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/

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.

—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

—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.

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.

Photo by Ray Terrill

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 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

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. 

—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/

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.

Read more about MLS Community MVP and vote for Keith here.

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!

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

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.