—by Chris Rifer

If talking won matches, Seattle would have walked away with this one from the opening kick. From Sigi Schmid to Brad Evans, Seattle ran its mouth essentially from the final whistle of its draw against Kansas City until when the busses pulled into Jeld-Wen Field.

What did the Timbers do? Punched them in the mouth. Twice.

Over the first ten minutes, Portland established early dominance, culminating in David Horst nodding a Franck Songo’o corner off the bar and Jack Jewsbury’s put back sailing just wide.

Five minutes later, however, there would be no crossbar to save Seattle’s faulty defense. After Songo’o played Steven Smith into space on the left wing, the Scot found his countryman inexplicably wide open in the box. Boyd’s sitter sat itself underneath Sounders keeper Andrew Weber and took a spin through the back of the net.

In the 25^th minute, Boyd again found himself all by his lonesome in the box, but this time Boyd’s header toward the high center of the goal was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Weber.

No acrobatics could save Seattle on the ensuring corner, however, as an unharassed David Horst headed the ball down and into the back of the net.

The shell-shocked Sounders, however, would move onto their front foot as the half went along. In the 35^th minute, Jeff Parke collected the rebound off a corner, but tapped the ball right at Perkins.

In first half stoppage time, Ozzie Alonso hit a swerving shot from thirty yards, but Troy Perkins was more than capable of tapping it over the bar.

Alonso asked a similar question of Perkins in the 53^rd minute, as he unleashed a shot from 20 destined for the far corner, but again the Timbers’ keeper was there to tip it over.

In the 58^th minute, however, Eddie Johnson found space after an ill-advised Horst tackle left the defense exposed. The former American international took the ball into the box on the Sounders’ right wing, and hit a very quality ball that bent it’s way into the far side netting.

From there, however, the Timbers defense that struggled to answer Seattle’s questions for the 15 minutes on either side of halftime found its moxie. Seattle continued to have the better of possession, but every attack found its demise in Portland’s backline without any appreciable drama.

In the 76^th minute, lady luck almost gave the Timbers the killer, as Kris Boyd’s ambitious strike from distance deflected off Zach Scott, only to be kept out by the bar.

As long as Seattle remained within a goal, however, the fanbase that has been burned all too many times in the late going couldn’t relax. Luckily, the Army’s anxiety was overshadowed by the Sounders’ frustration. After Eddie Johnson took a swipe at Horst, Fredy Montero shoved the Timbers’ central defender, who looked a little Rosalesesque in going down. Montero’s shove—by far his biggest moment of the match—started a scrum that resulted in the sending off of the mercurial Colombian and Lovel Palmer.

Seattle never seriously threatened again. It was a deserved three points that takes the Timbers’ season momentarily off life support and gives Portland a much-needed shot of confidence heading into a critical but brutal stretch of games.

Match Observations

• Before I try my best to overstate the effect of this win, there is one troubling trend that continues; namely, the Timbers inability to play well for a full 90 minutes. It’s awfully hard to control a match for 90 minutes, but the Timbers have shown a pattern of playing very well for a short spell, then trying to weather the storm. The middle half hour almost saw the Timbers lose everything they built in the first 30 minutes. After Horst’s goal, the Timbers had a real opportunity to turn the match into a laugher before halftime. Instead, they let Seattle back into the game. A more complete effort is going to be necessary in a huge match against playoff rival Colorado this weekend.
• That said, maybe the most encouraging thing for me coming out of the match was the way the Timbers responded to conceding early in the second half. For the twenty-five minutes or so preceding the concession, the Timbers were chasing the game. The goal—whose quality, in all honesty, is undeniable—wasn’t a surprise. What was a bit of a surprise was the Timbers’ reaction. Shortly after the goal, the Timbers were content to keep possession for a couple minutes and slow the game down. Despite some irrational exuberance from the Sounders press, some very logical paranoia from their Rose City counterparts, and ample handwringing from the Army, I thought the Timbers were in good control of the match from that point on. The Sounders had a few mini-chances, but they largely ranged from highly speculative to toothless.
• As a practical matter, the win is massive for the Timbers. Portland enters a stretch where they will play four matches in 14 days starting on Saturday, including away matches at Salt Lake and Colorado and home fixtures against the Quakes and Galaxy. Everything tough, but nothing impossible. Portland sits four points outside the playoff picture—with the fifth place team surging. Simply put, if Portland hadn’t come away with three points yesterday, it would start to be awfully hard to find a way back. The task in front of Portland these next two weeks is still daunting, but now Portland has at least some margin for error and a good dose of confidence. If Portland can muster 6 points out of those four matches, they will stay afloat. More than that, and the Timbers are surging. Less, and there could be tough sledding ahead.
• Finally, thank you and congratulations to all who put together and pulled of the magnificent tifo display. Absolutely top notch.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 7.5 Pretty fantastic stuff from Troy. He was consistently in the right spots and made a number of crucial saves. Nothing he could do to keep out Johnson’s strike. On the whole, one of Troy’s better performances.

Steven Smith, 6.5 Good ball in on the assist, and combined well with Franck Songo’o on the left side. The Sounders were coming down the Timbers left flank quite a bit, and Smitty got caught upfield once or twice, but had a good day defensively as well.

Futty, 7 A real quality center back. But for injuries and suspensions, the Timbers central defense is absolutely stellar. Injuries and suspensions notwithstanding, it was still pretty good on Sunday.

David Horst, 6 Very, very effective getting forward in the first half hour, with one goal and another nod clanging off the bar. Obviously, his grade is depressed a little bit because of his culpability on Seattle’s goal, but overall a very good effort from Horst.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Fairly quiet night on the right side of the defense. Nothing to criticize, and the silence is worthy of some praise, as well.

Franck Songo’o, 6 Good night going forward for Franck, and a Songo’o-Smith partnership looks well worth exploring. Had a tough task defensively for much of the evening as he found himself on Mauro Rosales frequently. Gave up a few more 50-50s than I would like to see, but his attacking more than made up for it.

Diego Chara, 7 This was just classic Diego. Very disruptive in the midfield, and did very well at getting the attack going from deep in the midfield. Whenever you see an opposing team get frustrated, you have to look at Diego. He must just be torturously annoying to play against.

Darlington Nagbe, 5.5 Nagbe is still clearly struggling with his confidence, but he did provide some pretty good holdup play and distribution to the wings. Otherwise, a pretty quiet night for Nagbe.

Kalif Alhassan, 4 As always, Kalif had some nice moments, and this may be a bit harsh, but I thought he should have been able to do better considering the relative weakness of Seattle’s left side on Sunday. Hopefully the hamstring injury isn’t too bad.

Mike Fucito, 6 Thus far for Portland he’s been a scrappier but slightly slower Jorge Perlaza. Ultimately that will have to result in scoresheet production, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a few more starts to see if he can grow into the attack a little bit.

Kris Boyd, 7 When Boyd scores a goal he gets a good grade. He scored one and was robbed of another. More importantly, however, Boyd is becoming the clear leader of this team and seems to be the heir apparent to Jack’s armband. And then there’s this.

Sal Zizzo, 6 Very good outing for Sal, as he was the most dangerous instigator of offense for the Timbers after coming on. Assuming Kalif’s hamstring keeps him out a couple weeks—which they usually seem to do—I expect to see Sal get a few full 90s.

Danny Mwanga, 4 Pretty anonymous. I thought the Timbers lost a little verve when Fucito went off. Utterly absurd to start to doubt him at this point, but he has a competition on his hands for the second striker role.

Lovel Palmer, INC Barely saw the field before he gave a flying forearm to Eddie Johnson. He doesn’t get a grade for that, but he might get a smile. Also, it took him no more than 2 minutes after coming on to take his first hopelessly long strike that sailed 15 feet over the bar. He just can’t help himself.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 1, Sounders 1. Fernandez and Songo’o.

Actual Result: Timbers 2, Sounders 1. Boyd, Horst, and Johnson.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Andrew Brawley

I must admit I haven’t spent much time in Denver. In fact, I’ve spent more time in the airport during layovers than in the city itself. Thankfully, I managed to get in touch a Timbers hero of recent years for some help.

Former Timbers goalkeeper Steve Cronin is now retired and living with his wife Laura and daughter Kaiya in Denver. Steve is currently studying for an upcoming Series 6 exam, and is on track to run a State Farm Insurance agency downtown early next year. (If you have friends in Denver…send them to Steve!). They just celebrated Kaiya’s first birthday, and are enjoying their time in Denver, especially since Laura’s family lives in the area. Steve was nice enough to take a break from his studies to put together a list of places for any traveling TA heading to Denver!

Hard to compare anything to PDX but there are a few that strike a chord.

Peaks Lounge at the Hyatt Regency Downtown. Most comparable to one of my favorite places in PDX, Portland City Grill.

For breakfast, check out Snooze. Great food along the lines of Morning Star Café.

Fado's is an Irish pub with great atmosphere and they are showing the Euros! Right around the corner is the Celtic Tavern so take your pick. (I obviously relate these places to Kells.) Unfortunately there is no speakeasy cigar bar in the basement. The more I think about it, the more I miss Kells, and PDX!

Cherry Creek North. I live right by here and there is a great array of privately owned shops and restaurants. It is a great outdoor area similar in a lot of ways to NW 21st and 23^rd in PDX.

Red Rocks Park. Great area for hiking and biking. Very different but outdoor activities are similar to that of Mt. Hood.

Larimer Square. This is a great area in downtown with even more shops and restaurants. It's a lot like Pioneer Square.

Hopefully the visiting Timbers faithful will enjoy one or two of these places. Laura and I really miss PDX and were very disappointed to leave. Portland and the TA will hold a special place in our hearts forever.

 

2012 tifo display against Seattle Sounders

We just received the message below from Operation Pitch Invasion:

We like to tell people that being part of the Timbers Army is about more than appreciating a team and a good time. When the Timbers Army sings about Portland for 90 minutes, it’s expressing a sense of civic pride unparalleled in North American sports. And that love of town -- that nexus of Team/Town/TA -- is more than just a match-day affair.

One of the chief manifestations of the Timbers Army’s love of the city is Operation Pitch Invasion, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building, restoring and maintaining soccer fields throughout the Portland area. OPI’s Summer 2012 Campaign is beginning soon, and Timbers Army volunteers are needed to make it a success.

It could not be simpler. OPI has arranged for three days of work on the soccer fields at selected Portland parks -- filling potholes, reseeding goal mouths, fixing sprinkler heads and goal posts, and a few other landscaping-type duties -- and another day in which less physically demanding work has been arranged.

Two of the park renovations coincide with Timbers away matches, making them a perfect way to connect with fellow supporters with whom to watch the match on TV; the third park renovation project falls on the day of a home match but will end with plenty of time to get down to Jeld-Wen Field, and will include the participation of visiting supporters from Vancouver.

For those who can’t do the strenuous work involved in these field days, a fourth morning will be dedicated to visiting a Portland Parks storage facility and painting and repairing goal posts that will then be placed in parks around the city.

The dates for these activities are:

June 30 -- field work at Bloomington Park (SE 100th Ave. & Steele St.)

August 5 -- goal repair/painting (location TBA)

August 25 -- field work (location TBA)

September 22 -- field work (location TBA)

Field maintenance isn’t the only thing OPI has been working on. For almost a year, we’ve been in negotiations to install a brand-new turf field on an empty lot at New Columbia, the housing community in North Portland. It’s a huge project, requiring the cooperation of several public agencies, significant fundraising from public and private parties, and some volunteer effort (a little ways down the line, though). When the field is built, a program of soccer education and a league of local youth players will be created using the volunteer efforts of 107ist and the Timbers Army. Count on more big news about this project later this year.

OPI is also in advanced conversations with a group that is building a greenspace out of a landfill in the Portland area. Our hope is to install at least one fubolito-sized grass field and a full-sized field in the development in 2013.

So how can you help? Easy: volunteer for one of the parks-improvement projects listed above. Right now we’re staffing up for June 30. Work will begin at about 8:30 am (breakfasty drinks and bites will be provided). You need only bring work gloves and be dressed for getting dirty and doing some moderately heavy work (no flipflops, that sort of thing). The whole shebang should be done by 1 pm, plenty of time to get home, shower, and catch the Timbers match at Colorado from your favorite pub or easy chair. You can find out all the details and add your name to the list here. (Space in each project is limited, so don’t dally!)

Look: you sing for 90 minutes about how much you love your city and your team and your game, about how you want to be buried in green and gold, about your pride in your team, your town and your fellow supporters.

This is your chance to do something truly tangible to back up those heartfelt boasts.

So do something more for your town than just jump and clap and sing: Enlist in Operation Pitch Invasion and get dirty with your Timbers Army family.

The talk going into Sunday afternoon was about opportunity for the Timbers. If Portland could steal a win at the Home Depot Center they would stand three points out of playoff position with at least a game in hand on everybody above them.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans.

For a half it looked like the Timbers had used the break to turn a corner.  Portland nearly got off to a disastrous start, however, as in the fourth minute Sean Franklin found Marcelo Sarvas at the mouth of goal, but Troy Perkins deflected his header just over the bar.

Even if the start was shaky, much of the rest of the half was solid.[1] In the seventh minute Kalif Alhassan found Danny Mwanga in the box who flicked onto Kris Boyd. Josh Saunders saved Boyd’s goal-bound effort, however, in the face of some confusion between the referee and linesman over whether Boyd was onside.[2]

Four minutes later Alhassan earned himself a yard of space at the top of the box with a series of stepovers before sneaking a shot that flew just high and wide.

On the other end – in a back and forth opening twenty minutes – former Timber Bryan Jordan sent a cross form the right wing that found Landon Donovan twenty five yards out. Donovan rocketed a ball past Perkins only to be denied by the far post.

From there, however, the Timbers midfield asserted itself. With every Galaxy turnover in the middle, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe or Alhassan found acres of space going forward.

In the 17^th minute Jack Jewsbury earned some space of his own and sent a cross from the right side to the far post, where a misdirected Franck Songo’o header again thwarted a promising attack.

Despite some promising buildup and some shots on frame, however, Portland couldn’t find the net. 25 minutes in, with the Timbers on the break again, Boyd hit a cracker from thirty yards that forced Saunders to dive to save it in the bottom left corner.

As effective as the Timbers’ offense was in the first half in creating chances, they were equally impotent in the second. The Galaxy midfield – which had struggled to two passes together throughout the first half – become dominant. In the 56^th minute, Landon Donovan ran past several Timbers defenders and unleashed a shot at the top of the box that missed just high and wide

The Timbers luck would run out in the 61^st minute, as Todd Dunivant got his head to a David Beckham to slot the winner past a complaining Troy Perkins.

If there was much to write about from there, I would write it. But there wasn’t. Becks played a nice direct free kick that looked like it had gone in, but instead nestled on the outside of the side netting. The Timbers, in one of their poorer halves of soccer this season, created nothing, and the Galaxy were more than comfortable with their one goal lead.

With another opportunity passing Portland by, it is becoming harder and harder to see a way back into the season for the Timbers. A big Cascadia win, however, could change everything.

Match Observations

• First, a brief note about the non-call on the goal. Was Perkins obstructed? Maybe. Could the referee have called it? Yeah. Do you see a relatively modest obstruction like that called with regularity? No. The reality is Troy made a rare mental error in giving up on the play. Nobody to blame but himself.
• To be honest, I’m at a loss to explain how poor the Timbers were in the second half on Sunday, especially in light of a pretty promising first half.
• I thought the Galaxy were pretty poor themselves. The ease with which they gave up the ball in the first half was almost embarrassing. Even in the second half, if the ball wasn’t at the feet of Landon Donovan – who was very good – or David Beckham on a set piece, the Galaxy were pretty harmless. The Galaxy’s ineptitude puts the atrociousness of the Timbers’ performance in perspective.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 3.5 – As discussed above, Perkins was absolutely culpable on the goal. Otherwise Troy was very good, but the concession was as bad a goal as I can recall Perkins conceding.

Mike Chabala, 3 – Had serious trouble with Bryan Jordan on the left flank. That really about sums it up.

David Horst, 4 – Had an okay day, but what in tarnation was he doing on the concession? I’m pretty sure you don’t want your centerback eight yards out, outside of the far post, matched up against the other team’s fullback when defending a corner.

Hanyer Mosquera, 5.5 – Had a fine day until he punched a high school kid. Hope he can play on Sunday.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 – With Kalif floating to the center of the pitch throughout the first half, Jack did a nice job of providing width and sending some good balls into the box. Had a competent day defensively, too.

Franck Songo’o, 5 – Nice first half from Franck, as he looked like the player we thought he might be. Did well to get a head on Jack’s cross, then poorly not to get it on frame. Became anonymous in the second half before coming off.

Diego Chara, 4.5 – An unusually poor day from Diego defensively. Was effective as a distributor, but I saw him beat defensively on Sunday more than any game I can remember.

Darlington Nagbe, 3.5 – Shoot the dang ball, Darlington. Nagbe has become one of the most frustrating players on the team. So much talent that you have to keep him on the field, but he’s turned into the Dribble Monster. Not ideal from your attacking center mid.

Kalif Alhassan, 4.5 – Had a decent first half finding space. Then, like the rest of his midfield colleagues, performed a wicked disappearing act in the second half.

Danny Mwanga, 4 – Unreasonable to expect much more than Mwanga gave us on Sunday, but he looked a little lost in the offense. He gets a couple week honeymoon.

Kris Boyd, 6 – Great stuff from Boyd in the first half. His holdup play was fantastic, and had two efforts that easily could have been goal-worthy. Can’t really blame him for the poor second half, as his midfield left him on an island.

Sal Zizzo, 5 – Failed to make much of an impact. Not his fault, though, by the 65^th minute things were pretty far gone.[3]

Mike Fucito, 5 – A little surprised to see him come on for Boyd – although fitness likely explains that. As we know, he brings great energy every time out, but so far hasn’t contributed a whole lot more than that.

Eric Alexander, 5 – Like his fellow substitutes, couldn’t keep the Titanic afloat.

Preseason Prediction: Galaxy 2, Timbers 1. Eric Alexander.

Actual Result: Galaxy 1, Timbers 0.

Onward, Rose City!

From the forums, Josh Barrett has an important announcement:

Hey, Everyone!

Its time once again to grab your work gloves and join OPI to help make our City’s pitches a better place to enjoy the beautiful game. For our first event of the summer we’ll be fixing up the full sized grass pitch at Bloomington Park in Southeast Portland on Saturday, June 30. Full details below:

Where is it? Bloomington Park. SE 100th Avenue & Steele Street (link to map here)

When is it? Saturday, June 30. Work begins at 8:30 a.m. Please arrive on time as you’ll need to sign the City’s liability waiver before beginning work.

How do I participate? You MUST sign up on our Eventbrite page. Simply posting a response here or in the forum thread won't get you on the list. For this first event, we’re capping registration at 50 participants. Also, you must have previously signed up on OPI’s mailing list or be members of the 107ist. Anyone who will be meaningfully digging needs to register. Kids who won’t be working do not need to register (but feel free to bring them out).

What kind of work will we be doing? The work will be similar to what we did at Ed Benedict last summer. Work will include things like moving soil to fill the ruts and uneven spots in the pitch, leveling the surface, overseeding the soil and excavation and repair of the park’s irrigation system. PPR personnel will be on hand to supervise and direct the work. We also hope to have some lighter duties available (cleaning and painting the goals) for those who may not be able to dig.

What should I bring? All tools will be provided by the City of Portland so leave your shovels and wheelbarrows at home. You should bring work gloves and appropriate footwaear. If it is cool, wear layers! If it is sunny, bring suncreen! We’ll have some family friendly beverages and small breakfasty items on hand.

How long will it take? If you ask City personnel, our work rate is legendary. Expect 3–5 hours. We’ll be done in plenty of time to get you on your way to your favorite viewing location for Timbers at Colorado Rapids at 6:00 p.m.

Can’t make this one? No worries. We have 3 more events scheduled for this summer – be sure to add those dates to your calendar. Keep an eye on the OPI blog for more information and where/how to sign up. Questions? Drop us a line at volunteer@pitchinvasion.org.

—by Andrew Brawley

I’m trying to be the best Timbers fan I can be. Honestly, I’m giving it as much time and energy that I can afford (not to mention what I can afford out of my wallet). But I had an incident this past weekend that is forcing me to question just how devoted I am:

I didn’t start watching yesterday’s Timbers @ Galaxy match until about 35 minutes into the 1^st half.

Before you go off in the comments section below, allow me to present the facts. Then, please judge accordingly. This was an unusual weekend. I had family in town from northern California, and I see them maybe twice a year. Whenever I am with my family, we usually take a day or two off work to increase the amount of time we spend together. Despite the physical distance, we’re actually quite close.

My Mom is fully aware of my devotion to the Timbers. She watched my brother and I play soccer as kids. She’s aware that soccer is far from being the biggest sport in the US, and hopes to see its relevance rise. She regularly asks me how the latest Timbers match went, regardless of whether it was at home or away. I hope to take her to a game one day so she can experience the awesomeness of watching a Timbers match from the Timbers Army section.

She was also aware that I have not missed watching a single match (home-in-person or away-on TV) in 2012. As we spent Sunday out and about, simultaneously entertaining my nieces and Grandpa with a Fathers’ Day brunch, a trip to OMSI, and eating Cool Moon ice cream at Jamison Square (side note: try the Thai Iced Tea flavor!), I was regularly checking my watch to monitor the time it would take to get home in time for the Timbers match. If I were to say something like “hey, we should probably start making our way home so I can watch the game,” nobody would’ve raised an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, I never said that.

As the minutes ticked away on my watch that afternoon, I just couldn’t muster up the nerve to say anything. My wife was texting me, wondering if I was gonna make it home in time. She then started texting match happenings to me. I had plenty of opportunities to say something, but I never did. It wasn’t out of fear. It wasn’t out of spite. It was simply a matter of “meh…I’ll just watch the game when I get home.”

It occurred to me today that this is a high (or low) watermark of indifference for me. All sorts of questions were spinning around my head:

• Am I now just “Rose City Till I’m Wounded?” #RCTIW
• Does this move me down the season ticket renewal list?
• Do I have to trade in my old-school No Pity scarf for a new-school version?
• Did I hurt the local TV ratings?
• Do I hate the Timbers?

I won’t go into the list of recent events that have brought me to this lowly phase. Odds are good that anyone reading this is fully aware of the Timbers’ recent performance on the pitch, and we don’t need to rehash it to death in this space. While I can only speak for myself, I have a good feeling that I’m not the only one in this boat.

I think the frustrating part in all of this is that nobody seems to know what it will take for any positive momentum on the pitch. Some fans are calling for players to be traded. Some fans are calling for firings of upper management. I’m not convinced that any of these will actually help. In fact, I think most would agree that such moves would cause more harm than good. Rocking the boat for the sake of rocking the boat is never a good thing.

So let’s assume that we (and I do mean WE, as in players, coaches, front office and fans alike) are simply stuck with what we’ve got at this point, and we gotta ride this thing out as is. With this in mind, I'm forced to ask: have we taken full inventory of all assets available to us? Have we addressed the issues in a frank manner? Are we being as transparent as possible? Have we used every ounce of fuel in the tank?

Call me a Negative Nelly, but I believe the answer for all parties involved is ‘no.’ I’m not convinced players are calling each other out and holding peers responsible for sub-par performance. I’m not convinced coaches have researched every possible scenario that is available and likely to win three points for each outing. I’m not convinced the front office (particularly those at the top) has taken steps to ensure that all cylinders (from coaches and players to game-day operations) are firing at maximum power. And I’m also not convinced that fans have had a civil conversation about the Timbers at any point this season. One week we’re gonna win the league, the next week we want someone's head to be the ball.

Here's the part where I mention we’re hosting Seattle this weekend.

If there was ever a time for soul-searching on all sides, it’s now. And I don’t mean the kind where you volunteer a couple hours at the co-op or animal shelter to make yourself feel better. I mean the kind where Indiana Jones had to perform the Leap of Faith so he could reach the Holy Grail, then prove it again so he could save his dad, Bond…James Bond.

(OK, I just went to an extreme that I called everyone else out for. Totes my bad, but you all recognize the analogy, so there!)

I’m going to do my damnedest to walk into this Sunday’s game with every ounce of energy, strength and enthusiasm I can get my hands on, and I intend to leave it all at JELD-WEN Field. Admittedly, my fuel tank these days is probably a bit smaller than the fuel tank I had on March 12^th (personal physique jokes aside), but I can assure you this slightly smaller fuel tank will still be full. I can only hope and pray that all other fuel tanks in the building are also full, regardless of size. A win would obviously be nice, but even a loss wouldn’t necessarily break my spirit. I simply need to be convinced that all parties (players, coaches, front office and fans alike) brought a full tank and left with an empty one. If everyone brings 100% and it’s still not good enough, at least we can say we brought 100%.

Anything short of "everything left on the field" will likely bring comparisons to the Rapture (and don't say I didn't warn you). Like in all situations, I hope cooler heads will prevail, but I just can't see evasive actions not happening if we see one more sub-par performance on the pitch.

Now, where did I put that bottle of Liquid Schwartz? (Sorry...this was the best clip I could find.)

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

Welcome to this week in Timbers Army Football Club news, where it’s time to play a ton of catchup on how the various clubs are doing in their spring campaigns. The futsal and indoor teams have moved into their next sessions, while the teams in GPSD continue play through July to finish out this term with multiple fixtures since our last update on things.  Without further ado, let’s turn the focus away from the rambling blogger and turn it towards the clubs.

We finally have the full 101^st FC schedule for the next term of futsal which runs through the end of June.  We are happy to report they have submitted a few reports from matches in late May and early June to get things caught up.  You can read more about two of their earlier match reports, an 8 to 4 win on May 10 over Urban Honking FC and a 10 to 7 loss to Tricky Pony on May 17 in a back and forth affair that saw them fall way behind but make a furious run to make things close in the end.  We also received scores for four of their other matches, but no official reports: a 4 to 2 win on May 24 over FC Harvesters, a 5 to 4 loss on May 31 versus Grant Old Boyz, an 8 to 2 win on June 7 versus Lonely Shepherd FC, and an 11 to 6 win on June 11 versus Dudes FC.  I had to read those names multiple times to make sure I had them right, but yes, indeed they are correct. Let's hope the trend continues towards a potential playoff run!

Coat? FC  has also been incredibly busy in their futsal campaign, and we have reports from four of their recent matches. Firstly, a 10 to 9 win on May 15 over Bigfoot with five goals from Reid Storm in a wild back and forth affair that saw both teams lead for long stretches, but Coat FC finally leveled late and got the winning goal just before the closing whistle.  One week later on May 22, they won their second in a row with an 8 to 3 victory over Team X that saw Storm score a double hat trick. Yes, folks, that’s six goals, but according to reports, he tried to deny he had a good match.  In their next match on May 29, the team lost out on getting their third win in a row, but they remained unbeaten with a 9 all draw against Calling Dinosaurs with Mike Kuh tallying a hat trick.  The unbeaten streak hit four as they achieved a 10 to 9 win over Brewsters Crew as Kuh scored four goals and Storm added one for good measure.  The streak stopped at four, however, as they lost 8 to 6 to Blow-Up Donkey although Kuh scored another hat trick.  We await the official match report from their first match in the current term, a 4 to 3 loss to Late Night Pie, a club that has no affiliation to a certain dessert loving, clown hating group within the Timbers Army.  Apparently, part of the appeal in futsal is the team names because these are pretty impressive.

In the land of GPSD Division 4, four TAFC clubs finally resumed their league schedules after an extended break.  Cascade Rangers FC met up with long time rivals Broken Arrow out at Sherwood’s Snyder Park on June 3 and lost 5 to 2 but got goals from Jesse Ritorto and Andy Laursen in an overall well played match.  North End United and Northern Alliance FC met in another TAFC derby match where both sides played a rather feisty but spirited affair.  In the official match report from NAFC team guru David Xochihua, the teams played to a 3 all draw that saw NAFC take a 3 to 1 halftime lead but NEU equalized with a penalty kick from Shiloh Rodriquez and the equalizer from Marcus Nelson.  Rose City Athletic faced off against MayDay on June 6, but didn’t report an official score or report although rumors are that it was a contentious affair. We'll pass along an update as soon as Rob sends one out.

Many of the Division 4 clubs had midweek fixtures at Delta Park as well, as NEU battled one of their long time nemeses, MayDay, on June 13.  Carrying only 13 players, the NEU boys fell behind 4 to 0 behind some spectacular goalkeeping from their opponent combined with questionably aggressive play.  However, they found their stride in the 80^th minute putting 3 goals in to push the score to 4 to 3 before giving up a late goal in a 5 to 3 loss.  Marcus Nelson scored twice, giving him three goals in two matches to keep up his recent stellar play. We had no official report from the other two TAFC matches: Northern Alliance FC as they battled the Fiji Islanders, and Cascade Rangers FC versus SDFC 3, however, on the Facebook TAFC site, two scores were reported: CRFC 0, SDFC 3 with 5 and Electric Dream Machine 4, RCA 2.  RCA and NAFC meet this weekend for another TAFC derby, CRFC entertains Fiji Islanders while NEU gets a break until the 23^rd.

In news from the older 40 set, Old Growth FC has shown remarkable improvement in their first season especially on the defensive side of the ball.  The club has yet to secure their first victory, but they put together two superior efforts in consecutive 4 to 1 losses at LaSalle HS, one on June 3 versus Rose City Revolution and the other on June 10 versus Random Assortment.  Brad Ashton tallied the lone goal for OGFC on June 3, while Rich Recker smashed a header into goal from a Todd Diskin corner kick on June 10 for the scores, while the defense has really found their shape after some early issues.  The team gets to venture to Sherwood on June 17 to face the team above them in the standings, Rogues, before getting another break before their final three matches.

We haven’t seen any recent updates from our friends at AC Loco Moco, FC Dynamo, or FC Portlandia, but we’ll publish those out as soon as we hear from them. ACLM has finished their most current indoor season, while FCD and FCP have completed their Division 1 outdoor seasons as well.  We hope to hear more exploits from all three clubs in the upcoming fall season, as well as adding two new clubs to Division 4 for the fall.

That’s all from the headquarters for now, but we’ll be back the first week of June with a plethora of updates from the various TAFC clubs.  Enjoy the weather, and if you get a chance to see one of the TAFC matches, we appreciate any and all Timbers Army members to come out and watch. It’s great entertainment combined with various moments of competitive soccer, and there’s no charge to come out and support your favorite TAFC side.  You might also see something truly amazing, too.

—by David Xochihua

The Northern Alliance has a busy week, beginning this Sunday afternoon. And everyone is invited to be a part of it.

First, Sunday 6/17, will be a double header for some of the membership, as Northern Alliance FC will take on fellow Timbers Army FC side Rose City Athletic at 2pm at the Delta Park Sports Complex's Strasser Field. You can follow reports of the action on NAFC's twitter account, at @NAFootballClub.

Also on Sunday, you can join the Northern Alliance for a viewing party at 107ist partner bar Dublin Down beginning at 3pm. The NAFC lads will come straight from the match for this one, as our beloved Timbers attempt to get their first win in the Home Depot Center against the reigning MLS champion LA Galaxy. Address: 813 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660

Thursday, 6/21 holds an event special for the Northern Alliance: the official Northern Alliance scarf presentation to our very own Brent Richards, taking place at the Burgerville in Orchards. Richards was a local star for Camas High School, and played soccer against some of the Northern Alliance membership before becoming the Timbers' first Homegrown Player. He will be available for photos and autographs starting at 6pm. The Northern Alliance will also be collecting change for a penny drive for nearby Orchards Elementary, benefiting the youth of Peru. Address: 10903 NE 4th Plain Road, Vancouver, WA 98662

Friday, 6/22 is the big one (before the BIG ONE on Sunday): Timbers U23s vs. Seattle Sounders U23s at Kiggins Bowl. The match starts at 7:30pm, but the Northern Alliance is hosting a pre-match gathering at The Hideaway Tavern, which is about a block and a half north of the northern entrance to the stadium, starting at 4pm. We're expecting a big turnout for this match, so if you want to pre-game, show up early, as the bar isn't much larger than the Bitter End! At the match, there will be a Northern Alliance-manned Timbers Army/107ist table as well. The Hideaway Tavern is located at 4909 NE Hazel Dell Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98663.

Saturday, 6/23, Northern Alliance FC will be facing SDFC 3 beginning at 10am at LaSalle High School in Milwaukie. Come out to root for the lads!

Also on 6/23, the Northern Alliance will be participating in the Southwest Washington Soccer Fair, which is taking place from 11am-4pm at the soccer fields just south of Hudson's Bay High School across Mill Plain, near downtown Vancouver. The Northern Alliance is hosting a Timbers Army/107ist information table. There will be giveaways, soccer exhibitions, a raffle for Timbers tickets, and music. Rumors also persist of Timbers players (and possibly Sounders players) participating.

All in all, it's a busy week for the Northern Alliance membership. We sincerely hope that our Timbers Army brethren will cross the river and join in with some of our events this week!

Don't forget, you can now follow the Northern Alliance on Twitter, at @TANorthAlliance.

Cheers!

Remember our contest for Timbers Army in Exile? Eight lucky 107IST members from outside Oregon and Washington won round trip airfare on Alaska Airlines and tickets to the Timbers-Whitecaps match on May 26th. Here are some of their stories:

From Stephen Sedler:

Alaska Airlines only flies to that stinky fish town to the north from Minneapolis, so I had to take a short detour on my way to Portland. I held my breath the whole time I was there. As my plane was taxiing to the gate in Portland, I spotted the Timbers Jet parked at the terminal. It must be a good sign, I thought. It was my first match back at PGE Pa... err... JELD-WEN Field since the Sunflower Goal. Last year I was able to make it to Colorado and Chicago away, but it was good to be back home. I ended up going to the match with family and friends. After riding the MAX in from the Sunset Transit Center, we waited at Gate 1 for an hour and a half to avoid the doubled-back Gate 3 line. I just knew that the doubling-back was not a good sign. We found a spot in section 103. When capo Rob took his place down in front, my dad pointed at him and said, "You know him, right? He's the one that gave me the evil eye one time." Keep up the good work Rob. He now just randomly chants at home with the reason of, "I've got to get ready for the game!" Then there was the goal. Euphoria. The crowd response was like nothing I've experienced before. TV doesn't do it justice. Then there was the equalizer. RCTID.

After the match was over and the players had left the pitch, it was time to head to Little Big Burger for some hometown eats. Sunday involved another trip to Little Big Burger followed by the reserve match. The reserve match was another enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was like a cool-down jog after a marathon. The result was unpleasant, but that is nothing new. The flight back to Minneapolis the next day again had a stop up north. Everyone there was as anxious to leave as I was.

Attached are a couple of pictures from pregame. Friends and family are all the ones looking at the camera. I'm in the black hat wearing the "Your Magic is Real" scarf.

Thanks again!

Stephen Sedler

-----------------------------

From Drew Olsen:

Thanks again for the chance. I had so much fun.

I got in from DC on the Wednesday before the Vancouver game, and through some luck got tickets to the Valencia game. Attached is a picture from that game of me and my mom. It was her first game since 2002 (in fact, I just went back and found the game recap - she and my dad, who has since passed away, are clearly visible sitting in the beer garden in the bottom left photo of Gavin. Insane.).

That was also the first Timbers game I ever went to. I don't remember much about the game (though according to the recap, it looks like it was a great one) but I do remember sitting for the first half at midfield before joining the Army in 107 because they were clearly having so much fun. I was instantly hooked.

I really wish I had taken more photos, but some the highlights, in chronological order, are below;

- While on layover in Seattle, giving evil stares to people in their fluorescent Flounders jerseys.

- Meeting some of the Southsiders at a bar the night before the match.

- Meeting a Timbers supporter from Ft. Lauderdale who had flown West for the game.

- Buying scarves and schwag for my friends back east who haven't ever been to Jeld Wen Field but are still Timbers Army faithful and members of the TA East Coast Platoon.

- Drinking something other than Budweiser and Sam Adams.

- Realizing that even after a year or so since my last game at JWF, I still remember most of the chants.

- "Goals, all I really want is goals" (Because girls are overrated).

- Running into folks who I had met at the games in New York last season and in New England this year.

- Standing and singing with my old brethren in 108.

- Starting a chant of "Suzuki, wo-oah, Suzuki, Wo-oah, he swam here from Japan..."

- Kris Boyd's goal in front of the Army.

- Having no voice left after the match.

- Pints at the Bitter End.

Best,

Drew

-----------------------------

From Cesar Díaz:

New York, NY – I want to thank the Timbers Army and Alaska Airlines for giving me the best American Soccer fan experience of my life. I’ve attended enough MLS, NASL, USL Pro matches and international friendlies here in New York City and throughout the United States to make this assessment.

Because of you, I was able to purchase my No Pity scarf from the No Pity Van. I was able to watch a match at JELD-WEN Stadium where I met Timber Jim, a soccer legend who I have nothing but respect for. It was also great running into Timber Joey who I met last at Red Bull Arena. On top of that I was also able to chant, cheer and moan while appreciating the Timbers Cascadia Cup match against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Because of you, I had the privilege of meeting Timber Army members such as Sheba (for her hug when she presented me my Match ticket), Brent Diskin (who designed the NYC Loggers posters), Hermes (who gave me a copy of Shed Culture), Matthew Talley (who gave me a Cascadia Flag patch) and many more at the Bitter End and throughout Portland. Their generosity and good-natured personalities is what truly embodies the Timbers Army.

It was also great to meet fellow Timbers Army members who also attended Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, AZ. Great conversation talking about another town I love.

Because of you, I was given a polo shirt by the Football Factory at Legends, the NYC sports bar who has regularly played Timbers matches. Speaking of NYC, the best non-Timbers highlight of my trip was going to Powell’s Books and purchasing a book on NYC fictional detective Shaft. NYC has the Stand but Powell’s Books puts it to shame. Best bookstore I’ve ever been to.

Now that I’m back in NYC, I have to admit that I miss Portland. Not only because of the Timbers but because Portland is my kind of town. It’s the kind of town rich with diversity and art that I could see myself living. Plus, I would have loved to have had more time to hit the trails.

As I wait for the Timbers to resume MLS action, I’ve been singing Green is the Color often. I’ve caught myself chanting some of the Timbers chants at work. In addition, I’ve been talking with other soccer fans about my Portland experience.

While I look forward to the Timbers match against the Galaxy, I’m salivating as I wait to wear my third kit against the Sounders in Cascadia Cup action. One thing that NYC and Portland supporters have in common is their hatred for Seattle.

In closing, you have an amazing town. I definitely intend to visit more often. Thank you again Timbers Army! We in the East Coast Platoon are looking forward to your August visit when our beloved Timbers face the Beast of the East, the New York Red Bulls. We’ll continue to spread the message and support from the East Coast.

RCTID from NYC!

Cesar Diaz

https://twitter.com/NYLoggers