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 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!

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

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!

Authored by: Steph Nova (@stefnoves)

Steph offers up her opinions on chanting in the North End. This editorial represents the views of Steph Nova, and may or may not represent the opinion of the Timbers Army, the 107ist, or its board of directors.

“Hey, Portland Timbers- We salute you!”

This is what the players hear as they come onto the pitch, the din of the Timbers Army behind them, singing in full voice. But I’ve noticed something a bit different lately- people are ad-libbing a bit. And it’s kind of distressing.

The idea of the Timbers Army, as I’ve been told, is that we’re here to support PTFC. Support generally means positive, enthusiastic cheering for the good guys in green, but recently I’ve noticed a lot more negativity from the North End. I dunno if it’s new people coming in, folks getting mad at the lackluster results the Timbers have provided all season, or just a misunderstanding of the game. The loudest chants coming from us this season seem to be “Fuck you, Ref!”, really any line with profanity in it, and hollering “dodgy keeper!” at fellas who are keeping embarrassingly clean sheets against PTFC.

The most obnoxious one in my view, though- how we’re starting matches off without “We salute you.” The rise of people chanting “Hey, Portland Timbers- Fuck Seattle!” is shameful as hell. People are chanting that when we're up against any team, not just SSFC and it’s weird. Sure, there’s a few “Fuck [Rival team of the day here]”, but way too many people are hollering about Seattle every chance they get.

Not only are these people proving the ECS right when they claim that the Timbers Army is “obsessed” with them, but it takes away encouragement for the guys we’re ostensibly there for- and that’s totally against the point of what we’re supposed to do.

Think about what kind of supporters you want to be for this final home match (…of the regular season, at least). Sure, there’s no “right” way to support, but do you really want to be the jerk yelling about our rivals when we could be celebrating another season with our beloved, mighty PTFC?

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.

—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/

This is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 107ist or the Timbers Army.

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.

“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.