Photography by Lori Day-Reynolds
November 1, 2024 Home Closer

To some it’s called choreo. To others it’s inexplicably capitalized like an acronym. To Portland soccer supporters it is one of the most iconic things we do, and we do a lot of it: hundreds of volunteer hours and tens of thousands of square footage a lot of it. 

Tifo is a difficult thing to explain, and not just because of its secretive nature THE FIRST RULE OF TIFO IS: YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT TIFO. Even describing it sounds more like a riddle than an actual answer: “it’s a mural that only stays up two minutes, it’s a painting never meant to hang on a wall, it’s like the things in all those other sports except not at all.”

This thing so intrinsic to our identity has more in common with an ice sculpture than anything paint is meant for. It’s built ephemeral; documentation of it is what lasts, especially once the fabric’s been painted over, cut down… and painted over two or three or eight more times. 

Tifo is for the team on the pitch, but it’s also a means of expression for supporters: our energy, our humor, our anger, and sometimes it’s an homage to a thing we like painted 60’ tall. 

It doesn’t have to make a terrible lot of sense. It’s just what we do.