Timbers prepare for home-and-home series with Seattle

June 1, 2006 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Portland Timbers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers get a double dose of their Northwest rivals when they play a home-and-home series against the Seattle Sounders this weekend. Kickoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m., with Friday's game held at Qwest Field in Seattle and Saturday's game at PGE Park.

The Timbers (3-4-1, 10pts) will be looking to increase upon their current two-game winning streak after getting their first road win of the season Saturday at Minnesota. The Timbers broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar grabbed a loose ball near midfield. He dribbled the ball up, then crossed it into the Minnesota penalty area. Forward Byron Alvarez got on the end of the ball, and his header sailed past Thunder goalkeeper Joe Warren to give the Timbers the 1-0 win.

About the Sounders The Sounders finished the 2005 regular season with an 11-6-11 record, earning the fourth seed in the playoffs. Seattle defeated the Timbers in the first round of the playoffs, then defeated Montreal in the semifinals. The Sounders beat the Richmond Kickers for their third USL First Division title on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Roger Levesque led the team in scoring on the year with six goals and three assists, and the Sounders defense garnered attention with Taylor Graham earning Defender of the Year honors and goalkeeper Preston Burpo finishing second in the league with a 0.85 GAA.

Seattle enters this weekend's matches after picking up a 1-0 win against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday and moving into ninth place in the USL First Division. After suffering a season-opening 4-0 defeat at Minnesota, the Sounders have lost only once since, recording two wins and two draws to move to 2-2-2 on the season.

About the Timbers With victories against Toronto and Minnesota, the Timbers have moved into fourth place in the USL First Division standings. Portland started off the season with a 1-0 loss at Vancouver, but improved their record to 1-1-1 two weeks later by drawing the Whitecaps then beating the Thunder on consecutive nights at PGE Park. Three straight losses, including setbacks at Miami, at Puerto Rico and at home to Rochester dropped the Timbers down the table, maximum points from the last two matches has moved Portland back into playoff position.

Timbers Head Coach Chris Agnello on the Match "We feel like things are really starting to come together for this team. Seattle will make for a very difficult opponent this weekend, especially since we play them twice in two days. There's a great rivalry there - it goes way back - and that will make for a very emotional game both nights. We honestly don't know much about them as a team because we haven't played them yet, but just the history and the rivalry alone make Seattle very dangerous."

"I think we are in good shape, and we'll see how our veterans handle it. I'll be watching closely how our young players respond to the intense environment, but I expect our players that have been through this before to help them through it as well. I don't forsee any problems, though, and I think that with the players we have, we'll be in great shape to get the result."

On the Air Both games this weekend and all other Timbers home games this season can be heard at www.portlandtimbers.com, with veteran broadcaster Andy McNamara returning for a sixth season behind the mic to provide the play-by-play. McNamara will be joined on Saturday's broadcast by former Timbers midfielder Aaron Heinzen, who will be providing color commentary. Timbers radio coverage in 2006 will be available on-line only; no standard radio broadcast will be available.

Treatment Table The Timbers do not report any injuries.

Cascadia Cup This weekend's matches against Seattle are the third and fourth of eight Cascadia Cup contests for the Timbers this season. This geographical-cup competition began in 2004, and is competed for annually by the Timbers, Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Three points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw every time the three teams play one another. The team with the most points from the head-to-head matches at the end of the season is declared the winner. Vancouver currently leads the Cascadia Cup this season with five points from one win and two draws. The Whitecaps also won both the 2004 and 2005 Cascadia Cups.

Bartlomé Released The Timbers have chosen not to renew the services of striker Chad Bartlomé, whose contract expired on May 31. Bartlomé, who signed a one-month contract with the club, made a memorable debut on May 5 vs. Vancouver. Having officially joined the team only hours before the match, Bartlomé scored the team's first goal of the season in the 21st minute when he got on the end of a deflected ball in the Vancouver penalty area and buried it in the back of the net.

Up Next The Timbers continue to face Northwest rivals when they play host to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Portland will face off against the Whitecaps on Saturday, June 10, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at PGE Park.



USL First Division Stories from June 1, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central