Since 1985, Portland’s City Council has been presenting the Spirit of Portland Awards to individuals and groups that work to improve the city.   This year, the Timbers Army is one of 24 organizations and citizens chosen to be honored.

The Army was nominated by City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who cited both the Army’s role in making Major League Soccer a success and enthusiasm for the city that the Army brings on both game-days and in our numerous charitable endeavors.

The award will be presented in a ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106^th Ave.  

If you’re reading this, you helped win the award.  Congratulations!

Want to help some kids do better in school?  Want to introduce some boys and girls to the joy and magic of soccer? 

Well, we’ve made it easy for you.  On Friday night, Jeld-Wen is teaming with the Timbers Army to raise friends and funds for AC Portland.  Launched this spring, AC Portland is a supplementary educational program focused on kids and neighborhoods that need a boost.  Aimed at elementary-school students, the AC Portland program mixes recreational soccer with literacy education, mentoring and nutritional guidance.

How can you help?  All you have to do is lift one finger.

When you arrive at the Jeld-Wen Field Friday night, pull out your Smartphone – don’t worry, John Spencer would approve – and open up Facebook.  Look on the right of the menu bar for the “Places” function.  Click on that, scroll down, and click again on the “Jeld-Wen Field” bar. 

For every click on that bar Friday night, Jeld-Wen will donate a dollar to AC Portland. 

The curriculum comes from America SCORES; the funding is coming from a wide range of Portland-based businesses and leaders.  The inspiration comes from the Timbers Army – its love of soccer, its passion for Portland, and its unmatched drive to make Portland “Soccer City USA” in every way possible.

Welcome to the first blog post for the Timbers Army of SW Washington, a.k.a. Northern Alliance. This first post is to let you know who we are, what we're about, and where you can find us, and future posts will be current goings-on in the TANA.

You might not have been aware of our group, but you've probably seen us around, talked with us in line or at tailgates, high-fived us after a goal. You may have seen one of our two flags waving at home matches, designed by John Acerbi. You might have seen some of our cool patches around. And soon you'll see the Northern Alliance scarves, which have arrived and been distributed in the last few weeks.

The Northern Alliance is the brainchild of Kelly Dews, who first created the Facebook group and started searching out TA members north of the Columbia early in the season. Along the trail the Northern Alliance picked up Troy Maxcy, the other half of the leadership team. Together, Kelly and Troy have organized most of the events of the Northern Alliance which have taken place. Some of our other notable members include the famous Brent Diskin and contest-winning photographer Bradley York.

The first group event planned for the Northern Alliance was a simple viewing party for Seattle Away, which took place at the Smokey's Hot Oven Pizza in NE Vancouver. It wasn't a large draw, but it was a humble beginning. Family-friendly (i.e. kid-friendly) viewings still continue there. Subsequent events have been held at Dublin Down, on Main Street in downtown Vancouver, which is a Tier-1 Timbers bar and shows every match. We've had a couple of auctions at Dublin Down during matches, and have raised money that are earmarked for use to benefit youth soccer in SW Washington (exact details to follow in the future).

The Timbers U-23 squad played two matches in Clark County this season.  I won't lie, we dropped the ball on the first event, but for the second the Northern Alliance gathered a good showing of Timbers fans for the match, with a pre-game bash in downtown Camas, followed by a short drive to the match at the Camas HS stadium. A few of us even did a couple of chants for the guys, showed them they had some TA support (even if we did draw the ire of an entire girls soccer team, disgusted that soccer fans could MAKE NOISE during a match!).

While most of our members are located in SW Washington, some members are Portland-based and others live in as well as north of S**ttle, and we're growing; We're approaching 170 members on the Facebook page as I write this. We're looking forward to making more noise in the future.

Feel free to venture across the bridge to the 'Couve (which, by the way, is the ORIGINAL Vancouver, not that other city up north) and join us for a viewing party.  There's plenty of fun for all.

And so, as every post shall close, Cheers and RCTID!

—by Chris Rifer

With the playoff chase heating up, the Portland Timbers scratched out a tough point in a scoreless draw on the road against Philadelphia Union.  The draw puts Portland at 33 points, one behind D.C. United for the final playoff spot.

At the outset, Philadelphia established themselves as the dominant side, but failed to truly take advantage. Union were able to send a few crosses into the box—most dangerously a 22^nd minute Michael Farfan ball to the near post—but were unable to create any bona fide chances.  Philadelphia’s best opportunity came in the 28^th minute, as Seb Le Toux chested down a ball coming over the top, but sent it wide of the far post.

While Philadelphia had a few more chances than Portland in the first half, the Timbers showed a little bit of intent going forward. At times the combination of Lovel Palmer and Sal Zizzo moved down the right side with impunity, but the Timbers’ last ball repeatedly failed them.  Portland nearly closed the first half with a shocker, however, but Philly Rookie Zach MacMath blocked a Jorge Perlaza effort at close range, and Perlaza couldn’t turn the rebound toward the open net.

The second half wouldn’t see any dramatic changes in the run of play. Portland controlled a little more of the midfield, although still primarily relied on the counterattack, and Philadelphia continued to struggle to find any serious attempts on goal.

Kenny Cooper found a bit of space 30 yards out in the 59^th minute and took a go, but MacMath easily covered his post to keep things level. A brilliant strike by Danny Mwanga in the 69^th minute was parried over the bar by Troy Perkins. Until the late stages, however, there wasn’t a whole lot doing for either side.

Finally, in the 85^th minute, Portland would make its bid to steal three points. Diego Chara caught Union committing too many numbers forward and made a blistering run up the gut of the midfield. The diminutive Colombian found Kenny Cooper alone on the right wing, but MacMath cut down Cooper’s angle, and forced KFC to drag the ball wide of the far post.

Three minutes later, Philadelphia would make its case for the victory. After Justin Mapp knocked Mike Chabala off balance, he crossed the ball to Kyle Nakazawa at the top of the box. Nakazawa’s sent his shot off the woodwork, however, and the Timbers cleared the danger.

In the end, neither team could break the stalemate, leaving Philadelphia frustrated and desperate for a win, and Portland satisfied with the point. Coming down the stretch, any road point is a good road point, and with the result the Timbers firmly embedded themselves in the thick of the playoff race.

Observations

• I was pretty surprised at the amount of disappointment from Timbers supporters on the internet after this match. True, Philadelphia hasn’t been on the best run of form recently, but they certainly haven’t been horrible at home. In the past month they have tallied home draws against F.C. Dallas, Houston, and a resurgent Revs side in what may be the craziest game of the MLS season thus far. The reality is that this draw, on the road, against a fellow playoff contender, is a good result by any objective measure. Could Kenny Cooper have slotted his 85^th minute effort home? Yeah, sure. But Nakazawa also could have put his 88^th minute effort in the net. In the end, the draw was a just, solid result for the Timbers that gets them through a tough road test while keeping their playoff hopes alive and well.
• Speaking of playoff hopes, let’s reset the picture. At this point, there are effectively six teams battling it out for three spots. One of those spots will go to a top-3 Eastern Conference side, but that doesn’t fundamentally change the picture because of the six teams in contention, four are from the East. Of those teams, Chivas seem to be in the most trouble, as they are in the midst of a terrible run of form and are at least a game down on most of the other teams. Here is how things are playing out, with my extremely unscientific playoff odds and random guesses on the far right.

Team	Points	GP	Remaining Schedule	Playoff Odds[1]	Predicted Points[2]
Union	36	27	Crew, @ K.C., D.C., @ Chivas, @ Sounders, Toronto, @ NYRB	85%	45
Dynamo	35	28	@ Crew, San Jose, @ Dallas, Chicago, @ Timbers, Galaxy	38%	42
D.C. United	34	25	@ Seattle, Chivas, RSL, @ Union, @ Crew, Chicago, Timbers, K.C.	75%	45
NYRB	33	27	@ Dallas, RSL, Timbers, @ TFC, Galaxy, @ K.C., Union	30%	41
Timbers	33	27	Revs, S.J., @ N.Y, @ 'Caps, Dynamo, @ D.C., @ RSL	42%	43
Chivas	31	28	Fire, @ DC, Toronto, Union, @ Galaxy, Sounders	10%	38

• I didn’t take the injury to Chris Pontius into account, mostly because we have no idea how it will affect D.C. Obviously it looks like a huge loss on paper, as Pontius has arguably been their best player this year, but without seeing it on the field it is hard to say how bad the damage will be. We will likely learn a lot on Saturday when they travel to Seattle.
• I didn’t explicitly predict any Timbers games. Superstition. If you do the math, you can probably figure it out. But, the point is that with the seven points from the last three matches, the Timbers are right in the thick of the playoff hunt. The other thing I would like to point out it how huge that point in Philly looks on this chart. So, those of you who are upset about Saturday, stop whining.
• Finally, looking at the season from a larger perspective, at this point it is hard not to be ecstatic with how the campaign has gone. Yes, the Timbers have given away a lot of points. Yes, if they hadn’t given away quite so many, they would be in excellent shape for the playoffs. But let’s be reasonable, here. At the beginning of the season, if you had told me that in the second week of September the Timbers would be a serious contender to make the playoffs, I would have declared the season a smashing success. So, next time you get the urge to bellyache—an urge that I get multiple times per week—remind yourself of that.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5.5 Handled Philly’s crosses and corners especially well. All told, though, didn’t have that much to do. The defense in front of him primarily held the Union to half-chances.

Mike Chabala, 4 One of his poorer games as a Timber. Seemed a bit out of sorts throughout, and conceded one of Philly’s few legitimate chances by letting Justin Mapp send him to the turf and cross the ball to Nakazawa.

David Horst, 5.5 A bit quieter than the Chivas game, but was still very effective in the middle. Le Toux seemed to be loitering in Horst’s area quite a bit, but with only one real exception David kept him quiet.

Eric Brunner, 6.5 The last two matches have seen Brunner come out of the mini-slump he was in. On Saturday the Timbers got exactly what they want out of a center back—great positioning, solid tackling, and good leadership in keeping his back line organized.

Lovel Palmer, 6 Linked up with Zizzo very well, especially in the first half. Also had a nice game in back, keeping the right side pretty quiet. Probably safe to say this was one of Lovel’s best outings since coming over from Houston.

Kalif Alhassan, 4.5 Had a pretty anonymous game on the left wing. Only found himself in position to break down the defense once or twice, and failed to create anything especially promising from it.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 Held most of the game as Chara looked to get forward. The result was that nothing from Jack really jumped off the screen, although he did show nicely in defense on more than one occasion.

Diego Chara, 6 Perhaps his best road effort of the season. Was electric at times moving the ball up the center of the midfield and distributing out to the wings. Created several turnovers by using his signature sidling defense. And yes, I do believe that was a legitimate cramp.

Sal Zizzo, 6 Would go higher if his last ball hadn’t betrayed him a couple times. In the first half and early on in the second, Sal constituted the vast majority of the attack.

Kenny Cooper, 5 The big fella has to put that 85^th minute shot on frame, good play by MacMath or not. Still, between that and his other shot from distance, even the most cynical Cooper detractors would have to admit that he posed a danger to the Union defense.

Jorge Perlaza, 5.5 Really nice run to create his opportunity at the end of the half. The pickings were meager for him, as the left side behind him wasn’t functioning all that well. I do question his early exit. The Timbers best opportunities were coming on the counterattack, and Perlaza brings much more in that facet of the game than Dike.

Bright Dike, 4 Let’s be honest here; he didn’t do anything other than commit fouls and end Timbers possession in the attacking third. I love his work rate and I love his mentality, but he was out of control on Saturday.

Rodney Wallace, 5 Had a decent, if unspectacular, brief outing at left midfield.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 Filled in for Zizzo anonymously.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Andrew Brawley

I like Philadelphia, and I don’t like that I can’t be there more often. Trading Places was filmed there. Ween and the Dead Milkmen are from there. Then there’s all that history stuff like the Liberty Bell and the Constitutional Convention. Oh, and cheesesteaks (which are pure awesome until Cheez Whiz is slathered on…seriously Philly, would real melted cheese be so bad?). This city also happens to be a major hub for sports fans…that of the fanatical breed. I doubt anyone will have to worry about any sort of away-day experience like an Eagles game (or a Dodgers game), but after the local supporters’ group’s not-so-favorable feature in GQ UK, who knows what mood they’ll be in (I know I wouldn’t be stoked about such an article...which is why I’m thankful that our own alt-weekly covers us in unabridged, non-cherry-picked fashion).

Anyway, my buddy Rob, a.k.a. Bobby Soup, has graciously offered up a few tips for the City of Brotherly Love. He’s one of my old music industry pals who also learned that being in LA is harmful to your soul. Hope they treat you well.

The public transportation from the airport sucks, so if you don’t have access to a car, your best bet is a taxi.

As far as Philly goes, I guess off hand I would recommend Pat's and Geno's. They are the famous cheese steak places in South Philly, and they are right across the street from each other.

The 9th Street Italian Market is fun.

Also the Reading Terminal Market is great, too. Tons of food stands.

The better local bars can be found in south Philly, whereas the bars on South street are a mix of locals along with the tourists they’re hosting.

In August of 2011 the 107ist board decided to award two scholarships to two exceptional young men Alex Segovia and Rubio Mendez-Rubin whom after years of hard of dedication both young men earned an incredible honor to study and train at the IMG Academy as two of the top 40 U-16 players in the United States. Prior to this both had participated in the U-14 US National Soccer Development Program Team during the 2009/2010 season.

Alex and Rubio come from close-knit, hard-working families and share the important value of love of family and friends. The boys serve as an inspiration to all. Despite their modest means, both families have made extreme sacrifices in an effort to support their respective son’s pursuit of playing soccer at the highest level. The boys and their parents understand the importance of the educational opportunity associated with the residency program and will place primary emphasis on academic achievement as a precursor to success on the field. Success and balance in both disciplines will advance Alex and Rubio one step closer to their goal of one day playing on the men’s U.S. Soccer National Team.

Alex Segovia – His first experience playing organized soccer was his U-13 season at Westside Metros 2008/2009. In addition to team practices Alex spends countless hours at soccer fields working on and improving his skills with his brothers, friends and teammates. Alex possesses a strong, yet quiet confidence in himself and is very competitive – he meets challenges head on and just keeps his eyes on the goal. His dedication and commitment has resulted in him earning this incredible opportunity to advance his personal growth and development both off and on the pitch.

Rubio Mendez-Rubin – He is one of the original Westside Metros youth development players that has lead his team to four Oregon State Cup Championships starting his U-11 season. It was clear to everyone that witnessed him play, even at a young age, that he was a special player. His passion for the game of soccer, his competitive spirit and personal drive are beyond measure. He plays with heart, every minute of the match, no matter what the temperature, score or opponent. The fire inside him to dream big and achieve at the highest level started long ago. At ten years, when other kids missed practice because they couldn’t find a ride, Rubio rode the city bus. He’s humble, yet supremely confident in himself. On occasion you will see him smile or laugh when he plays- just because he loves to play the game of soccer. Even players on opposing teams have become “fans” out of respect for his ability and approach to the game.

Over 80 Timbers Army members volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank on Saturday morning, and a great time was had by all, young and old. We packed snap peas and pasta, to the tune of more than 14,000 pounds; which means that each volunteer was responsible for packing roughly 500 servings of food that will benefit those in need, and all in only two hours of work.

Timbers Army at OFB West in Beaverton

This was the second time we've had an organized TA day at the Food Bank, and we had big groups at both the Portland and Beaverton locations. We'll have these outings roughly every three months from now on, with our next coming sometime in December. Watch this space for further details, and if you'd like to receive updates about future dates, email me at Lucas.Grzybowski@107ist.org and I'll add you to the list.

Two hours of your time can help bring food to hundreds of hungry people, so thanks again to everyone who volunteered, and thanks to Oregon Food Bank for making it so easy to help.

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers logged perhaps their biggest win as an MLS club on Thursday night, knocking off Chivas USA 1-0 in a match rife with playoff implications. Before the match, many had professed it to be make or break, but for one reason or another it didn’t have the feel of a big game. There were no bright lights. There was only slightly above average giddiness in the Timbers Army. There was almost no national pregame hype. And yet, when you looked at the table, the importance was obvious. A win and the Timbers were right in the thick of the playoff race. A loss, and Portland was probably cooked.

Luckily for the Rose City faithful, the Timbers had a complete grasp on the importance of the moment. From the first whistle, Portland showed tremendous impetus going forward. Portland shelled Chivas early, culminating in a Kalif Alhassan 5^th minute cross that Goats keeper Dan Kennedy snagged just before it fell to the head of a waiting Sal Zizzo planted at the far post.

For the entirety of the first half Portland would keep applying the pressure. The Timbers moved the ball effectively down the left side, leading to countless crosses into the box from both Mike Chabala and Kalif Alhassan. Chivas created the occasional chance—namely a Laurent Courtois strike from distance that Troy Perkins just tapped over the bar—but was held on its heels through the entirety of the first stanza.

For just a brief second in the 32^nd minute it appeared as though Portland was destined to pull ahead. Jack Jewsbury sent a ball from the right wing into the box, where David Horst had muscled his way on the ball. Horst’s header appeared fated for the net, but at the last moment Kennedy switched directions, dove, and tapped the ball just wide.

In the 44^th minute, the Timbers would stop teasing. Chabala, taking over the duties on corner kicks from the right side, sent an in-swinger to the near post, where Eric Brunner got just enough of a head on the ball to redirect it across the goal, past a helpless Kennedy, and into the side netting.

In the second half Portland would trade dominance for defense. Down a goal, Chivas began to show much more intent in coming forward, but the Timbers defense was more than up to the task. Led by some brilliant play from their center backs, prominently including the extra-human performance of David Horst, for the first part of the half the Timbers limited the Goats to efforts from distance that were easily mopped up by Troy Perkins.

The Timbers, meanwhile, showed that they could create some chances on the counter. A Kenny Cooper crack from distance was parried away by Kennedy. Kalif Alhassan’s chip from 30 yards forced Kennedy into action again. Finally, a last-ditch tackle forced Diego Chara to send an effort just wide of Kennedy’s post.

Chivas wasn’t done yet, however. In the 73^rd minute, Marcos Mondaini sent a volley off of a long ball just wide of the far post. In the late stages, the Goats continued to pin down the Portland defense, as the once stalwart legs looked to get a bit heavier. Finally, two minutes into stoppage time, a headed cross fell to an unmarked Courtois in the box. This was the moment— the Rod Wallace handball moment, the Drew Moor moment—that had haunted the Timbers all season. This time, though, Courtois had his steps mixed up. Instead of a clinical finish with the right, he was forced into an awkward stab with his left. His effort sailed wide, and Portland pocketed three hard fought points.

The match more than met the moment. This was a big game complete with inspired play by the boys in green, thwarted opportunities, a brilliant goal, and gritty defense to hang on through the drama to the finish. The ramifications are complex, but can be summed up quite simply: The Timbers are still in contention.

Match Observations

• It’s too bad that match was buried in a midweek showdown on regional TV. That is exactly the kind of match that MLS needs to get out to households across the country to show that this league can be top notch without involving gimmicks like David Beckham. Make no mistake, on Wednesday night there were two teams out there desperate to win. There was fantastic drama. There was physical play. There was everything a sports fan could ask for in a soccer match. Except there weren’t that many viewers.
• I thought John Spencer was a little bit slow with his substitutions. By the 65^th or 70^th minute it was clear that some legs were starting to get a bit heavy. Specifically, Sal Zizzo and Mike Chabala looked completely cooked. With Chivas having to burn two substitutions early in the match, the Timbers would have done well to bring on some fresh legs, control possession, and make Chivas chase the match a little bit more. Instead, Portland seemed spent and had to retreat into a shell a little bit. With the exception of a couple nervous moments, it worked out well. But still, it created some pretty nervous moments.
• The last couple matches at home have been vintage Timbers.[1] Portland has gone back to the direct style that was successful for them early in the season. Portland has looked to play the ball up the wings a lot more and send balls into the box. The difference between this and that early-season tactic, to me at least, is the play of Diego Chara. Whereas in April and May the Timbers pretty much exclusively moved the ball up the wings, now Chara brings a different element. If given a little bit of space he brings the threat of being able to take the ball into the teeth of the defense. As has been thoroughly discussed on message boards around Soccer City, it is not necessarily the prettiest style of play, and it usually doesn’t show that well on the stat sheet (possession in the low 40s again), but it has produced results in the last two matches.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 6 Okay, not even the Perkins detractors could detract from this performance. Name one moment in the match where he did anything subpar. I dare you. That’s what I thought. He doesn’t get an amazing grade because he was very well protected through most of the night, but still, when called upon he was stellar.

Mike Chabala, 5 Chabala was fantastic in the first half. He was marauding. He was effective defensively. And he was Chewy on the Spot with his crosses and set pieces. As the second half wore on, though, he lost his legs and became a complete liability. Lots of his men—Justin Braun, most often—were left unmarked in the box. So, it all evens out to a 5.

David Horst, 8 In his poorer moments of the night, he was very good. In his best moments of the night he was superhuman. Most of the time he was somewhere around fantastic. There was one sequence in particular where he cleared three Chivas efforts in quick succession. I know Brunner scored, but Horst is my Man of the Match.

Eric Brunner, 7 I’m sorry pal. Any other night and you would probably be MotM. No, you didn’t do anything wrong in defense. You were really good there. And yes, you scored a really nice goal. I know, I know. I’m not undervaluing that. But seriously, did you see what Horst was doing all night? Don’t take it personally, Eric. David just logged the best defensive effort of the year by a Timber. And yes, I just spent most of Brunner’s grade space talking more about Horst.

Lovel Palmer, 5.5 Had a nice evening on the right side. He certainly doesn’t get forward as much as Chabala does, but I imagine Brunner and Horst secretly appreciate that. Still, he showed some signs of getting more comfortable in the green shirt on Wednesday.

Kalif Alhassan, 6 One of his better outings. Was great on the ball, and again was smart in mostly making the simple pass. Most exciting was that he put a couple on frame. A few more of those, Kalif, and you might just log yourself a goal. Baby steps, though, baby steps.

Diego Chara, 6 I love how active he is. He didn’t have his best night, and was somewhere short of ridiculously effective, but I would still say he was very effective.

Jack Jewsbury, 6 I noticed him more in defense than I usually do. Late in the second half he had one particularly nice sequence where he picked up a man in the box on the ball with his back to goal, shut him down, and made him play the ball out of the box. Just the kinds of things Jack can do that don’t always go noticed.

Sal Zizzo, 4.5 Wasn’t awful. Had a few nice crosses, and was maybe even a bit unlucky to have Kennedy pick off what would have been a tap-in goal. It looks to me like he’s still struggling through some tired legs. He’ll be as pleased as anybody to see the off week after D.C.

Kenny Cooper, 5.5 Did an awful lot of dirty work, and also had a couple nice sequences on the ball. I really like when he hits balls from distance. For having such great pace on the ball, he does a good job of keeping it down and on frame. When defenses are preoccupied by the quickness of Perlaza, that very well could end up being a nice way to tally a surprise goal.

Jorge Perlaza, 4.5 Struggled just a touch with his first touch. Even then, he came oh-so-close to notching a second straight assist to his countryman. I’ll also say this, Chivas was paying a lot of attention to him defensively. I better stop typing before I talk myself out of this grade.

Eric Alexander, 4.5 When he came on he looked understandably out of sorts. As the minutes wore on, though, he seemed to be finding himself a little bit. More importantly, when are we going to be able to find this guy some meaningful training time? Oh, right, next week. Don’t expect much from him until after that.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 Had a couple moments of nice possession, but was otherwise pretty quiet.

Rod Wallace, 5 Was the prudent move to make, but he didn’t provide much cover for the ailing Chabala. Can’t really blame Rod for anything, though.

Onward, Rose City!

Hi everyone! It appears that this is the Summer of Volunteering! You've got the Oregon Food Bank volunteer day, Operation Pitch Invasion, and now I'm here with another opportunity!

We just got word that Sunday Parkways is still looking for volunteers on Sunday, August 28th. If you're available that afternoon, read on!

Ok, here's the deal:

If you're not familiar, Sunday Parkways is a now a Portland summer tradition. The city shuts down a 6-mile or so loop of neighborhood streets, in a different neighborhood each month, to motor vehicles (unless someone living on the route needs to get home or leave), and the surrounding community takes to the streets to party.

People ride bikes, walk, run, skateboard, eat, drink, and dance. There's live music, games for kids in the parks...everyone has a smile on their face.

However, this requires large amounts of volunteers!

We had such a great time when we went to the Sunday Parkways events last year that we decided to do it again! So, who wants to help?

Photo Credit: Jonathan Maus at www.bikeportland.org

We'll be working:

South East Portland Sunday Parkways

August 28th

12:45pm-4:30pm

Info and map of route here.

Your task (if you choose to volunteer) will be:

-- Stand at an intersection - we'll hopefully have a few in a row so you might be able mingle with fellow supporters - and wave to kids. Also help route car traffic around/through the event. I've been told we are highly encouraged to "Timbers up" these intersections; i.e. crest chalked on the ground, music (green is the colour?), flags, scarves, a bit of street soccer, etc... make it yours!

What's in it for you?

-- A free t-shirt (Woop.); some snacks and drinks on the day of the event, provided by sponsors; repping the TA, the 107ist and the Timbers; and doing something good in and for your community!

How to register to volunteer:

-- You'll want to go to this website to fill out a volunteer registration form. Then click on the "Sign up to VOLUNTEER NOW!" button.

When you register, you'll have to choose a position based on location.

Sign up as an Intersection Superhero from 12:45-4:30 at the SE Harrison and 47th location.

Put down "Timbers Army" as your company or organization.

These two things will ensure that you're more likely to get to hang out near other TA whilst volunteering!

Please also let us know in the comments if you've signed up, so we can get an idea of how many are coming.

You'll need to complete an online "training" if you haven't volunteered with Sunday Parkways before.

Things to bring:

Something to sit on is probably a good idea. A collapsable chair or the like. Something to fill the downtime if there is any. A book to read, or iPad/Kindle/Nook, a puzzle, a small rodent to play with...whatever. Of course, sunscreen and a hat or umbrella, you might need shade. A refillable water bottle, as volunteers will be bringing water around on a bike trailer. Cash money for food and merch vendors if you get a chance to go to them. Some backup snacks for if you get hungry and no one is bringing free Clif Bars.

SERIOUS BUSINESS ALCOHOL POLICY

-- The official policy we have been asked to pass along is that alcohol consumption while volunteering is forbidden. We were also definitely not told that if one were to consume before they started, or they were only drinking what appeared to be a coke while hanging out in the warm sun...not told anything like that at all. But seriously, think of the children.

After the event we could all go to the Hawthorne Street Fair or Bazi Bierbrasserie, a 107ist partner bar nearby ($1 off all beers!) and have a pint together!

Questions are welcomed!

Hope to see you there!

If you live in this neighborhood, help us out! Represent!

—by Chris Rifer

The Portland Timbers’ quest for the Cascadia Cup and a playoff berth lives on today after the Timbers knocked off the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Saturday evening. In a physical match that befitted the rivalry, the Timbers showed far more moxie in front of goal and tremendous patience to seal a less-than-stressful victory over their fellow MLS freshman.

Portland didn’t waste any time getting the party started, as in the 2^nd minute Diego Chara collected a pass from countryman Jorge Perlaza, took one touch and slammed a shot inside the near post. Inside his box, Gavin Wilkinson was probably nodding approvingly while giving annoying “I told you so” glances to everybody around him.

From there the Whitecaps looked to establish a measure of control over the match. While they dominated possession, the ‘Caps looked completely harmless coming forward. Anything that looked like it might develop into a half chance was quickly extinguished by a Portland defense that was well prepared for anything Vancouver threw at them.

Any supporters who were growing anxious about the Timbers lack of possession were mollified in the 33^rd minute. After Jack Jewsbury’s set piece was knocked down in the box, Jorge Perlaza beat an observant Whitecaps defense to the ball and slotted the ball past Joe Cannon.

Timbers fans have been here before, however, where Portland took an early lead and failed to control the match the rest of the way. Saturday would be different.

The Whitecaps would continue to control possession, but couldn’t create anything truly dangerous from it through the middle of the match. A few shots from distance directly at Troy Perkins and a couple crosses to nobody in particular were all Vancouver could muster.

Portland would, however, create one more golden opportunity. Unfortunately it fell to the foot of Kalif Alhassan. Chara looked to take advantage of ‘Caps midfielder Gershon Koffie’s pathetic header toward his own goal by laying the ball off for Kalif for the tap in. Kalif, now legendary for his ability to miss the target, would put his tap in off the inside of the near post for the crown jewel of his season-long goal-scoring ineptitude.

In spite of Kalif’s miss—which certainly aroused some memories of Brunner’s header off the post that would have put Portland three up against Toronto—the Timbers were successful in keeping Vancouver from creating any bona fide opportunities.

That is, of course, until the 88^th minute when Camilo took a ball, shook David Horst with a pretty pirouette, and tucked a bending ball inside the far post to pull one back.

That was the end of it for the Whitecaps, however, as for perhaps the first time all night the Timbers took control of possession and killed off the remaining moments without much drama.

With the three points in hand, Portland finds themselves back in playoff contention. Their ridiculous stretch of play, however, continues through the week with the two biggest matches of the season on the horizon: Chivas USA and at D.C. United.

Match Observations

• As absurd as that last sentence would have appeared at the beginning of the season, it’s the absolute truth. Both teams are just ahead of Portland in the playoff hunt. The situation breaks down fairly simply: 6 points and the Timbers put themselves in an enviable position. 4 points and it’s “game on”. 2 or 3 points and Portland clings to life. One or fewer and the Timbers are virtually eliminated. Chivas looks to have the best form right now, at 1-1-3 in their last five away matches, including quality draws at Seattle, Colorado, and Kansas City. D.C., as they have through much of the season, have been wildly unpredictable. In their last three home matches, dating back to July 20, they are 1-1-1, with a 4-0 drubbing of Vancouver to their credit, as well as a mystifying 1-0 loss to New England. The matches probably mean the most to frontrunner D.C., who enter a brutal September that consists of fixtures at Chivas, at Seattle, Chivas home, RSL home, and at rival Philadelphia. Chivas, on the other hand, has a more favorable schedule with RSL at home, the home-and-home with United, at Chicago, and TFC home. Portland falls in the middle with tough road trips to Philly and New York, but friendlier home fixtures with New England and San Jose.
• So, after all that, you probably want a broad-view prediction. Well, I’ll give you a conditional prediction. Portland has to take at least 7 points out of their next 3 home matches—Chivas, San Jose, and New England. Three of those have to come from Chivas. No question about that. The road matches, at D.C., at Philly, and at New York, then, are crucial. If Portland takes 3 points out of those, there is hope. 4 or more points and there is expectation. 2 or fewer and there is despair. Write that down. You can probably mock me with it later. Or now, if you like.
• I thought the midfield—especially the center—was masterful on Saturday. That’s an odd thing to say in a match in which your team has less than 40% possession, but I thought they were both the difference in the defense and the catalyst for the offense. The possession statistic is highly deceptive in this instance. The ‘Caps had a lot of harmless possession that the Timbers more or less gave to them. Most anytime Vancouver looked to get forward with any intent, the Timbers midfield was there to clog up the lanes and keep the Whitecaps from creating anything serious.
• Finally, the trade. Jeremy Hall for Eric Alexander. I love it, and here’s why. Hall and Purdy, while different, bring about the same overall quality to the right back spot. Both decent, but nothing to write home about. The center of the midfield, while a position of strength in the Starting XI, has virtually no depth after the trade of Adam Moffat. More important, however, is that I feel that Alexander’s upside is greater than Hall’s. Alexander is a guy that was called up to the USMNT for a quick cup of coffee this year. Is he the next Michael Bradley? Probably not. But the national team program is intrigued with his potential. Here’s the other thing: Jack Jewsbury is 30. He’s not ancient. He probably has at least 2 good years left in him. But still, he’s 30. And then there’s this, and this one is surely to elicit some cries of disgust: Jewsbury, in the midst of a career year and coming off an All Star appearance, has never been valued as highly as he is right now, and likely never will be valued this highly again. Bringing Alexander in gives Gavin the ability to listen to offers for Jewsbury from around the league. I’m not saying you shop him, I’m just saying now you don’t have to slam down the phone if somebody calls. That’s big, especially if somebody is offering something enticing. Did Jeremy Hall, a nice guy and a solid player, give Portland anything like that? No.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5 Didn’t have much to do, and absolutely can’t be faulted for a pretty fantastic goal by Camilo. Was trustworthy the few times he was challenged with shots from deep.

Mike Chabala, 5.5 He couldn’t be more different than Rod Wallace. Whereas with Wallace the left side was an area of anxiety and, at times, promise, now the left side is substantially quieter.

Futty, 6 I thought Futty had a really nice outing. The boys in the middle were getting lots of cover from their midfield, but when they were called upon Horst and Futty did a nice job.

David Horst, 6 I liked his play, but I also liked his “don’t take no crap off nobody” attitude when Vancouver got physical. He gets docked just a touch for getting schooled on the concession, but that wasn’t entirely his fault.

Lovel Palmer, 5.5 Again, gets credit for a good overall defensive performance. I’m just waiting to see exactly what it was that made Spenny and Gavin bust tail to go out and get this guy.

Kalif Alhassan, 4 For his body of work, this is a harsh grade. For the most part Kalif was making good decisions on the ball and actually played a few sequences of decent defense. But seriously, somebody better have an EpiPen on the sideline in case Kalif ever hits the target, because at this point it has to be assumed that he is deathly allergic to goal.

Jack Jewsbury, 6.5 His defense was good, his distribution in midfield was good, and he got a quality assist on Diego’s goal, and, it could be argued, deserved one for Jorge’s goal.

Diego Chara, 8 I want to point out two things here. First, considering his affect, I think it’s hilariously ironic for Spencer to refer to Chara as a man amongst boys. Second, if you want to look for a reason Portland isn’t the same on the road as they are at home (at least recently), look at Diego. Fabulous at home, quiet on the road. Being that this is his first year in the league, with the difficulty in travel, that is to be expected to a certain extent. But if Diego were to put together a home-like performance at D.C., N.Y. or Philly that would go a long way toward bolstering Portland’s playoff hopes.

Sal Zizzo, 5 Sort of a quiet game from Sal. I wonder if the ridiculous stretch of matches in a row has taken a little bit out of his legs, because the runs don’t seem as crisp as they did a couple weeks ago.

Kenny Cooper, 5.5 His play in the midfield to dispossess the ball and play it to Jewsbury to set up the first goal shouldn’t go unnoticed. The rest of his play, however, largely did go unnoticed.

Jorge Perlaza, 7 A goal and an assist. Solid day at the office. It wasn’t in the way that he usually does it, but Jorge created his goal with his speed. Looking at the replay, there is no way Perlaza should have been first to that ball in the box. In fact, there were two and maybe three ‘Caps that should have been able to get a foot to it before him. They didn’t. In fact, not even close.

Bright Dike, 5.5 It’s starting to look like he’s rounding into form. Had a couple nice runs in a modest spell.

James Marcelin, 5 Not a ton to report here.

Eric Brunner, 4 This is the guy that bears the bulk of the responsibility for the concession. Camilo may well have been offside, but if there was anybody holding him on, it was Brunner. The Timbers were in an offside trap, and Brunner busted it. Snap out of it, beanpole,[1] your team is going to need you.

Onward, Rose City!