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

Thanks to the hard work of people at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington, thirty children in Gramothe, Haiti got the opportunity to participate in a soccer camp last month. The church works with Mountaintop Ministries, and efforts to help in the region include regular visits by medical teams, donations of personal and medical supplies, and education and soccer for children. The 107IST was fortunate to be able to offer support to the camp in the form of 50 soccer balls, 30 pairs of socks, and cones for soccer drills.

Haley Case, a sixteen-year-old who led the soccer camp, shared this with us:

"From May 3rd to May 5th we ran a soccer camp for thirty Haitian kids at Mt Top Ministries, in the village of Gramothe near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We provided brand new soccer balls for the camp as well as cones, pennies, and socks and shoes for each camper. In running drills and playing soccer with the kids we ran into difficulties due to the language barrier, crumbling soccer court, and the proximity of the soccer court to a cliff. Despite these obstacles we managed to create a cross-cultural connection through our shared love of soccer. Thanks to the support of our community and the Timbers Army we were able to provide supplies and create a unique experience for these Haitian kids to play soccer." 

Haley Case, age 16

Congratulations to the Vancouver Trinity Lutheran youth who participated in this effort. Because our vision as supporters includes both volunteerism and charitable donations, we are also grateful for our 107IST members, whose membership dollars make possible our financial support for community outreach and youth football support, both here at home and around the world. Thank you, members!

All photos courtesy of Addison Lufkin Collier, age 16

The membership of the Northern Alliance has grown over the past year, and as we come upon the first anniversary (or perhaps we're already past it) of the inaugural Northern Alliance event, attended by a whole 8 people, membership currently (as of this writing) stands at 355, and growing by the week.

As the group has grown, the Northern Alliance has seen a desire for more than only rooting the Timbers on to victory: Northern Alliance FC was formed and is now playing under the Timbers Army FC banner. An end of the year celebration for the group brought in donations of both money and food for needy people in Clark County. Currently there is a penny drive and soccer ball drive to augment efforts put forth by the students at Orchards Elementary for needy kids in Peru.

On the heels of all this, comes the formation of a new wing of the Northern Alliance: the Northern Alliance Charity Chapter. Spearheaded by Michelle Germaine Frye, this branch of the group will take part in volunteer efforts for charity causes. Along with the co-op with Orchards Elementary, there is a Youth Soccer Fair at Pearson Field on June 23rd and an upcoming blood drive being held at Clark County Indoor Sports on July 27th which the NACC will be heavily involved in.

If you are a resident of SW Washington or live north of the border (or live anywhere, really. We will welcome anyone!), and wish to help out, join the group. You will be most welcome.

Portland, OR.—May 23, 2012 —The 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107ist) is pleased to announce they have committed to raise an additional $40,000 by August of 2012 to add to the $25,000 already contributed in 2011. The 107ist is firmly committed to insuring the Harper’s Playground project remains a community driven effort to provide a playground at Arbor Lodge Park where children and adults of all abilities can play together. This pledge affirms the 107ist’s vow to see this inspiring project through from start to finish.

“The excitement and passion of the Timbers Army and 107ist to complete this project is palpable,” said Scott Van Swearingen, President of the 107ist. “We have been inspired by Harper’s story and while this isn’t a soccer related charity it is an important project for our community and meets our goal of spreading the love for our team and our town.”

“Harper's Playground recognizes that people with disabilities are excluded from Portland's many inaccessible parks. Our first goal is to build Portland’s first inclusive playground at Arbor Lodge Park,” said Harper’s Playground Grants Director and 107ist member Felicia Chapman. “The larger vision for Harper's Playground as we continue to grow and build our community: a more inclusive world, one playground at a time.”

Important Dates:

• June 8, 2012: Breaking Ground with The School of Rock & Friends. From 7:00-10:00 PM the Fez Ballroom will be hosting a groundbreaking celebration. Cost of entry is $10 and features the amazing talents from The School of Rock & Friends.
• June 8, 2012: Harper’s Playground Groundbreaking. From 10:00AM – 10:30AM at Arbor Lodge Park Harper’s Playground and Portland Parks & Recreation will host a traditional groundbreaking ceremony. Emcee AC Dickson will preside and will introduce speakers to include Glen & Tiffany Boyd of The W. Glen Boyd Charitable Foundation; Commissioner Nick Fish, commissioner of Portland Parks & Recreation; Taylor Brooke, Co-Captain of the University of Portland Lady Pilots Soccer Team; Felicia Chapman, Board Member of Harper’s Playground & Active Member of the 107IST. Attendees will be treated to birthday cupcakes in celebration of the playground’s namesake, Harper Rose Goldberg’s 7th birthday.
• August 4, 2012: Art Takeover is a poster show organized by Factory North and the Timbers Army with all proceeds going to Harper’s Playground. Original Timber’s Army-inspired poster designs from 30 local designers/artists will be on display and sold on Saturday, August 4th, at Coava during normal business hours and during a special after-hours event featuring beer, wine, cocktails and snacks provided by many our generous sponsors. Each poster will be hand-pulled, numbered and signed by the artist.

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 are committed to creating more opportunities for inclusion of all kinds in all areas of our community.

About 107 Independent Supporters Trust

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, Portland, and especially the combination of the three. The 107ist is the engine that powers the Timbers Army and facilitates funding tifo displays and charitable contributions from the Timbers Army.

Welcome to this week in Timbers Army Football Club news, and it’s been a while since we checked in on game action for the TAFC clubs.  A big reason for that is that 5 of the member teams have nearly a month off between fixtures, as Old Growth, Cascade Rangers FC, North End United, Rose City Athletic and Northern Alliance FC are all on extended breaks.  While many played matches the first week of May in league play, they don’t resume playing until the first weekend of June.  That’s not the case for everybody, as we have reports from other clubs within the umbrella since our last update for some late matches within May, including a first ever TAFC derby match within GPSD Division 1.

There’s been some delays in getting the site updated for recent results, and for regular readers of this column that can be frustrating. However, I can speak as being a player on a TAFC club in the spring since 2009 and this has been a most unusual term relating to scheduling. It’s very odd to give an entire league a month off between fixtures, but it speaks to the competition for pitches within the area. Most teams I’ve spoken with share the same concerns about finding regular fields for practice or scrimmages, but the situation has lead to some rather creative solutions.  Old Growth FC used the break to play outside their own division in meeting Cascade Rangers FC a few weeks ago, then played Widmer FC in a friendly on May 27. While Widmer FC is also an over 40 Division 2 club in GPSD, the schedule doesn’t have the two teams meet officially.

We’ll hit the highlights of each team as they are reported and links where they are available. There will probably be some catchup over the next few weeks to get things back on track, but my hope is that the fall term will provide some uniformity in scheduling, allowing this report to be done on a more consistent and regular basis.

101^st FC reported a 10 to 7 loss in their last match on May 18 as they have begun their second session within the spring futsal season.  The team spent the first half adjusting to some new players and a change in strategy, but fell behind until making a feverish run in the second half to make things interesting.  We’ll post a link to the official match report and full schedule when it’s available.

AC Loco Moco also reported a 3 to 1 loss in their last match on May 18, but according to manager Matt Wagner, the team is really beginning to respond and gel together.  According to their official schedule page, they have one more match officially on June 1^st to finish their current term, but plans are underway for future domination of indoor soccer.  Ok, maybe the domination is a strong term, but it appears things are looking up for them.

Coat? FC manager Milon Good reported two wins for them on May 15 and May 22.  The May 15 match was a tight 10 to 9 win that saw the scoreline change multiple times but Coat? FC was able to pull ahead behind 5 goals from Reid Storm.  Apparently, Reid wasn’t finished as he netted six in their next victory of 8 to 3 in their next match. We promise to get the stats pages and schedule updated for them, as it appears there could be some impressive numbers being posted by these guys.

FC Dynamo and FC Portlandia met on May 19 in the first official TAFC derby in GPSD Division 1.  It was a close matchup as evidenced by the final tally of a 1 all draw, per the match report submitted from Portlandia’s Alan Leonard.  We didn’t get that posted yet, but both Dynamo and Portlandia played a clean match full of friendly, sporting banter.  Both clubs have fixtures in the first two weekends of June that could improve their fortunes and perhaps keep both clubs on the top flight for another term.  Look for updates on them coming soon.

In the adventure that is GPSD Division 4, all four TAFC clubs here are on extended break, but will resume league play this coming weekend.  Cascade Rangers FC will resume league play on June 3 when they play Broken Arrow.  North End United and Northern Alliance FC will get things rolling in another TAFC derby on June 6 in a midweek affair at Delta Park that isn’t at Old Oregon City HS to the joy of both sides. Rose City Athletic will also play on June 6 atDeltaPark against longtime GPSD Division 4 members May Day, who apparently have employed a new spirit of competitiveness from previous versions of the club.

Old Growth FC have six fixtures left on their schedule through June and July, and they’ve used the time to heal up from injuries and come up with clever retorts that involve people getting off the grass.  A full compliment of players will be available for their next match on June 3 at LaSalle HS playing the Rose City Revolution.  I’m looking forward to hearing about that from one of my teammates, as I will be traveling over the break in the Timbers schedule.

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 Chris Rifer

Take just a moment and think about how much happier life would be if the Timbers were 5-2-5 right now, sitting on 20 points in 4th place in the West, and a three point cushion between them and the playoff cutoff. The Timbers would be tied with San Jose for the fewest losses in MLS, and sit one spot behind Seattle with at least a game in hand on everybody above them. That’s how happy you would be if MLS matches were 80 minutes long.

But they’re not. And for the fourth time this season, the Timbers conceded a goal near the death to leave points on the field.

With John Spencer going to a 4-4-2[1] featuring the mini-mite central midfield of Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara, and Kalif Alhassan and Eric Alexander manning the wings, the Timbers brought a new look to Jeld-Wen Field on Saturday.

The changes worked borderline magnificently. The first half featured some of the best Timbers possession of the season, with over 80% passing and absolute dominance of the ball.

Between some stout Vancouver defense and some rust in the final third, however, Portland had little to show for it, as a Kris Boyd shot from distance in the 12^th minute was the Timbers’ best opportunity on goal in the first half.

The best chance to break the deadlock went Vancouver’s way in the 45^th minute, as Troy Perkins came out to take the ball off Sebastien Le Toux’s foot, but the former Sounder evaded Perkins, and laid the ball off for Camilo Sanvezzo. Camilo made a mess of his finish, however, sending it well wide.

Whereas the first half featured a lot of aesthetically pleasing play but little in the way of chances, the second was in many ways the opposite. The match became more physical, but the chances started to come.

Darlington Nagbe started the stanza in the 50^th minute when he received a pretty cross from Jorge Perlaza at the near post, but in Camilo-esque fashion, botched his finish well high of the target.

In the 58^th minute, Le Toux gathered a ball in the box, spun, and mishit a shot which deflected off of Hanyer Mosquera, only for Perkins to make a magnificent diving save, changing directions after the deflection.

The next ten minutes would take things to another level. In the 65^th, after Kalif Alhassan collected a rebound from his own deflected shot, he took the ball toward the byline, only to be met in the box by the two feet of Jay DeMerit. The former American international wasn’t near the ball, and, as this incriminating photo on Stumptown Footy clearly shows, took Alhassan down.[2] It was a clear penalty, and—like a few others for the Timbers this season—it went uncalled.

Two minutes later, however, the Timbers broke through. After a nifty piece of play from Alhassan in the box he laid it off for Jack Jewsbury. Jewsbury’s apparently goal-bound cross was awkwardly punched away by Joe Cannon, but only as far as Kris Boyd who tapped it in.

From there, the game turned back to the midfield. Portland seemed to fatigue, but Vancouver didn’t seem capable of creating anything truly dangerous.

That is, until the 84^th minute. After Martin Bonjour sent a long free kick toward the box, Eric Hassli flicked the ball to Darron Mattocks ten yards out. David Horst overran Mattocks, who chested the ball toward the center of the field and volleyed past a helpless Troy Perkins.

And that was that. The Timbers didn’t have the legs to seriously challenge for the winner, and Vancouver was more than happy with a dubiously deserved draw. The three points would have been huge for Portland; putting the Timbers right in the thick of the playoff race going into the long league break. As it is, Portland is still feeling the effects of their early season struggles and late-game follies.

Match Observations

• While the Timbers certainly looked better offensively with the new lineup, there really weren’t that many golden opportunities. Aside from the botched penalty call, the Timbers’ only great chances were Nagbe’s shot over the bar and Boyd’s goal. One would expect more from a team as dominant as Portland on Saturday.
• Still, the offensive signs were positive for Portland, as for the first time since the Philadelphia match the Timbers really passed the eyeball test as a good team. Given a little bit more work in this formation—hello, Cal FC—this could mark a tactical turning point for Portland.
• While the referee is certainly deserving of criticism, it is purely speculative to say Portland would have scored two goals had the penalty been called. The missed call was only about two minutes before the Timbers’ real-life goal. Simply put, if the referee correctly signals for a penalty, it can’t be said with any certainty the course of the game thereafter would have led to a second Timbers’ goal. In fact, it seems unlikely—given their proximity in time and the disruptiveness of a penalty call—that in the 67^th minute Jewsbury would have found Boyd in the box for a second goal in the same fashion it happened in real life. So, it’s fair to say the referee blew it. It’s speculative, however, to say had the referee not blown it, the Timbers would have won 2-1.
• The mini-mite midfield worked pretty well on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against a more physically imposing central midfield, though.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 6 A little bit dodgy on Vancouver’s chance in the first half, but came up huge with his save in the second half. Helpless on the late concession, so that can’t really be attributed to him.

Steven Smith, 6.5 A really nice game from Smitty. Lots of handy defending on the left side. Still gets caught upfield from time to time, but by far the best natural defender the Timbers have had in that position.

Eric Brunner, 5.5 Didn’t have that much work to do while the Timbers’ midfield was bludgeoning Vancouver in the first half. Almost conceded a penalty when he fouled Camilo just outside the box in the 45^th.[3]

Hanyer Mosquera, 6.5 The guy is just a monster. It wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve said exactly that in a previous grade.

Jack Jewsbury, 6 I’m really growing to like Jack at right back. Defended well, combined with Kalif well, and sent some very nice crosses into the box.

Eric Alexander, 5 Another tough game to grade Alexander. Had some really nice moments on the left wing, but ultimately struggled to create much out of it. He and Smith seemed to have a little trouble combining at times, so it may just be a matter of chemistry.

Diego Chara, 7 Was a 10 in the first half and a 6 in the second half.[4] Terrorized the sputtering Vancouver attack in the first half, but as the Caps started to go up the wings a little more, he was increasingly isolated. Also seemed to run out of gas a little bit. Still, had some fabulous stretches in his natural position.

Darlington Nagbe, 5.5 Has to put that shot on frame. Still, Nagbe had a decent outing playing a little bit deeper than he has in the past. His prowess on the ball came in handy a number of times in transitioning from defense to attack. Attacking center mid is a good position for him.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 His grade would be higher but for the fact he struggled mightily in the first half. Many a Timbers attack found its demise at the feet of Kalif early on. Until he fatigued, though, was back to his dynamic self in the second half. Time to get some fitness in him.

Jorge Perlaza, 4 Regardless of his other qualities, you can’t put a striker out there that can’t finish.

Kris Boyd, 7 Active up front again, and gets a boon in his grade for scoring the goal. Boyd has also become the heart and soul of this team. It’s no exaggeration to say this team’s fortunes for the rest of the season rest on his slightly slumped shoulders.

David Horst, 4 Made an absolute mess of defending on the concession; giving Mattocks a free path to the center of the pitch. Other than that, though, Horst was fine.

Sal Zizzo, 5 Didn’t get much opportunity to put his stamp on the match. Found the ball at his feet a couple times going forward, but didn’t make much of it.

Mike Fucito, 5.5 Gracious, this guy has energy. I would be interested to see what he brings over the course of 90 minutes.[5] He might just be an option as a second striker in this formation.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 2, Whitecaps 1. Perlaza brace.

Actual Result: Timbers 1, Whitecaps 1. Boyd, Mattocks.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

Progress is often incremental, but it’s progress all the same. On Saturday the Portland Timbers channeled the 2011 Timbers by scoring two goals off set pieces on their way to a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire.

The Timbers stopped their offensive goalless drought after 447 minutes when Eric Brunner slammed home a Kris Boyd volley in the 20^th minute to open the scoring.

Portland almost started the party in the fourth minute, however, as Kris Boyd put his head on the ball over two Fire defenders, but Sean Johnson made an acrobatic save to keep things level.

In the 9^th minute, Rodney Wallace slid a shot from the left wing across the face of goal, but it dribbled wide of the far post without a Timber sitting there to tap it home.

Brunner’s 20^th minute opener, however, rewarded the Timbers for their dominance over the course of the match’s first trimester.

As the half wore on, however, Chicago found their front foot. In the 36^th minute, after Troy Perkins conceded a corner by spilling a shot, the Timbers’ keeper erased his own mistake by making a phenomenal diving save to deny Pavel Pardo the equalizer.

On the ensuing corner, Perkins’ gloves would again betray him as he spilled a rocket from Marco Pappa, but he deflected the ball enough to allow Eric Brunner to clear the danger.

Four minutes later there would be no such clearance. After Steven Smith gathered the ball near the corner flag, he cleared it toward the center of the pitch rather than send the ball out. The only player there to receive the clearance was Pappa, who found Jalil Anibaba in the box to slot past Perkins for the equalizer.

The Timbers had one more nervous moment in the 43^rd minute when Dan Gargan found Pardo all alone in the box, but Pardo did a poor job of adjusting to the cross and sent his header well high and wide.

Coming out of halftime level, the Timbers wasted little time in separating themselves for good.  In the 47^th minute Wallace found Brunner lurking in the box again off a set piece, but the Dubliner couldn’t get square and sent his header wide.

There would be nothing wide about the Timbers’ next set piece. Five minutes later halftime substitute Sal Zizzo sent a corner in from the Timbers’ left side. Kris Boyd got head to it and sent the ball toward the far post. It would never get there. Instead Fire midfielder Logan Pause put the goal-bound header[1] out of its misery by knocking it home himself.

From there Chicago had to chase the game. The Fire’s only real chance came in the 62^nd minute, as Gonzalo Segares’ shot from inside the box deflected just wide of the far post.

The rest of the way the Timbers would put on a clinic in closing out a match. In controlling the midfield and sustaining pressure, the Timbers kept Chicago from ever seriously threatening to once again pull level and steal a point.

Ultimately it was a deserved three points for Portland, and the Timbers have now taken eight points out of the last 15. It wasn’t always pretty, and both goals came from set pieces, but the Timbers put their scoreless streak to bed and may have turned a corner in their effort to get back in the playoff picture.

Match Observations

• The Timbers’ win sets up a huge match against Vancouver on Saturday. With a win, the Timbers would pull themselves to 15 points, having taken 11 of the last 18 heading into their long May to June break. Portland would be within three points of a playoff spot with time to get healthy and gel for a summer run. All of this is contingent, however, on Saturday’s first Cascadian installment for the Timbers.
• Vancouver has a bit of a week in front of them before they get to Portland. They fly to Toronto for a huge Wednesday ACC Final fixture, where they go on the road tied 1-1. With a CCL berth on the line, it seems likely the Caps will play starters a full 90. Presumably, then, they will fly directly to Portland for Saturday’s Cascadia Cup matchup—affording little time for recovery. Simply put, Saturday sets up nicely for Portland.
• I was baffled at Frank Klopas’ decision to bring Dom Oduro off in the 60^th minute. While Oduro hadn’t put his mark on the match on the ball, his pace and aggressiveness getting forward was a huge bother to the Timbers’ backline. After he came off, Portland was able to sit back a little more comfortably, which cut off much of the Fire’s attacking oxygen.
• John Spencer’s substitutions, on the other hand, were both spot on. Sal Zizzo again provided some life to the Timbers’ attack in place of the disappointing Franck Songo’o, and Jorge Perlaza was a great late sub to pin Chicago’s backline in their defensive third. Spencer has alternated between looking like a genius and a lunatic this season. On Saturday he was the former.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5 An up-and-down night for Troy. Battled a case of the dropsies,[2] but cleaned up his own mess in brilliant fashion.

Steven Smith, 4.5 Again, a tale of two halves for Smith. Looked dodgy in the first stanza, highlighted, of course, by his poor clearance that led to the Fire’s goal. Had some pretty handy defending in the second half, though, to salvage his grade.

Eric Brunner, 6.5 One of the Timbers’ most dangerous attackers on Sunday, and also put in a useful shift defensively. Portland has choices at center back, and that’s awfully nice.

Hanyer Mosquera, 6 The center of the defense was quiet again. Chicago’s best chances either came off the break or from the wings. Can’t blame the big fellas for either of those things.

Mike Chabala, 3.5 His best play of the night was when he shoved Patrick Nyarko and—if memory serves me correctly—Pavel Pardo at the same time. Otherwise, he looked every bit as out of position as he was.

Rodney Wallace, 6 Rod had a 15 or 20 minute stretch in the second half where he looked as good as I have seen him in a Timbers uniform. Nice shift on the whole for Rod.

Lovel Palmer, 5 Solid, if unspectacular, work for Lovel in central midfield tonight. Doesn’t provide much of anything going forward. Off the ball he is pretty good in finding positioning as a central midfielder. The problems begin, though, with the ball at his feet.

Diego Chara, 6.5 Another very good outing for Chara, as he had spells of terrorizing Chicago’s midfield. It’s no coincidence that the Timbers’ form is improving just as Diego seems to be hitting his stride.

Franck Songo’o, 4 Unless his form improves, Franck is living on borrowed time. With Kalif Alhassan looking poised to return and Sal Zizzo impressing as he gains fitness, Franck probably only has one more shot to show why he should be the first choice on the wing.

Darlington Nagbe, 4.5 Struggled to have much influence at all on the match. Had some decent moments when he tracked back into the midfield, and was robbed of a tap-in goal by Logan Pause’s own goal, but was otherwise pretty quiet.

Kris Boyd, 7 You know who wasn’t quiet? Kris Boyd. What did both goals have in common? Kris Boyd. Much more active than Tuesday, and it paid off in major ways for Portland.

Sal Zizzo, 6 If his form right now is any indication, this could be a breakout season for Sal. Was once again very dangerous on the right side, and had a couple nice corner kicks as well.

Jorge Perlaza, 5 Perlaza’s presence did more than Perlaza himself did. Bringing on his pace made Chicago respect the Timbers’ attack a little bit more and prevented the Fire from committing too many numbers forward. Good substitution.

Preseason Prediction: Timbers 3, Fire 0. Boyd, Alhassan, and Perlaza.

Actual Result: Timbers 2, Fire 1. Brunner, Pause (OG).

Onward, Rose City!

—by Andrew Brawley

Quite often, I get quite a few Timbers- or Timbers Army-related thoughts into my head in rapid-fire succession, and I have to pick and choose which ones to write about. Then I have to determine whether it’s justified to dedicate an entire (!!) blog post to just one topic. Lately, it’s been a bunch of smaller things that have made their way into my brain. Rather than let them sit and collect dust, I figured maybe it’s time to do a little bit of house-cleaning and empty my brain of these things. Hopefully I don’t come across as some kind of ADD-riddled version of Andy Rooney…especially with those eyebrows of his.

First, let’s start with the nice things:

• If you’re looking for a ticket to the upcoming Vancouver (May 26) and Seattle (June 24) matches, a TA season-ticket holder is auctioning off one ticket to each game in a package deal, and the proceeds will be donated to Harper’s Playground. This is a good way to get hard-to-find tickets AND donate to a worthy cause. Get on that!
• Portland scored more goals than Chicago last night. At Jeld-Wen Field. Which is our home turf. This all means the Timbers won at home. Feels good, eh?
• Despite my constant ripping on vegans and environmentalists, I really like the GO BOX initiative at JWF. If you haven’t signed up for it, you really should.
• Here’s a great shot of the TA last night after a goal that caught a couple embracing in celebration (courtesy of the Timbers' Facebook page). Despite my past objections to making out at Timbers matches, I was actually forced to clarify my position by a few friends. It’s one thing if you’re hugging and kissing in celebration of a goal. It’s another thing to just be forcing attention onto your own action while blocking the action on the pitch. If I wanna watch people get down, I can do that on the Internet for free. If I gotta pay to watch someone make out, I better be in the state of Nevada. If you gotta make out at JWF, make sure it’s after a Timbers goal. They score…you score. More goals leads to sexy time, which leads to more TA babies. This is known as a win-win-win…we ALL win!

 

OK, now some not-so-nice stuff:

• Fellas, the amount of hand-washing I’m seeing in the men's bathrooms at JWF is appalling. That’s because I’m hardly seeing it happen at all. Remember, clean hands = more goals. The towel dispensers should be empty. And to add to my previous point: clean hands > more goals > sexy time > TA babies.
• Also, some guy was standing at a urinal at last night’s match, cell phone in one hand, and “doing his biz” in the other. C’mon dude, really?! It’s bad enough there’s a line out the door due to lack of urinals. There’s already a delay tactic in the form of above-urinal advertisements that seem to make the wait even longer. Now you gotta tweet or text while emptying your bladder? Your Man Points account is about to go into default.
• It’s unfortunate that the TA must do so much self-policing in the North End, but clearly it’s still quite necessary. Apparently the need for some folks…let’s just call them ‘n00bs’…to throw things is too much to overcome. Regardless of whether that object gets thrown on the pitch or not, it doesn’t matter. Throwing anything aside from streamers at the opening cue or after goals is not cool.
• Am I the only one sick of the Juggalo factor in the North End? The amount of face paint I’m seeing is a bit troubling. I might be on an island on this one, but the use of face paint on adults bothers me. I have no problem with kids doing it. It’s fun for them, and totally acceptable. Probably because they’re kids, and that’s what kids get to do. But seeing full-grown adults spend hours carefully applying face paint to show their devotion is rather off-putting. It also really bums me out when I see one of these Juggalos used as a focal point in a story posted on the official Timbers web site, or any MLS team for that matter (except Seattle…they can use all. the. Juggalo. pics they want. I get that you wanna show your wild, unwavering devotion to the Timbers. I get that you wanna make the TA look dangerous and out-of-control. There are so many other ways to do this. Make a two-stick. Buy a shirt from the TA merch van. Scream till you lose your voice. Grow a Mohawk. Covering your face and body with paint just can’t end well, especially when you start sweating through it as our days get warmer. If you must, get a face tattoo. We’re Portlanders…we still find those people to be mostly employable.

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

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers have played seven hours and seven minutes of soccer since its offense scored a goal. On the calendar, it’s been more than a month.[1] And folks, Chance Myers is not walking through that door.

By any objective measure, a road draw at Houston is a perfectly respectable result. But when the point comes in the midst of a remarkable display of impotence from the offense and a match as tedious as Tuesday’s, it’s hard to find the positives.

The Timbers controlled much of the first half, but again failed to create anything truly dangerous from it. A Lovel Palmer strike from distance found the frame, but did little more than let Dynamo keeper Tally Hall touch the ball.

Time and again the Timbers’ strikeforce failed to present its wide players— namely Franck Songo’o—with viable options, and when they did find themselves in a dangerous position, they were offside.

As toothless as Portland looked up front, the Dynamo didn’t look substantially better.  Brad Davis pulled a 41^st minute shot well wide, and Macoumba Kandji’s 45^th minute shot from distance was right at Troy Perkins, but Houston never really caused the Timbers’ plastic man any trouble.

In the second half, the Dynamo—playing their third MLS match in seven days—began to shift to their front foot. Davis’ 54^th minute free kick from 25 yards sailed just wide of the near post.  Luiz Camargo found Mac Kandji in the box in the 58^th minute, but the former Rapid’s effort to turn and shoot skied well over the bar.

For the first hour Portland was lucky Houston couldn’t find the mark. For the final half hour Portland was lucky Troy Perkins is reemerging as one of the better goalkeepers in the MLS.

In the 67^th minute, Calen Carr found Camargo in a seam the size of the Gulf of Mexico in the Portland defense, but Perkins was very quick off his line to keep the Brazilian from turning toward goal.

The Timbers best chance of the second half came in the 69^th minute when 2012 debutante Sal Zizzo beat his man to the byline and found Darlington Nagbe 10 yards out. Nagbe’s shot, however, was blocked by Jermaine Taylor, appeared to take an incidental deflection off the Jamaican’s hand,[2] and was cleared away.

From there, it was one-way traffic in Perkins’ direction. In the 78^th minute Colin Clark turned the ball in a dangerous spot on the left wing, but shot right at Perkins. Four minutes later Carr settled on a deflected ball with nothing but green in front of him on the wing, but Futty got a toe on the ball and a body on Carr to end the danger in controversial fashion.

Try as they might, though, Houston couldn’t find the finishing touch either. In the 90^th minute Carr found space on the wing against a lame Futty, and picked out Brian Ching in the box, but Ching’s touch sailed embarrassingly off target. The Timbers weren’t out of the woods yet, though, as two minutes later young midfielder Alex Dixon took a go from the left wing, but, after an initial bobble, Perkins smothered the chance.

To be sure, the point in Houston is plenty satisfactory for a Timbers team that has struggled to earn results away from home. Nonetheless, the performance fell far short of inspiring confidence in the Timbers’ offense and setting the club back on track.

Match Observations

• If we’re always looking on the bright side of life, we should start out here with the play of the defense. Until Futty got hurt in the late stages, the defense was stellar; limiting Houston to a pretty meager helping of half chances.
• The offense, however, is completely disjointed. The reasons for this are numerous, but I’ll only address one here. The central attacking players are doing a very, very poor job of making runs and presenting targets. On Tuesday, the Timbers actually got some fairly handy play from the right wing tandem of Franck Songo’o and Sal Zizzo, but every time one of those guys turned to send a cross in or find somebody making a run into the box, they saw green grass and orange shirts. Kris Boyd couldn’t have been more anonymous. Darlington Nagbe wants to track back into the midfield to receive the ball, and seems allergic to work off of it. Diego Chara—well—Diego Chara couldn’t present a target to save his life, but that’s not really his fault.
• The solution, however, isn’t obvious. Some have called for Fucito or Perlaza up front with Nagbe at the top of a midfield diamond. This would be impossible with Diego Chara also manning the center of the pitch, and, considering he was the best Timber not wearing a mask on Tuesday, it would be unwise to move him. A central midfield of Nagbe and Chara—to say nothing of Fucito playing as a second striker—would be prohibitively vertically challenged. The only thing I can think of would be to replace Lovel Palmer with Eric Alexander in the center of the midfield, and let Diego sit back a little bit more. Alexander did play in the center with Dallas, but really hasn’t done much in his two relatively brief stints the past two weeks to change John Spencer’s mind about his spot on the bench.
• The Timbers are a mess on set pieces. Like, embarrassingly so.
• How is Kalif’s knee?

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 7.5 Didn’t have much to do until the final half hour, but then the Dynamo poured on the pressure. Troy was up to the task and then some, making several crucial saves look routine.

Steven Smith, 5.5 Nice day defensively and sent some useful crosses and set pieces into the box. A few giveaways in the midfield, though, temper his rating a little bit.

Futty, 6.5 A really nice day from Futty until he got hurt. The knee injury didn’t look good, however, so Sunday could see changes on the backline…again.

Hanyer Mosquera, 6 Not Mosco’s best day in back, but still more than adequate. Has a tendency to get caught on the wrong side of his attacker from time to time, but does a great job of recovering, steering his man toward a post, and cutting off the angle from which to score.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Lost Brad Davis once on the right flank, but otherwise had a competent first half before coming out. Also showed some good quality sending crosses in. If his hip injury isn’t too bad, this experiment at right back might actually work.

Rodney Wallace, 3 The only thing he was effective at on the wing was being called offside. If Rod wants to play in an attacking position, he needs to learn to not kill the attack like that.

Lovel Palmer, 3.5 Wasteful going forward, barely passable defensively. Diego Chara was doing a lot of work, and that was primarily because Palmer was doing very little. Seeing him wearing the armband coming out of halftime was downright chilling. What, oh what has he done to earn John Spencer’s favor?

Diego Chara, 6.5 Was the best player on the field for the first hour. Very good defensively and one of the Timbers’ few effective players going forward. Did a lot of running, though, so ran out of gas a little bit as the second half wore on. That’s when it showed how important he is to this team.

Franck Songo’o, 6 Until he came out, Franck was by far the Timbers’ most dangerous player in the attack. Not that he didn’t get dispossessed a time or two, but Songo’o was really the only player finding space and looking to put the ball in dangerous areas even if those areas were manned exclusively by Houston.

Darlington Nagbe, 4 This might be generous. Couldn’t help himself but take touches. Dribbled himself into nothing and when Zizzo found him in the box with space Darlington decided to take two touches rather than get a shot off.

Kris Boyd, 2 Not only did he not score, but despite teammate(s) looking for him all day, Boyd wasn’t making himself available. His former supporters said there would be games where we would want to call him lazy and anonymous. Yep.

Mike Chabala, 5 Decent effort from Chewy coming in at right back for the injured Captain Jack. Despite Houston being uniquely suited to do so, for the first time this season a team didn’t seem determined to exploit the Timbers’ right flank. That’s a testament to the competence Jack and Chewy brought to the position last night.

Sal Zizzo, 6.5 The Timbers’ best player in the attack after he came on. Great to see him back in his first game since he was injured against the Dynamo last fall.

Eric Alexander, 5 Had one nice shot from distance that caused Tally Hall a little trouble, but was otherwise lost in the late Dynamo flood.

Preseason Prediction – Dynamo 1, Timbers 0. Will Bruin.

Actual Result – Dynamo 0, Timbers 0. Again.

Onward, Rose City!

The Harper's Playground project is getting close to it's goal, and the 107ist is working to help put it over the top.

Join us at Paddy's, SW Yamhill & 1st, on May 15th at 5:30 PM to see the mighty PTFC take on the Houston Dynamo in their new house.  The $5 suggested donation at the door will help raise crucial funds to make Harper's Playground a reality, and help kids of all physical abilities play.

A special viewing of Shed Culture Live! will air after the match, and DVDs of the hit stage performance will be available for $15, with all proceeds being donated to Harper's Playground.

Paddy's will be making a generous donation to Harper's Playground from pint sales at this event.  Also, if you present your 107ist card, you will receive happy hour prices on food and drink all day.

Lastly, 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.