Outside of his work with OYSA, he coached Pacific University from 1983 to 1987 with a record of 51-37-9 and OSU from 1988 to 1999 with a record of 97-88-14. At the start of the USL era for the Timbers in 2001, he came back to the team and renewed his role as an assistant coach until 2005. He was also on the U. S. Soccer Federation's national staff after his work heading OYSA’s connection to the U.S. Youth Soccer's Olympic Development Program lending his skills and experience to the national effort while keeping us up to speed, locally. Jimmy Conway has always valued the care of the next generation and his dedication to them is what makes him a true Legend of the PTFC.

Little was known about the effects of persistent head trauma at the time of Jimmy’s retirement and there is much we still don’t understand. He has been diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia, one of many forms they are now able to distinguish. The most common form of dementia in athletes is dementia pugilistica. Commonly known as boxer’s syndrome or scientifically as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, it is the result of repeated head trauma. Common symptoms are dementia and parkinsonism, which can take years or even decades to manifest and some also experience slurred speech and poor coordination. At times, a single traumatic incident can cause similar symptoms as well as long-term memory loss depending on the effected part of the brain.

As a result of the growing knowledge of the long-term effects of head trauma, we have seen many leagues in many sports taking head injuries very seriously. We don’t need to look far but to the recent retirement of ‘There’s Only One’ Eddie Johnson whose career was cut short in what we were all hoping to be his prime. Even in the current World Cup in Brazil, we’ve seen a heightened discussion about the need to grow our understanding of this pivotal issue.

Given the overlapping nature of all forms of dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association leads the way in all forms of its research. The work being done, and the massive amount of work to be done, can directly benefit current players as well as our sons and daughters who will be the next generation to play the game. We will be joining the Walk to End Alzheimer’s again this year on September 9th in support of their efforts so, save the date.

For now, please come and join us as we help to make their home a truly special place.

Here are the details for the work party that Mick Hoban and Timber Jim have organized to clean up the new home for Jimmy Conway as his Noleen wife transitions him to a place that she can care for him as his conditions gets worse.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Event details:
July 19th
9am- 4pm
Conway home
8355 SW Ernst Rd.
Portland

Tool list:
Standard garden tools and a few steel bars for removing old railroad tie retaining walls. Axes, hazel hoes, wheelbarrows also will be useful.

Thank you for giving back to someone who has given so much to soccer and to the community.

The Morrison Report: In a Nutshell Edition

107ist Admin — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 22:18:34 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

Another day, another frustrating, ambivalent, and – no matter how much lipstick some put on it – disappointing result for the Portland Timbers.

Caleb Porter was upbeat after the Timbers’ 2-2 draw with L.A. Galaxy at the Stub Hub Center. And there were a lot of reasons for his optimism. Portland dominated extended stretches of the game, and through the middle of the match were clearly the more dangerous team.

The Timbers midfield terrorized the Galaxy’s for much of the match, limiting Los Angeles to a paltry 64% passing in the attacking half outside the attacking third. Time and time again Diego Chara, Will Johnson, and company turned the Galaxy over and launched the Timbers back into the attack.

That attack created an abundance of chances in wide areas, especially on the right side where Robbie Rogers will wake up in cold sweats at the prospect of matching up with Diego Valeri again.

A first half in which the Timbers created a number of chances only to see crosses just miss their target and shots fly off frame, turned into a second half in which the Timbers’ only two shots that didn’t test Jaime Penedo were blocked.

Finally, the Timbers essentially split the ball with Galaxy, a statistic that undoubtedly would have skewed in Portland’s favor but for Galaxy’s predictable success holding the ball once they threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer.

And yet, for the umpteenth time this season, the Timbers didn’t get three points out of a game that was ripe for the picking. The reason is both simple and well publicized: The backline stinks. Particularly the central defense.

But Friday’s draw with the Galaxy perfectly represents this problem – and the Timbers’ season – in a nutshell.

That excellent work the midfield put in to disrupt Galaxy in midfield? It didn’t extend to the final third, where the Galaxy completed 74% of their passes – a pass completion rate 10% greater (!) than what L.A. mustered in the attacking half outside the final third. Simply put, L.A. found it significantly easier to operate in and around the Timbers’ defensive box than they did in midfield.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. Actually, it’s the seventh time this season the Timbers have allowed an opponent to have a higher pass completion percentage in the final third than they had in the attacking half at large.

The two goals conceded on Friday aren’t at all unrelated to this problem, as both came after extended periods of Galaxy possession in and around the Timbers box, where the Timbers had missed opportunities to clear the danger and push their lines back up. The same inability to intervene and ultimately put a stop to Galaxy attacks that shows up in the boxscore directly led to the Timbers’ once again dropping otherwise deserved points.

Thus, while Porter is very appropriately optimistic about many aspects of this Timbers team, none of it matters – the disruptive midfield, the creative attack, and the net-popping finishing – as long as the backline can’t interrupt the opposing offense.

And that’s something all the optimism in the world can’t fix.

The Timbers need better defenders.

Onward, Rose City.

Tukwila Away 7/9 FAQ - Timbers vs Seattle, USOC - On Sale Weds July 2nd

107ist Admin — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 22:19:53 GMT

This is it!

The Cup match we've really been waiting for... Timbers vs Sounders in beautiful Tukwila, WA on Weds July 9th.

UPDATE: Tickets are now on sale for non-members:

Non-member match ticket - $25

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tukwila-away-non-members-match-ticket-only-tickets-12181213337

Non-member bus/match ticket combo - $60

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/usoc-tukwila-away-busticket-combo-non-members-tickets-12181289565

Note: Members receive a discount - be sure to use the links emailed to you rather than the ones above!

Tickets will go on sale to 107ist members only on Wednesday, July 2 at 6:00pm.

Not a member? Join before 4pm today (July 2nd) and we will email you a link to try for a ticket.

Members should have already received an email with a purchase link/password. If you are a paid-up member but have not received the email please first check your spam folder, if it's not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

There are two options; one for ticket only ($23) or bus+ticket ($57).

Buses will be leaving Winning Way promptly at 2:00, returning immediately after the match.
Ticket-only distribution details are still TBD. You will receive an email closer to match day with more information.

Please note, due to Starfire configuration, this event is 21+ ONLY

YOU will be responsible for having proof of age upon arrival at Starfire. If you do not, you'll be sad and miss the match sitting on an empty bus.

Additionally, due to the size of Starfire, the Timbers Army was only allocated a scant 200 tickets. What does this mean for you? DON'T WAIT!

50 Match-only tickets are available
150 Match+Bus tickets are available

Sale is for members only! We will check. If you purchase a ticket and are not a current 107ist member, you will be refunded your money.

This is the first time Portland will face Seattle in the USOC since 2010. If you were there, you know you'll want to be here.

So, are you ready?

FAQ

When will Seattle USOC tickets go on sale?

Tickets go on sale Weds July 2nd at 6pm.
Members should have already received an email with a purchase link/password.
If you are a paid-up member but did not receive the email please first check your spam folder, if it's not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

What is the cost?

$23 ticket only.
$57 bus/ticket

Do I HAVE to be a member to buy one?

Yes.
We will offer tickets to members first and as we only have 200 tickets to this match we are expecting it to sell out very quickly.
Ticket purchases will be checked against our member database. If a non-member is somehow able to purchase a ticket, they will be refunded their money and suffer disapproving looks from Travel committee members.

Am I guaranteed a ticket by becoming a member?

No, you are NOT guaranteed a ticket.
You are guaranteed the chance to purchase a ticket.

Is this event all ages?

NO
Due to Starfire configuration this event is 21+ ONLY
YOU will be responsible for having proof of age upon arrival at Starfire. If you do not, you'll be sad and miss the match sitting on an empty bus.

Does that mean only 107ist have access to this away game, or does that mean the 107ist have first access to tickets, then tickets would be available to anyone?

107ist members have first dibs.
IF, and only IF, they do not sell out we will offer them to non-members at a slightly higher price. However, with only being allocated 200 tickets we doubt there will be any available for non-members.

How many tickets can I buy?

One ticket per member.

Does my husband/wife/friend/sister/grandma/pet frog need to be a 107ist member too?

Yes.

What's the fastest and easiest way to purchase the tickets when they go on sale?

Be ready to go as soon as tickets go on sale. Create an Eventbrite account if you don't have one and be logged in.
We recommend lightning fast internet and an actual computer rather than smartphone.
If you will be taking the bus, know which bus you and your friends want to be on before you attempt to buy your ticket.
Don't panic if the bus you want appears to be sold out. Give it about 10 minutes. Oftentimes, in their rush to get a ticket, people will place multiple tickets in their "basket". If those transactions are not completed in 10 or so minutes, the tickets are put back into the available inventory.

I just joined, where is my email with the link in it?

If you join AFTER the initial email was been sent out you will receive your email on Weds before the tickets go on sale.
The absolute latest you can join and still be included is 4pm on Weds July 2nd.

Are the tickets general admission or assigned seats?

Tickets may have a seat number printed on them. However, the section is general admission and you are free to stand anywhere within our designated area.

Will there be a ticket-only option this year?

If I buy a ticket on the bus, can I later switch it for the ticket-only option? (or vice versa)

Only in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
Please send an email to awaytravel@107ist.org with your request and we will do our best to accommodate it. Please do not wait until the last minute.

All my friends are on X bus, but I'm on Y bus - can I switch to be with them?

Only if there is an available spot on Y bus.
You will need to find someone on Y bus to switch with as the travel committee can not find someone for you.
If you do find someone to switch with, email awaytravel@107ist.org with your name, the other person's name, respective buses and contact numbers.

I can no longer attend, can I get a refund or sell my ticket to someone else?

Refunds only given in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
Tickets can only be sold to other 107ist members (unless purchase has been opened to all).
Email awaytravel@107ist.org with the purchaser's name, email address and contact info

I bought a "ticket only" for the Seattle away game. Where do I get the real ticket?

Tickets will be distributed in Seattle, exact details are still TBD. You will receive an email closer to match day with all the details on where and when.

What if I can't get to the ticket pick-up in time?

It is imperative that you pick up your ticket on time.
Due to security procedures mandated by Seattle front office and CenturyLink, we are required to enter the stadium as a group.
If you cannot make it in time due to a genuine emergency**, please contact awaytravel@107ist.org AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and we will leave your ticket at Will Call.
Please be aware that the travel committee has their hands full on match day and are not always available by email. An emergency contact number will be emailed to everyone closer to the match

What if I get to will-call and there's an error with my order?

Call the emergency contact number (will be emailed to everyone closer to the match)

*Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part.

**Staying at the bar to drink longer is NOT a true emergency.

2014 - Respect, Love, Equality

107ist Admin — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 23:15:10 GMT

—by Clifford Eiffler

Featured for May 17th, 2014 in the final match of a three game homestand against the Columbus Crew.


Photo Credit: Brian Gjurgevich (@gjurg on Twitter)	Photo Credit: Jamie Goldberg (@jamiebgoldberg on Twitter)

Photo Credit: @lulu_horn on Instagram	Photo Credit – Alice Vetter (@msalice72 on Twitter)

What You Need to Know & Upcoming Events - 6/25/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 21:15:15 GMT

Buy Your Capo A Pint

During one match each season, the capos of the Timbers Army ask the greatest football supporters that the world has ever seen to buy them a pint without buying them alcohol. That cash, which would have purchased a drink, becomes a donation for Camp Meadowood Springs, a Pendleton summer camp for Oregon kids with a variety of speech, language and auditory disabilities.

Read the post to learn more about this event, including its origins and how to donate prior to the June 27th match against Sporting Kansas City, and thank you from the capos.

Soccer (Books) for All--107IST Donates over $5K in Books to PPS

The 107IST recently donated over five thousand dollars’ worth of soccer books to Portland Public School libraries. The books were delivered to all 26 elementary schools in PPS that are Title I schools, which are schools with a high percentage of students living in poverty. Many of the books are bilingual, and all of the titles feature soccer and soccer stars from around the world. Read more here

Get Your Adidas Company Store Shopping Pass

Our friends at Adidas have provided us with passes that will allow you shop at the Adidas company store where you will receive up to 50% off of retail prices

This offer is for members only, so if you're not a member sign up now!

Free Ultimate Frisbee Playoff Tickets!

Portland’s professional ultimate frisbee team, The Portland Stags, has home field advantage for the playoffs and will host the Vancouver Nighthawks in the MLU Western Conference Playoffs Saturday June 28, 2014 at 7pm Lincoln High School. As a special offer to the Timbers Army, the first 500 respondents will receive FREE admission to the playoff game on Saturday night.

Click here to get your name on the list for free admission.

This is the correct link - if you tried the one in the email and it didn't work for you, try this one instead!

Free Lane United v. PTFC U23s Tickets!

Interested in seeing the Timbers U23s square off against the mighty Lane United on July 1st at Willamette University in Salem? Capital Futbol Club, a youth soccer organization in Salem, OR, has generously offered the 107ist 15 free tickets to the match! If you are a card-carrying member and would like to attend, email Matt Talley at matt.talley@107ist.org for details and availability!

Fore the Animals

One of our great Providence Park ushers is involved with a non-profit for the Oregon Humane Society, and they are hosting a fun event.

If you love golf or pets. Join Fore The Animals on July 17, 2014 at the gorgeous Ghost Creek golf course to help Fore the Animals support Oregon Humane Society!

If you don’t golf, join them for dinner, wine tasting and auction!

Fanladen Office Hours

Friday, 6/27 4:30pm - 7:30pm The fanladen will be open before and after the Timbers match on Friday for member services, pickup of 107ist mugs and pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, face-to-face ticket exchange, and ticket donations.

You may also donate Timbers tickets online by forwarding them to ticketdonation@107ist.org.

The Timbers Army Guide to the World Cup

We’ve collected a bunch of information about the World Cup, including where to watch the matches. If you haven’t already, check out our Guide to the World Cup

Timbers vs. Seattle Away tickets on open sale!

Don’t miss out on this epic Away Day! If you have not received your email with the links to purchase tickets, please email memberinfo@107ist.org. There are still plenty of ticket-only spots available. Purchase through us and join us at noon for the World Cup final viewing party!

Have friends who aren’t 107ist members? If you can’t convince them to become members, they’ll still be able to get tickets to Seattle Away, starting today at noon. Feel free to share this link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattle-away-july-13-2014-non-member-ticket-only-tickets-12078959493

And then ask your friends why they hate freedom and puppies.

Featured Partner

Our featured non-bar partner this week is Portland Sound Society (2937 NE Glisan Street, Portland). Present your 107ist card for 10% off guitar and bass lessons at the Portland Sound Society. Offer is also available for 107ist family members. Check them out at http://portlandsoundsociety.com/.

Events and Volunteer opportunities

7/27 - Thorns Away vs. Seattle Reign

The first bus is sold out but a limited number of tickets for the second bus as well as individual match tickets are still available for July 27th’s #SpaceNeedleAway. Info on pricing, schedule and everything else can be found on the Rose City Riveters’ website.

8/2 & 8/3 - TAFC Futsal Tourney/TA-CPR Fundraiser - Play some footy and help save a life.

The exclusive 107ist registration phase is over, but you can still sign up through Rose City Futsal during public registration while space is still available.

Join us for a great weekend of futsal and fun with the TAFC at Rose City Futsal. Enjoy BBQ, CPR demonstrations, and a few surprises. More details here.

8/15 - 8/17 - Mt. Hood Campout

More details can be found here.

Soccer (Books) for All--107IST Donates over $5000 in Books to Portland Schools

107ist Admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 22:23:44 GMT

It started with a simple request: would anyone in the Timbers Army be willing to volunteer a little time to help shelve books at Cesar Chavez K-8 in Portland?

It was 2013, and the school had only a half-time library assistant to maintain the library. Books needed to be shelved, new inventory needed to be catalogued; the library simply needed more hours of labor to take back and maintain.

Timbers Army members rose to the occasion. They came in afternoons and weekends, shelving carts full of books left out. They went through the stock room and cleaned and organized the shelves full of books, some of which librarian Linda Espinosa simply had been unable to process and get on the shelves. Volunteers could see their work pay off, as Linda was able to run the library as a functional resource for kids K-8.

As volunteers worked, they could see the need for additions to the collection. The 107IST prepared to donate money to purchase bilingual soccer books. Thanks to the over 150 volunteer hours the TA had donated, GEAR UP made a matching grant to double the number of books the 107IST was able to donate.

This year, we upped the ante.

Last year, we donated bilingual soccer books to one library. This year, The 107IST expanded the donation in scope and size, donating over five thousand dollars’ worth of soccer books to Portland Public School libraries. The books were delivered to all 26 elementary schools in PPS that are Title I schools, which are schools with a high percentage of students living in poverty. Many of the books are bilingual, and all of the titles feature soccer and soccer stars from around the world.

Linda Espinosa, library assistant at Cesar Chavez, shared how excited students were to receive book donations. She told of one boy who had refused to even look at a library book all year. After the soccer book donations arrived, "he sorted through the stack, looking at each title and muttering, 'I hate him and him and him' under his breath. Then he hit one he was excited about. He sat down and started reading! He still wouldn't check anything out, but he wouldn't leave for lunch until he finished the book!"

Diane Newton, library assistant at Sitton Elementary, writes:

THANK YOU to the 107ist for the bilingual books we received a couple months ago from your wonderful organization. I am the librarian here at Sitton in North Portland, and as I am finally getting to the end-of-year shelving, I see that most of the books you gave us were the last ones returned last week, meaning dead-on favorites that they did NOT want to return- in other words, a true success!

"These books, wonderfully chosen and right on target quality, skill and interest-wise, are a sincere treat to a low-income school such as ours- especially with our high hispanic population- I know many checked out the books and shared them with their whole family: SCORE!

A ticket-holder in section 109 myself, I love and appreciate all that TA in general does for the team, the fans, and our town; but today, I'm especially thankful that 107ist cares enough to share their passion with little kids who otherwise would not have access to THEIR passion in Spanish.

Buy Your Capo A Pint! 2014

107ist Admin — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 21:25:57 GMT

—posted on behalf of Patch Perryman, and the rest of your Capos

It started many years back with Tim Birr and a Stuttgart jersey. See, Uncle Birr has this three-level, Pint Rule. If he sees something that he thinks someone would like, he has a simple formula on whether or not he should buy it. First, how much does it cost? If it’s the price of a pint, then it goes on to the next round. Second, would I buy this person a pint? If so, then the item could act as a gift. Third, would the person prefer the pint? Well, for Uncle Birr that’s easy; but we capos have a request that doesn’t involving buying alcohol.

Back in 2010, a couple capos named Hermes and Pong started talking about ways we could get people to say, “Thanks for yellin’ at me all season,” in a positive manner when the idea of voice came up. We help this extremely passive-aggressive city find its voice and collectively just be aggressive (even if all we do is sing-song melodies now instead of taunts).

We wish to create something new in how we acknowledge our respect for other people by realizing that no matter how bad things are with the season – whether or not we yelled at you – it could be a lot worse.

Who even thought about the fact that kids in wheelchairs can’t have a treehouse before Harper’s Playground? Or realized that there was an Oregon-based summer camp specifically for kids with speech, language or auditory disabilities?

This is where Tim Birr’s Pint Rules fit in nicely.

We: The 107ist, TA, Cascadia, Portland, humanity, and so on, seek to create a realizable philosophy, one that actualizes our beliefs into actions.

We, as capos, help people find their voice during match day. “Buy Your Capo A Pint” is a chance for the people in our sections to say, “Thank you” to the conductors of Portland’s largest, sustained performance art actions by sending a few kids with speech and hearing issues to Camp Meadowood Springs (URL: http://meadowoodsprings.org/) so they can find their voices for everyday.

In 2010 we passed a hat to a crowd during a Portland Punk Rock Collective gig and also donated their share of the door/bar to the Camp Meadowood Springs cause. It sent one kid to the camp. Next season we sent the hat around the Timbers Army for one match with only a week’s notice. It sent another kid to camp. And so for the past four seasons the capos have sought donations from among the TA during only one match.

On Friday the 27^th of June, during the match against Sporting Kansas City, the Capos will have collection buckets at their nests and on the stage. And to donate online, you may use this Paypal link:

If at any point over the course of this season you might feel inclined to buy your capo a pint then please, instead of buying drinks and during Friday’s match, donate whatever you think a pint is worth to help us cover the tuition to send a few kids to a summer camp where they can develop the courage and skills to use their voices for a lifetime.

Thank you,

xoxo

Your friendly neighborhood capos

The US Open Cup Happened!

107ist Admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 22:19:55 GMT

We eat children (clap clap clap clap clap) We eat children. By that I mean the Orlando City U-23s. Orlando City's kids had some good moments but for the most part the Timbers handled it like professionals. It was a nice showing for Orlando City's U-23s and they should feel good about their performance. The Lion Cubs could have likely grabbed at least one goal but were also lucky to not give up a few more.

I'm not here to write a match report. I leave those to our resident clown, Chris Rifer. I am just the resident curmudgeon/opinionated person. In the interest of keeping it cordial I'm just here to say a few things.

#1 Welcome back Rodney Wallace!!! Boy howdy do we need Warrior 22 back out there. #bangbang

FYI this was created by a group of us walking through the mean streets of Kansas City a day or two before our match down there last year. Pappy Van Winkle and the Caddyshack were not involved in anything that happened that night.

I don't know about you

But I'm feeling 22

Everything will be alright

With RodWall next to you

We'll fight for our team

The Warrior will too

Everything will be alright

If he just keeps playing like he's

22, ooh-ooh

#2 So the US Open Cup happened other places. Over the last little bit. Since the clowns at US Soccer don't actually have a website where you can get up to date results someone else made one. Here is the link. Since nobody pays them to update it daily here is another website with actual up to date results. Highlights DC United, the defending champs, getting knocked out by the Microsoft clip art badged Rochester Raging Rhinos, Atlanta besting Royal Salt Lake...oh sorry Real Salt Lake, the New York Cosmos making the New York Red Bulls look much like they will for the next few decades, an afterthought, and finally Colorado stomping on the actual Orlando City Lions. By that I mean the adult team that is paid to play not the college kids the Timbers beat.

#3 We get the winner of Kansas City/Minnesota tomorrow. We host KC if they come (damn the schedulers I want to go back to eat their delicious BBQ so bad) and the boys fly to Minnesota to play if Minnesota United wins. It would sort of be like USL days. We'll all spend half the match with a projector saying the computer is buffering. If you weren't around you have no idea what I'm talking about but if you were then you're nodding in acknowledgement. I fully expect #bufferingaway to be the trending hashtag if that happens.

#4 MLS teams are clearly again not taking this tournament seriously. This is a great opportunity for the team to grab some silverware. The Timbers are better than they have shown this year. Our offense is clicking and hopefully they have some fixes for the defensive lapses that have been our downfall shortly.

#5 I'm not Chris Rifer so I will offer no more insight. I'm just kind of like Canzano in that I just have an opinion and will share it regardless of qualifications to have an opinion on certain subjects. It's the American way and since the World Cup AMERICA FUCK YEAH!

#6 Tetris is for closers. Please don't complain about this chant not being done anymore. It happens when we win. I shouldn't have to explain how stupid it is when we're down or how it is when we do it and the team promptly surrenders a goal. Tetris is for closers. This will also get me blasted but honestly I can't begin to explain how dumb it looks after the end of this chant when people start applauding themselves for the performance they've just put on. You aren't there for you. You're there for what is going on on the field. The focus is what happens on the pitch.

Good talk again. I'm out.

Hey It’s the US Open Cup

107ist Admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 22:20:45 GMT

So this thing happens every year. It's called the US Open Cup. The Timbers are playing in it. If you don't know what it is here is the skinny. Every team professional or kind of plays in it in the US from top to bottom. Tomorrow the Timbers play Orlando Lions U-23s. They got here after beating the Charleston Battery after 14 rounds of penalty kicks. Yes you read that right. 14 rounds of penalty kicks. It's the oldest soccer tournament in the US.

This is one of the premier tournaments in the US. It's crazy fun. Typically MLS clubs half ass it. They see it as a secondary tournament until they're the joke of the league and then go all in because they're still standing. I normally wouldn't mention clicking on all those links I just provided but I just provided 3 teams that trotted out the C team and got whooped along with an example of a team playing for nothing else that decided to actually care.

In 2009 and 2010 the Timbers cared a lot about this tournament. They played the Sounders in Portland both times in the run up to MLS. And it's still true that real fans hate Lavesque. It may be uncouth to say but fuck that guy. Any Sounder that suits up for the Timbers had better kiss the badge in front of the Timbers Army. **Drop down to the bottom for me to explain this to you** hashtag Any coach or FO person that doesn't understand this can just suck their own thumb. Fans don't exist in your realm. hashtag I don't care about Akron.

We have an interesting history with the US Open Cup. Former Timber Matt Taylor did this to us. I took one of my best friends to this match for her first one. Honestly I have no idea why she keeps going after this unless she really likes self flagellation. Somehow she's been a season ticket holder since (you're welcome Dan, Chris and the rest of the ticket team).

Then there was this. This was the only match I've ever been angry about a loss. Like...I was mad...I can't explain it. It was anger boiling over into hate. That pretty much sums up the 2012 season though. No matter what you've heard the team out there jogged out and that was it. Jack Jewsbury got a bloody nose and million dollar man Kris Boyd shanked a PK like he was Preston Burpo headhunting before a match. (In the USL years Sounders Players used to "shoot wide" during warm ups and aim for the stands") (That is true or they were really horrible soccer players)

So show up. US Open Cups are almost as fun as USL games were. They also mean a lot more. Winning the whole thing will keep us in the CONCACAF Champions League and honestly at this point I doubt our regular season record is going to do that barring the Timbers going on a run and winning MLS Cup, which could happen, but I've watched a lot of leagues over the years and I kind of doubt that will happen.

**Flat out explanation of fandom. If you wear the nuclear goat piss colored kit of the Seattle Sounders I hate you. This isn't just me. It is much more than me. I realize that some people in the FO think this is like the NBA or something to that nature where these sorts of things aren't personal. They're wrong. If they wear the Sounders badge I flat out hate them. I despise Mike Fucito. I despised him even more after wearing a Timbers badge and clapping off ECS after getting beat to hell at Qwest Field or whatever the hell they're calling it now. Earn the badge. If you played in Seattle and come to Portland work 5X harder. Many may think that's tough but honestly it isn't. The Timbers Army will remember any player, but here's the deal...Play for the name on the front of the shirt, and they’ll remember the name on the back.**

Also as a final rant. I'm really sick of this crap where the club says a player has 60 appearances with the club and ignores the other 40 with the USL side. Futty Danso has 100 appearances with the club and should have been honored as such. Byron Alvarez has still scored 42 goals for the Portland Timbers. Until someone in MLS breaks that Byron Alvarez is the all-time leading scorer for the Portland Timbers. That's counting NASL, USL and MLS. The beauty of our club is the fans honor the past. The FO needs to get on the boat in some regards as well and quit hugging to this MLS only crap. There are only a few teams in MLS that can actually trace their past all the way to the NASL and they should absolutely hold on to all of that history. Just because we got a new car doesn't mean we forget those 2, 3 or 4 other awesome cars that took us on amazing road trips. OK...good talk. Go team!

Bless Field Ribbon Cutting Recap

107ist Admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 20:39:03 GMT

107ist president Scott Van Swearingen speaks

When the 107ist was formed in 2009, one of the first things to come out of it was a desire, or some say a mandate, for the Timbers Army to build, restore, and maintain soccer pitches throughout the Portland area. From that mission Operation Pitch Invasion (OPI) was born.

And, what started as a group of dedicated volunteers armed only with shovels and work gloves, reached its highest point yet on Saturday, June 14th when Operation Pitch Invasion held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Bless Field in North Portland’s New Columbia neighborhood. In three short years, OPI went from replacing sprinkler heads to successfully completing its first capital project.

OPI’s beginnings were humble, but their aspirations were not. The original four member board received a $2,000 grant from the 107ist in order to purchase some hand tools and other supplies. From there, they began working with Portland Parks and Rec to find soccer fields that needed work.

Over the course of a given summer OPI would round up anywhere from 30 to 50 Timbers Army members, and they’d descend onto a pitch in disrepair, and do work. The work ranged from filling in holes to replacing sprinkler heads to repainting goal posts.

But the desire was always to lead bigger, more impactful project. So from day one the group was looking for the right opportunity. And, they found it in the form of Bless Field (named after early TA member Hartmut “Howie” Bless). The goal was to raise $200,000 to build an all-weather soccer pitch in Portland’s most diverse neighborhood, New Columbia.

While the Timbers Army was the single largest contributor (donating $50,000), what really made this project special was the way the entire community came together. OPI needed to work with numerous public and private entities to not only raise the funds, but also work its way through the red tape that any project of this scale entails.

When it was all said and done they had assembled a formidable group of partners including the Portland Timbers, Providence Health and Services, Adidas, Home Forward, The City of Portland, the Portland Development Commission, Widmer, Rosa Parks Elementary, AC Portland and the Boys and Girls Club. But, it wasn’t just the ‘big names’ who helped make Bless Field a reality. Individuals took up the cause and did everything from stuffing a few bucks in a jar to creating special scarf runs.

Anyone who’s been around the TA longer than a minute knows that the group is not without its squabbles and conflicts. But it’s also widely known that when push comes to shove, we pull together.

Neighborhood kids gather to kick the ball around

On Saturday over 200 people gathered at the new field, and while city commissioners and CEO’s gave heartfelt speeches about what this project means to the City of Portland we watched over our shoulders as dozens of children from different cultures played a game that unifies us all. Their laughter and cheers often drowning out the PA.

This is why we do what we do: Team, Town, TA.

Thanks to Olivia Schelly of Yah Yah Photography for the images from this weekend.

Inaugural TAFC Futsal Tournament and Fundraiser at Rose City Futsal

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:54:31 GMT

Gather together a group of 8 or 9 players and join the field of 32 teams that will be taking part in history on August 2nd and 3rd as the Timbers Army Football Club holds its very first Tournament to raise money for the TA-CPR initiative.

The Cause

Rose City Futsal has generously pledged 25% of the registration fees to the TA-CPR initiative. This initiative offers free CPR/AED training to 107ist members, however there are ongoing costs associated with this such as simulation equipment, the American Heart Association "Heart Saver" books, and the cost of certification cards which all attendees receive upon completion of the course.

CPR demonstrations will be run at the tournament to show attendees why we are raising money.

The Venue

The Format

The tournament will be held on August 2nd and 3rd. You’ll get a minimum of 4 games in. Your team will play twice on Saturday (either in the morning or the afternoon) and twice on Sunday with the possibility of an additional Championship bracket match on Sunday afternoon.

The Process

This will be first come first served, so you should jump on it quick.
107ist members will have a presale open to them until June 23rd.
All you need to do is get 8 or 9 players together (names and emails), identify a team contact leader and team name (don’t worry, we’ll do all the work for the team leader)
Send all this information to Steven Joinson at NEU@107ist.org.
We will generate a paypal link for your players ($35 each for a 9 player roster and $40 for an 8 player) and send it to each of the contacts your roster.
You will need to have your roster paid in full by June 30 or risk losing your spot to a team on the waiting list.
After June 23rd any remaining registration spots in the 32 team field will be opened up to the public and there is already strong interest AND TEAMS WAITING.
Registration after June 23rd will be administered through Rose City Futsal exclusively.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 6/11/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:23:47 GMT

6/15 - Timbers Army / Rose City Riveters March in the Pride Parade

Sign up to march with the Timbers Army/Rose City Riveters in the 2014 Pride NW Parade! Close on the heels of the overturn of the ban of same sex marriage, this year’s parade promises to be bigger and better than last year’s! Don’t miss out! Register here

6/21 - Stand Together Week - Harrison Park SUN School at 9:00am

Join us, along with the Portland Timbers, on Saturday, June 21st to beautify Harrison Park SUN School at 9:00am (ages 6+). Get more details and sign up here: 6/21 - Harrison Park SUN School

6/22 - Stand Together Week - Help restore Baltimore Woods

Join us, along with the Portland Timbers, on Sunday, June 22nd to help restore Baltimore Woods in St Johns (all ages). Get more details and sign up here: 6/22 - Help restore Baltimore Woods

7/13 - Seattle Away

Tickets on sale now. Here's the all the info and the FAQ

Don’t miss out on this epic Away Day! If you have not received your email with the links to purchase tickets, please email memberinfo@107ist.org.

7/27 - Thorns Away vs. Seattle Reign

The first bus is sold out, but tickets for the second bus as well as individual match tickets are on sale for July 27th’s #SpaceNeedleAway. Info on pricing, schedule and everything else can be found on the Rose City Riveters’ website.

8/2 & 8/3 - TAFC Futsal Tourney/TA-CPR Fundraiser

Register for a great weekend of futsal and fun with the TAFC at Rose City Futsal. Enjoy BBQ, CPR demonstrations, and a few surprises. More details here.

8/15 - 8/17 - Mt. Hood Campout

August 15-17 join the Govt brigade for a weekend of pub crawls, camping, and, of course, match viewing. PTFC will be away that weekend at New England, so why not make plans to spend a few days with fellow TA enjoying all that Mt. Hood has to offer.

More details can be found here.

What You Need to Know - 6/11/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:38:40 GMT

Please Help Us Honor the Memory of Emilio Hoffman

As many of you are aware, Emilio Hoffman died Tuesday, a victim of the attack at Reynolds High School in Troutdale. Emilio proudly wore #29 for the Reynolds soccer team, and with that in mind we’d like to remember him at the 29th minute of tonight’s match.

At 29:00 we will raise our scarves, and tell the world:

You cannot stop us
We are the Rose City

Please share this with everyone going to the match. We would love to see stadium-wide participation.

New Merch Tonight!

In case you missed it, the No Pity Van has been giving some sneak peeks at the new Soccer City USA collection that will be available at tonight’s match.

Stop by the Van (at Rack Attack on the corner of 18th and Morrison) any time after 5:00 or post-match to grab yours.

Jefferson H.S. Field Project Breaks Ground

On Friday the 107ist joined leaders from across Portland Public Schools, Nike and other community partners to break ground on the Jefferson, Madison, Marshall and Wilson athletic fields that will be built this summer. As the lead community partner for the Jefferson field the 107ist is contributing $50,000 to the project.

Mt. Hood Campout

All the details can be found here.

Seattle Away tickets on sale now!

Here's the all the info and the FAQ.

Don’t miss out on this epic Away Day! If you have not received your email with the links to purchase tickets, please email memberinfo@107ist.org. There are only a few bus/ticket combos left, but plenty of ticket-only spots are still available. Purchase either option through us and join us at noon for the World Cup final viewing party. Location info will be sent to ticket-holders closer to the match date.

Kelso Boys Soccer Says “Thank You”

Earlier this year we provided soccer uniforms to the Kelso High School boys soccer team. We recently received this picture, and wanted to pass it along for all our membership to enjoy as well.

Fanladen Office Hours

Wednesday, 6/11 3:30-6:30pm before the Timbers match for member services, pickup of pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, and ticket exchange/donations

Sunday, 6/15 12:45-1:30 before the Thorns match for Riveters merch, member services, and ticket exchange/donations.

You may donate tickets to our face value ticket exchange by forwarding them to ticketdonation@107ist.org (Timbers) or info@rosecityriveters.org (Thorns). All $ raised will go to help build the new field at Jefferson High School.

New Partner: Whistlepunk Tavern

The 107ist is proud to announce our newest partner (and neighbor), the Whistlepunk Tavern! Located on the fourth floor of the historic Tiffany Center (1410 SW Morrison Street), the Whistlepunk Tavern is located in a beautiful ballroom dating to 1928. The Whistlepunk Tavern is generously offering 107ist members $1.00 off micros and $1.50 Olympia tall boys!

The Whistlepunk Tavern will be open today, June 11th before the match against FC Dallas. Doors open at 4:00pm, and it’s only 4 blocks from the stadium! Check them out!

Other Partners

Need to clean up your look before summer? Check out Rudy’s Barbershop! With convenient locations in the Pearl District (212 NW 13th Avenue, Portland) and in SE (3015 SE Division St., Portland), Rudy’s offers card-carrying 107ist members 10% off services (haircuts and color) and 15% off all retail products. Check ‘em out at http://rudysbarbershop.com/.

Interested in becoming a 107ist partner, or seeking more info about our existing partners? Look us up at http://timbersarmy.org/107ist/partners.

Did you read to the end? This is not Timbers related, but it is both hilarious and educational (warning: there is a bit of language)

The Timbers Army Guide to World Cup 2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:35:16 GMT

We all know the World Cup is a big deal. A REALLY big deal. But maybe you’ve delayed getting up to speed (much like how we’ve delayed getting this guide posted early enough to be of much value). Fear not, we’ve got you covered.

Below you’re going to find some handy resources to help you get up to speed on the planet’s biggest sporting event.

So, regardless of who you root for, we hope you enjoy the hell out of the next month

Need to know when matches are happening

Check out this Interactive Calendar of Every Match

Remember, not everyone watches soccer year round.

So be nice to noobs

Do you still need to do a crash course on who’s playing, and what their prospects for success are?

Let Men in Blazers run it all down for your with their Guide to the 2014 World Cup

Looking for places to watch the first week of matches?

Here are some highlights from some of our partners. Do you know of other events or bars that are supporting the World Cup and should be highlighted? Let us know and we can include it in our next update.

World Cup Beer Garden

Looking for fun in the Portland sun? Check out the World Cup Beer Garden, a partner of the 107ist during the duration of the 2014 World Cup! Located adjacent to the former Gypsy Lounge on NW 21st and Irving, the World Cup Beer Garden starts on June 12th and will offer beer from Coalition, Occidental, Burnside, Widmer, and others, as well as cocktails from Merit Badge Company, food from Fried Egg I'm in Love and Bus Stop Cafe, coffee from Sterling Coffee Roasters, and viewings on at least 10 large TVs. Some proceeds from a specialty tap will benefit the Timbers Army's Jefferson High School soccer field project. You can catch all 64 matches there!

For more information, check out www.facebook.com/worldcupbeergarden.

Rose City Futsal

Another spot with a twist to view the World Cup, and save some green with your 107ist card! Clive's Public House, located within the Rose City Futsal grounds, offers $1.00 off pints when you show your 107ist card, and will be showing all the matches on their 7 large flat screens and also (for many) on the 20' projection screen.

Check out the full view schedule here http://rosecityfutsal.com/the-clubhouse/world-cup-soccer-2014/.

Beulahland

Our longtime partner Beulahland will show every single match. They will be open at 8am throughout the group stage so you should have plenty of time to grab good seats. 107ist’s who present their membership card at Beulahland will get happy hour prices on well drinks and beer ($3.25 Micros & $2.00 PBRs) as well as $1.00 off all food orders.

http://beulahlandpdx.com/where-to-watch-the-world-cup-2014

American Outlaws Portland - USMNT x Portugal

Join American Outlaws Portland at the Cheerful Bullpen on Sunday, June 22nd @ 3 PM as the USMNT takes on Portugal. The event is sponsored by Widmer. World Soccer Shop will be on hand ironing on AO patches for US Soccer jerseys, free promotions, and giveaways. We will be holding a raffle to raise monies for AC Portland with some great prizes. All AOPDX members receive food and beverage discounts from CBP. Join us early to guarantee a seat.

American Outlaws Portland is the 66th Chapter of the American Outlaws. You may learn more about AOPDX by following them on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/AOPDX or on Twitter @AOPDX. You can purchase chapter merchandise, including the "Death Becomes You" scarf, on the Facebook page as well. You may join AOPDX by visiting www.theamericanoutlaws.com/membership

Paddy’s, The Station, North 45 Extended Hours

Paddy’s downtown is planning to show all group stage matches with sound on their large projection screen. Their sister bar The Station on NE Alberta will be open for all USA games and opening early for all weekend games. North 45 will be opening early for all the group stage games this coming weekend.

Bazi

Opening Hours: For matches outside of Bazi's normal business hours of operation, opening time will be 30 minutes to kick-off.

The matches on this list (Bazi World Cup Schedule) will be played with sound on the 114” HDTV big screen with the exception of (Brazil vs Cameroon and Portugal vs Ghana which will be broadcasted on the 52" Bar HDTV due to overlap with other matches).

All other matches not on this schedule will be televised on a requested basis.

Mornings: A limited breakfast menu with drink specials representative of the teams playing from around the globe (e.g. Shandy for England, Sangria for Spain, Caipirihna from Brazil, etc.)

Mid-Day: Happy Hour will commence at opening time on NOON and 1 PM matches

A World Cup Draft List: Guest brewery appearances from around the globe!

Want a seat by the BIG SCREEN? Reservations are highly encouraged through our online system www.bazipdx.com or by calling us at 503-234-8888.

The Morrison Report: Peek Behind the Curtain Edition

107ist Admin — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 22:22:07 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

By all means it could have been a 15-minute interview. A couple questions, maybe a video clip or two, and a promise dutifully kept.

That’s what expected when I showed up to Providence Park at three-o’clock Thursday afternoon. And that would have been more than enough.

Instead I had a master class in store.

When I climbed out of the belly of the north end of the stadium a few minutes past six, Caleb Porter along with Video Analyst Pablo Moreira[1] had given me a three-hour peek behind the curtain of what the Timbers do on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis, and how the coaching staff breaks down performances and prepares its team.

Let’s get one thing straight from the outset: It takes astronomically more than three hours of moving magnets, asking questions, and watching tape to understand soccer at a professional level.

Having attended training a number of times, it always struck me how casual its operation looks. The cones, flags, balls, dummies, and pennies all have their place. The players generally seem to know what they’re doing only interrupted by brief periods of instruction. Sure, the coaches – especially Porter – are active throughout, but for the most part things run pretty smoothly.

I always knew a lot of work went into preparing for training – it’s professional football, after all – but if I’m being honest, I had no idea how much went into preparation for the preparations.

Drills are planned to within the minute with input from multiple sources – coach, assistants, sport science staff, and training staff. The staff begin gathering information from players before the boys even arrive at the training facility. By the time the first ball is kicked around 10:00, the office has been buzzing with meetings for a couple hours – coach with staff, staff with staff, staff with players, and coach with players.

Porter’s office is exactly what you’d expect. Neat, organized, and unmistakable for anything but a football manager’s office.

The magnet whiteboard board is where I got schooled first. Here Porter lays out his team’s shape against how he predicts his opponent will shape up, prepares his game plan and rotations, and ultimately rehearses his team talks. For me, it was the site of my first batch of lessons: The thinking behind the system and how each position fits into the plan; when to press, with whom, and from what angles; and finally, who should rotate where in which situation and why I didn’t quite get it.

It turns out you really can stand at a whiteboard moving magnets for forty-five minutes.

Forty-five minutes, coincidentally, is about the same amount of time it takes to play a half of soccer. It takes much, much longer, however, to break down that half of soccer. But that’s what we did next from the couches in the locker room.

On one level, it wasn’t entirely unlike Greg Lalas’s Anatomy of a Goal segments. Except instead of Anatomy of a Goal, it was Anatomy of a Couple Dozen Plays, and, with due respect to Lalas, in significantly more detail.

If Porter spotted something, Moreira wound it back and they broke it down. They did the same – with considerable patience, I should add – when I had a question. In moving to the second half, we focused on the substitutions, changes in shape, and the effect that had on the game.

And to cap it off, Porter and Moreira had an unsettlingly top-of-the-head discussion about a 2012 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal.

But that was inevitable, I suppose.

The takeaway, however, wasn’t that Porter knows a lot about soccer. He certainly does, but everybody already knew that.

Instead, what leaves an impression is the sheer volume of information the coaching staff sorts through in a week – from hours of video analysis, to analytics, to player fitness data, to scouting reports – that is used to inform tactical and selection decisions before being heavily distilled into a manageable game plan ready for presentation to the players.

And then they train.

And finally they play.

Onward, Rose City.

[1] Having come with Porter from Akron where he logged 40 starts at forward from ‘03-‘07 and went on to become Director of Soccer Operations during Porter’s last two years with the Zips, Moreira is a bit of a utility infielder within the Timbers locker room. Along with being Video Analyst and Player Relations Manager, the media know him best as an occasional postgame Spanish interpreter. But don’t mistake him for just a video analyst/player manager/interpreter; the guy knows his football.

The Morrison Report: Unequal, Not Unjust Edition

107ist Admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 22:30:23 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

It’s become a dog whistle here in Portland. It’s the one subject that, once sounded, neither journalist nor supporter can resist. Penalties.

And on some level for good reason. There is no call in major sports that has such an impact on a game as a penalty kick. Considering the scarcity of goals in a typical soccer game and the golden opportunity that a spot kick provides to notch one of those cherished tallies, it’s no surprise that so much attention is paid to referees’ decisions concerning penalties.

And then there’s the statistic. Yeah, the one that everybody has been talking about.

Eight-to-zero.

The Timbers have conceded eight penalties in 2014 and been awarded none. The eight penalties conceded in the Timbers’ first 14 games are on pace for a total of 19 penalties, a number that would likely shatter the MLS record.[1]

But before drawing conclusions about that top-sheet statistic, it’s incumbent on any fair analysis to look at the decisions that have brought the Timbers to this point. Accordingly, below, I rate each of the Timbers’ penalties conceded as well as the plays on which there is a genuine argument the Timbers should have been awarded a penalty.

Penalties Conceded

March 16, 2014 – Timbers v. Chicago Fire, 19' – Early in this one Quincy Amarikwa latched onto the end of a long ball from Bakary Soumare in the box before abruptly cutting off his run, causing a recovering Norberto Paparatto to run over him from behind. The contact was clear, so the only argument was that Amarikwa drew unnecessary contact hoping to get a penalty. Frankly, however, that’s not a great argument. The foul was clear and its effect on the play was significant as Amarikwa was in full control. Verdict: Correct.

March 22, 2014 – Timbers @ Colorado Rapids, 68’ – The Timbers were undone by another long ball forward in their next outing, as Dillon Powers sent a ball toward the box for Deshorn Brown. The ball skipped away from Brown, however, and looked to be ripe for Donovan Ricketts to make a play. Ricketts missed the ball, however, and put his boot into Brown’ thigh, yielding a penalty and red card. The only argument against – made by a small minority, including myself – is that Brown himself was coming in with a hopeless, dangerous, studs-up challenge and that it was Brown’s own recklessness that may have caused Ricketts to miss the ball while bracing for the collision. The clear majority rules for this purpose, however. Verdict: Correct.

March 22, 2014 – Timbers @ Colorado Rapids, 74’ – The Timbers defense made a mess of this one. After Powers, with multiple Timbers defenders strewn in his wake, played Vicente Sanchez into the box, Sanchez slid the ball away from the onrushing Andrew Weber. Weber grasped at air, but caught the boot-dragging Sanchez, sending the Uruguayan into the sort of spinning, tumbling fall normally reserved for taking a shell in Mario Kart. Again, Sanchez did everything he could to draw the contact, and his touch wide of Weber may have carried the ball out in any event, but ultimately he was a player in possession that was clearly taken down by a goalkeeper without a play on the ball. Verdict: Soft, but Correct.

April 5, 2014 – Timbers v. Seattle Sounders, 86’ – Perhaps the easiest, if most painful, of the bunch. After Obafemi Martins slipped the ball into the box for DeAndre Yeldin, a late-reacting Ben Zemanski clearly took the young American international down in the box. No legitimate argument against. Verdict: Correct.

May 17, 2014 – Timbers v. Columbus Crew, 45+’ – A man down in first half stoppage time is not the time you want to be conceding a penalty, but that’s just what the Timbers did against Columbus. Futty lost track of Giancarlo Gonzalez on a corner, and in his desperation to regain positioning before Federico Higuain found him at the near post, Futty pulled Gonzalez down. While Gonzalez’s reputation for diving and dramatic tumble caused some initial doubts, the replay showed clear as day that Futty was guilty. Verdict: Correct.

May 24, 2014 – Timbers @ New York Red Bulls, 35’ – This one is a little bit more debatable. Yes, Lloyd Sam had position on Pa Modou Kah, and yes he definitely fell because of Kah’s challenge and the defender’s right arm draped around him. But Kah also looked to win the challenge fair-and-square regardless of the arm. Still, MLS referees pretty consistently point to the spot when they see an attacking player with good position go down with defenders’ arms draped all over them. It may have been soft, but similar calls are made so frequently in MLS that this has to be considered correct as a matter of law. Verdict: Soft, but Correct.

June 1, 2014 – Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps, 15’ – The less controversial of two given against Vancouver, Erik Hurtado took his acres of space in the Timbers defense and attacked the box, where a beaten Diego Chara chopped him down from behind. The initial camera angle from behind sort of looked like Chara may have won the ball, but replays revealed he really wasn’t even close. Verdict: Correct.

June 1, 2014 – Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps, 25’ – This is the call the Timbers probably have the biggest gripe with. After Sebastien Fernandez received a pass from Kekuta Manneh, Jorge Villafana stuck his foot in and got none of the ball. The question, however, is whether he got any of Villafana’s foot. The television feed is unclear, but another angle showed to some media members postgame made it look slightly more likely to be a dive than a foul. Given Fernadnez’s reputation, a dive certainly isn’t out of the question. In fairness, however, it must be pointed out that from referee Kevin Stott’s viewpoint, it certainly looks like a penalty. Verdict: Incorrect, but Understandable.

Thus, we can see the calls that have gone against the Timbers have generally been within the realm of reason. Yes, it appears Fernandez may have taken a dive on Sunday that would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for Stott to see. And yes, the Timbers have straight-faced arguments to make on a few others. But at the end of the day, none of the calls are shocking.

Moreover, as to the soft penalties, Opta reported that 49 penalties have yieded goals in 124 MLS games so far in 2014. In 2010, there were 48 PKs scored in 240 games. Thus, while the Timbers have been called for a few soft penalties, it appears they’re hardly alone in that respect.

The greater takeaway, however, is that all eight penalties have been fouls. None have been unlucky bounces that catch a hand in the wrong position. Rather, they’re all plausibly-called fouls in the box. In other words, they’re all at least substantially a product of sloppy and/or risky defense. And that’s the real takeaway here.

The Non-Calls

The other side of the coin is the penalties that haven’t gone the Timbers way. These, however, are notable in a couple respects.

May 17, 2014 – Timbers v. Columbus Crew, 80’ – After Diego Valeri found Jack Jewsbury on a long switch, Jewsbury’s touch took the ball into the box, but too far in front of him. But sloppy play from the Crew defense let Jack take the ball off of Tyson Wahl’s foot. In an effort to win the ball, Wahl lunged in late and flipped Jewsbury, but Will Johnson’s subsequent deflected strike found the back of the net for a momentary equalizer. The replay shows referee Jose Carlos Rivero taking steps toward the spot before Johnson’s strike finds goal, indicating if Johnson had missed, a penalty was probably forthcoming. In any event, swallowing the whistle and letting the goal stand was obviously appropriate. Verdict: Correct.

May 24, 2014 – Timbers @ New York Red Bulls, 74’ – Unlike the penalty against Vancouver, Villafana was on the better side of things in New York, as his dangerous cross bounced off a few bodies in the box and found Maxi Urruti at the backpost, where the on-form Argentine striker put home the winner. Among those deflections in the box, however, the ball hit the outstretched arm of Armando. It’s unclear from the replay whether referee Drew Fischer was preparing to call the handball – Will Johnson and Steve Zakuani were giving it a shout – but regardless of what the referee would have done, considering the goal occurred in any event, the correct thing to do was swallow the whistle. Verdict: Correct.

June 1, 2014 – Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps, 31’ – Here is where Stott got himself in trouble on Sunday.[2] After Urruti laid a ball off to Valeri, Matias Laba either committed a foul from behind or made a truly remarkable tackle. On replay, it’s awfully close. It looks like Laba gets his foot to the ball at about the same time as Valeri, but it also looks like that may be because he clipped Valeri’s shooting heel on the way. Under normal circumstances, this is a 50-50 call that the Timbers could justifiably feel unlucky, but not aggrieved to be denied. But considering Stott had blown for two penalties – including one that appears very questionable – for Vancouver already, he was wrong not to give a similarly close call to the Timbers. Verdict: Incorrect.

But, as noted above, the Timbers’ unrequited penalty shouts are remarkable in two ways. First, in their scarcity and futility. As best I can recall – and as affirmed by consultations with a few other close Timbers watchers – these three plays are the only ones this season in which the Timbers have had a decent argument for a penalty. And on two of those plays the Timbers scored, mooting the point.

The other thing those three penalty shouts have in common is that they’ve all occurred within the last four games. As of May 15, in the run-up to the game against Columbus, the Timbers offensive efficiency stats were terrible. According to Ben Jata of Opta, the Timbers were last in MLS in open-play crosses completed (11/108), were one of only three teams in MLS to have taken more shots outside the box than inside (68 to 65), and ranked 13^th in the league in final third pass completion percentage (62%).

The point, and this is so simple it almost sounds condescending, is that if you’re not getting into dangerous positions in the box you’re not going to get penalties. And as of May 15, the Timbers were among the worst in the league at getting into dangerous positions in the box. Thus, the dearth of penalty shouts early in the season wasn’t as much a function of bad luck or bad refereeing as it was a function of bad offense.

Since then, however, the Timbers attack has improved. They’re still shooting from outside the box more than inside (25 to 22), but their final third passing completion percentages have been 70%, 71%, 66%, and 70% in that spell, and their rate of successful open play crosses has skyrocketed (15/72).[3] Thus, it’s no coincidence that the Timbers team that had no decent penalty shouts in its first ten games had three in the last four games. As the attack has improved, so have their opportunities to earn penalties.

On Wednesday, in lamenting the Timbers inability to get calls at home, Caleb Porter said this to Jamie Goldberg of the Oregonian: "If it's a close call, we're probably not going to get it sometimes and if there's a close call the other way, we're probably going to have it go against us. That's a fact."

First of all, that’s an opinion, not a fact. But Red Pen Brigade snark aside, it’s incorrect to suggest the Timbers penalty woes have been caused by the referees. While Porter’s sentiments are an understandable reaction to a frustrating Vancouver game in which the Timbers were legitimately hard done on a couple penalty decisions by Stott, when looking at the season as a whole it becomes clear that the primary cause of the Timbers woes in the box has been internal.

Simply put, it’s not so much the referees or lady luck that’s haunted the Timbers in 2014, as it has been sloppy defense and an offense that took ten weeks to get in gear.

While eight-to-zero may be unequal, it is not manifestly unjust.

Onward, Rose City.

[1] Thanks to the valiant efforts of stat gurus at Opta, as well as Mike Donovan and Ben Jata, as best anybody can tell the MLS record for penalties conceded in one season is New York’s 10 in 2013. If that number is correct, the Timbers will nearly lap the field on their current pace.

[2] There is no replay of this on the MLS website, but if you have MLS Live it takes place at approximately 30:35 of the game, with the best replay coming at about 32:20.

[3] That represents a doubling of the completion percentage from 10.19% to 20.83%.

Seattle Away Goes On Sale Mon 9th June & FAQ

107ist Admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:27:30 GMT

* BUSES ARE SOLD OUT *

Match-only tickets are currently still available - 6/16/2014

Sunday, July 13 has all the markings of an epic football day. The World Cup Final kicks off at noon PST, and then the Timbers Army will be ready to show Seattle how it's done that same day at 7:00 PM.

Tickets go on sale Monday June 9th at 7pm for a day-long Seattle away experience that could be second to none in Timbers-Sounders lore. A match ticket only option is also available

Buses will depart Portland at 8:30 AM on Sunday 7/13, watch the WC Final in a designated TA (and all ages) venue that seats 1,500 in Seattle, then tailgate and head into the CLink in time for the 7:00 PM match.

As usual, tickets are limited and will be available to 107ist members only. One ticket per member.

The cost is $24 ticket only and $65 bus/ticket PLUS a limited edition Away Day Legends t-shirt!

Members will receive an email with a purchase link/password sometime on Friday June 6th. If you are a paid-up member but have not been receiving the weekly emails please first check your spam folder, if they are not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

If you join AFTER the initial email has been sent out on Friday, you will receive your email on Monday before the tickets go on sale. The absolute latest you can join and still be included is Noon on Monday June 9th. If you join after this time you will receive the links within 48 hrs, assuming we're not sold out.

FAQ

When will Seattle tickets go on sale?

Tickets go on sale Monday June 9th at 7pm.
Members will receive an email with a purchase link/password sometime on Friday June 6th.
If you are a paid-up member but have not been receiving the weekly emails please first check your spam folder, if they are not there email us at membership@107ist.org ASAP and we'll look into it.

What is the cost?

$24 ticket only.
$65 bus/ticket (includes a limited edition Away Day Legends t-shirt!)

Do I HAVE to be a member to buy one?

Yes.
We will offer tickets to members first and as this is our only regular season Seattle Away this year, we are expecting it to sell out very quickly.
Ticket purchases will be checked against our member database. If a non-member is somehow able to purchase a ticket, they will be refunded their money and suffer disapproving looks from Travel committee members.

Does that mean only 107ist have access to this away game, or does that mean the 107ist have first access to tickets, then tickets would be available to anyone?

107ist members have first dibs.
IF, and only IF, they do not sell out we will offer them to non-members at a slightly higher price. Again, this is our only regular season Seattle Away this year and we are expecting it to sell out very quickly.

Am I guaranteed a ticket by becoming a member?

No, you are NOT guaranteed a ticket.
You are guaranteed the chance to purchase a ticket.

How many tickets can I buy?

One ticket per member.

Does my husband/wife/friend/sister/grandma/pet frog need to be a 107ist member too?

Yes.

What's the fastest and easiest way to purchase the tickets when they go on sale?

Be ready to go as soon as tickets go on sale. Create an Eventbrite account if you don't have one and be logged in.
We recommend lightning fast internet and an actual computer rather than smartphone.
If you will be taking the bus, know which bus you and your friends want to be on before you attempt to buy your ticket.
Don't panic if the bus you want appears to be sold out. Give it about 10 minutes. Oftentimes, in their rush to get a ticket, people will place multiple tickets in their "basket". If those transactions are not completed in 10 or so minutes, the tickets are put back into the available inventory.

I just joined, where is my email with the link in it?

If you join AFTER the initial email has been sent out on Friday, you will receive your email on Monday before the tickets go on sale.
The absolute latest you can join and still be included is Noon on Monday June 9th

If we buy the ticket-only option, will we be able to attend the WC Final viewing party in Seattle?

Absolutely! The address info will be sent closer to the date.

Are the tickets general admission or assigned seats?

Tickets will have a seat number printed on them. However, the section is general admission and you are free to stand anywhere within our designated area.

What section will we be in?

Most likely 300 & 301

Will there be a ticket-only option this year?

Why can't we go by Amtrak?

Scheduling is the main reason. Of course, people are free to travel by train but as far as an official 107ist train, it is just not feasible and would most likely mean spending the night in Seattle.

If I buy a ticket on the bus, can I later switch it for the ticket-only option? (or vice versa)

Only in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
Please send an email to awaytravel@107ist.org with your request and we will do our best to accommodate it. Please do not wait until the last minute.

All my friends are on X bus, but I'm on Y bus - can I switch to be with them?

Only if there is an available spot on Y bus.
You will need to find someone on Y bus to switch with as the travel committee can not find someone for you.
If you do find someone to switch with, email awaytravel@107ist.org with your name, the other person's name, respective buses and contact numbers.

I can no longer attend, can I get a refund or sell my ticket to someone else?

Refunds only given in the case of a genuine personal emergency*
Tickets can only be sold to other 107ist members (unless purchase has been opened to all).
Email awaytravel@107ist.org with the purchaser's name, email address and contact info

I bought a "ticket only" for the Seattle away game. Where do I get the real ticket?

Tickets will be distributed in Seattle. You will receive an email closer to match day with all the details on where and when.

What if I can't get to the ticket pick-up in time?

It is imperative that you pick up your ticket on time.
Due to security procedures mandated by Seattle front office and CenturyLink, we are required to enter the stadium as a group.
If you cannot make it in time due to a genuine emergency**, please contact awaytravel@107ist.org AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and we will leave your ticket at Will Call.
Please be aware that the travel committee has their hands full on match day and are not always available by email. An emergency contact number will be emailed to everyone closer to the match

What if I get to will-call and there's an error with my order?

Call the emergency contact number (will be emailed to everyone closer to the match)

*Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part.

**Staying at the bar to drink longer is NOT a true emergency.

Timbers Army Campout on Mt. Hood

107ist Admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 22:26:34 GMT

Save the date and make plans now!

The weekend of August 15-16-17.

Revs v Timbers Kickoff is Saturday the 16th at 4:30pm.

While the Portland Timbers are away at New England come on up to the Mt. Hood National Forest and campout, rent a cabin, or just hangout for the day with the Timbers Army Govy Brigade.

We suggest reserving your accommodations now as the summer camping and recreation season is about to start and places will become very limited.

Our weekend Timbers Army Camping spots will be at Trillium and the Still Creek Campgrounds (both 10 minutes from Government Camp). If you are not into roughing it, Govy and Timberline Lodge have many condo, cabin, and room rentals, but we stress reserving now. Both campgrounds offer sites on a first come first serve basis. The key in that case is to arrive as early in the day on Friday as you can.

Note: We don't have designated Timbers Army sites at the Trillium or Still Creek Campgrounds so we suggest that if you want to be near other TA campers you make those accommodations on your own.

The Weekend Plans Include:

Weekend Camping: Trillium and Still Creek Campgrounds.

Friday: Happy Hour meet-up (3-5pm) at Mt. Hood Brewing.

Saturday: Timbers Army Gaper Pub Crawl starting at the Glacer Haus (2pm) and ending at The Ratskeller for the Timbers game at 4:30pm. (The Ratskeller is family friendly until late, + has horseshoes and a fire pit out back!)

Sunday: 8:30am breakfast at Charlie's Mountain View before heading off to the Thorns match at 2pm.

Are you in?

Info: Mt. Hood's Alpine Village of Government Camp, OR

General Info.

Accommodations:

Eating and Drinking in Govy:

Mt. Hood Brewing
Glacier Haus
Charlie's Mountain View (the best food and drink in Govy)
The Ratskeller
High Mountain Cafe (good coffee and sandwiches)
Huckleberry Inn
The Taco Shoppe

Recreation:

Ski Bowl
Mt. Hood Adventure

What You Need to Know - 6/4/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:28:26 GMT

Seattle Away Tickets Go On Sale Monday 6/9

All your questions should be answered here: Seattle Away

Jefferson Groundbreaking Celebration 6/6 10:00 AM

Calling all Timbers Army. Join Portland Public School Community Sponsors, students, project funders and community leaders as we break ground on the Jefferson, Wilson and Madison athletic fields project. All are invited. WEAR YOUR TA SCARF! Jefferson High School athletic field. 5210 N Kerby Ave, Portland, OR 97217 June 6th 10:00 AM

Rose City Futsal - Free Open Play and RSL away viewing 6/7

The 107ist has great partners, but few offer the chance to play footy on a real court onsite! Come to Rose City Futsal (5010 NE Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97213) for the away viewing this Saturday, June 7.

Enjoy FREE futsal open play for 107ist members on all three of their beautiful indoor courts from 5 - 7pm and then watch PTFC vs RSL on the huge 10’ X 20’ drop down screen. Clive’s Public House at RCF always offers $1.00 off beer purchases for all Timbers and Thorns matches to card-carrying 107ist members. Join the crew at Clive’s!

Fanladen Office Hours

Saturday, 6/7 5:00-6:30pm for Thorns ticket exchange, Riveters merch, new member signups, membership renewals, and membership swag (mug) pickup. To donate tickets, email them to info@rosecityriveters.org, and all proceeds will go to the tifo fund.

Featured Partner

Rose City Futsal and Clive’s Public House

It’s the site of this week’s big away viewing event and the home to 5 of the 7 current Timbers Army Futsal Teams. RCF is a top notch place and Clive always offers $1 off beers to 107ist members. Come check it out. Who knows, you may be inspired to sign up to play in the TAFC futsal tournament on 8/2 and 8/3 (see above events).

Other Partners

Looking for a good partner bar where you can catch the match? Try Hawthorne Hophouse (4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd. #7, 97214)! Show your 107ist card and get a 10% discount on all purchases. Valid any time with presentation of 107ist card, even during happy hour. Offer is only valid for the member presenting the card.

Up north, in the great state of Washington! That’s Timbers Country! Dublin Down (813 Main St. Vancouver, 98660) honors card-carrying 107ist members with $1.00 off all regularly priced, micro/import draught beers and appetizers. This special is available all day, every day!

Interested in becoming a 107ist partner? Join us by filling out the form or inquiring at Become a Partner.

If you read to the bottom, please relive this tender moment from the match against Vancouver.

The Actually Pay Attention Blog 6 (Pre World Cup Edition)

107ist Admin — Thu, 29 May 2014 22:32:41 GMT

—by Garrett Dittforth

Hey the Timbers have rolled off two wins on the road in a row. That's pretty awesome! Let's hope everything follows over into the weekend and we get some points in the race for the Cascadia Cup as well. Looks like we have 2 strikers who are in form. That is never a bad thing and a brace is always a good way to open one's account.

So the World Cup is happening in Brazil. What we can't forget is that Brazil, while not a poor country, isn't exactly rich and has a huge income problem. There have been massive protests against the country spending billions on stadiums while still having huge portions of their country living in shantytowns. The latest protest involved indigenous Brazilians and there were some pictures that can't be missed.

At this point we know a few things about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 1) They're going to play it in winter because even a child knows playing in 120 degree heat is dangerous. Apparently Sepp Blatter and Co. didn't understand this when they made their original vote. 2) Jack Warner is total slime. 3) FIFA is ripe with bribery, which makes the whole tournament sort of feel gross.

To get off the FIFA hate. THE TIMBERS WON AGAIN!!! That's a pretty good swing. The backline still terrifies me all the time but Jose Villafana looked pretty awesome tonight. Might make for difficult decisions once Harrington is healthy.

It was a pretty simple win against Chivas. We beat a club we are supposed to beat. The recap here pretty much says that all in a nutshell.

OK this is pretty funny. I think I was wearing the same shirt as Robbie Keane today. I can't wait for the all-star game to be back in LA so we can photoshop a bunch of Timbers players in Ed Hardy douche-bro shirts. Sorry LA...the truth hurts sometimes. I'll take flannel and an axe over Kim Kardashian every day of the week.

The CCL draw happened today. We got the Group of Death. Meaning you might actually die if you go there. If you actually go here's a preview of your flight into Tegucigalpa.

David Villa to NYCFC. Why Not? Gotta admit I'd prefer they put the focus on young players who have a future. Hope he enjoys finishing his career in a baseball stadium. I'm sure he'll love it cashing those checks and not caring at all.

Finn's Five. It's a new website. Surprisingly has some very good insights post match.

Refer a friend in May and win TA tickets to Seattle vs Timbers 8/24

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 May 2014 23:04:34 GMT

During the month of May, current 107ist members will be entered into a drawing for FREE Timbers Army Section Tickets for the 8/24 home match against Seattle when they refer a new or returning member to join the 107ist.

To be entered in the drawing, simply have a friend or family member sign up or renew and have them enter your name in the "referred by" field when they sign up. The winning draws will receive one GA ticket for the new or returning member and one for the member who referred them. NOTE: Renewing members will need to go to their profile page and update the referrer there as it will not show on the form

In addition, those who persuade 3 or more new or returning members to sign up during the month will be entered in the GRAND PRIZE DRAWING of a single reserved seat ticket in the FRONT ROW of South Deck section SD3. You can't get any closer if you want to give goalkeeper Stefan Frei some "advice" during the match.

One new or returning member = one entry. So, the more members you get to sign up, the more entries you get and the more chances to win for you and the people you refer.

TWO pairs of tickets (4 total) will be given away in this manner. So, you'll have minimum of two chances to win.

This is a great way to spread the word on the 107ist, and to have your friends and family introduced to the benefits of membership and all that it does for Timbers/Thorns Supporters, Youth and Adult Soccer in Portland, and for the community at large.

PLEASE NOTE:

IMPORTANT: Renewing members will need to go to their profile page and update the referrer there as it will not show on the form during signup. There is a link to the profile page on the renewal confirmation screen you are returned to after completing payment.
If you join in May you can then recruit other members and increase your chances to win, but you may not refer yourself for membership.
You MUST have the people that are signing up enter your full name (first and last) AS IT APPEARS on your 107ist profile page for us to match you up for the drawing.
The Contest will be valid for signups between 12am on 5/1 and 12am on 6/1.
Drawing will be held the week following the close of the contest and the winners will be notified by email.
All questions can be directed to memberinfo@107ist.org

Good luck!

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 5/28/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 May 2014 22:46:31 GMT

5/28 Thorns viewing party

We’ll be back at Blitz 99 (10935 SW 68th Pkwy Tigard, OR) to watch the Thorns take on Boston at 4:30pm. If you’re on the east side, Bazi Bierbrasserie will have the match on the big screen (please call ahead or check the Bazi website for reservations). If you need a scarf, t-shirt, patch, sticker, bandana, we’ll have those available at Blitz 99.

5/30 - Call for Volunteers: Book Return Days at Madison HS

Linda, the library assistant at Madison HS, will be faced with 1100 students returning as many as 50 pounds worth of textbooks each. So she can use your help getting them sorted, stacked, and packed away for next year. Note that while you don't have to be Superman to do this gig it will definitely involve more book lifting than the usual library shelving experience.

While book returns will be going on all day, if you can only come for part of the day then do so, if that's when you're available. Please just send a note to sherrilynn.rawson@107ist.org so she knows when to tell Linda to expect you.

5/30 - Join AC Portland for RAISE 2014

RAISE 2014: A Celebration of Sport, Creativity, and Youth!

Join AC Portland on May 30th for RAISE 2014, their second annual fundraiser auction at Kells Irish Pub. There’ll be Great Food. There’ll be some poetry. There’ll be a bunch of sports collectibles to bid on. Oh, and did we mention there’ll be Portland Timber players? Tickets are limited, so please purchase today!

5/30 & 5/31 - Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival

Visit the No Pity Van, pick up some of the new merch, and enjoy 56 Belgian-style beers from 50 brewing companies at the Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival.

Admission is free and 107ist members who show their cards can get a glass and 10 drink tickets for $15. Additional tastes are $1. 21+ only. Additional information is available here.

6/3 - TAFC Sponsored Evening Open Play at Buckman Field 8:00pm

Free open play next Tuesday at Buckman field. It’s open to all who are interested in learning more about joining the TAFC. Lace up your cleats and come out and join us for our informal kick around under the lights from 8pm to 10pm on the far field (next to VooDoo Donuts).

6/6 - Call for Volunteers: Book Return Days at Madison HS

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer. NOTE: Passes to the Nike Employee Store will be given to volunteers.

Sign-up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4EADAD2CA75-barefoot

6/15 - Timbers Army / Rose City Riveters March in the Pride Parade

6/21 & 6/22 - Save the date for our Stand Together Week project

We are currently working out the details for our involvement in this year’s Stand Together Week. Save the date for Saturday, June 21st to beautify Harrison Park SUN School at 9:00am (ages 6+) and/or, Sunday, June 22nd at 9:00am to help restore Baltimore Woods in Saint Johns (all ages). We’ll have signups ready soon and we look forward to seeing you out there.

7/27 - Thorns Away vs. Seattle Reign

8/2 & 8/3 - TAFC Futsal Tourney/TA-CPR Fundraiser

Register for a great weekend of futsal and fun with the TAFC at Rose City Futsal. Enjoy BBQ, CPR demonstrations, and a few surprises.

What You Need to Know - 5/28/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 28 May 2014 22:43:58 GMT

CONCACAF Champions League Draw This Afternoon

The Portland Timbers qualified for the 2014-15 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League as a result of being the top seed out of the Western Conference in 2013. The draw for the group stage of the tournament is being conducted this afternoon at 4pm in Doral Miami but will also be streamed live on concacaf.com.

Go here to see the full list of potential opponents the Timbers can host and the possible destinations we can travel in order to support the boys.

Last Chance - Special Fringe No Pity Sets

We just put the remaining sets of red, white and blue special fringe No Pity scarves online in the 107ist Member Store. All proceeds from these scarves go towards the Jefferson High School field project. Get the sets before they are gone!

Get Ready for Stand Together Week

Call for Volunteers: Book Return Days at Madison HS

Friday, 5/30 (seniors) and Friday, 6/6 (all students) are locker clean out days at Madison High School. This means that Linda, the library assistant, will be faced with 1100 students returning as many as 50 pounds worth of textbooks each.

She can use your help getting them sorted, stacked, and packed away for next year. Note that while you don't have to be Superman to do this gig it will definitely involve more book lifting than the usual library shelving experience.

Last Chance - Win Seattle Home TA & Reserved Front Row Tickets

Just 4 days left to get in on the 107ist membership referral contest. Have a friend or family member sign up or renew their membership online during the month of May and both of you can be entered to win. Read the contest details carefully--the more referrals you make, the greater your chances of winning.

Fanladen Office Hours

Sunday, 6/1 2:30pm - 5:30pm - before the Timbers match for member services, pickup of pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, face-to-face ticket exchange, and ticket donations. No merch sales at this time--visit the van or hit up the website.

You may also donate tickets online by forwarding them to ticketdonation@107ist.org for Timbers matches and info@rosecityriveters.org for Thorns matches. Proceeds will go to the respective tifo funds.

Away Viewing Partners

Want to see the Timbers slay the Goats and save some green? Check out the Timbers at one of our 107ist partner bars! The Sellwood Public House (8132 SE 13th Avenue, Portland) offers all card-carrying 107ist members $1 off their first pint all day everyday and extend happy hour offerings of $1 off the entire menu during Timber games. Great spot to watch a match!

Not in SE Portland? Paddy’s (65 SW Yamhill Street, Portland) offers 107ist members who show their card happy hour prices on food and drink all day on both home and away game days. Additionally, the first 20 members who show their card on game days will receive their first draught beer for $1.07 in honor of the section that started it all. Woot!

Featured Partnership: Cider Riot!

Don’t forget our non-pub sponsors, including one of our newest, Cider Riot! Show your 107ist membership card to Abe and get $5 off scarves and t-shirts, $1 off bar towels, as well as $5 off kegs at dock sales.

Interested in becoming a partner? Want to know more about the ones we have? Visit Official partners.

This is a little something special for those of you who made it to the end of this post.

The Morrison Report: Value of Press Edition

107ist Admin — Mon, 26 May 2014 23:06:24 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers didn’t do a whole lot right in the first half against New York on Saturday. Without their first choice central midfield, the Red Bulls repeatedly had their way in feeding the ball to the left wing and creating two-on-one situations with the Timbers’ fullbacks.

The result was a series of near misses in which Portland was only spared by poor Red Bull finishing, some last-gasp defending, and the linesman’s flag. The pressure applied by New York would have been a handful for the best defenses, and was simply too much for a sub-stellar Timbers backline.

It was no surprise, then, when Pa Modou Kah was caught with his right arm wrapped around Lloyd Sam in the box and whistled for a soft penalty.[1] It simply would have been nearly impossible for the Timbers backline to weather that much pressure without conceding.

But as shaky as the centerbacks looked in the first half, the responsibility for New York’s first half danger wasn’t primarily theirs. Rather, the Timbers slipped back into the six-man defending scheme that has broken down so many times in 2014. The Timbers attacking four, Maxi Urruti, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri, and Steve Zakuani, had zero – zero – recoveries in the first half.

That’s the same number I had sitting on my couch in Portland. And you. And your goldfish.

So the Timbers couldn’t have been more charmed to walk into the locker room at halftime level with New York after Maxi Urruti’s dangerous shot deflected past Luis Robles just before the break.

But to the extent the first half exposed one of the biggest reasons why the Timbers have struggled in 2014, the second half showed why there is still considerable reason to believe in the Rose City.

Whereas the Timbers had slipped into the fragile six-man shell in the first half, in the second stanza Portland came out to press with every field player. And that changed the game.

In the first half, New York was able to devote considerable resources to creating matchup advantages on their left wing. Jonny Steele, Bobby Convey, Eric Alexander, Thierry Henry, and Bradley Wright-Phillips all took turns flooding the attacking left with numbers before halftime. In the second half, however, New York couldn’t do so because those resources were occupied either trying to break the Timbers press or isolated and starved for service.

In the first half, Henry completed 16 passes, 14 of which found their destination in the attacking half and four of which went to areas in and immediately around the box. In the second half, Henry completed three passes, all around midfield, and two of which were retreating back into New York’s defending end.

The Red Bull attack that had been so successful in creating advantageous matchups down their left side in the first half was effectively reduced to thumping the ball to Bradley Wright Phillips, who had slid wide to the right, and hoping he would make a play with a secondary runner.

And those Timbers attackers who were utterly useless on defense in the first half? They combined for 13 second half recoveries, all but one of which were around midfield or higher.

Thus, while Maxi Urruti’s stellar form and brace will get the buzz between now and Wednesday’s midweek match, the story from Red Bull Arena was the Timbers’ midfield’s second half silencing of New York’s attack.

And in doing so, the Timbers showed what they’re capable of when the attacking core is defensively engaged and pressing high. In that second half, then, we saw the Timbers’ blueprint for salvaging 2014 with a run into the playoffs.

And that’s the value of the press.

Onward, Rose City.

[1] While there’s plenty of room to debate the merits of the penalty – I’m certainly no fan in light of Kah winning the ball independent of his arm around Sam and the ball heading away from the players when the foul occurred – nobody should be surprised at the whistle. From Andrew Jean-Baptiste playing ring around the rosie with Blas Perez in 2013 to Futty wrapping his arm around Giancarlo Gonzalez against Columbus a week ago, the Timbers should know by now that arms around a defender in the box are an invitation to the referee to point to the spot.

The Morrison Report: Belly of a Lion Edition

107ist Admin — Sat, 24 May 2014 23:08:10 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

Will Johnson was wrong.

Contrary to Johnson’s postgame quip, this Timbers team isn’t a hybrid lion-goldfish, taking the field with a foolish courage that generates plenty of drama but a paucity of points.

The Timbers are all lion – heart, brain, and belly.

Without a doubt Johnson was correct about the Timbers’ heart. Five times in 2013, constituting results that have earned the Timbers seven of their ten points, the Portland has scored in the 79^th minute or later to earn a result. The team’s willingness and ability to scratch a result out of a game gone sour is unquestionable. As Johnson put it, they play with the heart of a lion.

The Timbers have also shown the brain of a lion at times. Just as the lion looks to prey on the weak and young in a pack of impala, the Timbers have at times in 2014 effectively found tactical and matchup weaknesses in their opponents to exploit.

At home against Seattle, the Timbers exploited a deep-dropping Sounders backline to fill the nets with uncontested Diego Chara strikes from outside the box. Against D.C. the Timbers identified and preyed upon Chris Rolfe and Cristian on the United left side as the their metaphorical fawns.

But the Timbers have also shows the belly of a lion. While patient, tactical, and ultimately ruthless hunters, lions are notorious for resting on their laurels after a successful hunt.

That’s a perfectly fine luxury atop the food chain.

The Timbers, however, are far from the top of the MLS food chain. And they’ve paid dearly for their post-hunt satisfaction.

Against D.C., the Timbers grabbed an early goal by way of Gaston Fernandez before immediately being pinned in their own end by D.C. and eventually conceding a goal on a Davy Arnaud deflected shot from distance in the not-too-distant future.

In the first half against Columbus, the Timbers again struck early only to give up an equalizer within ten minutes. And again in the waning moments, immediately after the Timbers fought their way back from a man-down and goal-down disadvantage, Portland lollygagged their way to another concession.

But these plays have more in common than just their timing after a concession. They all involved at best nominal defensive efforts from the Timbers’ attacking players.

While Arnaud’s shot was a bolt out of the blue, it’s notable that Diego Valeri – the closest player to Arnaud when the ball was sent to him – barely moved to apply pressure while Diego Chara – who ultimately got the deflection – had to come from much farther away to apply pressure.

The Timbers were tipping their cap again when Federico Higuain answered Maxi Urruti’s opening goal a week ago, but Higuain’s excellence never would have happened had Steve Zakuani showed any interest in routinely closing Higuain down.

And finally, just after Will Johnson equalized against Columbus, it was Darlington Nagbe’s lack of urgency in either covering an overlapping run from Josh Williams or communicating with Jorge Villafana to pick up the on-ball Ethan Finlay that froze Villafana and allowed Finaly to get his shot off from the top of the box.[1]

Three concessions shortly after goals, three big goals negated, three indifferent defensive performances from the Timbers attack.

In four of the last five home matches, the Timbers have taken early leads that they subsequently coughed up. While defensive misdeeds by the Timbers attacking midfield hasn’t been exclusive to post-goal comas, the lapses from the attacking midfield unit have been especially damning for the Timbers when opponents throw numbers forward trying all-too-successfully to negate their recent concession.

The Timbers have six points out of twelve in those four games in which they took early leads at home. Six points dropped from four games they should have won.

That’s the price of having the belly of a lion.

Onward, Rose City!

[1] This, by the way, all happened off the kickoff, making the whole sequence especially inexcusable.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 5/21/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 21 May 2014 23:12:01 GMT

5/24 - Viewing Party & Youth Soccer Fundraiser at Lompoc

Join John Bain and Timber Jim at Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant patio and brewery, 3901 N Williams Ave on May 24 from 3pm to 6pm for a Timbers viewing party (vs. NYRB) and silent auction. The auction will raise funds for the West Side Timbers Premier Soccer Club U13 Copa to travel to New Mexico to participate in the US Youth Soccer Far West Regional League. It will feature soccer memorabilia, MLS items, Adidas merchandise and brewery packages.

Also at this event, Lompoc will present the 107ist with a donation from the 2013 season sales of Kick Axe Dry Hopped Pale Ale. Lompoc donates $5 from every keg sold. We will direct this year’s funds to a new field at Jefferson High School. For more information, visit the Lompoc brewing website.

5/27 - TAFC Sponsored Evening Open Play at Buckman Field 8:00pm

We will once again host open play next Tuesday at Buckman field. It’s open to all who are interested in learning more about joining the TAFC. Lace up your cleats and come out and join us for our informal kick around under the lights from 8pm to 10pm on the far field (next to Voodoo Donuts).

5/30 - Join AC Portland for RAISE 2014

RAISE 2014: A Celebration of Sport, Creativity, and Youth!

5/30 & 5/31 - Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival

Visit the No Pity Van, pick up some of the new merch, and enjoy 56 Belgian-style beers from 50 brewing companies at the Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival. The festivities will take place at Metalcraft Fabrication, 723 N. Tillamook.

Admission is free and 107ist members who show their cards can get a glass and 10 drink tickets for $15. Additional tastes are $1. This is a 21 and over only event-sorry parents with minors. Additional information is available here.

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer.

Grassroot Soccer is an organization that works to raise awareness and help prevent the spread of HIV using the power of soccer. In 2013, Portland Barefoot Soccer became the highest-earning Grassroot Soccer-sponsored event in the world. Help beat last year's earnings of over $25,000 by volunteering in any of the many roles the tournament folks need filled. NOTE: Passes to the Nike Employee Store will be given to volunteers.

Sign-up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4EADAD2CA75-barefoot

6/15 - Timbers Army / Rose City Riveters March in the Pride Parade

7/27 - Thorns Away vs. Seattle Reign

8/2 & 8/3 - TAFC Futsal Tourney/TA-CPR Fundraiser

Get together a team of 8 (for $40 a player) or 9 (for $35 each) and register for a great weekend of futsal and fun with the TAFC at Rose City Futsal. Enjoy BBQ, CPR demonstrations, and a few surprises. Be able to say you were part of the first EVER full on Timbers Army Tournament and raise funds for the TA-CPR initiative at the same time.

All skill levels are welcomed from complete novice to seasoned expert.

What You Need to Know - 5/21/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 21 May 2014 23:09:08 GMT

2014 Pride NW Parade - June 15

Sign up to march with the Timbers Army / Rose City Riveters in the 2014 Pride NW Parade! Close on the heels of the overturn of the ban of same sex marriage, this year’s parade promises to be bigger and better than last year’s! Don’t miss out! Register here

TAFC Futsal Tourney/TA-CPR Fundraiser – Aug 2-3

An exclusive registration window will soon be open for 107ist members, but you gotta be quick. It's first come first served, and the 32-side field with a minimum guaranteed play of 4 games over the two days will fill up fast. Don't miss this one. Who will lift the trophy? Be a part of history and find out.

Viewing Party & Youth Soccer Fundraiser at Lompoc - May 24

Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival - May 30 & 31 at Metalcraft Fabrication

Visit the No Pity Van, pick up some of the new merch, and enjoy 56 Belgian-style beers from 50 brewing companies at the Cheers to Belgian Beers Beer Festival. The festival will feature a single yeast strain for the beers entered, determined by a dart throw to diversify the color and strength of the beers.

The festivities will take place at Metalcraft Fabrication, 723 N. Tillamook. The outside area will be tented and food from Philadelphia's Steaks & Hoagies and Urban German will be available on Friday and Saturday. Food from the Bunk Truck will be available after noon on Saturday.

Win Seattle Home TA & Reserved Front Row Tickets

There is just over one week left to get in on the 107ist membership referral contest. Have a friend or family member sign up or renew their membership online during the month of May and both of you can be entered to win. Read the contest details carefully--the more referrals you make, the greater your chances of winning.

Fanladen Office Hours

Wednesday, 5/21 5:00pm - 6:30pm, and Saturday, 5/24 5:00pm - 6:30pm - Before and briefly after the Thorns matches for Riveters merchandise sales, member services, pickup of 107ist mugs and pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, face-to-face ticket exchange, and ticket donations.

** You may also donate Thorns tickets online by forwarding them to info@rosecityriveters.org. Proceeds will go to the tifo fund.

Away Viewing Partners, Barlow Tavern and Caps ‘n Taps

107ist partners are a great place to watch the Timbers on the road and to save some serious coin. As the Timbers take on New York on Saturday at New York, consider taking the match in at Barlow Tavern, located at 6008 North Greeley Avenue in Portland, OR 97217. Card-carrying 107ist members are entitled to Happy Hour drink prices all day, every day. Barlow Tavern televises the Timbers games as well as football played worldwide. If you don’t see the game you want, just ask your friendly bartender to change the channel!

Further afield, consider Caps n’ Taps, located at 337 NE 4th Avenue in Camas, WA. 107ist members enjoy $1 off any pint! Great value during match day!

Featured Partnership: Brunch Box

Like saving money with your 107ist card? Our featured partner this week is Brunch Box (Restaurant location at 620 SW 9th Ave. Portland, OR 97205). Show your 107ist card and enjoy $1.00 off the Lumberjack breakfast sandwich. So good!

Interested in becoming a partner? Want to know more about the ones we have? Visit Official partners.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 5/14/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 14 May 2014 23:28:45 GMT

5/14 - Thorns vs. Dash Away Viewing 5:00pm

Today’s Thorns away viewing is at Blitz 99 in Tigard (10935 SW 68th Pkwy Tigard, OR 97223). Leave work a few minutes early and come join the Riveters as we watch our NWSL Champion Thorns take on the Houston Dash. Game starts at 5:00pm, 21 and over.

If you’re looking for an all-ages venue to catch the game, Bazi Bierbrasserie will have it on the big screen in SE Portland (1522 SE 32nd).

5/18 - Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters NAMI Walk Team

Join fellow supporters walking in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Support Team Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters today with either a cash donation or join them on the walk.

5/20 - TAFC Sponsored Evening Open Play at Buckman Field 8:00pm

Our weekly open play resumes next Tuesday 5/20. Open to all who are interested in learning more about joining the TAFC. Lace up your cleats and come out and join us for our informal kick around under the lights from 8pm to 10pm on the far field (next to VooDoo Donuts).

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer.

Sign-up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4EADAD2CA75-barefoot

6/15 - Timbers Army / Rose City Riveters March in the Pride Parade

More details to follow, but save the date for our participation in this years Portland Pride Parade on the morning of June 15th.

What You Need to Know - 5/14/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 14 May 2014 23:25:30 GMT

New Merch Ready to Drop this Weekend

In case you missed it, the crew over at No Pity Originals put up a sneak peak of some new hats that will be available this weekend at the van.

In addition to the caps, we have a very limited quantity of those awesome green and gold socks the Timbers rock with their 3rd kits. They’ll be on sale to current 107ist members ONLY at the No Pity Van on Saturday for $25.00 (one pair per membership).

Rose City Riveters Seattle Away

Bus and match tickets are on sale for July 27th’s #SpaceNeedleAway. Info on pricing, schedule and everything else can be found on the Rose City Riveters’ website.

Win Free Seattle Home TA and Reserved Front Row Tickets

There are only two weeks left to get in on the 107ist membership referral contest. Have a friend or family member sign up or renew their membership online during the month of May and both of you can be entered to win. Read the contest details carefully--the more referrals you make, the greater your chances of winning.

Featured Partnership: Igor Mortis at Tiger Lily Tattoo

Like saving money with your 107ist card? Our featured partner this week is Igor Mortis at Tiger Lily Tattoo (4616 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland; 503-288-1555). 107ist members who present their membership card to Igor at Tiger Lily Tattoo get 10% off any tattoo or 20% off a Timbers/Timbers Army themed tattoo. Note: This offer is only applicable for tattooing done by Igor Mortis at the studio.

For more info on 107ist partners, or to become one, go to Become a Partner.

Fanladen Office Hours

Saturday, 5/17 4:00pm - 7:00pm - before the Timbers match for member services, pickup of pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, face-to-face ticket exchange, and ticket donations. No merch sales at this time--visit the van or hit up the website.

Wednesday, 5/21 5:00pm - 6:30pm - before and briefly after the Thorns match for Riveters merchandise sales, member services, pickup of pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets, face-to-face ticket exchange, and ticket donations.

You may also donate tickets online by forwarding them to ticketdonation@107ist.org for Timbers matches and info@rosecityriveters.org for Thorns matches. Proceeds will go to the tifo fund.

The Morrison Report: The Death of Porterball Edition

107ist Admin — Tue, 13 May 2014 23:30:32 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

“Obviously they played very direct, so when teams play direct, it’s hard when the ball’s bouncing around. It became a really direct game. Both sides of the ball. They were pressing. We were pressing. You know, that happens in this league. Some games aren’t games where you have a lot of the ball, a lot of the rhythm. . . . When you get pressed, it’s hard to play out of the back.”

That was Caleb Porter after a disappointing 1-1 draw against the L.A. Galaxy in which the Timbers were dominated in nearly every offensive statistical category. While the Timbers weren’t run off the field by the Galaxy, it’s hard to deny Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, and company had the better of the proceedings.

“I don’t think you need to play with a big number nine. I think there’s a myth that in the number nine it has to be a big, tall guy. That’s old school. If you look nowadays, guys like Suarez, he’s not big but he plays the number nine. If you look even in MLS, guys like Di Vaio, guys like Camilo, they’re small guys but they do it through being technical, being smart, good movement. My prototypical number nine isn’t a big, tall, slow guy. It doesn’t work for us because we need a guy who is mobile, who can press, a guy that’s active and can stretch. I don’t think size plays into it for me too much.”

That seemingly unrelated quote was Caleb Porter after a preseason draw with San Jose answering a question about whether not having a traditional number nine made matters more difficult against a packed-in defense.

“The system that we play in, which the 4-2-3-1 or a modified 4-3-3, we need someone up top who can occupy defenders and with occupying defenders also stretch the field.”

Rather than Porter, however, that was Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers General Manager. There, as reported by Dan Itel for MLSSoccer.com, although truncated in a later version of the story, Wilkinson was talking just two days after the draw with the Galaxy, about the need for a number nine with both size and speed.

While the relationship between the three quotes isn’t initially obvious, in context of the Timbers season as a whole it becomes clear that the first quote is indicative of an example of the reason why the third quote has usurped the second as the Timbers attitude to the traditional number nine.

Simply put, those three quotes represent the ascension, downfall, and ultimate death of Porterball.

In 2013, with the Timbers all the rage among the MLS punditry, many around Portland and the league breathlessly praised “Porterball,” the name branded on the Timbers’ high-pressure, patient passing identity.

And while the Timbers surely showed those characteristics frequently in 2013, the true genius of the Timbers attack was its flexibility. While “Porterball” may have been the Timbers calling card, Portland’s offense was flexible enough that the Timbers could dial up a number of other schemes when circumstances so required.

And so the Timbers did through crucial games and stretches on 2013. From an early win over Colorado, to a late homestand that catapulted the Timbers to their Western Conference crown, to their dominant performance in leg one of the opening round of the playoffs, the Timbers showed they could absorb pressure when opponents came out to press and play much more direct to get results.

Thus, while “Porterball” got all the ink, the balance on the roster and the tactical chalkboard lifted the Timbers to some of their most important results. Therein was the true genius of Caleb Porter’s 2013 Timbers.

2013’s urban legend, however, became 2014’s reality. “Porterball” became Porterball.

Whereas the 2013 roster was largely constructed by Wilkinson in Portland with Porter pulling strings from Akron, the Timbers brass looked to Porter to shape the 2014 team in his image.

And that he did. In place of Ryan Johnson and Jose Valencia, two of the Timbers most direct threats, Porter rolled out Maxi Urruti and Gaston Fernandez, players who more closely fit the ideal number nine Porter described in preseason. Out were the big number nines. In were the pressing playmakers. While Frederic Piquionne remained, his role on the team never appeared to be more than a late substitute, and even that modest role quickly waned to waiver when his performance faltered.

Simply put, during the offseason, the Timbers handed the keys to Caleb Porter and Porter doubled down on Porterball.

In doubling down, however, the Timbers may have overplayed their hand and become too doctrinaire – too Porterball. Throughout this early stretch of 2014, opponents have sold out in various ways to frustrate the Timbers’ attacking identity. And by and large Portland hasn’t had an effective Plan B.

So it was against the Galaxy. With L.A. pressing, as Porter discussed postgame, the Timbers didn’t have an effective direct threat to break down the Galaxy’s pressure and ask genuine questions of Bruce Arena’s makeshift backline. Arguably the Timbers most effective attacking player – Steve Zakuani – was also the Timbers’ most direct player. And yet, time and again when he earned some space to whip a cross into the box, his indirect teammates weren’t poised to take advantage.

Wilkinson’s statement to Itel, then, signals a welcome retreat away from the pure manifestation of Porterball expressed in Porter’s preseason quote. And reading into the subtext of Porter’s statement on Saturday, it appears the gaffer himself is backing away from his Porterballing utopia.

And this week the rubber has hit the road on the Timbers’ retreat to a more moderate philosophy, with Piquionne replaced by Nigerian youngster Fanendo Adi in a predecessor move to the signing of Wilkinson’s foreshadowed designated player number nine in July.

But the substance of the statements isn’t the only indication of moderation of the Timbers philosophical identity. Rather, it’s significant that the heretofore-silent Wilkinson gave an interview in which he spoke not only about the mechanics of potential deals – the traditional provenance of the technical director – but also the tactical necessity of acquiring a certain type of player – the traditional provenance of the manager.

Now, of course Wilkinson will not be usurping Porter’s role as manager. But recall that, by necessity, Wilkinson had an active role in assembling the well-balanced 2013 roster, and appeared to have less influence in doing so in 2014.

Thus, this apparent moderation may signal the reemergence of Wilkinson as a counterbalancing force to Porter in the Timbers’ technical decisions. Caleb Porter and Gavin Wilkinson are by no means two peas in a pod with respect to personality or philosophy.[1] And by balancing Porter’s visionary idealism with Wilkinson’s staid pragmatism, the Timbers may be trying to find their way back to the balanced path that led them to success in 2013.

Doing so, however, requires the relegation of Porterball back to “Porterball.”

Onward, Rose City!

[1] To be clear, this isn’t to suggest there is conflict between Porter and Wilkinson. I certainly have seen no evidence of dissonance between the two. It is simply to point out they are – and always have been – quite different.

What's the Point?

107ist Admin — Tue, 13 May 2014 20:26:50 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

*This is an opinion piece and does not represent the opinion of the 107ist board. It is my personal opinion.*

So tonight is the U-23s' first US Open Cup match. I haven't done this in a while but I've got to admit I'm getting pretty fed up with this whole thing. If you haven't heard of the U-23 squad here's the rundown from the team website.

Founded Nov. 11, 2008, the Portland Timbers U-23s is an amateur team affiliated with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer and serves as a development platform for the club's first team. The team consists of standout players from collegiate and youth programs from Oregon, the Northwest and throughout the country, and competes in United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League (PDL). Since their founding, six Timbers U-23s players have signed with the first team, including goalkeeper Jake Gleeson and defender Bryan Gallego as well as Timbers Homegrown Players Steven Evans. The Timbers U-23s assembled an historic campaign in 2010, posting a perfect 16-0-0 record during the regular season on their way to becoming the first undefeated champion in PDL history.

I'm thinking real hard here. So as far as I can remember two players from our U-23 squad have played for the first team. Jake Gleeson (on loan to Sacramento and hasn't seen any first team time since 2011 in an emergency situation), and Brent Richards (injured, released, last seen jogging in my neighborhood a couple weekends ago). Other than that we have Steve Evans, who has no appearances in 2 years, and Bryan Gallego, who we had to trade with New York for the homegrown player's rights (collecting all the Zips). Other than that, I guess we have signed two other players from the U-23 squad that made enough of an impact for me to not have the faintest remembrance of what their names are.

I was doing a little research this afternoon whilst looking at our current U-23 roster and the nearest thing that I would imagine has the chance of being considered homegrown talent is a defender from England who plays for Oregon State. Oh and there are two Zips on the roster cause ALL THE ZIPS! If one were to compare our U-23 roster with a certain team that also has a U-23 squad in roughly the same geographic area as Portland, one could see there is a bit of a difference regarding the rosters. Did you catch the difference that I'm catching? Well if not here's what I saw. If you look at Portland's U-23 roster, the players home states read like this: Virginia, California, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, England, Costa Rica, Ecuador and so on and so forth. If you look at Seattle's U-23 roster there is a smattering of home states not named Washington, but if I'm counting correctly, I found 19 players from the region around Seattle.

We're 5 years into having a U-23 team that has now come to the point that there is absolutely no homegrown talent on the roster. What does that say about our academy system? In the words of a friend, "Why are we running a summer camp for players eligible for the draft or owned by other MLS squads?" What's the point of having a U-23 squad when we aren't using it to develop our own players? How does it benefit the first team? Anyone?

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 5/7/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 07 May 2014 23:36:03 GMT

5/10 - Oregon Food Bank

The Oregon Food Bank has come to the Timbers Army with a request for volunteers. This isn’t a usual OFB request for Food Bank volunteers, its a request for anyone and everyone that can help on such short notice.

May 10th is the National Letter Carriers Food Drive. They need volunteers to Adopt-a-Route, picking up food (using your vehicle) from doorsteps and mailboxes and volunteers at the post offices to help unload donated food from the carriers trucks and volunteer vehicles.

They’ve given us a list of where volunteers are needed the most, so look to see if one is convenient for you to help out. Here is the link for sign-ups: http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/Volunteer/Individuals-and-Families/Events

5/14 - TAFC Tuesday Kickaround (Every Tuesday until June 20th)

TAFC will once again be running a FREE OF CHARGE open play schedule for the Spring every Tuesday night from 8-10 under the lights on the Soccer field (closest to VooDoo) at Buckman field park (NE 12th Ave & Everett St)

5/18 - Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters NAMI Walk Team

Join fellow supporters walking in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Support Team Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters today with either a cash donation or join them on the walk.

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer.

Sign-up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4EADAD2CA75-barefoot

What You Need to Know - 5/7/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 07 May 2014 23:34:33 GMT

New Chants: Learn them, Love them, Live them

As you may have heard at the DC United match, our capos broke out a new chant. Well, in reality, they have two new chants at the ready, and you should study them, and be ready to bring it on Sunday.

Here they are with lyrics on YouTube

Give the Gift of Soccer

It’s been said that soccer is the great equalizer. We couldn’t agree more. And, that’s why our community partner AC Portland was started. Their goal is to help kids grow into happier, healthier, more creative people, all with the help of the beautiful game. And while we can’t fix the education budget shortfalls that affect Portland schools, we can do something about it.

RAISE 2014: A Celebration of Sport, Creativity, and Youth!

Tickets are limited, so please purchase today!

Wristband Policy Change for LA Match

Note: We are simply passing this information along to make sure everyone has it, we do not control the wristband distribution.

From the Timbers front office:

"Wristbands will be issued on Saturday, May 10th sometime between 8am and 12pm. Any wristbands remaining after 12pm will be held and issued starting at 8am on Sunday, May 11th. No lines will be allowed after 12pm on May 10 due to the Portland Thorns FC match that evening."

Membership Referral Contest

To be entered in the drawing, simply have a friend or family member sign up or renew, and have them enter your name in the "referred by" field when they sign up. The winning draws will receive one GA ticket for the new or returning member and one for the member who referred them. NOTE: Renewing members will need to go to their profile page and update the referrer there as it will not show on the form

In addition, those who persuade 3 or more members to join during the month will be entered in the GRAND PRIZE DRAWING of a single reserved seat ticket in the FRONT ROW of South Deck section SD3. You can't get any closer if you want to give goalkeeper Stefan Frei some "advice" during the match.

Featured Partner

Like saving money with your 107ist card? Our featured partner this week is Green Drop Garage (1417 SE 9th Avenue, Portland, OR 97214). Present your 107ist card and receive a $25 Eco-Oil Change (retail $40). Up to five quarts. (Note: This price does not include diesel and synthetic grade oil changes. Diesel and synthetic grade oil changes receive $15 off.)

For more info on 107ist partners, or to become one, go to Become a Partner

Fanladen Office Hours

If you pre-ordered a set of the limited edition red, white, and blue fringe No Pity scarves, you can pick them up this Wednesday night.

The fanladen (1633 SW Alder St.) will have office hours on Wednesday, 5/7 from 6:30pm - 9:00pm for special fringe scarf pickup, new member signups, membership renewals, and membership swag (mug) pickup. Sorry, no merch sales at that time; save those for the No Pity van on match days, or at www.nopityoriginals.com (http://www.nopityoriginals.com/) online.

The fanladen will be open on Sunday, 5/11 from 8:00am - 11:00am before the match to facilitate face-to-face ticket exchange and ticket donation. You may also make an online ticket donation by forwarding unused tickets to ticketdonation@107ist.org, and proceeds will go to the tifo fund.

Member services will also be available on Sunday, including membership signup or renewal, membership swag/mug pickup, and pickup of pre-orders of special fringe scarf sets. Again, no merch sales at this time - visit the van or hit up the website.

Match Report: Desperation Earns Timbers Desperately Needed Win

107ist Admin — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:37:20 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

For fifteen minutes, the scene at Providence Park was unnervingly familiar on Saturday night. After a strong first half with extended periods of positive play, the Timbers took a 2-1 lead into the second half with D.C. United seemingly on the ropes. As a matter of habit, however, the Timbers shrank on the backside of halftime leading to the Timbers conceding the all-too-familiar late equalizer.

But then something out of the ordinary happened. The Timbers threw everything forward in a desperate attempt to snatch three points from the jaws of another draw. And it worked.

It didn’t take long for the Timbers to get on the board. Thirty-four seconds in, Darlington Nagbe took the ball off of Cristian’s foot, left Jeff Parke kicking at air, and set Diego Valeri free up the right. Valeri bent a low cross to Gaston Fernandez who chipped to himself over Bill Hamid and volleyed in the opener.

The Timbers, however, reacted poorly to their goal, and for the next five minutes D.C. battered Portland with a barrage of attacking set pieces that the Timbers survived only by the grace of the crossbar.

Having weathered the set piece storm, however, the Timbers went back to tormenting United’s left flank. In the 9^th minute, Jewsbury released Valeri down the right side where Diego caught up to it on the byline and whipped a diagonal cross to Fernandez at the top of the box, but La Gata leaned back and pulled his finish wide of the far post.

Eight minutes later, it was Nagbe’s turn to visit the promised land near the touchline. Darlington cut the ball back for Valeri at the top of the box, but his shot, which, like Gaston’s a few minutes earlier, had a chance to beat Hamid, dribbled wide.

Portland wouldn’t have to wait long to miss another good chance, as a minute later Will Johnson turned over D.C. in midfield and set Valeri on a long run toward the box. Once there, Valeri played to his countryman who found space among four United defenders, but fired high.

While working hard not to make it 2-0 in favor of Portland, the fates conspired to further bring D.C. back into the game. With not a whole lot going, Davy Arnaud took a crack from the better part of 40 yards that caught a wicked deflection off of Diego Chara and somehow looped into the upper corner.

The Timbers quickly reestablished control, however, and had a great chance to pull back in front in the 37^th minute when Nagbe (I’ll let you guess where on the field he was) crossed to Fernandez in front of goal for what looked like a likely finish, but a last minute intervention from Boswell put the ball behind for a corner.

The ensuing corner was more fruitful, however, as the Timbers flattened D.C.’s defense with near post runs from Jewsbury and Pa Modou Kah, leaving Futty to get foot to Valeri’s service at the penalty spot where he slotted it into the bottom corner. Although perhaps unlucky to be up only one goal heading into the locker room, the Timbers’ play in the first half on Saturday was among the best form Portland has shown all year.

Despite Caleb Porter telling the Timbers not to change anything in the second half, however, the Timbers came out of the locker room conservatively. In the type of lapse Porter called “psychological” after the game, the Timbers took their foot off the attacking gas pedal. For a spell, the Timbers withstood United’s pressure without notable consequence, as D.C. possessed plenty of the ball, but struggled to break down an organized Timbers midfield and defense.

And as the hour passed, the Timbers briefly looked prepared to reassert their will on the game. In the 62^nd minute, Nagbe switched the field from the right to Steve Zakuani on the left, where the new Akronian drove inside along the top of the box and unleashed a dangerous shot toward the far post, but Hamid saved in the bottom corner.

Six minutes later, Fernandez chipped Nagbe into the box where he wiggled his way past Parke, Cristian, and Hamid. Rather than look to in front of goal where a wide-open Will Johnson running into the box, however, Nagbe tried to right-foot a shot from a hopelessly tight angle on the right, only to predictably find the wrong side of the side netting.

The Timbers’ inability to put themselves out of reach came back to bite them in the 78^th minute. After Fabian Espindola hit a D.C. corner to the top of the six-yard box, Futty narrowly beat Cristian to the ball, but his contested header deflected inside the far post for yet another set piece concession.

The Timbers of March and April made a habit of poorly dropping points at home. And on Saturday the Timbers of May looked set to do the same.

But this time desperation set it, which was never more clearly demonstrated than when Porter pulled Jewsbury—who had a solid defensive game—off the field in favor of Maxi Urruti, indicating an unmistakable intent to win or lose trying.

Soon enough the chances starting coming. In the 86^th minute, Kalif Alhassan and Darlington Nagbe set Fernandez up with a golden opportunity in the box, but the seemingly routine finish eluded La Gata as the ball skied high off his boot.

Another Fernandez chance and a Valeri crack wide later and it appeared destined to be another one of those days in the Rose City.

But the Timbers had one last gasp in them. After Diego Chara fed a partially cleared corner back out wide to Diego Valeri in the final minute of stoppage time, the on-again maestro found Urruti near the near post. Urruti’s first effort rattled the post, but the rebound returned to his foot and Maxi slid it home at the death.

The desperation of staring another crushing disappointment in the face allowed the Timbers to turn the familiar sting of a letdown into a last gasp win and, with some good fortune, to begin the process of solidifying Portland’s footing on the season.

Match Observations

The Right Way

The Timbers found almost unlimited success down the right side on Saturday night. Unlike many instances in 2013 in which the Timbers focused on moving down one side, the Timbers did not do so by packing one wing with personnel. Rather, the Timbers used positional discipline in other parts of the field to create quality, rather than quantity, advantages on the right.

With Diego Chara and Will Johnson sitting central and deeper, and Steve Zakuani patrolling the left touchline, the Timbers were able to isolate Nagbe and Valeri on Chris Rolfe and Cristian. That matchup was just as advantageous for the Timbers as you’d think it would be, as Nagbe and Valeri took turns terrorizing D.C.’s left side.

When D.C. tried to adjust to this by devoting extra resources to the right—which, frankly, wasn’t as frequently as I would have expected—the Timbers were able to switch to Zakuani on the left. While Zakuani had a quiet first half, his second half spell was much more productive.

Adding that element of width and directness back into the Timbers offense, then, may be one of the keys to getting Valeri and Nagbe fully on track. If the Timbers can keep Zakuani healthy or get Rodney Wallace back to full fitness, the return of a true left winger may be the additional element the Timbers attack needs.

Set Piece Defending

In some ways, 2014 has to feel like a game of Whack-a-Mole for Caleb Porter. As soon as he solves one problem, another pops up. Now nine games into the season, the Timbers’ problems are well known. And while on Saturday Porter seemed to have figured out how to reinvigorate his offense, the old nemesis of set piece defending reared its head again.

Although the Timbers ultimately conceded on a set piece in the second half, the poorest defensive efforts were in a first half in which Donovan Ricketts and the crossbar had to make an unhealthy number of saving plays to keep the ball out of the net.

Early in the season, much was made of the success—or lack thereof—of the Timbers’ zone set piece marking scheme. On Saturday, the Timbers deployed a more traditional man-to-man scheme as they have for the past few weeks, a schematic shift that had been met with fanfare from the punditry. Nonetheless, some of the Timbers poorest set piece defending of the year took place in the first half. Thus, for all that was made of this-scheme-or-that, it’s clear the fundamental problem with the Timbers’ set piece defending remains personnel.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 6 Showed excellent positioning and even got to ground a couple times to make a few important saves. He’s not to blame for either concession, and, aside from the shaky first few minutes, otherwise didn’t have a whole lot to do.

Michael Harrington, 5.5 The Timbers defense had D.C. pretty well bottled from the run of play. In a game in which the Timbers were pretty conservative with both fullbacks, that gives Harrington a little bump above the median line.

Pa Modou Kah, 5 Bears a tiny bit of responsibility on the second concession for following his mark too far on the set piece and allowing Boswell to pull him out of position to make a play on the ball. Otherwise, however, it was a much-needed solid game from Kah.

Futty, 6 Great goal to put the Timbers back in front in the 38^th minute, and generally had a nice game in defense, but he was a step late reacting to the ball on the second concession. That sin may have been met with harsher condemnation but for Urruti’s winner.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Like Harrington, Jack hung back a little bit more than usual, which served to benefit his defensive game. Overall, things were pretty quiet on Jack’s right flank.

Will Johnson, 5 Solid, somewhat understated day from Will. Though neither defensive central midfielder ventured too far forward, Johnson was generally the more conservative of the two. His grade would have been higher if Nagbe had squared the ball across goal in the 68^th minute. If his teammates don’t start looking for Johnson’s late runs, we may be in for increasingly intense on-field temper tantrums.

Diego Chara, 6 Led the game in recoveries, and was a little bit more aggressive than Johnson in both positioning and distribution.

Steve Zakuani, 5.5 How do you grade Steve Zakuani? If you’re looking at just Zakuani, you’d say he was pretty quiet, albeit with a little bit more impact in the second half. If you’re looking at the secondary effects of Zakuani on the left touchline, you’d say he was among the Timbers’ most important players.

Diego Valeri, 8 Easily the Man of the Match for me. The positional fluidity he showed along with Darlington Nagbe dispelled the myth that Valeri needs to be in the center of the field to maximize his impact. In the end, he effectively assisted on all three goals, even if the last one didn’t go in the book on account of Urruti hitting the post before putting the rebound away for the winner.

Darlington Nagbe, 6 The timeline of his possession stats confirms appearances; Nagbe is still having a little bit of a hard time being as active late in games as he is early on. Still, his overall game was solidly in the positive category, as his partnership with Valeri was unstoppable for spells.

Gaston Fernandez, 6 A goal and six shots for Fernandez, who showed the best tactical understanding of any Timbers number nine on the year. The enticing part, however, is that he’ll likely put away some of the opportunities he missed on Saturday given a little more time to build rhythm.

Kalif Alhassan, 5.5 Kalif attempted two passes in his first fifteen minutes on the field, and then ten passes in the next ten. Was key to reestablishing that rightward dominance in the waning minutes.

Maxi Urruti, 6 He didn’t waste his mulligan. We may look back on that in a few months and find that very, very important.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, United 0. Urruti.

Actual Result: Timbers 3, United 2. Fernandez, Futty, Urruti.

Onward, Rose City!

The Actually Pay Attention Blog 5

107ist Admin — Fri, 02 May 2014 23:37:45 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

I took a break. The Timbers have been pretty forgettable so far this season. I'm also pretty high on the Blazers right now and their record doesn't depress me so I've been skipping this for the past few weeks. I'm sorry and I'll be better. Apology over!

Timbers specific links first!

For my first link I guess I'm going for blood. If you haven't read this you are part of the problem. Despite the fact I may actually be yelled at for supporting this statement. I'm posting it because it is absolutely true and has been for several years. Yes I have personally met Gavin. Yes he is a nice guy. Yes I do think he needs a different role within the team.

This is a link to to The Offside Rules Podcast. There are some gems in there. I think it will make everyone in Portland smile. Note the advice about what not to do.

MOAR PODCAST! This is the 5mtko podd #84. I spent 55 minutes this morning with this gem. Really great discussion in there about our academy system, some of the struggles so far this year and personnel from the masters of Timbers podcasting.

Here is a nice update on Jake Gleeson and how he's doing down in Sacramento from The Sacramento Bee. Sounds like he's making the most of his opportunity while on loan.

Check out this weekend's match preview over on Stumptown Footy.

Jamie Goldberg at The Oregonian wrote a profile on Michael Nanchoff. It seems that his personal relationships with other players are starting to pay off with his play on the pitch.

From around MLS.

The Colorado Rapids signed a kit sponsor. From the looks of it they did pretty well for themselves.

It may be difficult to grasp but it sounds like there is a lot of excitement in Atlanta over the new franchise.

Want to know how the first year MLS players are doing around the league? Here you go.

Ever wondered what your favorite MLS haircut says about you? Now you can find out.

That's all for this week. Let's hope the Blazers close out the Rockets tonight with a win and the Timbers pull out their first win of the season on Saturday!

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 4/30/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 23:42:12 GMT

5/3 - Riveters Away Viewing

The Riveters viewing party for Saturday's match against Western New York will be at Blitz 21 at 4 p.m.. They will have merch available: scarves, patches, stickers, bandanas and t-shirts. This event is 21 and over only.

5/3 - Cystic Fibrosis Walk

We are the Rose City. We are the City of Roses. If anyone should be raising money for a disease known as Sixty-Five Roses, it's us. Join the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters Great Strides team to help the fight to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Spend a classic (rosy) Portland May day walking at Oaks Park to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There's even promise of picnics and discounted amusement-park fun.

Also, those who raise or donate at least $20 will be entered in a raffle for two second row sideline tickets (118 B) to the Timbers match against DC United on the day of the walk. The drawing will be held April 30th.

5/7 - TAFC Tuesday Kickaround (Every Tuesday until June 20th)

5/18 - Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters NAMI Walk Team

Join fellow supporters walking in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Support Team Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters today with either a cash donation or join them on the walk.

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer.

8/2 - Come run the Pride Glow Run - Support Pride NW & Save

Pride Glow Run is an evening run on August 2nd that supports Pride Northwest. There will be a Timbers Army team, and the organizers have been generous enough to offer us up a discount over the already-discounted group price.

For more info on the run visit the event website

To register:

Visit their Registration Page

Click "Join a Group" and Enter "Timbers Army"
Click "Enter Promotional Code" and Enter "TIMBERSARMY" and Click Apply
Choose the Team Registration and enter the number of registrations you wish to purchase
Complete your registration as normal

What You Need to Know - 4/30/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 23:39:23 GMT

Limited Duration Raffle to Meet Players Past and Present

Our friends at Harper’s Playground have given 107ist members a unique last minute opportunity to raise money in support of both Jefferson High School and the next Harper’s Playground project here in Portland. For the next 24 hours we will be selling 107 raffle tickets for $10 to win a unique package for this weekend’s game against DC United that ties together the legends of the past and players of today. All the proceeds will be split 50/50 between the two projects.

Package Includes:

Four tickets to this weekend’s game against DC United
Pre-game photo and meeting opportunity with three Timbers legends – John Bain, Jim “Timber Jim” Serrill, and Mick Hoban
Post-game player meet-and greet with autograph passes

Purchase raffle tickets here, but remember they are capped at only 107 and the window to buy is only open until Thursday at noon.

NWSL Championship Trophy Photos

Riveters who shared a spectacular evening at the Fanladen with the NWSL championship trophy and Allie Long, please find your photos here.

Big thanks go out to our patient and talented photographer, Ray Terrill.

Partner News

107ist partners are so much more than bars! This includes Vista Hills Vineyard, located at 6475 Hilltop Lane in Dayton. 107ist members receive complimentary tasting (normally $10) with a 107ist card during normal tasting room days, 12-5 daily and half price tasting during special events. Members also receive 15% off wine purchases (does not apply to sale items, and cannot be used by wine club members in addition to wine club discount.)

Visit our partner page for more info on all of the 107ist partners, as well as how to join our program.

Fanladen hours this week

The fanladen (1633 SW Alder St.) will be open on Saturday, 5/3 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm for ticket exchanges, special fringe scarf pickup, new member signups, membership renewals, and membership swag (mug) pickup.

The fanladen is open before all home matches to facilitate face-to-face ticket exchange and ticket donation. If you have an extra ticket to donate or sell, or if you need an extra ticket on match day, come to the fanladen to connect. Our one rule: NO SCALPING. Exchanges may be made for face value or less ONLY.

You may make an online ticket donation by forwarding unused tickets to ticketdonation@107ist.org, and proceeds will go to the tifo fund.

The fanladen will also be open for member services. Come on down if you wish to join the 107IST or to renew your membership, or to redeem your free mug coupon as a member. And yes, you really do need to bring the coupon to get the free mug!

Sorry, no merch sales at the Fanladen; save those for the No Pity van, or at www.nopityoriginals.com online.

107ist Presentation to Portland City Council

107ist Admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 23:40:56 GMT

The 107ist recently gave a presentation to the Portland City Council which can be viewed here: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/article/488498

It starts at 24:33 and runs to 49:30. To jump to the start scroll down the list under the video and select item# 351

What You Need to Know - 4/23/2014

107ist Admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 00:37:37 GMT

Thorns Home Opener

The Riveters will be set up at Fanladen Saturday for face value ticket exchange, 107ist member services and merch sales until 45 minutes before game time. If you have tickets that you'd like to donate (any proceeds will go to the Riveters tifo fund), please email them in pdf form to info@rosecityriveters.org.

Inside the stadium, we want to again concentrate our energy in sections 106-108. We want to make sure we're loud and proud to welcome the Thorns home after their first two road games. If you want to practice chants ahead of the time in the safety and security of your own home, a lyric sheet can be found at rosecityriveters.org.

TAFC Tuesday night Kick Around

Interested in learning more about how TAFC works? Want to find out how you can join a team or start your own? This is a great place to begin.

Remaining dates will run from April 29th through June 20th.

Last Week to order Stuff of the Month

5 shirts, 1 scarf, 1 knit hat, 1 mystery item - all for just $107

This gear is produced in limited quantities for our subscribers. A year of Timbers Army gear, at a great price, shipped directly to your door! Don't miss out, subscribe today! http://www.nopityoriginals.com/

The Art of Play--An Art Auction - 2 for 1 tickets!

On Thursday, April 24th, Harper's Playground invites you to join in for "The Art of Play" (6:00-10:00 pm, REfuge PDX, 116 S Yamhill St). - an evening of playful art, music, fine food and drink, fun conversation, and good company. This is a fundraiser for the future of Harper's Playground and for the community. Proceeds from the evening will go directly towards the organization's mission to bring 4 more Harper's Playgrounds to Portland, Oregon by 2020.

If you'd like to attend, we have a special offer: two tickets for the price of one!

Link to purchase tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-art-of-play-an-art-auction-tickets-10869939281

Final Reminder: Columbia Employee Store Shopping

You have until tomorrow at noon register to shop at the Columbia Employee Store.

Fanladen hours this week

If you pre-ordered a set of the limited edition red, white, and blue fringe No Pity scarves, you can pick them up this Friday night. The fanladen will have office hours on Friday, 4/25 from 6:30pm - 9:00pm for special fringe scarf pickup, new member signups, membership renewals, and membership swag (mug) pickup. Sorry, no merch sales at that time; save those for the No Pity van on match days, or at www.nopityoriginals.com online.

Partner News

Looking for a place to watch Sunday's match vs Houston? perhaps you'd like to check out one of the following 107ist partner bars:

NEPO42 (5403 NE 42nd Avenue, Portland): Show your 107ist membership card and get happy hour beer, happy hour well drinks, and happy hour food – all day every day!

The Pit Stop (10245 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton): 107ist members who show their membership card get $1 off drinks anytime except during happy hour or on any other discounted drinks.

107ist partners are so much more than bars! This includes Coco Donuts, conveniently located at 709 SW 17th Avenue, next to Providence Park. 107ist members who show their cards get 20% of their purchase.

Visit Official partners for more info on all of the 107ist partners, as well as how to join our program.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities - 4/23/2014

107ist Admin — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 23:43:27 GMT

Come run the Pride Glow Run - Support Pride NW & Save

For more info on the run visit the event website

To register:

Visit their Registration Page
Click "Join a Group" and Enter "Timbers Army";
Click "Enter Promotional Code" and Enter "TIMBERSARMY" and Click Apply
Choose the Team Registration and enter the number of registrations you wish to purchase
Complete your registration as normal

4/28 Children's Book Bank, 1:30-4:00pm

Come out and volunteer with us on the afternoon of April 28th at Marshall High School as we help address childhood literacy by assisting the Children's Book Bank to get books ready for distribution in the Portland Public School community.

5/3 - Cystic Fibrosis Walk

5/18 - Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters NAMI Walk Team

Join fellow supporters walking in support of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Support Team Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters today with either a cash donation or join them on the walk.

6/8 - Portland Barefoot Soccer, 8:00am-4:00pm

Come to Concordia University's field to volunteer with Portland Barefoot Soccer to help raise money for Grassroot Soccer.

Sign-up to help here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4EADAD2CA75-barefoot

The Actually Pay Attention Blog 2

107ist Admin — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:23:24 GMT

—by Garrett Dittfurth

Hey NYC launched their new badge. It's actually a great design. It doesn't look like a cartoon. Yes I am picking a scab.

Good points here from 5mtko. I disagree with Toluca's manager because they played San Jose who plays some of the worst football known to the human race. But I guess they can kind of win in MLS and obviously almost win in CCL. It would be wise of all the hype boys at MLS to start cramming the awful football played in San Jose down their face. Goonies never say die. That was shot in Oregon and it never coincided with a bunch of people who got glory calling themselves the Bash Brothers. Eff you San Jose, you suck and you are doing a disservice to football in America.

This is going to prove interesting. The Sounders have ended business ties with the Seahawks and appear to be headed in their own direction. Let's hope this is for the best as we haven't exactly been treated great in Seattle the past.

Two games in we have one of the most hilarious MLS hype stories already. It's hilarious because there are only like 30 more games to go. Cue the sarcasm thing where I roll my eyes.

Steve Zakuani is definitely a curious case here. He's a terrible rapper. Anyone that looked at anything remotely related to the MLS website in the last year probably had to sit through that awful commercial from XBox. His on field abilities are definitely better than his in studio abilities and while I am conflicted with him as a former Sounder I definitely feared those moments he came in the game against us. Dude is a game changer and can do good work. If you're reading this, Steve...kiss the badge when you score. Just some friendly advice.

Rifer wrote a match report that is better than anything anyone is paying for...again. So you should probably be paying attention to them.

Chalk this up as a laugh. Jurgen is complaining Deuce is getting fouled too much. Sorry, bro. I think Darlington Nagbe has a much longer record of being fouled in the league rather than the goldenboy the league probably spent WAY too much money on.

And that's your weekly.

Match Report: Timbers Good, Rimando Great in Salt Lake

107ist Admin — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 23:48:10 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

In many ways this one hurts the most. With seemingly every sign pointing toward a drubbing in Sandy, the Timbers put in their best performance of the season at the Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night, but nonetheless came away empty-handed in a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake.

The first ten minutes looked as forecasted, as RSL dominated the ball and put the Timbers under siege early. Portland’s defense held firm, however, only allowing a 9^th minute Luke Mulholland cross to nobody from the left[1] in a sequence unlocked by the magnificent Javi Morales.

Despite initially showing some attempts to spread the field with both fullbacks getting up the line a little bit, the Timbers seemed to retreat into a more conservative setup as the opening spell of play progressed. For the rest of the evening, the Timbers were a little bit more conservative both with their fullbacks and their defensive central midfielders, choosing to pick their attacking spots rather than try to surround Real Salt Lake with midfield numbers.

Sometimes a retreat can create an attacking advantage. After the initial fifteen minutes, the Timbers began to get their foot on the ball. And in the 19^th minute, they very nearly put the ball in the goal.

After Darlington Nagbe ran by all of the RSL midfield and defense, he burst through on Nick Rimando and from close range put the ball in the perfect spot from a tight angle—high and over the keeper’s head. Nagbe’s shot would beat every other goalkeeper in MLS, but on Saturday it couldn’t beat Rimando, who swatted it away. Darlington wouldn’t be the only Timber feeling so robbed on Saturday.

As the half progressed, however, the game began to foreshadow its entertainment quality. After RSL’s initial spell, the Timbers asserted themselves for their own quarter-hour. The Claret-and-Cobalt battled back, however, and in the 40^th minute nearly broke through. Mulholland, who had himself a nice attacking first half, set Olmes Garcia free down the right wing. Garcia cut the ball back into the box for Alvaro Saborio, whose finish went wide under pressure from Pa Modou Kah.

The Timbers should have been encouraged at halftime. While they hadn’t put Real Salt Lake under tremendous pressure, they controlled enough of the play to limit RSL to one clear look at goal and created the best chance of the half for themselves.

The second half started in much the same fashion, with the Timbers holding their fair share of the ball, but Real Salt Lake presenting the greatest attacking impetus even if they couldn’t unlock Portland’s backline.

The first good chance of the half came for RSL in the 57^th minute when the Timbers struggled to fully clear a corner, allowing the ball to rotate back to Morales on the left wing. The best Argentine on the field fired a cross back into the box where Chris Schuler got free head to it, but the central defender couldn’t keep his finish on frame.

The Timbers answered back with a trio of quality chances that unfortunately fell to the ineffective feet of Maxi Urruti. In the 58^th minute, Urruti gathered a bouncing ball and drove at RSL’s defense, but his well-struck shot was denied by the crossbar.[2] A minute later, Diego Valeri, despite having a tough outing, played a pretty chipped pass through to Urruti in the box, but Maxi didn’t have his feet right to provide the finishing touch.

Urruti really made a mess in the 60^th minute, however. After Diego Chara tackled the ball away from Mulholland, the ball fell to Urruti and set him on a free run at goal between Schuler and Borchers. In perhaps the biggest moment of the game, however, Urruti pushed his finish disappointingly wide. Whereas the prior two had been half-chances Urruti couldn’t quite convert, this was the type of golden opportunity a legitimate MLS striker has to put away or force heroics from the goalkeeper. Urruti did neither.

Having failed to capitalize, the Timbers couldn’t continue their surge, and as the game neared its final fifteen minutes RSL shifted decisively onto their front foot. In the 73^rd minute, Chris Wingert ran past several Timbers defenders, including a gassed Kalif Alhassan and a momentarily lame Chara, and slipped the ball through to Javi Morales. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s string-puller, however, pushed his finish off the post and Will Johnson cleared.

There was no post to save the Timbers five minutes later. After Sebastian Velasquez found Ned Grabavoy in the middle, the journeyman midfielder drove toward the left corner of the eighteen-yard box, a step ahead of Nagbe the whole way. What truly made the play that was about to happen, however, didn’t occur on the ball. Rather, Joao Plata put Jack Jewsbury in a bind by making a decisive run wide on the left wing,[3] forcing Jewsbury to decide whether to step to Grabavoy or let Plata loose where Ned could spring Joao on the byline. Simultaneously, RSL queued three runners up at the back post, making Futty justifiably hesitate to rotate to cut off Grabavoy’s look at goal.[4] The result was an open lane for Grabavoy to fire at goal, where he cut the ball back under the hand of an underachieving Donovan Ricketts and inside the far post.

The Timbers didn’t go away, however, and were unlucky not to find at least an equalizer. In the 85^th minute, Gaston Fernandez found Alvas Powell on the right side of the box with a beautiful vertical ball, but when Powell looked to cut the ball back across goal toward the back stick, Nick Rimando somehow managed to keep his trailing foot in long enough to deflect the ball away.

Rimando was back to the heroics three minutes later. After an uncharacteristically poor giveaway by Kyle Beckerman, Fernandez bought a foot of space at the top of the box and left-footed a curler toward the top corner, but a diving Rimando was there again to parry behind for a corner kick.[5]

Thus, the most complete performance by the Timbers to date went begging in Sandy. A Portland team that managed the game very well, created a sufficient number of chances, and limited Salt Lake to a relative handful of opportunities nonetheless came away empty-handed as a result of a little poor finishing, a well-worked RSL goal, and a boatload of brilliance from Rimando.

But while Saturday wasn’t short on moral victories, it was short on points. And that’s becoming a concern.

Match Observations

GOALZ

Result notwithstanding, Saturday was a really good soccer game.

While it’s easy to look at a 4-4 match and come away thinking it was an epic, Saturday provided everything—short of a Timbers win, I suppose—to please the discerning soccer eye. Both attacks created a fair number of chances, albeit in very different ways. Those chances, however, usually weren’t the result of especially bad defending, as both defenses were solid, perhaps with Portland’s being the sturdier on the evening. In addition to both sides playing pretty well, the game featured a really well worked late goal, some outstanding goalkeeping, and a genuine push for a late equalizer.

No, Saturday didn’t provide the drama that Portland-Seattle did a few weeks back; but there is no question that, considering the two teams on balance, it was a much better played game. Goalz, it turns out, aren’t everything.

Reforming the Shield

DieJo's Recoveries

The Timbers were a bit more conservative with Will Johnson and Diego Chara on Saturday than they have been. And to great effect.

First of all, the two of them dominated the center of the field in front of the defense, rendering that part of the pitch a virtual dead zone for the Claret-and-Cobalt for extended periods on Saturday. Chara and Johnson combined for 21 recoveries, a very substantial portion of which were in that crucial transition zone into RSL’s final third.

Second, Chara and Johnson did a great job of feeding the ball to the wings, where the Timbers found a fair amount of attacking joy. Together, DieJo completed 74 of 86 passes, with Johnson’s 41 of 46 leading all 90-minute players in passing percentage.

DieJo's Passing

Both of these things were key elements to the increased defensive continuity, as the central shield made it difficult for RSL to find promising attacking angles and their precision with the ball helped Portland keep their foot on the ball and away from RSL.

Timbers Grades

Donovan Ricketts, 3 Ricketts doesn’t look right out there. Looked awkward when he was forced to move around and, if we’re being honest, 2013 Ricketts makes the save on Grabavoy. In a game in which his counterpart dazzled, a fair amount of the culpability for the game’s lone goal falls on Ricketts’ shoulders.

Michael Harrington, 5.5 In a game in which RSL were primarily trying to exploit the Timbers’ right side, Harrington had a quiet but effective shift offensively and defensively on the left.

Pa Modou Kah, 6 After giving up a horrible goal last week, Kah produced his best defensive performance of the year. Still a couple lost runners and squirrely clearances, but on the whole pretty good considering the opposition.

Futty, 5 A little bit shakier than Kah, but a wholly acceptable performance from Futty. Bears a tiny slice of the culpability on the concession, but, in reality, it was just a good goal.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 In a similar boat to Futty on the concession. Could have made a play to potentially stop the strike, but not without opening up a different, equally dangerous play. Solid performance from Jack, who made service difficult from his flank.

Will Johnson, 6.5 Let his frustration out perhaps a bit too much after the game, but he and Chara put in a masterful performance in front of the backline.

Diego Chara, 6.5 DieJo was back on Saturday and Chara should have had the best tackle/assist in recent Timbers history but for Urruti’s bad miss. No coincidence that Chara was hampered by a knock throughout RSL’s best spell in the second half.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 What a wonderful play in the first half only to be absolutely robbed by Rimando. Still, hard not to notice Nagbe (again) faded a bit as the match wore on, with his redundant run with Urruti and failure to close down Grabavoy as the biggest sins. Are we certain he isn’t still carrying that hamstring niggle?

Diego Valeri, 4 Aside from his brilliant chip to Urruti, it was a tough night for Valeri. For a guy who thrives on space, RSL was always going to be a tough matchup. The concern going forward, however, is about a knock Caleb Porter referenced postgame.

Kalif Alhassan, 4 Had a nice first half, but ran out of gas in the second and became a liability by the 65^th minute. Playing at altitude isn’t easy and he missed a few weeks in the early season, but his fitness has to improve.

Maxi Urruti, 2.5 His analytics line is shocking for a player who was on the field for ninety minutes. Sometimes strikers don’t log much in the stat column if they’re starved for service, but good ones find other ways to contribute and the Timbers weren’t without chances. Urruti had a few opportunities fall to his feet, and by and large made a mess of them. You have to wonder about the stability of his starting spot…

Dumpster Fire

Gaston Fernandez, 6.5 …in light of Gaston Fernandez’s performance on Saturday. While he looks most comfortable in the 10 spot, where he was quite good against RSL, Fernandez has been solid, if not perfect, at the 9 as well. At this point, he gives the Timbers a better chance to win than Urruti in that role.

Michael Nanchoff, 6 What an opportunity for Nanchoff and he didn’t let it pass by. Nanchoff just worked his way into a rotation that is very short on attacking options off the bench right now.

Alvas Powell, 6 Speaking of working his way into a role on the bench, Powell showed why he’s a better fit as a late-game attacking substitute than as a starter at right back. Great run and good finishing touch on his should-have-been goal. But here’s the question in the back of my mind about Powell: Is he the next Rodney Wallace?

Preseason Prediction: RSL 1, Timbers 0. Saborio.

Actual Result: RSL 1, Timbers 0. Grabavoy.

Onward, Rose City!

[1] Mulholland, for what it’s worth, was playing on RSL’s right wing. Morales isn’t the only guy in their offense with the freedom to roam a little bit.

[2] It’s worth noting Darlington Nagbe’s movement on this play didn’t do Urruti any favors. The way the ball fell, it was essentially a 2v2 with Nagbe and Urruti against Schuler and Nat Borchers. Rather than commit to a wide run or dovetail inside to drag a defender away from Urruti (or spring himself if neither went with him), Nagbe basically just ran three yards to Urruti’s left, doubling Urruti’s run and essentially allowing both Schuler and Borchers to defend the ball. If you’re wondering why the Timbers offense has had a hard time getting things going, it’s things like this.

[3] Compare Plata’s run with Nagbe’s discussed in footnote two. It can seem pedantic to harp on little things like this, but this stuff makes and breaks plays. RSL did these things on Saturday. The Timbers didn’t. That’s ballgame in what was otherwise a very good performance from Portland.

[4] After the game, some, including Rodney Wallace in studio for the broadcast team, questioned Jewsbury’s positioning on the play. While hindsight certainly counsels Jack should have stepped to Grabavoy, if Ned had been able to play Plata in behind, the Timbers would have been in a world of hurt with Saborio, Velasquez, and Morales all poised to make runs starting from the back post. Simply put, because of the way RSL set that play up and because Nagbe couldn’t get goalside of Grabavoy, Jewsbury was up a creek without a paddle.

[5] Will Johnson was steamed at the time and after the game that Fernandez didn’t feed him through on the left. While that was certainly a possibility, considering Johnson was pretty wide and Fernandez did well to steer his shot dangerously on frame, I don’t think the Captain really has much to complain about.

The Morrison Report: Faltering Flexibility Edition

107ist Admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:51:15 GMT

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers are behind the eight ball. That the results have been poor thus far is beyond debate. But more fundamental problem for the Timbers is how easily opposing defenses have blunted the once-incisive Portland offense.

For the first five games of the season, opponents dropped their lines deep to keep the Timbers from breaking through on goal. Lacking final third chemistry or a decisive striker to break down the backline, this strategy kept the Timbers at bay for the first four games of the season. Time and time again the Timbers moved their way through the midfield only to stall on the edge of the box.

The results they did earn in this stretch, draws against Philadelphia and Chicago at home, came by way of balls that fell their way to the feet of Gaston Fernandez sitting at the back post. By and large, however, the Timbers made middling backlines look impenetrable.

Portland finally put an end to this against Seattle. Although perhaps a couple weeks later than promised, the Timbers finally produced a multiple goal effort in which the offense did its part to earn a victory. With the Sounders doubling down on the sit-deep strategy, the Timbers drove around and at Seattle’s backline. When they gave Diego Chara time and space on the edge of the attacking third – time and space that had also been there to varying degrees in the previous fixtures – the Colombian made them pay with a pair of strikes from the top of the box. When Portland found a way to the backside of Seattle’s backline by way of good combination play between Michael Harrington and Darlington Nagbe to dive toward the byline, Diego Valeri planted himself at the near stick and fired into the goal.

Finally it appeared the Timbers had found a way to break down their opponents’ prevent defense. The consequence was seemingly that Portland would force their foes to come play on the Timbers’ turf in midfield.

And that’s exactly what Chivas USA did last weekend. Rather than sit back as their predecessors had done, the Rojiblancos flooded the midfield with Goats to disrupt the Timbers’ passing lanes and keep Portland’s one remaining potency – the attacking midfield – from finding any rhythm.

This represented a gamble for Chivas. By deploying as many as seven or eight players at times into primarily disruptive midfield roles, the Goats would expose themselves if Portland’s strikeforce could break through and, on the attacking end, put their offense in a position where it wouldn’t be able to quickly throw numbers forward. Chivas’s gamble, then, was that Portland’s man up top – Maxi Urruti – wouldn’t hurt them too badly while Portland’s backline would at some point gift the Goats a goal.

That, of course, is precisely what happened. Urruti struggled to help break the midfield stalemate with his alternatively ill-placed or ill-timed runs and Pa Modou Kah masterminded a defensive mishap. Sure, Nagbe and Will Johnson made a play. And, sure, the Timbers had the better quality chances even if they didn’t have the better of the ball. But for the most part Chivas got what they wanted from their midfield war of attrition – a draw in the center of the park and on the results sheet.

But the Timbers saw this tactic a few times in 2013. So why did it flummox them on Saturday?

Because the 2014 Timbers as they stand today are not the 2013 Timbers. Not even close.

Despite the Porterball stereotype breathlessly peddled by a nuance-averse media, the Timbers’ offense in 2013 was most remarkable for its flexibility. Last year, if an opponent sat back and tried to absorb pressure, the Timbers smothered them with possession. If an opponent came out pressing, however, hoping to disrupt Portland’s powerful midfield, the Timbers the Timbers bludgeoned them with a direct attack built on strong wing play and an underrated strikeforce.

The starkest example of the latter in 2013 was a June 23^rd undressing of the Colorado Rapids in which the Rapids came out to pressure the Timbers in the midfield, outshot the Portland 18-6, and, in an uncommon feat at the time, split the possession. But Portland didn’t care. To counter, they went as direct as any team in MLS, with Rodney Wallace logging a trio of assists in the easy 3-0 triumph.

That flexibility to transform into a direct threat is a luxury Portland doesn’t have in 2014. The players that permitted the 2013 Timbers to do so are gone, unavailable, or ineffective. Departed are Ryan Johnson and Jose Valencia. Injured is Rodney Wallace, whose surprising play on the wing was instrumental a year ago. Ineffective is Frederic Piquionne, who was firmly rooted in his deserved resting place on the bench on Saturday despite two substitutions left in Caleb Porter’s pocket and a game that begged for the Timbers’ only direct threat. Indeed, Piquonne’s exclusion was an appropriately damning indictment of the veteran’s disinterested performance so far in 2014.

And so, last Saturday the Timbers missed their 2013 offensive flexibility as Chivas flooded the midfield. But whereas Chivas could only hope to gum up the Timbers gears by flooding the midfield with disruptive numbers, Real Salt Lake’s famed diamond acts more like a tornado than a flood.

Rather than win the midfield by attrition, Salt Lake’s “narrow diamond,” as Caleb Porter referred to it on Tuesday, wins the midfield by creating micro-advantages. Along with being narrow, RSL’s midfield is also mobile, making it look at times like a small band of four marauders roving through the midfield. Thus, rather than try to outnumber its opponent in the midfield on a macro scale as Chivas did last week, RSL likes to pick its spots offensively and defensively, creating three- and four-on-twos in the spots they choose to turn opponents over and establish their own passing groups.

Thus, just as Chivas did a week ago, the Claret-and-Cobalt gum up opposing midfields, but they usually do so using four players rather than the Goats’ seven or eight. In addition, RSL boast a backline that is arguably better than the Timbers at every position and a strikeforce that carries one of the best game-for-game goalscorers in MLS.[1]

The current one-trick-pony Timbers midfield, then, plays right into RSL’s hands. And because the Timbers lack the attacking versatility of 2013, it’s hard to see any viable alternative. Add to that Portland’s defensive woes coming up against a ruthlessly efficient RSL frontline, and it’s difficult to envision a favorable result ripe for the Timbers’ picking in the Land of Plenty.

On Tuesday, Porter hinted at a tactical rabbit he has left to pull out of a hat. What remains to be seen, however, is whether such a rabbit exists. To date, however, the Timbers’ offensive flexibility has been far from magical. If the Timbers remain limited to their one trick on Saturday, they are likely heading into a Spencer-style away loss.

Onward, Rose City!

[1] Alvaro Saborio scored a stunning 12 goals in 16 league games in 2013.