MLS Portland Timbers

Timbers Weekly Update

Published on July 2, 2012 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Portland Timbers News Release


Timbers continue busy stretch this week against San Jose, Real Salt Lake

PORTLAND, Ore. - With a pair of matches this week, the Portland Timbers will reach the midway point of their 2012 Major League Soccer season. The Timbers play host to the San Jose Earthquakes at JELD-WEN Field on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific) before facing Real Salt Lake on the road Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium at 6 p.m. (Pacific).

Tuesday's match will be televised live on KPTV and Saturday's fixture will be televised on KPDX. Both matches this week will be carried live on the Portland Timbers Television Network in the Oregon markets of Bend (NTVZ/Central Oregon's CW), Eugene (KEVU/MyNetworkTV) and Medford (KFBI-TV/My48), as well as in Spanish on Estrella TV. Radio broadcasts of both matches will be available on 750 AM The Game and in Spanish on La Pantera 940 AM.

The Timbers (4-7-4, 16pts) open a busy July schedule against the top two clubs in the Western Conference. The Earthquakes (11-3-3, 36pts) enter Tuesday's contest with the best record in MLS and feature the league's top goal scorer in forward Chris Wondolowski. Real Salt Lake (10-6-2, 32pts) also plays host to Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday as part of a two-game week.

Portland is unbeaten in its last five MLS home matches, with a 3-0-2 record in those games.

Tuesday's match is the first of three regular-season meetings between Portland and San Jose in 2012. The all-time MLS series between the two clubs features a pair of 1-1 draws from a season ago. The Timbers and Earthquakes also squared off in a 2011 U.S. Open Cup play-in match and also played against one another in the Timbers' 2012 preseason tournament at JELD-WEN Field. The Timbers and Earthquakes continue their 2012 series Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Buck Shaw Stadium, and San Jose visits the Rose City for the Timbers regular-season finale Saturday, Oct. 27.

The Timbers cap a stretch of three games in eight days Saturday when they visit Real Salt Lake. Earlier this season, last-minute goals by Jonny Steele and Kyle Beckerman led Real Salt Lake to a 3-2 win over the Timbers on March 31 at JELD-WEN Field. The Timbers and Real Salt Lake have split their all-time series at 1-1-1. In the Timbers' last visit to Rio Tinto Stadium, defender Futty Danso tallied the equalizer in second-half stoppage time to help the club to a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 27, 2011. The two clubs finish their 2012 season series on Wednesday, Sept. 19, in Sandy, Utah.

TIMBERS GAME NOTES vs. EARTHQUAKES

- The Timbers face their busiest month of the 2012 season in July, playing six league games - three at home and three on the road - and an international friendly against Aston Villa FC of the English Premier League on Tuesday, July 24, at JELD-WEN Field. The club will play five of its seven games in July over a 15-day span from July 14-28.

- The Timbers are unbeaten in their last five MLS home matches at JELD-WEN Field, posting a 3-0-2 record in that span. Additionally, the Timbers have out-scored MLS opposition 6-2 in their last five league home games.

- San Jose has scored an MLS-best 35 goals through 17 games in 2012, and features the league's top goal-scorer in forward Chris Wondolowski with 14 goals.

- The Timbers' 3-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids over the weekend marked the first time since the end of April in which the Timbers had conceded multiple goals in a game; the last time was April 28 in a 2-0 road loss against the Montreal Impact.

- The Timbers will be without midfielder Diego Chara on Tuesday due to a MLS-imposed, one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation, ending his run of consecutive MLS starts at 27. Tuesday's match will be just the second MLS match Chara has missed since joining the Timbers on April 23, 2011, both have been the result of yellow-card accumulation suspensions (the other was Aug. 6, 2011, at San Jose).

- Tuesday's match is the third and final match of a three-match suspension for Portland defender Hanyer Mosquera. He was issued the suspension by MLS following an incident against the LA Galaxy on July 17.

- One of the Earthquakes' leading scorers in 2012 is forward Alan Gordon, who had a standout rookie season with the second-division Timbers in 2004. He scored 17 goals during his rookie campaign, helping lead the Timbers to the A-League's Commissioner's Cup and earning him 2004 A-League Rookie of the Year honors.

- Goalkeeper Troy Perkins is looking to make his 45th consecutive start for the Timbers on Tuesday against San Jose.

- The Timbers have sold out 25 consecutive home MLS matches at JELD-WEN Field.

TIMBERS GAME NOTES vs. REAL SALT LAKE

- Saturday's match is the second of three regular-season meetings in 2012 between the Timbers and Real Salt Lake and the first of two at Rio Tinto Stadium.

- Saturday's contest caps a stretch of three matches in eight days for the Timbers - two of which will have been on the road.

- In the first matchup between the two clubs this season on March 31, midfielder Darlington Nagbe recorded the first multiple-goal game of his professional career and midfielder Eric Alexander logged his first multiple-assist performance.

- Portland defender David Horst was a member of Real Salt Lake for three seasons from 2008-10 before being selected by the Timbers in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft.

TEAM NEWS

Timbers play host to Lose the Boot auction Tuesday during match against San Jose

On Tuesday during the Timbers' match against the Earthquakes, the Timbers will play host to their second-annual Lose the Boot auction. During the first half, fans at JELD-WEN Field can bid on their favorite player's game-worn boots, and the winner will have the opportunity to meet the player and get their boot autographed down on the field. The auction benefits Mercy Corps and their grass roots sport and social change programs around the world.

Join the Timbers' official viewing party Saturday at Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill

Fans are invited to join the Timbers' official viewing party on Saturday at Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill in Portland, presented by ROOT SPORTS. Saturday's viewing party is open to fans of all ages and begins at 6 p.m.

Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill, located at 71 SW 2nd 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, play Budweiser Poolball and enter to win a 2012 team-autographed soccer ball and other Timbers merchandise.

Click here to see where the next viewing parties will take place.

Timbers, city of Portland and adidas announce 2012 field grant recipients

The Timbers, in partnership with the city of Portland and adidas, announced the recipients of the 2012 field grants, totaling $75,000 in grant money, to help fund and build field projects around the Portland metro area.

A grant of $25,000 was awarded to Hacienda Community Development Corporation, while Friends of Grant Athletics received a $10,000 grant. The Forest Heights Soccer Club Field Improvement Team received a $20,000 grant from the Timbers and an additional $20,000 grant from adidas.

Since the field grant program's start in 2010, $195,000 in grants have been awarded to field projects to benefit local communities.

Timbers' RCTID contest offers chance to win two 2013 season tickets

Are you RCTID? The Timbers are holding a photo contest through the club's Facebook page, allowing fans to display their RCTID spirit. Fans can upload a creative photo and caption to the RCTID tab at www.facebook.com/PortlandTimbers. Fans will be able to vote for their favorite RCTID photos, and the winning entrant will receive a pair of Timbers 2013 season tickets.

The contest ends July 16 at 5 p.m. (Pacific); additional contest info is available at www.RCTID.com.

Timbers U-23s, Portland Rain host doubleheader Sunday at Hare Field

The Timbers U-23s and Portland Rain will play host to a doubleheader on Sunday at Hare Field in Hillsboro, Ore. The Rain will take on the Spokane Shine at 3 p.m. before the Timbers U-23s face division-rival the Kitsap Pumas at 6 p.m. (Pacific).

Fresh off a successful, three-game road trip, the Timbers U-23s (8-3-2, 26pts) sit in third place in the Premier Development League's Northwest Division. The team will play its final two home games of the regular season this week, beginning on Friday against the Washington Crossfire at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Wash.

An adidas Timbers Alliance club, the Rain are in second place in the Women's Premier Soccer League's Northwest Division with a record of 4-2-2 (14pts) and have two regular-season matches remaining.

Timbers-inspired pizza now on sale at Papa Murphy's

Now available at Papa Murphy's stores in the Portland and Southwest Washington areas is the new Timbers-inspired creation, the Lumberjack Pizza. Created by Timbers fan Max Aguirre, the Lumberjack Pizza was chosen by a panel of judges, which included Timbers players Eric Alexander and Joe Bendik, from over 150 entries. Pick up a large for only $10 through Sept. 3.

The Lumberjack Pizza includes traditional Papa Murphy's Original Crust, along with traditional red sauce and mozzarella cheese. Toppings include salami, pepperoni, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts and green peppers. The pizza is finished with a blend of grated provolone and cheddar cheeses.

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 regularly airs each Tuesdays at 6 p.m. (Pacific) on 750 AM The Game. Due to the match against San Jose on Tuesday, the show this week will air on Thursday, July 5.

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.

Fans can tune in to the show live on 750 AM The Game or listen online at www.750thegame.com . Available podcasts can be downloaded at www.portlandtimbers.com/timbers-podcast-network .

Check out the Portland Timbers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from July 2, 2012


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