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This is the Timbers Army blog, where members can submit blog posts. 

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  • 06/13/2023 12:36 PM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

    The following is a post by Nash Drake.

    I was floored by the tifo on Pride night. I looked at the display and the rail banner and thought to myself, “Perfect. No notes. 12/10.”

    The trans community is in crisis. We’re there for a number of reasons, and none of them have to do with anything we have done. We aren’t groomers, pedos, or rapists. We aren’t imps, devils, or monsters. We are actually a community of people who just want to live their lives with some dignity, respect, and access to all of the same things as everyone else, such as medical care and public restrooms.

    In 2023 alone (that’s only six months, folks), more than 300 pieces of legislation that specifically target the trans community have been introduced. We are the number one wedge issue, and our lives have been relentlessly picked apart and scrutinized by mainstream media, legislators, and the general public. The rhetoric surrounding us is increasingly suggesting that we are a menace to society and must be eradicated. (Yes, the word "eradicate" has been used.)

    This is happening right now — today — while you are reading this, and one of the biggest issues is that we aren’t getting coverage of it in mainstream media. If this tifo spurs the conversation about what is happening: excellent. We need folks to wake up and listen to what we’ve been trying to tell everyone for years: They are trying to eliminate us. It’s real. It’s happening.

    Major companies and organizations are abandoning us, as was predictable, when they get pushback from the far right. Over and over again we have been let down by people we thought were our allies or had hoped would show up when the time came. That time is now and the majority have simply walked away.

    Enter the TA with this tifo. Lord have mercy, there are an awful lot of cisgendered people with some OPINIONS. I’ve also seen some trans folks’ opinions, and while I disagree on some points, I have nothing to say to y’all about your feelings other than I am deeply sorry you are hurting. I wish this could be perfect for everyone. I really do.

    That tifo was, in my trans opinion, a multi-faceted work of resistance and allyship. It took a direct quote from one of the most high-profile and prolific transphobes on the planet and threw it right back in her face. The crest included both the trans flag and the non-binary flag. That’s an important distinction because non-binary folks are so often lost in the discourse by cis and trans people alike and need to be focused on. Then there was the addition of Tetris and the sunflower. Both of those symbols carry their own connotations, but Tetris is for closers, yes? And the sunflower for Jim and his call for spreading the love. That crest represents the TA and their trans members in unity to me. I feel it is clearly supportive of trans and NB people and will translate well to a world-wide stage. It is recognizable to the masses while also speaking directly to the trans and NB TA population. Perfect.

    When taken with the rail banner — which is even more clear in saying that transphobes are not welcome in the stadium — it takes on another dimension. That banner was in every panned shot on the broadcast. Very large letters with a simple message that also let terfs know that they are known and not welcome. The exposure is priceless and the message is very clear. Front and center.

    The head boss transphobe is very much online and so are her followers. She is supported endlessly by the UK media, and her messages of hate have emboldened transphobia in the US to a shocking degree. The TA, in my opinion, didn’t do this to just have a fun dunk on her. They were saying, “We don’t care who you are. We don’t tolerate that kind of crap here and fuck you. If you come here, you will get the fight of your life. And we don’t care who knows it.” They painted a gigantic target on their backs. That a group of mainly cisgender folks decided to put themselves in the way of what is surely going to be a constant stream of harassment to stand up for trans people is not something I am upset about — it’s something that I am grateful for.

    I would offer up this observation on the rush of criticism coming from cisgendered people who don’t have a stake in this:

    It seems to me that a lot of people are “uncomfortable.” What is causing that discomfort? Do you honestly think that the TA was platforming her? Or have you not yet dealt with your feelings about having a beloved childhood author turn out to be a terrible human being? Because what I’m seeing is quite a few people who have a lot of feelings about something that has nothing to do with the trans people that it was made for. And folks who really think that they are allies to the trans community are saying not a thing about what is happening to trans people, not asking how trans people feel about the display, and ending their thoughts with things like, “not saying it’s a bad message, but it doesn’t hit the mark for me.”

    It wasn’t made for you. Trans people don’t need to care about your feelings about it. In fact, we would all like it if you would please care about what is happening to trans people as much as you care about complaining about this tifo, because for a not small amount of you, it’s the first and only thing you’ve publicly said about it … ever.

    To the TA — and particularly the trans woman who designed the entire thing: Thank you. You did a fantastic job of welcoming the trans community, standing up to a famous bigot, and hopefully making a ton of cisgendered people stop and think about what they are actually doing in this fight. I fight with you and for you.

  • 05/07/2023 5:02 PM | Darren Lloyd (Administrator)

    On behalf of the Timbers Army Steering Committee, thank you to everyone who entered the raffle of Aljaz Ivačič’s kit and gloves. $1405 was raised in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the match between Atticus and the Green Machine! A generous anonymous donation brings the grand total to $1500, all of which will be donated to Make-A-Wish Oregon. Congratulations to our winners!

    Miss out on the raffle but still want to contribute? You can donate to Make-A-Wish Oregon here.


  • 02/24/2023 2:35 PM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

    Out of an abundance of caution, the Timbers Army Tifo Committee is moving the home opener tifo to March 11 for the Portland Timbers home match against St. Louis City SC.

    As announced by Major League Soccer, the Timbers home opener match, originally scheduled against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, February 25, was rescheduled for Monday, February 27.

    Our all-volunteer rigging and tifo teams are often able to pivot with short notice, but based on the current weather predictions and availability for Monday, February 27, we are pushing out the deployment of the tifo that was intended to displayed at the home opener to what is scheduled to be the second home match of the season.

    We haven’t had a “normal” year in a while, so let’s keep it weird and do things a little differently this year, too.

    The weekly 107IST email to members asked people to bring streamers in different shades of blue and white to throw during the unveiling of the tifo. We kindly ask that you bring those to the match against St. Louis on March 11.

    We are still collecting socks for our Match Day Drive on Monday! Donate some socks, and be entered to win a Tetris scarf! Read more here!

  • 12/26/2022 11:20 AM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

         
     Emerald City Supporters  Timbers Army Vancouver Southsiders

    [Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; and Vancouver, BC; December 27, 2022] 

    The supporters groups from the three Cascadia MLS clubs have agreed on rules for the Cascadia Cup after MLS announced an unbalanced schedule in 2023.

    The Emerald City Supporters, Vancouver Southsiders and Timbers Army have agreed that all matches will count towards the Cascadia Cup, even though the new unbalanced MLS schedule means each team will play a different number of home games against their Cascadia rivals this season.

    “We all agreed that we are going to count every match. This format will be one that all supporters will find easiest to follow,” says Fernando Machicado, Timbers Army spokesperson.

    Portland Timbers will host both Vancouver Whitecaps twice and Seattle Sounders once, Vancouver will see Portland once and Seattle twice at home, and Seattle will host Portland twice and Vancouver once. Despite the imbalance, the three supporters groups agreed to count all matches equally in order to keep the 2023 Cascadia Cup format simple.

    “Ultimately, the Cascadia Cup is by the supporters, for the supporters, and we realized this was the best decision for the 2023 season,” says Tom Biro, co-president, Emerald City Supporters. “While we can appreciate MLS needing to make different scheduling decisions due to expansion, it’s pretty obvious the league recognizes where to generate the most attention each season.”

    The Cascadia Cup will be awarded to the team with the most points after all matches have been played or when there is a clear winner. In the event of a tie, the Cup will be awarded to the team with the best goal difference. Should the MLS schedule remain unbalanced in 2024, the Emerald City Supporters, Vancouver Southsiders and Timbers Army insist that it should allow for a balanced distribution of the home and away matches amongst the Cascadia clubs.

    “Scheduling all Cascadia Cup matches to be played on a Saturday is a positive adjustment” says Peter Czimmermann, president of the Vancouver Southsiders. “It is imperative that traveling to rivalry games is as accessible as possible for all supporters”


    Background:

    The Cascadia Cup was created in 2004 by supporters groups of the three Cascadia teams, and is awarded annually to the best team in the Cascadia region. Seattle  has won it seven times, and Vancouver has won it six times, and current Cascadia Cup holder Portland has won it five times.

    2023 Cascadia Cup schedule:

    With the unbalanced 2023 MLS schedule, each team has 3 home and 3 away matches, two home games and one away against one Cascadia Cup rival and one home/two away against the other:

    • April 8: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Portland Timbers

    • April 15: Portland Timbers v. Seattle Sounders

    • May 13: Portland Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps

    • May 20: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Seattle Sounders

    • June 3: Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers

    • July 8: Vancouver Whitecaps v. Seattle Sounders

    • August 26: Portland Timbers v. Vancouver Whitecaps

    • September 2: Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers

    • October 7: Seattle Sounders v. Vancouver Whitecaps

    (Home team is listed first)

    Full Cascadia Cup criteria:

    1. Greater number of points earned in matches between the teams concerned

    2. Greater goal difference in matches between the teams concerned

    3. Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams concerned

    4. Reapply first three criteria if two or more teams are still tied

    5. Greater goal difference in all cup matches

    6. Greater number of goals scored in all cup matches

    7. Smaller number of disciplinary points in all cup matches (yellow = 1 point, red = 2 points)


    About the Cascadia Cup Council
    The Cascadia Cup Council is a recognized not-for-profit entrusted with the management of the Cascadia Cup. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three founding Cascadia Cup supporters groups, the Emerald City Supporters, Timbers Army, and Vancouver Southsiders.
  • 10/02/2022 2:23 PM | Darren Lloyd (Administrator)

    The votes are in! With 30% of the votes, your 2022 Timbers Army Supporters’ Player of the Year is Aljaz Ivacic!


    Finishing second in this year’s voting was Bill Tuiloma, with 23% of the votes. Also receiving votes were Santiago Moreno, Dairon Asprilla, Claudio Bravo, Diego Chará, Eryk Williamson, Sebastián Blanco, Zac McGraw, Yimmi Chará, Dario Zuparic, Jaroslaw Niezgoda, Julian Bravo, George Fochive, Victor Griffith, Larrys Mabiala, Felipe Mora, Juan David Mosquera, Hunter Sulte, and Josecarlos Van Rankin.

    About the Timbers Army Supporters’ Player of the Year Award

    Awarded annually since 2011, the Timbers Army Supporters' Player of the Year award is a one-of-a-kind wrestling-style championship belt given to the Timbers player receiving the most votes in a poll during the last weeks of the regular season. To be eligible, players must be on the roster during the regular season. The belt is presented to the winner after the last home match of the season.

    Previous Winners

    2021: Dairon Asprilla
    2020: Jeremy Ebobisse
    2019: Steve Clark
    2018: Sebastián Blanco
    2017: Diego Valeri
    2016: Diego Valeri
    2015: Diego Chara
    2014: Diego Valeri
    2013: Will Johnson
    2012: Diego Chara
    2011: Troy Perkins

  • 09/13/2022 6:00 AM | Darren Lloyd (Administrator)

    Hard to believe, but we're already at the point of the season where it's time to place your votes for the 2022 TA SPOTY! Voting runs through Wednesday, September 28 and the winner will be presented with their championship belt after the last regular-season home match on October 2. Vote now! To see past winners, visit this page.

  • 08/26/2022 1:43 PM | Kristen Gehrke (Administrator)

    The following is a guest post from Sam Prince, 107IST, TA, and Riveters volunteer. 

    I moved to Portland not for the soccer, but for my dream job. Opal School, a then flourishing charter attached to the Portland Children’s Museum was, at that point, one of the most progressive schools in the country. The teachers at Opal were brave, entering the school year without a set curriculum in mind, following the children where they wanted to go.

    I was less three years into my career as a teacher, still a baby by the standards of that particular field. There were a lot of moments when I was incredibly frustrated. A child acted in a way I did not expect. A lesson bombed. A colleague gave hard feedback. In those moments what I wanted to do was to lash out or tune out. I wanted to react, to end the interaction or get space, I wanted to be heard and then for the moment to be over.

    During a meeting with a mentor, she revealed a concept that, though incredibly simple, changed my whole outlook. She asked to ask questions when I was feeling dissonance.

    “What makes you say that?”

    “What does this bring up for you?”

    “Can you explain to me how you got to that point?”

    Very often the act of reflection in the moment, of staying in the moment, allows there to be more nuance than we thought there could be. Asking questions takes this tiny, loud instant and allows us to examine its nooks and crannies. Very often the extremes of feeling made so much more sense.

    The last day, and really the whole season, have been spaces of massive emotional shifts. We’ve interrogated the players, the club, each other. We’ve tackled massive issues that transcend sport and go into organizational policies and personal values. Both clubs have had massive wins and devastating losses, but if I’m honest it seems inconsequential to what is taking place off the pitch.

    I’m begging you to stay in inquiry here.

    When there’s big news and someone or something is not what you expect it to be, please ask questions before jumping to conclusions. If something seems out of character for an org you’ve known, or even been a part of, wonder why. Silence is sometimes people trying to figure out what to say, and making sure they say the right thing. It isn’t complicity or an admission of guilt.

    We have to have each other’s back; we have to believe the best in each other as supporters.

    There are folks out there who would love to subdivide us now. The more scattered we are, the more segmented, the easier it is to ignore us. The more unified we are the more powerful we become.

    Today is a game day and the Cascadia Cup may come home. I cannot wait to be in the stadium with you. Let’s be loud, let’s be heard.


  • 08/26/2022 10:25 AM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

    The following is a message from the Timbers Army Steering Committee.

    Seattle’s Emerald City Supporters (ECS) published a blog post on 8/25/22 admonishing the Timbers Front Office for multiple missteps in their handling of sexual assault and domestic violence allegations involving players and coaching staff. The post also mentioned that ECS reached out to the Timbers Army about coordinating an in-stadium action during the match.

    The steering committee felt that a shared action or protest at this time would be viewed as an escalation and damage conversations between the 107IST board and Front Office, distract from the progress the board and Front Office are making on last fall’s list of demands, as well as detract from our support of the players. We responded to ECS on 8/17 stating, "GDO says sincere thanks for the offer but are not ready for a massive coordinated protest at this time (though there will be plenty of protest in the stands and you are welcome to do the same at whatever level you’re comfortable with). We are also very interested in collaboration around healthcare in the long-term."

    The Timbers Army appreciates a diversity of tactics to drive change and are grateful that ECS reached out to us to discuss this matter. We continue to discuss our options with all supporters groups while also supporting the efforts of 107IST to continue our push for accountability and transparency from the Timbers and Thorns Front Office.

  • 07/29/2022 11:29 AM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

    On July 9, 2022, individuals in the Timbers Army supporters section at the Seattle Sounders v Portland Timbers match deployed smoke bombs inside and outside of Lumen Field, a violation of stadium policies.

    These actions are also a direct violation of the 107IST Away Code of Conduct, which governs conduct in our away sections and to which individuals agree to abide by when they purchase tickets through the 107IST. 

    Unfortunately, these incidents may cause sanctions to be imposed against the Timbers Army as a whole by Seattle Sounders FC. Sanctions could include the prohibition of banners, flags, tifo, and drums for an as-yet unspecified amount of time.

    The Timbers Army Steering Committee, 107IST Board of Directors, and Away Travel Team have been and will continue to be in conversation with the Timbers Front Office about this matter. In the meantime, the Sounders Front Office, Lumen Field management, and the City of Seattle are reviewing footage of the incidents.

    We invite those involved in deploying smoke to reach out to awaytravel@107ist.org to help preserve the away game day experience that we and our players have come to love.

  • 02/26/2022 2:37 PM | 107ist Admin (Administrator)

    In light of the recent allegations against a former Portland Timbers player, we have decided to reallocate money that would have been spent for our 2022 home opener tifo display to organizations that support individuals experiencing domestic violence.

    $2,500 will be donated to Call to Safety to help support individuals experiencing domestic violence.

    $2,500 will be donated to Rose Haven to help support individuals facing an intersection of issues including homelessness, poverty, and domestic violence.

    If you can, please consider joining us by making an individual donation to these organizations or a similar organization in your local area.

    For more information or to donate directly, please visit www.calltosafety.org or www.rosehaven.org

    Thank you, the Timbers Army Steering Committee

    IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE:

    Oregon Call to Safety Line (888) 235-5333

    National Domestic Violence Help Line (800) 799-SAFE

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