—by Chris Rifer

Soft. It is the one word every athlete despises. An athlete would rather be called stupid, untalented, or even downright terrible. Last week in L.A. the Portland Timbers were pretty soft.

Ask Real Salt Lake if the Timbers are soft. They will look at a first half where the Timbers dominated the run of play and the quality of the chances. Then they will look at a second half, where they pinned Portland in their own end, controlled possession, and came away with virtually no quality chances. RSL finished with three shots. Read that again, three shots. No, something tells me that Real Salt Lake wouldn’t use the word “soft” to describe the Portland Timbers.

In the first half, the Timbers were the clear aggressors. Aside from some chances coming from set pieces, including one that resulted in a disallowed goal due to a foul drawn by Jack Jewsbury, Real Salt Lake looked to be nursing a mean hangover from their heartbreaking loss to Monterrey in the CONCACAF Champions League final on Wednesday.

The Timbers, on the other hand, looked to have regained their home pitch form from the kickoff, creating a number of early chances. In the 14^th minute, Diego Chara did well to win a ball 30 yards from goal and send a perfectly weighted pass forward into the box for Jorge Perlaza, only for Chris Schuler to make a saving sliding tackle to clear the danger.

In the 22^nd minute, however, Portland’s efforts were rewarded as Kalif Alhassan sent a beautiful ball into the box for Kenny Cooper, who calmly volleyed with his left foot into the net.

The Timbers’ chances weren’t done, though, as RSL keeper Nick Rimando did well to deflect efforts from distance by Jewsbury and Alhassan, and was fortunate to see a Jorge Perlaza header sail just wide.

The second half, though, is where Portland showed its grit. Real Salt Lake looked to get more aggressive to search for the equalizer. RSL brought on Will Johnson and Andy Williams at the beginning of the half, in a clear signal that Real did not want to leave Portland empty-handed.

RSL’s efforts were for naught, however. Despite controlling much of the possession, Real Salt Lake struggled to create any serious chances in front of the Timbers Army. The Timbers defense showed it had more than enough toughness to be up to the task, making a pretty easy time of things for Portland keeper Troy Perkins. In the late going, RSL found its best chance—a Nat Borchers header that Perkins handled flat-footed.

In the last three weeks the Timbers have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are tough at home. This time it was Portland’s defense that held the line, delivering the Timbers three points and an important bounce-back win. Onward, Rose City.

Match Observations

• The tribute to Gisele at the beginning of the match was one of the most touching moments I have witnessed as a sports fan. Although I saw her at plenty of matches, I wasn’t one who was blessed to have known her personally. I thought it was the perfect moment to honor a person who means so much to the Army.
• Kalif Alhassan is tied for third in the league with four assists, and Kenny Cooper is tied for fourth in goals with three.
• In the coming days we’re likely to hear a lot about how this was a Timbers win over RSL’s reserves. While there were certainly some key players missing for RSL, it’s not like they rolled their youth development side out there. Here are the players that played for RSL on Saturday that also got minutes in the CCL Final: Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Ned Grabavoy (70’), Nat Borchers, Will Johnson (46’), Andy Williams (46’), Tony Beltran, Javier Morales, Arturo Alvarez, and Alvaro Saborio. That’s 10 men that played in the CCL final that also played Saturday – 7 of which played the whole match, and 9 of which played at least 45 minutes. Throw in Kyle Beckerman, who certainly would have played in the CCL final but for suspension, and you see that 11 of RSL’s contributors on Saturday are players that regularly see first team action. Even the three remaining players – Colleen Warner (3 appearances, 2 starts), Chris Schuler (3 appearances, 3 starts), and Jean Alexandre (3 appearances, 2 starts) aren’t exactly bench warmers. So, when you hear somebody cynically talk about the Timbers win over RSL as a win over a sort of JV team, roll your eyes and kindly point the speaker toward the facts.
• If I were an opposing manager watching this game, I would want to get the Timbers involved in as open a match as possible. The Timbers showed on Saturday that their defensive unit is more than capable of sitting back and absorbing any pressure the opposition can apply. Where the Timbers’ defense has really been punished has been when play has been a bit more open. That said, when play opens up you have to think that Jorge Perlaza and Diego Chara are also going to be more comfortable. So, pick your poison, I guess.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5.5 How do you grade this performance? Perkins struggled a little bit in distribution, sending a few balls out of bounds.  He really wasn’t tested much in goal, although when he was called upon, he looked more than up to the task.

Rodney Wallace, 5.5 Didn’t get forward as much as we have seen in the past, and still gave away a couple needless corners, but on the whole had the left wing on lockdown, supplying valuable pressure when RSL tried to send balls into the box.

Futty, 6.5 The center of the defense today was marvelous. RSL was able to send a few balls in, especially on corners, but very few amounted to anything at all. Repeatedly cleared danger by winning headers in the box.

Eric Brunner, 6.5 Much the same as Futty, gets a world of credit for leading an organized backline.

Jeremy Hall, 6 I’ve thought that Steve Purdy has done well in back, but as the match went along I have liked this move more and more. Like Wallace, Hall covered the flanks very well – applying great pressure when RSL got wide to send crosses in. Also adds an extra bit of dynamism when he overlaps.

Kalif Alhassan, 6.5 Didn’t have quite the Super Tecmo Bowl-like dynamism in the attacking third that we saw a couple weeks ago, but was better tracking back in defense and still showed very well in the attack. Great service to Cooper for the goal, and was a nice Nick Rimando save away from notching an MLS Goal of the Week.

Jack Jewsbury, 5.5 Didn’t have his best day on set pieces, but also deserves some credit for the defensive performance. Hardly crossed the center line in the second half, but still made his presence felt.

Diego Chara, 5.5 As expected, we’re still only seeing flashes from Chara, but some of those flashes were pretty spectacular. His pass to Perlaza in the 14^th minute was one of the best we have seen from a Timber this year. Still needs to develop a little bit of chemistry, though, as there were a few miscommunications in the midfield.

Darlington Nagbe, 5 Was pretty adept at working into a little bit of space going forward, but struggled a little with what to do with the ball when he gets into space. For the most part did well in providing a layer of cover for Hall in defense, although had a couple minor breakdowns.

Jorge Perlaza, 5.5 Jorge was very dangerous when the game was open in the early going. It’s not pretty, but he feeds very well off of long balls coming over the top. Was a little bit unlucky not to break through today, as he had a couple nice chances.

Kenny Cooper, 6 Cooper is becoming a bit of a cult hero in Portland, which is sort of hilarious considering his quiet off-field demeanor. Did well to finish the goal, and you can see a little bit of chemistry developing with Perlaza, as the movement of the forwards was good.

(if you don't know what a capo is, read this for a decent explanation)

Well, we're two games settled into our new/old home, and things are going pretty well! Moving up in the table, a bit at a time, and support like this league rarely sees!

But let's not go patting ourselves on the back just yet; there's ALWAYS room for improvement!

Here's a few pointers on things everyone can do to make our curva among the best and to ensure that our club has the best support possible, as well as some reasons why you should care:

Why you should care

Have you seen photos from back in the early years of USL era Timbers, and wondered why there weren’t those assholes up front yelling back then, but there are now? It has to do with the growth of the North End and a maturation of supporters culture in Portland.

Let’s think about the North End as a political rally or protest for a minute.

What would be a more effective strategy, everyone yelling out whatever it was that made them happy or sad and creating a wall of indecipherable noise, or everyone chanting “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Sammy Sounder has got to go!”? It would be the gimmicky chant that everyone does at once because it creates the illusion of a united front. The same is true in the North End. We capos are part of a larger vision that can only succeed if EVERYONE in the North End participates. Participating is fun and easy and makes everything more meaningful because you are not an observer, but an active participant. There are a few simple things that can be done that will make everyone’s experience more awesome.

The easiest thing to do is just sing. (Capo says: "Open your mouths!" "Sing!!")

Sing and chant with all your heart. Try to use pitch and harmonies if possible. Don’t worry about the people standing next to you. If they are not singing, when you start up the people around you won’t feel foolish joining in, and eventually the small group not singing will be the ones acting the fool.

When chanting and singing, use your arms and clap above your head. (Capo says: "Hands up!" "Claps up!" "Use your arms!")

This is really important! The arm gestures help add visual clues to people in other parts of the stadium (or even our own section, it's pretty big now!) that may not be able to make out what we are chanting, but recognize the beat/pattern by looking at our arms. The speed of light is almost one million times the speed of sound, which means that people will be able to see what you're doing long before they hear you. This is even more important on away days and when doing “call and response” chants.

On “call and response” figure out what your section is. (Capo alternately points at you and other parts of stadium, or raises arm and drops it to let you know when your turn is)

If everyone around you is doing the "call" don’t think you need to do the “response.” With the Ultras section of the stadium being almost all of the North End, the sections are going to be huge. Expect to do call and response with other parts of the Park and with the North End cut in half. These call and response chants will only work if everyone works together. Otherwise it no longer becomes a call and response and becomes that wall of noise that we talked about before.

Flags fly. (Capo says: "flags up!" or starts waving their flag)

Flags were meant for waving. Not just for after the Star Spangled Banner (free Cascadia) or after goals, or at the end of the match, but for the whole thing. Flags are placed before the match in strategic locations for maximum visual effect; if you do not wave these flags, their meaning is lost. Feel free to wave the flag until your arms burn and then pass it to someone that will do the same. Another suggestion, make 2 or 3 friends that want to wave the flag, and pass it every 15 or so minutes so not one person is feeling all of the burn. Your chest and shoulders will end up getting pretty buff by the end of the season. REMINDER: flags stay in the section. If you didn't bring it, and you take it home, you are stealing from your fellow fans and your brothers and sisters. Either leave your flag where you found it, or pass it to someone who's collecting them. (or help pick them up at the end!)

Have mercy on your capo. (Capo has a sad face, or looks confused)

Sometimes we capos kill a chant too soon, or start a bad one, or miscommunicate, or...you get the picture. We're human too, and we're learning what works best and what doesn't as we go along. Please bear with us, because when we get it right, it's pure magic.

If a media person points a camera at you, please don't look into it and sing.

We do what we do for our club and each other, for our city and our pride, not because a journalist asked nicely. The PTFC belongs to us. Remember: football for fans, not TV.

So consider the match your weekly workout, but with beer. Jump, clap, circle-pit, etc. hold your arms high and sing will all of your heart. 5,000 of your best friends just joined you for a workout night. Everyone will be hot, tired, sweaty, and hoarse at the end of the match, and we will all love every minute of it.

Help us make 2011 special by helping and encouraging others to participate. Take a n00b under your wing and tell them the lyrics. If it’s a song that has a particular meaning to you or in its origin, share that as well. Make the experience personal for people. Lets make PTFC and the North End mean as much to them as it does to us.

Love,

Your capos

—by TA Fashionista

Do you remember the 80's?

-Names like Best, Charles, and Poole still graced the backs of Timbers kits

-Neon was cool

-Nintendo was the greatest thing on Earth

-Your dream car was a DeLorean with time travel modifications

-You still wanted to see Madonna naked

-Your favorite hat probably looked like this...

Fresh Out of the Oven

 

Do you remember the 90's?

-The USA hosted a World Cup

-Baseball went on strike

-Ripped flannel was cool

-Playstation changed your life

-The wonderbra fooled you once or twice

-Your favorite hat probably still looked like this

The Snaps Are Back

The Timbers Army would like to introduce your new favorite hat. The new "Rose City" Snapbacks are here, and ready to take Portland by storm. Featuring a classic "Portland. Rose City" embroidery on the front, a tribute to the famous Starter brand hats of the 80's-90's. The side panel features the iconic Timbers Army rose and axes embroidery to the left of an adjustable snapback closure. Even the underbrim is green to remind you of that classic cap that had a special place in your heart.

These are in the 107ist Member Store and all proceeds of the limited stock sale go to the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund. These are limited in numbers, and at this price, won't last long... Don't sleep.

Important: If you would like be part of the pre-game tribute to Gisele please plan on being in the stadium by 7:10 p.m.

 

On Saturday April 30th, in conjunction with the Portland Timbers Front Office, and prior to the start of the Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake match, please help us honor the memory of lifelong Timbers supporter Gisele Currier.

• As you enter the Timbers Army section please place a rose on her seat in the last row of 107 or hold your rose up during the pre-game tribute.

• Before the players come out for introductions and prior to the national anthem, there will be an announcement requesting a moment of silence, a video montage of memories of Gisele will be shown on the video board, and Tim Birr (piper) will play Amazing Grace.

• We are also coordinating an on-field tribute during this moment with someone very special to Gisele.

• In addition, we are working with the front office to place remembrance images on not only Gisele's stadium seat, but also on those of our other Timbers Army family members who graced our lives but are no longer with us.

• Lastly, sing loud and sing proud for our boys in green, Gisele would expect nothing less.

—by Garrett Dittfurth

An entertaining war of words is playing out in Spain right now between Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola.

A little history. Real Madrid won the Copa Del Rey trophy for the first time in 18 years. Sergio Ramos promptly dropped their coveted trophy underneath the team bus. Literally.

Guardiola, who is Portuguese, was being sarcastic with the media and stated his preference for a Portuguese referee for the next match rather than the German already chosen. Jose Mourinho promptly started in with the mind games saying saying this about Guardiola, "Up to now we have had two types of coaches. A very small group of coaches who never speak to the referees. After that, there is a bigger group, of whom I am one, who criticise the referees when they make huge errors. But it is also a group who are happy to highlight the good work of the referee.

And now, with the declaration of Pep the other day, we are entering a new era with a third group, which for the moment includes only him, who criticise the correct decision of the referee.

This is something I have never seen in the world of football."

I think that got stuck in Guardiola's craw a little bit...

Many of us were shocked with the terrible news about Gisele's passing yesterday morning. It was unexpected and incredibly saddening. To many of us she served as more than a smiling face in the stands. For many she was the person who sold us our first scarf and a vital link to the NASL Timbers history. She served selflessly and asked for nothing in return. In Gisele's honor we have set up the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund.  All funds generated from this will go to yet to be determined soccer project in her name.

Underdog Portland has graciously donated 2 lower bowl tickets for Thursday's playoff game between the Blazers in the Maverick's to be raffled off and all the money goes directly to Gisele's fund. Each raffle ticket is $10.00 and the winner of the raffle will receive 2 lower bowl ticket (Sec 223 Row J - seats 3,4) with a face value of $110 each ($220 total). I can assure you the non-face value is much higher than that. Due to the time sensitive nature of this and the need to arrange to get the tickets in the hands of the winner we will be cutting off the sale on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. This is a very good opportunity to donate to an extremely worthy cause.

I had the extreme pleasure of being at the Rose Garden for the game 4 comeback. In all honesty it was one of the greatest sports experiences I've ever had. The intensity level at the Rose Garden for the playoffs is through the roof.

Follow this link to buy raffle tickets.

—by Jeremy Wright

Gisele with her favorite NASL Timber – Jimmy Kelly

Gisele’s family has requested that donations in her memory go to the Timbers Army / 107ist.

We will be creating a Gisele Currier Memorial Fund and all donations to this fund will be used to support a local soccer project in her name.

Donate to this fund now (not tax deductible)

“Probably the only person on earth where people at a football match would habitually have to wait in a line just to give her a match day hug” – Brian Gillespie

It is with a heavy heart and tears in our eyes that we bring you news that Gisele Currier passed away last night (Sunday, April 24th, 2011).

Kind, Smiling, Selfless, Warm, Calming, Funny, Witty, Communitarian, Passionate, Matriarch… our Queen.

These are the words that are being used to describe Gisele today as condolences come pouring in from soccer fans across Oregon, the Northwest and the world.

For many Gisele was the first face you saw at a Timbers match and probably one of the first people you ever met if you tried to get a No Pity scarf. Sitting at the top of 107 in the east corner we would each touch her shoulder, give her a hug or simply smile as we went by. That was Gisele’s seat (and next to it her departed sister Paula’s) and if some unknowing individual decided to stake a claim to it for a match there was an Army ready to gently yet firmly educate them as to why that seat was taken already.

Gisele was more than just a Timbers fan that showed up in the same seat every match. She was a connection from our past to our present. As Clive Charles once exclaimed to her in surprise when he spotted her at a random soccer match in Portland far removed from the bright lights of a stadium: “Gisele! I KNEW you lived for soccer!”

Gisele was at the very first Timbers match in 1975 with her sister Paula. Things were a little bit different back then and the stories Gisele told about her interactions with the players were priceless and truly hilarious at times. She actually hung out with Pele and George Best and was on a first-name basis with many of the Timbers players. She and Paula started the very first Seattle away days and some of the “murky business” she got up to in Seattle was a prelude of things to come 30 years later.

Gisele and Paula in their seats at the top of 107 in 2001

Even when the NASL Timbers folded, Gisele kept the light alive for soccer in the Rose City. Because for her it was more than just a sport, it was her second family.

She supported Clive Charles in his early efforts to get a program going at University of Portland, she was there when Kasey Keller and his infamous mullet wore the Timbers jersey for the short lived WSL Timbers in 1989, and she was there on opening night May 11, 2001 when the Timbers came back to town.

I will never forget in 2004 when I decided to go watch a pre-season Timbers game match at University of Portland at 11:00 a.m. on a weekday in February in the pouring rain. It was cold, it was miserable, and I didn’t expect to see another soul. But as I walked into the stadium there was Gisele. Literally she was the only person in the entire stadium. Wrapped in her Timbers blanket ready for the match to start in what could only be described as monsoon conditions. I got one of her famous hugs and together we shared an umbrella. That was Gisele in a nutshell. Dedicated to the core and always willing to share with you what she could.

This is from a CulturePulp piece in the Oregonian 2006

Gisele was extremely close to her sister Paula. When Paula passed away in 2003 every Timbers player came into the stands and placed a rose on her seat in memory. To this day we try to keep that seat open with a rose on it. Now there will be two seats at the top of 107.

We love you Gisele and will miss you terribly but your spirit will live on in the TA family forever. Every scarf, bead, sticker or blanket you gave to someone is imbued with your passion, love, warmth and fantastic hugs. Godspeed.

Links:

Gisele Currier, Portland Timbers Army ‘matriarch,’ dies – Rachel Bachman, The Oregonian
Gisele Currier: True Supporter Forever More – Brian Costello, Portland Timbers
Gisele Currier: A Timbers supporter like no other – Allison Andrews, soccercityusa.com

—by Chris Rifer

The buzz from the Timbers two wins at home didn’t last long on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center. By ten minutes into the match, Rose City’s momentum and newfound optimism was effectively killed by the star-studded LA Galaxy, who, for the first time this season, looked like the dominant offensive force that everybody expected them to be.

From the first kick, the Timbers looked star-struck and nervous. In the fourth minute, Chad Barrett chested down a Landon Donovan pass at the top of the box and sent a laser past Troy Perkins into the side netting.

The damage worsened four minutes later when Rodney Wallace grabbed Donovan at the top of the box, conceding what can only charitably be called a boneheaded penalty. Donovan, predictably, put his effort from the spot in the back of the net. Just like that the Timbers were looking at 2-nil down.

The chances kept coming for LA early in the first half, as the Timbers defense showed a disturbing lack of moxie that we haven’t seen in the early going since Toronto. The midfield struggled mightily to maintain possession and the defense seemed constantly wrong-sided.

Through the end of the first half and into the second half, however, Portland seemed to regain its composure a bit. The possession in the midfield got a little bit better—although until Diego Chara came on in the second half there was a noticeable hole in the middle—and opportunities slowly began to present themselves.

That is, until they got to Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts. Ricketts was magnificent, stuffing a Futty header, a Kenny Cooper crack from distance, and a Cooper touch off of a beautiful Jorge Perlaza cross, all of which justifiably could have been tallies.

Any hope that Portland had, however, was crushed in the 67^th as Juan Pablo Angel sent a cross back post to an inexcusably unmarked Landon Donovan, who did what he does. The Timbers left the Home Depot Center with a little bit of a reality check. For the second time this season, they faced an elite MLS team on the road and got blitzed early. This coming Saturday, Portland will see if they can avoid a similar fate against another elite side, Real Salt Lake, at home. It doesn’t get any easier from here.

Match Observations

• There were some interesting parallels and some interesting differences between the Galaxy match and the season opener in Colorado. Most obviously, the Timbers came out completely wide-eyed, and got punked early as a result. As a look at the stat sheet shows, though, this was a fundamentally different game. Whereas in Colorado the Timbers were thoroughly dominated, on Saturday the score line was probably a bit harsh. The Timbers outshot Galaxy 13 to 11 and put six shots on frame. Frankly, the Timbers were really unfortunate not to break through at least once. Portland lead corner kicks six to four, and created a number of other chances off of free kicks—where Jack Jewsbury continues to look dangerous.
• The back line has to right itself. Troy Perkins was completely exposed on all three goals, twice by Timbers defenders finding themselves unnecessarily on the wrong side of the Galaxy attack and once by a cross that, with proper shape, should have been cleared. Early in the week John Spencer pointed out that most goals come as a result of mistakes. That certainly held true on Saturday.
• Diego Chara is good. 24 hours before the match, Chara probably couldn’t pick most of his teammates out of a police lineup. Nonetheless, he made an impact coning on in the second half, finally creating something for the Timbers in the middle of the field. The most impressive aspects of his game were his pace – which was blistering – and the speed with which he could cut out a ball and look to make the first pass to start the attack. Stat geeks will hate this guy because he’s not likely to be scoring many goals or directly creating any, but make no mistake he is going to nip a lot of opposing attacks in the bud and start a number of the Timbers own. Granted, Chara was far from dominating the middle of the pitch on Saturday, but the flashes he showed are awfully promising. Early review: Great signing, Gavin.
• Please note, I use the terms “chested” and “at the top of the box” liberally in the second and third paragraphs. Both were controversial decisions by the referee, as Barrett looked to use his shoulder to control the ball and the initial contact between Wallace and Donovan was outside the box. Regardless, anybody who watched the game knows that Galaxy were the better side and their three points—even if they were by a margin that was a bit unjust—were well-deserved.

Timbers Grades

Troy Perkins, 5 Wasn’t culpable for any of the three goals, but I would like to see him be a bit more vocal with his defense. The defense is young, and could certainly use his leadership in back. Made a couple nice saves, especially in the 4 v 1 situation in the 38^th minute.

Rodney Wallace, 3.5 This looked like the Rod of March rather than the Rod of April. The penalty against Donovan, regardless of whether it was the correct call, was a boneheaded play. Where Wallace is best is when he pushes up, but even then he showed a lack of quality against Galaxy.

Futty, 4.5 The backline was leaky all day, and Futty was nondescript for much of the evening. Was unlucky to be denied a goal by Ricketts.

Eric Brunner, 4 Battled hard, but was culpable on the first goal as he let Barrett get in behind him. Perhaps gets an extra notch down as the leader of a backline that looked completely overmatched.

Steve Purdy, 4 Like Brunner, the usually reliable Purdy was much less reliable and didn’t pose any serious threat getting forward. It seems in the last few games that the league has figured out his shtick a little bit. It will be interesting to see is he can persevere and return to the effectiveness we saw in the early going.

Kalif Alhassan, 5.5 Really was the only guy in the midfield in the first half that looked like he belonged, or at least looked like he believed that he belonged. Didn’t have the success getting forward that he did against FC Dallas, but still was poised on the ball and showed flashes of the creativity he treated the Army to last week.

Jack Jewsbury, 5 Disappeared in the midfield for substantial portions of the match, and is certainly at fault for the Timbers essentially vacating the middle of the field in the first half. That said, was again the best set piece taker on the pitch. When you’re playing against one of the best set piece takers of all time, that’s enough to get you a passing grade.

James Marcelin, 4 I wonder if the signing of Chara has Marcelin looking over his shoulder a little bit, as he has seemed substantially more conservative since then. He just looks afraid to make a mistake, and as a result isn’t having much of an impact.

Jeremy Hall, 5 I’ve thought Hall was perhaps the Timbers most underappreciated player through the early season, but the reason for that is that he is usually pretty quiet on the right wing. He does some nice things defensively, providing an extra bit of cover for the right side of the defense, but when Darlington Nagbe was introduced in the second half the juxtaposition was clear. The Timbers lost a little bit of defense, but gained a lot looking forward.

Kenny Cooper, 5.5 This was another yeoman’s effort by Cooper. The Timbers were struggling to get him service, so he took matters into his own hands, often tracking back into the midfield to get the ball on his foot. Make no mistake, Cooper doubters, Kenny Cooper is dangerous with the ball on his foot or at his head. Just ask Donovan Ricketts, who was lucky to deny him twice.

Jorge Perlaza, 5 Made a couple nice runs, and his cross to Cooper late in the match was put on a dime. That said, didn’t come close to being as dangerous as he was in last week’s homestand, although a serious argument can be made that this falls mostly on the midfield for failing to get the ball at his feet.

Diego Chara, 5.5 As good a performance as could be expected, having been with the team 24 hours. Look for him to work into the starting XI by next week.

Darlington Nagbe, 5.5 Probably his best performance of the season thus far. Had a couple moments of brilliance on the wing in the late going, and is starting to look better in his distribution.

Sal Zizzo, 4.5 Had a relatively short stint, but left me wanting quite a bit. It is safe to say that Kalif has locked down his spot on the wing, and that Nagbe has probably laid claim, at least eventually, to the other spot. There is still a little bit of curiosity, however, about how this guy could produce given a full 90.

"Last week was incredible!" you’re thinking to yourself.

"And I know the game in LA Saturday is on the tube (8 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).

"But where – where? – can I get my fix of live-and-in-person goals, saves and bewildering offside calls? Maybe even with a Tommy Potl-caliber elbow thrown in?"

Relax, we’ve got you covered....  Or rather, the Portland Winterhawks do.

They open the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference finals this Friday and Sunday at the Rose Garden. The Hawks play at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday, and they’d like nothing better than to have some of the Greatest Football Supporters The World Has Ever Seen™ come out and see them put the hurt on the Spokane Chiefs.

You can get in on the action for cheap, too, by calling Timbers season-ticketholder and Winterhawk account manager Jeff Spiegel at 971-230-2967. He’s got $10 discounts on seats in the 100 level, with prices comparable to your Timbers Army tickets.

—by Andrew Brawley

Editor’s Note #1: This is the first in a new series of our guide to cities where the Timbers are playing away games in 2011. I travel quite a bit for work and play, so I figured I could impart some knowledge on other cities throughout the country. I haven’t been to every city on this year's schedule, so not every one of them will be covered. Heck, even people living in Columbus don’t really “go” there. But for the cities I have been to, I’ll try to write something up for those who plan to make the trip.

Editor’s Note #2: To help really kick this series off, I requested the help of some LA locals. My former employers just happen to be musicians and all-around cool guys Joe Escalante and Josh Freese. They both play in a little punk band called The Vandals (I used to work for Joe’s record label Kung Fu Records). Joe hosts Barely Legal Radio, and was the morning man at Indie 103 FM for quite a spell. Josh currently drums for Devo and Weezer, and used to play for Nine Inch Nails, Ween, Guns & Roses and Disneyland’s child rock band Polo! On top of all this, they also actually reside in the area around the Home Depot Center, so they got some legit cred for this piece.

Our first stop in this away game travel series is Los Angeles. The Timbers play there twice this season (April 23 vs. LA Galaxy; June 5 vs. Chivas USA). I lived in LA from 2001 to 2006, and had plenty of business trips there since then. If you plan to travel there, you MUST have access to a rental car. I’m not even joking here. If you take your Portlandia butt down to LA thinking that they run on bikes and public transport, come find me at the next home match so I can smack you upside the head.

Now that you got your flight, hotel AND rental car booked, here are a few recommended spots from the three of us.

Joe’s picks:

• 5 Guys Burgers and Fries in Carson. Unbelievably cool and convenient.
• In the South Bay, there's no restaurant with more hype right now than Eatalian Cafe. There's two of them (Gardena 1 and Gardena 2), and they are strangely close to each other.
• At night, go to Alex's Bar, it's awesome and it's the location of the original bar from True Blood.
• If you need a place where you could take a prostitute, have a steak, and be invisible, try the anonymous JB's Dinner Room. Don't ask me how I stumbled upon this place.

Josh’s picks:

• If you want the best Mexican food in L.A. order the carnitas plate or regular carnitas burrito at Super Mex on Atlantic in LBC.
• There's a new Swiss Restaurant near LAX called Edelweiss Chalet. And it's not your grandfather's war criminal hideout...or is it?
• If you only go to one place in Long Beach during the day or dinner time make it the oldest tavern in LBC, Joe Jost’s and order the special w/ pickled eggs and a schooner of Busch.

Andrew’s picks:

• If you like your chicken cooked vertically, spiced Mediterranean style, and like to reek of garlic after a meal, Zankou Chicken has eight locations throughout the greater Los Angeles area. I can only vouch for the locations in Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and West Los Angeles. (Looks like the one on Sunset in the bad part of Hollywood has been closed down, which sucks because I’ve seen Justin Timberlake and Zach de la Rocha order food there, but not at the same time.)
• Like music? You might be sick of it after a trip to Amoeba Music. They have just about every album ever made. Some albums they even have more than two copies of. It’s like the best parts of Music Millennium, Jackpot Records and Everyday Music all in one place, with all the indie music snobbery fully intact. A Portlander's home away from home.
• Corner of Sunset Blvd. and Highland Ave. I once saw a transvestite (I think s/he was a transvestite) remove his/her clothing and throw it at a businessman’s head here during a Monday morning commute. Major bum-age for him. Major laugh-age for me.
• Pink’s. You’ve probably seen this hot dog stand all over the Food Network. It’s the real deal. Nothing nutritious to be found here. The chili has a radioactive orange glow about it. And you’ll wait in line for at least 45 minutes in the chunky air to get one in your mouth. And you will like it!
• If you find yourself in Burbank (which is very possible since it has the best airport in the LA area), check out Yummy Cupcakes. You probably heard about celebrities and talent agents sending their assistants to a place called Sprinkles for oversized (and overpriced) cupcakes. Yummy Cupcakes has better quality and less riff-raff. The Red Velvet cupcake here may cause dizziness due to extreme deliciousness.

Got any places to recommend? Post them here in the comments.

Joe Escalante's Barely Legal Radio airs Sunday nights on KTLK 1150 AM.

Josh Freese's EP "My New Friends" can be purchased in digital format for $5, physical CD format for $12, or with a ride in TOOL drummer Danny Carey's Lamborghini and other neat stuff for $75,000.