May 21, 2013
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Timbers Weekly Update

April 26, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS) Portland Timbers

Timbers head to Montreal to close out the month of April

PORTLAND, Ore. - Coming off a win over Sporting Kansas City, the Portland Timbers head to Canada for the first time this season to face Major League Soccer expansion side the Montreal Impact on Saturday at Stade olympique; kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (Pacific).

The matchup against the Impact will be televised live on PDX TV and across the Portland Timbers Television Network in the Oregon markets of Bend (NTVZ/Central Oregon's CW), Eugene (KEVU/MyNetworkTV) and Medford (KFBI-TV/My48). Additionally, radio broadcasts will air on 750 AM The Game and in Spanish on La Pantera 940 AM, with a Spanish TV broadcast on Estrella TV.

In their last match, The Timbers (2-4-1, 7pts) became the first team to beat Sporting KC this season and snapped a stretch of four straight losses with a 1-0 win April 21 at JELD-WEN Field. On April 21, the Timbers extended the club's home sellout streak at JELD-WEN Field to 21 straight league games.

Portland and Montreal (1-5-2, 5pts) square off for the first time as MLS counterparts and for the lone time during the regular season on Saturday. However, the history between the two clubs dates back to 2001 as opponents in the second division. In 15 second-division matchups from 2001-10, the Timbers registered an 8-4-3 overall record in the series with the Impact, including a 4-1-2 mark on the road.

The Impact join MLS as an expansion side in 2012. Montreal played D.C. United to a 1-1 draw in its last match April 18 and enters Saturday's match against the Timbers following a 10-day break between matches. The Impact recorded their first MLS point in a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire on March 17 in front of 58,912 fans at Stade olympique. Offensively, the Impact are led by 36-year-old Italian forward Bernardo Corradi with two goals.

TIMBERS GAME NOTES vs. MONTREAL IMPACT

Saturday marks the first MLS matchup between the Timbers and Impact. The two clubs competed as second-division rivals from 2001-10, and last met May 19, 2010 in Portland. During the all-time series in the second-division, the Timbers were 8-4-3 against the Impact. The Impact are 1-0-1 at home this season, and have an overall record of 0-3-0 against Western Conference clubs. Including the win over Sporting KC, the Timbers have either scored or been credited with the match's opening goal in three straight games. The Timbers are 12-3-4 all-time in MLS when notching the opening goal of a match and improve to 10-1-4 when leading at halftime. The shutout against Sporting KC was Portland's first clean sheet on the campaign and the club's first in 10 games, dating back to the 2011 season. The Timbers' last recorded shutout was in a 1-0 road win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Oct. 2, 2011. In 2011, MLS Western Conference teams having to play in the Eastern Time Zone logged a combined record of 8-14-14. The Timbers are 0-4-3 since joining MLS when having to play in the Eastern Time Zone.

TIMBERS PLAYER NOTES vs. MONTREAL IMPACT

MLSsoccer.com listed head coach John Spencer and defender Eric Brunner to its Team of the Week for Week 7. Additionally, defender/midfielder Lovel Palmer was named honorable mention in Week 7. Brunner became the fourth different Timbers player to be named to MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week in 2012, while Spencer earns his second overall selection to the Team of the Week as head coach of the Timbers. Goalkeeper Troy Perkins earned his 50th career MLS victory in the match against Sporting KC. His 50 career wins ranks among the league's top 15 all-time most winning goalkeepers. Also against Sporting KC, Perkins played in his 135th career MLS match, which was also his 135th career MLS start. He ranks sixth among active MLS goalkeepers in games played. Midfielder Freddie Braun made his MLS career debut on April 21, entering in the 78th minute against Sporting KC for injured defender Steve Purdy. Braun became the second Portland Timbers U-23s alum to make his MLS debut with the first team, joining goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, who made his MLS debut March 26, 2011, at Toronto FC. Forward Brent Richards, the Timbers' first Homegrown Player, made his first appearance on the club's match-day roster on April 21. During his playing career, Timbers assistant coach Cameron Knowles played for both the Timbers (2007-2010) and the Impact (2011) in the second division. Forward Jorge Perlaza and Impact defender Nelson Rivas briefly spent time as teammates in Colombia with Deportivo Pasto from July-December 2002.

TEAM NEWS

Join the Timbers official viewing party Saturday at Bazi Bierbrasserie

Fans are invited to join the Timbers' official viewing party Saturday morning at Bazi Bierbrasseri in Portland, presented by ROOT SPORTS. Saturday's viewing party is open to fans of all ages. Doors open at 10 a.m., kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Bazi Bierbrasserie, located at 1522 Southeast 32nd Ave. in Portland, is one of several local pubs and restaurants featured with the club's pub partner program. At the viewing party, fans can meet club mascot Timber Joey and enter to win a variety of prizes, including a team-autographed Timbers jersey. Drink specials will be available.

ROOT SPORTS live coverage of Timbers games nominated for Emmy Award

ROOT SPORTS, one of the Timbers television broadcast partners, was recently nominated for an Emmy Award (Northwest Chapter) for the network's live, unedited game coverage of Timbers games.

Other live sports coverage nominated in the category are: ROOT SPORTS coverage of Seattle Mariners baseball, ROOT SPORTS coverage of Pac-12 college football and Seahawks Broadcasting coverage of Seattle Seahawks football.

Associated with the network's live Timbers broadcasts are senior director Patrick Brown, executive director Jon Bradford and producer Mike "Pike" Parker. Brown is also nominated for a separate Emmy Award in the category of Director - Live or Live on Tape.

Timbers sign Scottish defender Steven Smith

Among the club's transactions announced Wednesday, the Timbers signed Scottish defender Steven Smith. He will be added to the Timbers' roster pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate. Click here to read more about Wednesday's transactions.

A native of Bellshill, Scotland, Smith joins the Timbers after nine seasons playing in Scotland and England. He started his career with Scotland's Rangers FC and played in 55 matches over seven seasons with the club from 2003-10. Smith, who has played in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, made the move to England in 2010 to play for Norwich City FC and recently played for Preston North End during the 2011-12 campaign.

Single-game tickets now available for MLS Reserve League matches at JELD-WEN Field

The Timbers recently unveiled ticket details for the club's 2012 MLS Reserve League home schedule at JELD-WEN Field, which begins May 27 against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves.

Five-game season tickets are available by calling the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555 or emailing ticketsales@portlandtimbers.com. Single-game tickets are available for purchase at the JELD-WEN Field box office or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For group opportunities (15 or more) or to take advantage of corporate hospitality, picnic areas, and on-field opportunities, please contact the Timbers ticket office.

Timbers launch new Stand Together merchandise line

Joining other popular items in the adidas Timbers Team Store at JELD-WEN Field, the Timbers have launched their brand new Stand Together merchandise line, benefitting the club's community outreach platform "Stand Together."

Featuring the "Stand Together" logo with two axes, the Stand Together line includes a t-shirt, hoodie, beanie and decal. Thirty percent of all Stand Together merchandise sales directly benefit the Portland Timbers Community Fund. Stand Together items are also available for purchase online at shop.portlandtimbers.com.

Timbers players Darlington Nagbe and Sal Zizzo helped celebrate the launch Monday afternoon with an autograph signing at the adidas Timbers Team Store.

Community Corner: Upcoming Timbers community events and appearances

Thursday, April 26 - Timbers players David Horst and Jake Gleeson will join Timbers Alumni Ambassador Scot Thompson and Timber Joey to lead a cast of Timbers in Camp Fire Columbia's second-annual Celebrity + Youth Talent Show at the Crystal Ballroom in downtown Portland; the event begins at 5:30 p.m. Featuring a fun battle between local celebrities and youth in Camp Fire's diverse array of programs, the event is Camp Fire's largest fundraiser of the year, with proceeds going to support youth in Camp Fire's programs in local schools.

Friday, April 27 - Two Timbers players will be at the Department of Human Services in Portland to sign autographs and meet families with foster children from 5:20-6:15 p.m.

Tuesday, May 1 - Timbers forward Sebastián Rinc"n will visit a local classroom at Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School in Beaverton, Ore., to read to a group of students in Spanish and answer questions about growing up in Colombia and on being a professional soccer player.

Thursday, May 3 - Timbers defenders Ryan Kawulok and Chris Taylor will be part of a Timbers meet-and-greet and autograph signing event through AC Portland at the adidas Village in Portland from 3-4:30 p.m.

Timbers forward Eddie Johnson announces retirement

Timbers forward Eddie Johnson announced his retirement from professional soccer on April 20. He retired after a 10-year professional career, playing for clubs in England and the United States.

Johnson, 27, was one of the Timbers' first MLS players, signing with the club on Oct. 19, 2010. He appeared in seven league matches and scored a goal against Toronto FC during Portland's inaugural MLS season in 2011. Johnson's time with Portland was limited by a series of injuries over the past two seasons and has been sidelined since February after sustaining a third concussion during his time with the club. Click here to read more about Johnson's career.

TEAM MEDIA SOURCES

TV: "Timbers In 30"

The Timbers weekly television show, "Timbers In 30," features exclusive, inside access to the club and airs each Friday at 6:30 p.m. on KPTV Fox 12. Moved to a new, Friday night time slot this season, "Timbers In 30" will focus on inside access to the inner-workings and personalities of the club and provide detailed team and game analysis with in-studio appearances from Timbers players and coaches each week.

Previously aired shows and "Timbers In 30" features can be found at www.portlandtimbers.com.

Radio: "Talk Timbers"

The Timbers' weekly radio talk show, "Talk Timbers," presented by JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, airs each week on 750 AM The Game. Hosted by John Strong, "Talk Timbers" features interviews with club officials, coaches, players and special guests. The show will provide team news and the latest information from around MLS during the 2012 season.

The next three Talk Timbers shows are: Thurs., May 3 at 6 p.m., Thurs., May 10 at 6 p.m., and Thurs., May 17 at 6 p.m.

Fans can tune in to the show live on 750 AM The Game or listen online at www.750thegame.com.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 26, 2012


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