—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

At noon on Saturday, January 14th, over 300 members and friends packed the Bagdad Theater for the 107ist Annual General Meeting. It was a chance to catch up with friends, buy some cool merchandise, pick up membership renewal packets, and hear about the past accomplishments and future direction of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust from the 107IST Board.

The afternoon started with a warm welcome from newly elected 107IST Board president, Scott Van Swearingen. Scott introduced the Board members who had joined the Board in the past year, including Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson, Bruce "Obi" Eaton, Matt Talley in absentia, Harper Morgan-Werner, and Lauren Prince. He highlighted some of the growth the 107IST has experienced, including over $400,000 in gross receipts for the year. Scott then proceeded to share some of the successful ventures of the 107IST, telling of the formation of the Timbers Army FC, a network of official Timbers Army teams that play in outdoor soccer leagues in the Portland metro area, and plans for its continued growth.

Fernando Machicado shared some of the successes we've had in game day operations, highlighting last year's tremendous successes in tifo, and that plans are in the works for impressive displays in the coming year.

Jeremy Wright highlighted our successes with travel to away games this year. He shared the incredible growth in our travel operations this year, including over $81,000 spent on tickets and buses, over 2,800 tickets sold, and 9 officially organized away matches. Jeremy also noted that we had TA representation in every away match this year, with the smallest number being at Dallas away and the largest number, not surprisingly, being at Seattle away. He shared a letter that the front office received from an Earthquakes fan following the organized trip to San Jose away this year that praised the Timbers Army as the future of soccer supporters in the US. Jeremy also shared some information regarding planning for organized away trips this year: we expect to have a higher seat allocation to Seattle away (same Cascadia travel rules will apply); we will travel to Vancover away; and other organized away trips to a variety of places, including but not limited to LA Galaxy, possibly Montreal (with a possible flight to the Northeast and a bus to Montreal); possibly New York and/or a combination New York/Toronto trip; a Colorado away trip; and an organized trip to at least one of the Salt Lake City away matches.

Garrett Dittfurth highlighted successes in communications, including the positive press that the Timbers Army received in both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times as well as local outlets. He addressed the challenges of both internal and external communication and shared that the Board has plans in place to address both.

Abram Goldman-Armstrong shared stories of the successes of sharing supporters culture with others through the fanzine the Whipsaw, noting that it has been cited in many places, even overseas. He then treated the crowd to a reading in German from a St. Pauli fanzine which praised the Timbers Army and its supporters. He noted the move to strengthen supporters groups in the United States, and shared that the 107IST is sponsoring a gathering of representatives supporters groups from most club in the MLS with representatives of supporters from all but three clubs have indicating their interest, as a means of being better able to speak to the league with one voice about issues that matter to supporters.

Rich Recker and Ben Dudley shared the successful kickoff of Advantage Centers Portland, which pairs coaching students in soccer with positive academic outreach, targeting youth who typically do not have successful academic outcomes. He thanked the Timbers Army and 107IST for the successful kickoff this year, and our involvement in the successful transformation of the blacktop at James John Elementary into a small soccer pitch. He shared AC Portland's plans for continued growth in building soccer pitches and working with youth, and thanked the 107IST for their support.

Shawn Levy shared the successes of Operation Pitch Invasion, including OPI's involvement in the aforementioned James John Elementary project as well as the field restoration at Ed Benedict Park. He also noted that Tom Dunmore, who runs the (unaffiliated) Pitch Invasion blog and is involved with supporters in Chicago, will also be selling a Pitch Invasion scarf and donating the profits to OPI.

Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson shared past successes in community outreach, noting that the 107IST was responsible for approximately $40,000 in charitable donations last year to projects including Harper's Playground; outfitting three local high schools' soccer teams (both boys' and girls' teams); scholarships for three local soccer athletes to attend National Team training camps, one of whom went on to score a goal for the U17 USMNT; AC Portland and OPI; and Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp. She also shared the ways in which 107IST members gave thousands of volunteer hours to organized events with Friends of the Trees, the Oregon Food Bank, OPI, AC Portland, and Sunday Parkways. She noted that the coming year will bring more opportunities for volunteering and for charitable efforts.

Scott shared the Board's vision for an increase in membership, and the Board took questions from members. Questions were wide ranging and included the serious (is there any sort of protest planned following the flare bans?--no; have you addressed a code of ethics?--yes; will you improve organization of volunteer communications?--yes), to the self-congratulatory (107IST--how awesome are you guys; just awesome or really awesome?--really awesome) to the wishful (what about West Side capos?--not at this time, no; will you be expanding the merch line to include more items?--yes, but judiciously) to the silly (will the movie be the Dangerfield classic, "Ladybugs?"--no).

After a break, members were treated to a free showing of the movie "Pelada." Over 140 members also picked up their renewal packets and pins, and many people took advantage of the opportunity to purchase much-loved Timbers Army merchandise as well. Huge thanks to the volunteers who staffed the back tables for materials pickup, as well as those who staffed the merch table and those who organized the event for the day. Here's to an even more successful 2012!

—by Chris Rifer

At long last this offseason, changes are afoot on Morrison Street. No, it wasn’t the SuperDraft selections or a rumored international signing that did it, rather it was the unexpectedly timed departure of Kenny Cooper that signaled the imminent changes for the Timbers.

Half an hour before the SuperDraft the news leaked out: Portland sent Kenny Cooper to Red Bull New York in exchange for New York’s highest 2013 first round draft pick and allocation money.[1] The primary goal for Portland was to clear Cooper’s hefty salary off their books, presumably in preparation for one or more forthcoming international signings.

The departure of Cooper, however, does create a bit of a hole up front. Cooper was Portland’s only true target up front, even if he was somewhere south of effective at times. His ineffectiveness probably wasn’t entirely his fault, as he was often starved for service. While Portland occasionally sported outside backs who enjoyed overlapping and whipping crosses in toward a target,[2] Portland’ offensive MO was really centered around set piece execution, interior runs from the wings, and the occasional long ball forward. With the lack of change on the wings and flanks thus far, there really isn’t reason to expect change in the near term.

The reality is Kenny struggled to hold the ball up at times, often being easily dispossessed or stalling an attack with the ball seemingly Velcroed to his feet. Darlington Nagbe seemed better suited to that withdrawn spot, and with the lack of quality service from out wide Kenny was sometimes a man uncomfortable with his role in the strikeforce.[3]

The question, then, is where does Portland go now that it is seemingly flush with cash? Gavin Wilkinson has already telegraphed part of the answer, suggesting to MLSSoccer.com’s Simon Borg that the Timbers are in the hunt for a top-quality striker in the transfer market. The suspicion here is the Timbers have already identified and likely signed said striker, who is just awaiting approval from the League or FIFA.

It is also likely the Timbers would have the financial wherewithal to make a second significant move – likely to bolster the backline, and maybe even a third smaller move, depending on Portland’s allocation money reserves. Considering the unit’s tepid production last year, it seems likely the Timbers would be interested in bringing in a right wing, especially in light of the injury to Sal Zizzo. The other place Portland could look to upgrade is on the flanks, although improvement there comes at a steeper price than in the midfield, and once it came together the defense performed fairly well in the last half of 2011.[4] Finally, with Horst out at least into the summer, the FO is probably looking to bring more center back depth to Morrison Street.

Center back was never a serious problem for Portland last year, and the tandem of Futty and Eric Brunner seems perfectly serviceable going into 2012. The problem is the Timbers are one separated shoulder away from 19-year old Andrew Jean-Baptiste being forced into starting first team action – something the Timbers aren’t likely wild about early on. Look for Portland to make a smaller move – something like picking up Portland native Ryan Cochrane on free transfer – to provide a little more depth to the middle of the defense.

Regardless of what ends up going down, it seems likely that next week will be an eventful one for the Timbers. So don’t stray too far from the internet.

The Young’uns

After speculation the Timbers would trade out or down in the draft, Portland made their two assigned draft picks on Thursday. With the Eighth pick in the draft, Portland selected Andrew Jean-Baptiste from the University of Connecticut. A hulking, raw center back, Jean-Baptiste comes in as a high-upside guy who could need a year or two of seasoning before he is ready for substantial first team action. Nonetheless, the physical tools are there for Jean-Baptiste, who looks primed for at least two years of Generation Adidas designation, meaning he will stay off Portland’s books while he develops.

With the 27th overall pick, Portland landed Brendan King[5] from Notre Dame. King likely projects as a central midfielder, although absent a breakout, will likely spend time roaming the midfield in the reserves before getting his shot at the first team.

Finally, before draft day the Timbers picked up a young man who needs no introduction to the Timbers Army, Brent Richards. After dominating the U-23 level for three years, Portland made Richards their first Home Grown signing. Richards put up a video game-like 26 goals and 12 assists in his three-year Timbers U-23 career,[6] leading the 2010 U-23ers to an undefeated and untied season and, obviously, the PDL title. Former U-23ers have already seen success at the senior level at Morrison Street, with Jake Gleeson and Freddie Braun impressing in their senior debut last year. Richards is arguably the best of that bunch. While he starred as a striker at the U-23 level, Merritt has suggested Brent may fit in on the wings in MLS.

With that said, we are 9 days from training camp opening.

Onward, Rose City!

We are pleased to announce that we have finalized the date and location for our Annual General Membership Meeting.

The meeting will be open to current members of all ages. In addition, you are invited to bring one guest to the meeting who does not need to be a 107ist member.

Important: Because space is limited, both Members and guests must RSVP for the meeting & movie.

When you RSVP, you can also submit a question or suggest 2012 activities or priorities for the board. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions in person at the meeting. A preliminary agenda is below.

Here are the details:

What: 107ist Annual General Meeting

When: Saturday, January 14th, 2012

Meeting: Noon - 1:30pm

Movie: 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Where: Bagdad Theater, 3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

Proposed Agenda

Noon - Welcome

- Board Member Introductions (Announcing outgoing and incoming board members)

- 2011 Accomplishments Overview

- 2012 Plan

- Q/A, General discussion

1:30 pm Break

A selection of merchandise will be available for purchase during this portion of the event. You will be able to join 107ist or renew your membership in person.

2:00 pm Movie Screening

Following the meeting we will be screening the movie "Pelada"

Pelada - Two players. 25 countries. One game.

Away from professional stadiums, bright lights, and manicured fields, there’s another side of soccer. Tucked away on alleys, side streets, and concrete courts, people play in improvised games. Every country has a different word for it. In the United States, we call it “pick-up soccer.” In Trinidad, it's "taking a sweat." In England, it's "having a kick-about." In Brazil, the word is “pelada,” which literally means "naked"—the game stripped down to its core. It’s the version of the game played by anyone, anywhere—and it’s a window into lives all around the world.

Pelada is a documentary following Luke and Gwendolyn, two former college soccer stars who didn’t quite make it to the pros. Not ready for it to be over, they take off, chasing the game. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play.

—by Chris Rifer

Happy New Year!

With the holidays in the rear view mirror, the SuperDraft Combine underway, and training camp quickly approaching on the horizon, we have been through the worst of the offseason and emerged alive on the other side. From here on out, the MLS and Timbers news comes at a much faster pace until finally – at long last – the 2012 season officially begins.

But enough about the future, let’s talk about right now. Today it’s why Eric Brunner should get national team camp consideration and the 2012 schedule.

Brunner for America 2012

I, Chris Rifer, officially endorse Eric Brunner for a spot in the U.S. Men’s National Team camp. Now, before we get into the meat of my argument,[1] a few reality checks. No, I don’t think it’s a manifest injustice that Brunner didn’t get the call. Yes, this is probably still a little bit of a stretch. Yes, there are other deserving American center backs that haven’t received the call. And most importantly, I’m not saying Eric should start in the 2014 World Cup.[2] All I am saying is he would be a perfectly deserving selection to JK’s camp.

So, why does Eric Brunner merit a call-up? First off, he is an underrated defender. As the Timbers highlighted earlier this week, Opta found Brunner was the second-best 50-50 ball winner in the league, winning a borderline absurd 70.2% of his 50-50s.[3] So, Eric has some serious aerial prowess – getting the Opta nod over called-up Omar Gonzalez[4] (#4) and Jeff Parke (#5).  All the while Brunner stays out of trouble with the referees, being whistled for a modest 19 fouls in an impressive 2,795 minutes. Pretty impressive. His organization of the defense improved as the year went along, even if he occasionally found himself napping a little bit allowing a runner in behind.

Second, he was the backbone of a team that developed a pretty stingy defensive identity as the season went along. Now, I know, you’re looking at last year’s table and saying “Chris, are you out of your freaking mind, the Timbers’ defense was awful last year!” Indeed, over the course of the season, PTFC conceded 48 times – fifth worst in all the land. But here’s the catch, over the last half of the season (17 matches), the Timbers allowed only 19. Now, if you expanded that pace out to encompass the whole season, that would be 38 goals allowed – good enough for fifth best in all the land.

Yes, there were other reasons the Timbers got better defensively – namely the shift of Jack Jewsbury to holding midfielder and the addition of Mike Chabala and, to a lesser extent in my mind, Lovel Palmer. But Brunner’s contribution shouldn’t be overlooked. He was still the backbone of the defense and accordingly gets a good share of the credit for its improvement.

Third, Brunner was one of PTFC’s most consistent players during the season. With the exception of a brief stretch during the summer, Eric really didn’t have down matches. Both Futty and David Horst, while certainly having very good seasons, had moments where they looked dodgy. Brunner, though, was one of the most reliable Timbers.

Finally, Eric is a target going forward on set pieces. He scored thrice in 2011, including game winners against Chivas and Columbus, and the nail in the coffin against Galaxy. Offense is something the Americans desperately need, and while Eric certainly isn’t going to turn around the Yanks’ offensive woes by himself, it’s nice to have a guy with his aerial prowess lurking far post.

So, he’s a young, consistent, ball-winning, defense-leading, goal-scoring center back. Is he the best in the MLS? No, at least not yet. I almost certainly put George John, Jamison Olave, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and Chad Marshall ahead of him at this point. That said, however, in 2011 I would say he had a season about on par or better than the likes of Parke, Nat Borchers, Danny Califf, and Tim Ream.[5] Still, he’s a guy that at this point deserves at least a cup of coffee with the National Team. So, it’s time for a change in 2012: Brunner for America.[6]

Mark Your Calendars

Wait, it’s only January and the schedule is out already? Well, mark your calendars, send regrets to your friends and family who are getting married on home dates, and stock up on throat lozenges. Here we go.

The first thing of note is the Timbers have both Vancouver and Seattle at Jeld-Wen Field twice this year. This is speciously exciting, but has two major downsides. First, it totally kills the Cascadia Cup. Portland will have four of their six Cascadia Cup matches at home; a huge advantage that makes the Timbers a fun-killing favorite.[7] When they announced the unbalanced schedule I presumed the MLS would work it out so the Cascadia teams all had three home and three away games, thereby preserving some level of competitive parity in the Cascadia Cup. Not so, and in my mind it’s unfortunate.

Second, the Timbers have one of the more difficult schedules in the league. Portland visits F.C. Dallas, L.A. Galaxy, Colorado Rapids, and Real Salt Lake twice. If you’re counting, that’s four of the top five teams in the Western Conference in 2011. If the table holds relatively true to 2011, then, the corollary of that is the Timbers figure to have a disproportionately easy home schedule, with two fixtures each against Whitecaps, Chivas USA, and San Jose. The Timbers success, then, will rely on Portland mopping up a lot of points at home, because even a spirited road effort doesn’t seem to be especially promising.

The final interesting thing about the schedule is the national television exposure given to Cascadia and the MLS as a whole.  The Timbers will have 12 matches – 11 if you don’t count Galavision – on national TV. Three of those are on ESPN or ESPN2. Another is on NBC nationally. Seven of ESPN’s 21 matches in 2012 will involve Portland and/or Seattle. All three of the Timbers-Sounders fixtures will be shown nationally on a prominent network, ESPN[8] twice and NBC[9] once. I’m not sure there is a surer sign that the Cascadia rivalry is helping to grow the sport nationally.

Ultimately, though, the most exciting thing is the increased national exposure for MLS. This season, MLS will be available in millions more homes than with Fox Soccer, and on more prominent channels. No doubt this is a result of the TV deal with NBC Sports the League signed this year. But the deal itself is indicative that the MLS is going through its first sustained period of growth, showing promise beyond a World Cup year.[10] That is an extraordinarily positive referendum on the growth of MLS, and one that promises to have staying power that previous World Cup-induced spurts didn’t.

Before the Super Draft we’ll set the table for the Timbers a little bit, but until then…

Onward, Rose City!

—by Sherrilynn "Sheba" Rawson

Being a member of the 107IST means a lot: as a member you support amazing game-day experiences -- from the creation and execution of outstanding tifo to providing the best away-day experience for traveling members. As a member, you also receive exclusive discounts at a host of local businesses, as well as access to members-only events.

But being a member of the 107IST means so much more: It also means giving back to your community.

What an amazing year 2011 has been! As the Portland Timbers made their leap to MLS, 2011 was also as a year for 107IST members to take great strides in community outreach, both in Portland and beyond.

Here are some of the highlights of 107ist charities and community volunteer efforts supported in 2011, thanks to the generous financial and volunteer support of 107IST members:

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Charitable donations

Harpers Playground - $20,375***

The 107IST supported fundraising for the construction of Harper's Playground, an inclusive, accessible playground to be built in North Portland's Arbor Lodge Park. This includes money raised by the sale of the “Everyone Plays: scarves -- $14,800 that the Timbers Army sold directly, as well as “Everyone Plays” scarf sales that the Harper's Playground organization sold.

Local area HS soccer programs - $10,354.50

The 107IST supported boys' and girls' high school soccer programs in the Portland Public Schools through the purchase of uniforms, equipment, equipment bags and warm-ups. This includes $1,689.50 for Jefferson High School (an initial outlay for equipment and uniforms for Jefferson was donated in 2010); $4,508 for Madison High School; and $4,157 for Franklin High School.

Gisele Currier Memorial Fund and Individual Scholarships - $2,690.94

The 107IST supported the foundation of a soccer scholarship fund in memory of Gisele Currier, a beloved longtime member of the Timbers Army who passed away earlier this year. This includes $2,290.94 to support the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund, as well as $400 individual hardship scholarships for local youth club soccer players. This year the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund supported Issa Hassan, as well as Alex Segovia and Rubio Mendez-Rubin.

Jim Serrill - $2,000.00

The 107IST supported the sale of fundraising scarves to help defray initial expenses for "Timber Jim" Serrill, who faced surgery in a successful battle with cancer earlier this year.

Operation Pitch Invasion - $2,000.00

The 107IST supported the launch of Operation Pitch Invasion, the organization that grew out of the 107IST to support the restoration and maintenance of soccer fields in and around Portland schools and parks. (See the Volunteering section below for more information)

Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp - $1,500.00

The 107IST supported the Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp, a camp that combines communication therapy with relaxing camp activities for children with speech and hearing challenges. This money was raised by capos and the drum & trumpet corps, who asked folks to take the money that would have gone toward buying pints for the capo, drum and trumpet crew and instead donating the money to support Meadowood Springs.

Other charitable contributions - $1,054.69

The 107IST supported a variety of smaller projects with soccer equipment, including e.g. soccer socks and Timbers Army pinnies, which went to a variety of soccer endeavors both close to home and abroad (including Voz Workers' Rights Portland soccer, Kateri Park soccer for refugee children, the Powell Park summer soccer program, the Grant Park futsal tournament, and the Haitian National soccer team).

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Volunteerism

Friends of Trees

On February 12th, 107IST members spent the day planting trees in Boise, Eliot, King and Humboldt locations in Portland with Friends of Trees, an organization that builds community partnerships to plant, preserve, care for, and educate about urban trees.

Oregon Food Bank

On April 16th (at the Portland location), August 27th (both locations), and December 10th (both locations), 107IST members (and their friends and family members) volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank’s Portland and Beaverton locations, sorting and packing food for Oregon's hungry. 107IST members and friends donated 384 total volunteer hours on those three dates.

Operation Pitch Invasion

On July 16th, 107IST members teamed up for a half-day restoration of two pitches at Portland's Ed Benedict Park. On July 23rd and 30th, 107IST volunteers teamed up with Operation Pitch Invasion and AC Portland to transform the James John Elementary School blacktop playground into a small soccer field.

AC Portland

On July 8th, 107ISt members participated in the kickoff for Advantage Centers Portland, an organization dedicated to supporting soccer, scholarship, and service. 107IST volunteers have supported AC Portland through after work with local children in after school programs in seven Portland area schools targeted for improving academic achievement through supporting soccer and academics (and even a Poetry Slam!).

Sunday Parkways

On June 26th and August 28th, 107IST volunteers staffed various locations along travel routes for Portland Sunday Parkways, a periodic event which closes off designated Portland area streets to car traffic to encourage community building, connecting neighborhoods and people, and celebrating with music, food and fun.

In addition to these larger, group organized events, 107IST members have also donated countless efforts and volunteer hours to the community in other ways, and are eager to expand their volunteer horizons in 2012.

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We are so grateful to our members, who give so generously of their time and money, to support the community we love. It is an honor to serve the 107IST, whose mission continues to be to support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level, and to be the greatest football supporters the world has ever seen. Thank you!

—by Chris Rifer

The wind may not blow,
Might not even snow,
But there’s nothin’ like Christmas right here at home.
It may not be white,
Might be a rainy night,
But there’s nothin’ like sharin’ the sounds and the sights,
Of Christmas in the Northwest, is a gift that we can share.
Christmas in the Northwest is a child’s answered prayer.
Take away the presents and they still will have a tree,
For Christmas is the Northwest is a gift God wrapped in green!

If you haven’t heard the Brenda White classic “Christmas in the Northwest” do yourself a favor and spend the $0.99 on iTunes. You can thank me in the comments section.[1]

But seriously, this Christmas in the Northwest has been a gift Merritt wrapped in Timbers green.[2]

Trencito Under the Tree

Just as people were starting to get nervous about another Kerrea Gilbert situation, Trencito arrived. After his Colombian club was knocked out of the playoffs by a second leg home loss, the Timbers announced they had inked a deal with Jose Adolfo Valencia – el Trencito. Yeah, okay, you know.

Trencito is an athletic, physically imposing, technically skilled, but still raw 20 year old Colombian striker. While he’s unlikely to be an instant impact guy, the upside is clearly substantial. A regular on the Colombian U-20 national team, Trencito harbors fairly realistic aspirations of making his way to Europe. The road to Europe leads through the Rose City, however, as the Timbers have locked him up to a long-term contract rumored to be at least 4 years in length.

Valencia is expected to arrive in Portland shortly after the New Year, as just today Trencito tweeted “Travelling. Next stop USA. Everything is in the hands of my God.”

The payoff for the Timbers may not be quite so immediate, however. With a strikeforce that suddenly seems stocked with potential but sparse with results, it is anybody’s guess what the Timbers will do up front next year and whether it will bring any better result.

Darlington Nagbe seems likely headed back to the midfield with Sal Zizzo’s status for the beginning of the season in doubt. Zizzo has a ways to go in recovering from the injured knee he suffered against Houston, and may not be ready for the start of the regular season.

Even with Darlington likely headed back to the wing, the strikeforce has five options in Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlaza, Trencito, Eddie Johnson, and Bright Dike. At this point, I think Cooper and Perlaza have to be the favorites to lock down the starting spot. While both had disappointing goal totals in 2011, both provide reason for hope in 2012. After suffering through an atrocious summer, Cooper warmed up considerably toward the end of the season, finishing with 4 goals in the Timbers last 7 matches. The hope for Perlaza is maybe a bit more speculative, but time and time again in this league we have seen foreign transfers make a considerable jump in their second season in MLS.

Nonetheless, if Trencito comes in and impresses from the start, there is no reason he can’t break into the team early on. As of right now, nobody in the strikeforce is untouchable. My guess is he starts the season as an occasional substitute and ends as a regular sub who earns himself a couple starts.

Six Matches for the Price of One!

What?! This week the Timbers announced a preseason tournament featuring PTFC, Chivas USA, San Jose, and Swedish powerhouse AIK. While the Allsvenskan isn’t exactly the Premiereship, the partnership makes sense. Like MLS, many of the Nordic leagues run spring to fall because, well, it’s way too cold to pay soccer in Stockholm in December. So a preseason tournament featuring AIK and a couple MLS clubs is a great tune-up for the AIK, the Timbers, and the Army.

For season ticket holders the whole preseason tournament counts as Exhibition A – meaning you can watch six matches, three doubleheaders, for the price of one. The matches are Monday, February 27, Thursday March 1, and Sunday March 4, with the Timbers playing AIK on the final evening at 5:00.  For me it’s as simple as this: I get to watch six soccer matches[3] for $18. Three of those matches feature our beloved PTFC. Two more feature a decent European club most of us probably haven’t had much exposure to before.

Oh, and AIK is nothing to shake a stick at, either. They were eliminated in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League in 2010 and have already qualified for Europa League in 2012-13. Yeah, so they’re not Barcelona, but you’re also not going to get Barca in the U.S. in February.

So while this isn’t exactly the present that gets you running downstairs in your footie jammies on Christmas morning, it beats the heck out of socks.

Stocking Stuffers

I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out, but as I was walking to get lunch today I stumbled on a delightful piece of parallelism. On November 3, 1995, the Portland Trail Blazers opened the Rose Garden to great local fanfare. On that night, however, they dropped their season opener to a visiting expansion team – the Vancouver Grizzlies. Well, fast forward to October 2, 2011 and the Vancouver Whitecaps were [re]opening B.C. Place to great local fanfare. Unfortunately for them, they too lost their maiden voyage in their new home to an expansion side – the Portland Timbers.[4] What’s that they say about payback?

Rod Wallace broke onto the scoresheet for Costa Rica again on Thursday as he scored the opener in Costa Rica’s 2-0 win over Venezuela. It started with Rod making a nice run down the left-center of the midfield. After receiving the ball, in classic Rodney fashion, he tripped over it a bit, before hitting a pretty nice left-footed strike just inside the near post. His success with Costa Rica just adds to the intrigue of the left back position for the Timbers, as Wallace is stating a convincing case to be the opening day starter.

Oh yeah, and PSG seems really, really serious about paying $18 million for 18 months of David Beckham. It just doesn’t get old.

With that, I bid you a very Happy Holidays.[5]

Onward, Rose City!

—by Roger Anthony

For those of you who missed it, too bad. At Wednesday night’s performance of “Shed Culture,” stars were born and legends were enhanced.

About 350ish people turned up at the Alberta Rose Theatre to see the largely live and larger-than-life stage show birthed by the online radio phenomenon “Shed Culture,” which spreads the love and lore of the Timbers Army via Cascadia.fm.

First, the cons: Bathroom lines were remarkably long. And, as might have been expected, there were waaaaaaaay too many dick jokes – on the stage and not, thankfully, in the aforementioned lines.

Now, the pros: Here are six (of many) highlights from the evening:

1. Merritt Paulson came out and did a little radio-station-style Q-and-A with Hermes. Asked what he'd give the TA for Christmas, he said something to the effect of, "We already have a lot of good things. But we need to get some silverware. We've got trophy cases that are way too empty."

Merritt first came on stage during a group therapy sketch in which he was one of three people seeking counseling. Obi played a Sounders fan and came onstage in a puke green S**ttle jersey. That attracted so much attention and hostility that most of the audience didn't notice Merritt until it was his turn to speak.

2. John Spencer, who is out of town and appeared in a Q-and-A video, was introduced by Purple Cow as "a man with two first names."

3. One of the opening skits involved a new line of merch being developed by the emerging conglomerate that is ShedCo. An exercycle appeared center stage, and was soon put to the formidable task of whipping Barnacle Brian into insta-shape. BB enhanced the offensive line build that nature gave him with body padding that made him look even bulkier.

After a few turns on the cycle, Brian retreated behind a dressing blind (those screen things you see in old movies) and was presumably changing: You’d see the pads he was wearing being tossed out from behind the blind and onto the stage, and you kind of expected him come out in a skeleton costume or something.

But instead, Troy Perkins who walked out, clad in sky blue uniform and brandishing the "Supporters Player of the Year" belt presented him at the last game. It was the first of several truly great moments, and everyone not standing in the restroom line stood up and chanted "Perkins ... Perkins ... Perkins!"

4. The “Shed Culture” crew managed to track down Peter Yeates, the guy who did the 1975 recording of "Green is the Color." Yeates sang, and had the audience join in on the chorus.

5. As you may have noticed, there's been a partnership of sorts struck up between the Timbers and Oregon Ballet Theatre. It goes beyond mere sponsorship -- last night, Channel 12 was running a bit about Futty Danso preparing for his turn on stage in one of the two ongoing OBT holiday-season shows.

Anyway, as an outgrowth of that, “Shed Culture” included a charming little "Dance of the Ultras." Three capos -- evidently selected by tattoo volume -- came on stage and basically stood still while a trio ballerinas from OBT classes pranced and pirouetted around them. Eventually, the capos swept them off their en point-ed feet and hurriedly carried them offstage as if they were flares in Rio Tinto.

6. The evening’s final bit began as another high-culture segment. Patrick Scofield of Portland Opera strode on stage in a tux, carrying a sheet-music stand upon which he placed several bits of sheet music.

He began singing in a deep, deep basso profundo. Initially, the piece was extremely slow, and the lyrics seemed to be in Russian.

At that point, it seemed as if this might be the cue for an encore by the lovely young ballerinas. Instead, the song continued, the tempo shifting from slow to moderate.

And then ... the lyrics began to include some recognizable syllables. The rhythm quickened. And right before your ears and eyes, the tune morphed into -- the Tetris Dance!

That was the cue for 350 or so people to leap to their feet, sing along and dance to their right and left.

Best of all, another show is already in the works. Make sure to keep the evening of Jan. 26 free.

—by Lucas Grzybowski

TA packing wax beans at OFB West. Photo by Scott Grossaint

Earlier this month the Timbers Army brought two groups of volunteers to the Oregon Food Bank locations in Portland and Beaverton, where we packed a total of 30,108 pounds of potatoes and wax beans. That comes out to 23,160 meals worth of food packed in two short hours. Mike Jezewski, our volunteer coordinator at Portland, sent this message of thanks to the TA:

Dear Timbers Army Volunteer Team,

Thank you for participating in the volunteer event at Oregon Food Bank on December 10th. Together with other community members, your team worked hard to re-pack over 22,050 pounds of potatoes! That is a lot of food! Many small tasks came together to achieve this. Our thanks go to the bag labelers, baggers, twist tiers, loaders and pallet movers. In a single visit, the entire group packed enough food to provide 16,962 meals for people in need. Every member of your team can be proud of their individual contribution. You were each responsible for 188 meals.

In Oregon and Clark County Washington, an estimated 260,000 people eat from an emergency food box in an average month. Your volunteer service helps our many neighbors who aren't sure where their next meal will come from.

What a wonderful group! We really appreciate your hard work, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Happy Holidays,

Mike Jezewski

Volunteer Coordinator

Mike included a link to this video produced by OFB, which illustrates why the need is so great, and why volunteer groups like ours are so vital.

If the holiday spirit has you feeling urged to help out, please consider donating your time, food or money to Oregon Food Bank. And if you would like to volunteer with us at our next TA Day at the Food Bank (we are bringing groups quarterly, and our next day will be in March), please email us at community@107ist.org and we'll get you on the contact list.

—by Chris Rifer

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

After a frantic few days in the wake of the Expansion Draft the MLS has settled into the doldrums of the offseason. With the SuperDraft a month away and training camp another two weeks beyond that, the MLS offseason has entered the longest stretch of winter without a major event on the horizon. Stadium renovation webcam, oh how I miss you.

Across the league a few moves have been made, notably Omar Bravo and Erik Friberg setting sail for foreign shores. For the most part, however, we’ve settled into the offseason where the bulk of the rumors are highly speculative reports based on unnamed sources quoted in obscure foreign newspapers. Oh yeah, and Paris Saint-Germain is about to sign David Beckham to an 18-month $18.7 million deal.[1] Goodness gracious.

Portland’s imminent signing of Trencito Valencia seems to be temporarily on hold as his Independiente Santa Fe club has reached the semifinals of the Colombian playoffs, seeking their first title since 1975. After a 1-1 draw away at Once Caldas in the first leg, a Santa Fe win at home on Wednesday will likely set up a championship derby against fellow Bogota-based club Millonarios. Young Trencito seems to be a regular substitute for Santa Fe, although he didn’t feature in Sunday’s opening semifinal leg – likely because Santa Fe were trying to hold onto the draw after defender Hugo Acosta was sent off in the 76^th minute.[2] I’m sure this is all fascinating stuff to you.

Diego Chara: The Rodney Dangerfield of MLS

This morning Soccer America came out with an apparently hastily assembled list of the best central midfielders in the league.[3] The good news: Jack Jewsbury is #1! The bad news: Diego Chara isn’t even on the list. Now, for those of us who rate Diego higher than we rate Jack, that’s a bit confounding. No offense to Captain Jack, who was my vote for Supporters’ Player of the Year,[4] but both the Captain’s vaunted position and Diego’s omission are serious head scratchers.[5]

This confirms a troubling trend I have noticed with Diego; he don’t get no respect! In response to questions when Diego was signed about his lack of score sheet production in Colombia, Gavin Wilkinson retorted that people had no idea the impact he had on the field that didn’t show up in the postgame report. Touché, Gavin.

He’s one of the most box-to-box midfielders I’ve seen at the MLS level; equally comfortable sidling up to stop opposing attackers as he is making aggressive central runs forward. It seemed the Timbers greatest success late in the season came when Diego made his presence felt the most. Early on, when Diego struggled on the road, the Timbers struggled on the road.[6] As he became more comfortable away from home, so did the Timbers, and the results started to come.

And yet, his impact seems to have gone largely unnoticed outside the Rose City. I expect an even better outing from Diego next year as he gets more comfortable with the Timbers and with the league. Hopefully by the end of the campaign he will be listed where he belongs – next to guys like Ozzie Alonso and Kyle Beckerman as an elite center midfielder.

Timbers Notes

The third kits were unveiled on Tuesday the 6^th to widespread critical acclaim. Featuring a retro look inspired by a number of the NASL kits, the Timbers unveiled their alternate white kits at a ceremony featuring NASL Timber Mick Hoban along with current Timbers Darlington Nagbe and a tragically baby-faced David Horst. The reaction across the league was overwhelmingly positive, with the only seriously negative reaction coming from a heretofore unknown to me subgroup of supporters who have a very strong[7] hatred of all white kits.

Rod Wallace has been called up to the Costa Rican national team once again, starting in the Ticos’ draw with Cuba on Sunday. Wallace will likely stay with Costa Rica through their December 22^nd fixture against Venezuela. The Timbers left back position is one of the most interesting for me this offseason. Word leaked out last week that the Timbers were looking at a left back trialist, suggesting to me that Jonathan Bornstein is not likely to be coming back to the States in the immediate future. It will be interesting to see if the Timbers can find a new left back that will fill the spot next year, or if they will again rely on either Rod or Chewy to anchor the flank. Based on late-season lineups, it seems like Spencer favors Rodney just a little bit more right now, but absent a new signee, I imagine the position will be open for competition in camp.

Finally, congratulations to Matt and Harper on their election to the 107ist Board, and also to Nando and Scott on their reelection! After reading through the forum threads and watching the recording of the Candidate Forum, I came away thoroughly impressed with everybody who had stepped up to run. Thank you to all the candidates, and good luck to our new Board members.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Chris Rifer

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

After a frantic few days in the wake of the Expansion Draft the MLS has settled into the doldrums of the offseason. With the SuperDraft a month away and training camp another two weeks beyond that, the MLS offseason has entered the longest stretch of winter without a major event on the horizon. Stadium renovation webcam, oh how I miss you.

Across the league a few moves have been made, notably Omar Bravo and Erik Friberg setting sail for foreign shores. For the most part, however, we’ve settled into the offseason where the bulk of the rumors are highly speculative reports based on unnamed sources quoted in obscure foreign newspapers. Oh yeah, and Paris Saint-Germain is about to sign David Beckham to an 18-month $18.7 million deal.[1] Goodness gracious.

Portland’s imminent signing of Trencito Valencia seems to be temporarily on hold as his Independiente Santa Fe club has reached the semifinals of the Colombian playoffs, seeking their first title since 1975. After a 1-1 draw away at Once Caldas in the first leg, a Santa Fe win at home on Wednesday will likely set up a championship derby against fellow Bogota-based club Millonarios. Young Trencito seems to be a regular substitute for Santa Fe, although he didn’t feature in Sunday’s opening semifinal leg – likely because Santa Fe were trying to hold onto the draw after defender Hugo Acosta was sent off in the 76^th minute.[2] I’m sure this is all fascinating stuff to you.

Diego Chara: The Rodney Dangerfield of MLS

This morning Soccer America came out with an apparently hastily assembled list of the best central midfielders in the league.[3] The good news: Jack Jewsbury is #1! The bad news: Diego Chara isn’t even on the list. Now, for those of us who rate Diego higher than we rate Jack, that’s a bit confounding. No offense to Captain Jack, who was my vote for Supporters’ Player of the Year,[4] but both the Captain’s vaunted position and Diego’s omission are serious head scratchers.[5]

This confirms a troubling trend I have noticed with Diego; he don’t get no respect! In response to questions when Diego was signed about his lack of score sheet production in Colombia, Gavin Wilkinson retorted that people had no idea the impact he had on the field that didn’t show up in the postgame report. Touché, Gavin.

He’s one of the most box-to-box midfielders I’ve seen at the MLS level; equally comfortable sidling up to stop opposing attackers as he is making aggressive central runs forward. It seemed the Timbers greatest success late in the season came when Diego made his presence felt the most. Early on, when Diego struggled on the road, the Timbers struggled on the road.[6] As he became more comfortable away from home, so did the Timbers, and the results started to come.

And yet, his impact seems to have gone largely unnoticed outside the Rose City. I expect an even better outing from Diego next year as he gets more comfortable with the Timbers and with the league. Hopefully by the end of the campaign he will be listed where he belongs – next to guys like Ozzie Alonso and Kyle Beckerman as an elite center midfielder.

Timbers Notes

The third kits were unveiled on Tuesday the 6^th to widespread critical acclaim. Featuring a retro look inspired by a number of the NASL kits, the Timbers unveiled their alternate white kits at a ceremony featuring NASL Timber Mick Hoban along with current Timbers Darlington Nagbe and a tragically baby-faced David Horst. The reaction across the league was overwhelmingly positive, with the only seriously negative reaction coming from a heretofore unknown to me subgroup of supporters who have a very strong[7] hatred of all white kits.

Rod Wallace has been called up to the Costa Rican national team once again, starting in the Ticos’ draw with Cuba on Sunday. Wallace will likely stay with Costa Rica through their December 22^nd fixture against Venezuela. The Timbers left back position is one of the most interesting for me this offseason. Word leaked out last week that the Timbers were looking at a left back trialist, suggesting to me that Jonathan Bornstein is not likely to be coming back to the States in the immediate future. It will be interesting to see if the Timbers can find a new left back that will fill the spot next year, or if they will again rely on either Rod or Chewy to anchor the flank. Based on late-season lineups, it seems like Spencer favors Rodney just a little bit more right now, but absent a new signee, I imagine the position will be open for competition in camp.

Finally, congratulations to Matt and Harper on their election to the 107ist Board, and also to Nando and Scott on their reelection! After reading through the forum threads and watching the recording of the Candidate Forum, I came away thoroughly impressed with everybody who had stepped up to run. Thank you to all the candidates, and good luck to our new Board members.

Onward, Rose City!