Timbers face second difficult road test
July 11, 2006 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Portland Timbers News Release
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers face three matches in four days for the second time this season as they hit the road to take on the Charleston Battery and the Atlanta Silverbacks. Portland kicks off on Wednesday in a U.S. Open Cup match at Charleston at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific), Friday at Charleston at 5 p.m. (Pacific) and Saturday at Atlanta at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific).
The Timbers (5-6-5, 20pts) make their 2006 U.S. Open Cup debut in the third round of the tournament at Charleston on Wednesday. The two teams then face off again just two days later as Portland returns to Blackbaud Stadium for a USL First Division match against the Battery on Friday. The Timbers round out their road trip at Atlanta Saturday.
About the U.S. Open Cup
The U.S. Open Cup is a national tournament that pits qualified amateur and professional clubs against each other in a single-elimination format. It is one of the oldest soccer tournaments in the world, dating back to 1914. The winner of the Cup qualifies to compete against other cup winners from neighboring countries.
The Timbers have participated in the U.S. Open Cup in each of the last two seasons, advancing to the third round in 2004, and the fourth round in 2005. Both years, the Timbers were eliminated by the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Charleston has played in the tournament each year since 1999. The Battery advanced to the semi-finals in both 1999 and 2004 before being eliminated by MLS clubs.
About the Battery
The Battery (6-6-4, 22pts) hope to bring their recent road form back to Charleston after winning two of their last three games away from Blackbaud Stadium, including a 2-1 win at Rochester on July 8. Charleston started off the season strong, getting two wins, two draws and a loss from its first five games. The Battery has leveled off since then, going just 4-4-3 since to move into fourth place in the USL First Division.
About the Silverbacks
Atlanta (6-4-3, 21pts) needed six games to collect its first win of the season, a result they achieved June 3 vs. Charleston. The Silverbacks have been on fire since the win, going 5-1-1 and vaulting up to fifth place in the league. The Silverbacks have not beaten the Timbers, however, since June 5, 2004, when Atlanta emerged as 4-3 victors at Silverbacks Park.
About the Timbers
After a streak of eight games unbeaten, the Timbers dropped a 3-0 result in Vancouver on June 30. Portland was unable to rebound from the loss and suffered a second consecutive defeat, this time at the hands of Miami FC at PGE Park July 2. The Timbers got a lift with a 1-1 draw with English side Coventry City Saturday night, a match that the Timbers won 4-3 on penalties. After reaching as high as first place in the USL First Division, the Timbers are currently ninth in the standings.
Timbers Head Coach Chris Agnello on the Weekend
"Going into the weekend, our primary focus is the U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday. We want to go after that game with everything we have, and see what we can come up with. The great part about that match is that it also gives us an opportunity to get a look at Charleston, and make the suitable adjustments to our game plan for Friday's game."
"We also feel that we can get a great result in Atlanta. They will have had more of a rest, but we are a different team than last year, and I think we've surprised some teams this season with our different style of play and our speed and athleticism. We've played a difficult road weekend already this year and we got some great results, and I fully expect us to be able to do that again this weekend."
On the Air
Both matches at Charleston will be available in a live video web stream from www.charlestonbattery.com. Please note that both matches require prior registration and payment to view, and Windows Media Player 9 is strongly recommended. No broadcast is available for Saturday's match at Atlanta, but in-game updates will be provided on www.portlandtimbers.com.
Treatment Table
Defender Michael Nsien has returned to training but is still recovering from a partial MCL tear and will be unavailable this weekend ... defender Jacobi Goodfellow suffered a rib injury during training two weeks ago and he will not be traveling with the team.
Coming Up
The Timbers return to the Northwest for the first game of a home-and-home weekend series against the Seattle Sounders. The July 21 match with the Sounders at PGE Park will be broadcast live to an international audience on Fox Soccer Channel. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., with the Timbers facing off against the Sounders again Saturday, July 22 at Qwest Field in a 7 p.m. start.
USL First Division Stories from July 11, 2006
- Lynx' win streak put to an end - Toronto Lynx
- Open Cup and Montreal this week - Seattle Sounders
- Thunder host first-place Vancouver Friday - Minnesota Thunder
- Timbers face second difficult road test - Portland Timbers
- Hot Lynx off to Montreal - Toronto Lynx
- Battery continues US Open Cup quest versus Portland - Charleston Battery
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