Friday, May 28, 2004
Timbers v Wave United
A reminder that the
Portland Timbers play at
PGE Park this Saturday evening, KO at 7pm against the
Milwaukee Wave United.
Go watch the Timbers as they try to extend their
perfect start to the season.
timberlog team sheet
here.
Also make a note that there is a new venue for watching televised soccer on the Eastside.
Costello's travel Caffe on NE Broadway is now showing games on Sunday afternoons
posted by the timberlog at 10:58 AM
Gregor Signed
According to the Seattle Times and the
Portland Tribune this morning the Timbers have signed midfielder
Andrew Gregor.
According to GM Jim Taylor the Timbers are looking to add another player on loan from an MLS club.
"We could use a defender, and we could stand to have another forward, especially in case of injury"
posted by the timberlog at 7:26 AM
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
New in the 2004 Player Diary
posted by the timberlog at 2:51 PM
Alan Gordon: A-League Player of the Week
The Timbers'
Alan Gordon has been named the
A-League player of the week for his 2 goals in Vancouver over the weekend.
Gordon is also the subject of
this piece in the OSU Barometer (where he played college soccer)
posted by the timberlog at 1:38 PM
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Timbers Release Tennyson
The
Portland Timbers have announced that they have
released forward McKinley Tennyson.
Tennyson, who has
not played for the Timbers this season due to a
hip injury, could not be guaranteed many minutes when and if he got fit according to GM Jim Taylor.
"A player with McKinley's skill needs to be playing and we were going to be hard-pressed to give him much in the way of quality minutes this season, so from that perspective, releasing him was the right thing to do," said Timbers general manager Jim Taylor. "We wish him all the best for the future and thank him for the many magical moments he's given us these past few seasons."
McKinley
shone brightly in his 2 seasons with the club, scoring
29 goals and leading the Timbers in points in both years. In 2002 Tennyson
led the A-League in scoring with 42 points on 18 goals and six assists. He was named to the
A-League's first team by its coaches and was the first to receive a newly created award given to the
top offensive player in the A-League age 23 or younger.
Best wishes to McKinley and I hope he gets fit enough to play again this year.
[This was my
2002 interview with McKinley pulled from the timberlog vaults]
posted by the timberlog at 12:18 PM
Tribune - Timbers to Sign Gregor
Tribune reporting that former U of P player
Andrew Gregor hopes to finalize a contract with the Timbers this week.
posted by the timberlog at 9:23 AM
Monday, May 24, 2004
What is going on??!!: Timbers Win in Vancouver
The
Portland Timbers kept their
perfect record on Sunday with a
3-1 win in Vancouver, their first at Swangard Stadium since joining the A-League in 2001.
The win leaves the Timbers with a
perfect 4-0-0 record so far and Timbers fans
stunned by the teams start. Questions are being asked,
committees are being formed, meetings are being
demanded to try to get to the bottom of the team's great start. WHAT IS GOING ON?
Anyway, back to the game in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps took the lead on 29' through
Davide Xausa, but the Timbers hit back 5 minutes later when
Alan Gordon headed a
Jake Sagare cross past Franks in the Vancouver goal.
Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar put the Timbers in front just before half-time, dribbling through the Whitecap defence to make it 2-1.
The Timbers pulled away on 65' after
Alcaraz-Cuellar's free-kick was again
headed in by Gordon for his second of the match and the
game ended with a 3-1 win for Portland.
The
next chance to see the Timbers at PGE Park is on
Saturday May 29th at 7pm v the the
Milwaukee Wave United.
posted by the timberlog at 8:32 AM
Friday, May 21, 2004
The Brothers Saunders
Trib article about
Timbers brothers Josh and Shaun Saunders.
...also from the Trib...
[Injury Update]
Brian Winters:cleared to play against Vancouver. "I might not start him, but I’d like to get him on the field," Howe says.
Defender
Edwin Miranda has returned to practice.
Forward
McKinley Tennyson (hip condition) is practicing some, but isn’t fit for a game and has yet to work on his shooting. "He can side pass, but I don’t think he’s tried to hammer the ball," Howe says.
posted by the timberlog at 11:36 AM
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Football for Peace Tour
Aaron Corman is a man with a
mission. Starting next summer, from his current home in Portland, the self-described "
simple man with an ambitious plan" is setting out on a "mission of goodwill and peace" while no-doubt catching some
very interesting soccer stories in the process.
At the end of his "
Football for Peace Tour" in 2007, Aaron
plans to publish a book, "Planet Soccer".
It should be fun keeping up with the man's adventures through his blog
Planet Soccer.
His blog subtitle is "
Using soccer as a lens through which to experience world culture" and I can't think of a
better way to find out something about the world we live in than by
watching and playing the great game.
posted by the timberlog at 3:31 PM
From far and afield and closer to home...
The SLC Beezz? Jellozz? Bad Driverzz??:
Salt Lake City rumored to be among the
potential sites for MLS expansion in 2005. Other potential cities include Seattle, Houston and Philadelphia. Chicago and LA are the finalists to host the
planned new MLS side, ChivasUSA.
Note: Portland needs an investor to at least show some potential interest in bring MLS to the Rose City. Then the fans can take over and hopefully something like
Detroit's grass-roots campaign can take root. The Motor City is trying to get 5000 people to stump-up $10 each to prove the fans commitment to support major league soccer.
"Hand of God's" Brother to coach A-league side: Diego's brother
Hugo Maradona will
take over coaching duties A-League side the
Puerto Rico Islanders. The Timbers host the Islanders on
Aug 19th at PGE Park.
Down Boy!: the rumors about "the player Timbers fans love to hate" (but maybe soon "hate-to-have-to-love")
Andrew Gregor playing for the Timbers take a
step forward with further
hints coming from his former (short) home, Vancouver.
posted by the timberlog at 11:40 AM
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
WWeek Winners
The WWeek (of course) pulls the Timbers out of the pile as one of this weeks Winners and another test of
how good the team is this year is coming up this Sunday when
Portland visit Vancouver. The Timbers have
never won at Swangard Stadium, their best result being a draw last year.
Vancouver v Portland
2003 2 losses, 1 draw
2002 3 losses
2001 2 losses
posted by the timberlog at 12:08 PM
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Saunders and Sagare in Team of the Week
Timbers keeper
Josh Saunders and midfielder
Jake Sagare have been named to the
A-League Team of the Week for Week Five in recognition of their play in the
Timbers' 1-0 U.S. Open Cup-qualifying win in Seattle.
Saunders made eight saves to keep Portland undefeated at 3-0. Saunders faced
23 shots amid constant pressure throughout the match to preserve the clean slate, his first of the season.
Sagare scored his
first goal of the season in Saturday night's win.
posted by the timberlog at 4:41 PM
A Convert to a "Sissy" Sport
Ryan Wilson in the Portland State Vangard goes to his first
Portland Timbers game and has his preconceived ideas upturned!
When Byron Alvarez knocked in a goal at the 25th minute, the crowd went nuts.
Arms went up all around like he had made a field goal and double high fives were shared liberally. My buddy, A.C. Italliano, likened it to the Neanderthals reaction once they finally realized how to create fire.
Welcome Ryan!
posted by the timberlog at 8:05 AM
Monday, May 17, 2004
Blame your boss for Portland's lack of pro sports(?)
Oregonian article in which the
author takes Portland buisnesses to task for the
financial problems of the Rose City's pro sports teams.
Ignore the fact that the
author counts only three professional teams in town (it's 4 - Beavers, Timbers, Winterhawks and Blazers).
How about building a
core support by having
teams worth watching on the field? Sure, having those corporate boxes full is a big help, but if the teams aren't bringing in the fans who turn up week-in week-out, they don't stand much of a chance.
posted by the timberlog at 3:20 PM
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Timbers Perfect So Far: Seattle 0 - 1 Portland
The Timbers made it
3 wins out of 3 in Seattle tonight with a
0 - 1 win after a
Jake Sagare goal in the 52nd minute, his first this year. The Timbers weathered heavy pressure, especially in the first half and
keeper Josh Saunders made numerous crucial saves.
The Timbers are now
clear at the top of the A-League Western Conference and also qualified for the
US Open Cup for the first time. The
US Open Cup is the oldest annual team tournament in US sports, dating back to 1914.
posted by the timberlog at 8:58 PM
Friday, May 14, 2004
Timbers v Mustangs Report
Match report here.
Next up
Seattle on Saturday in Seattle as the Timbers try again to get a
US Open Cup spot and keep their
2-out-of-2 A-League record intact.
[Live broadcast on KZNY AM-1010, KRMZ AM-1150 (Spanish) and on the web at OregonLive.com]
A
couple of thoughts about yesterday:
Byron Alvarez is a star. Lost count of the number of
low-center-of-gravity turns the Timbers forward made last night turning the Calgary defenders this-way-and-that. The race for the
A-League's top scorer this year is going to be interesting!
The Timbers play this year is a
lot more enjoyable to watch...made possible by more choices in midfield thanks to
Alex Bengard and Shaun Saunders.
The whole team is
hungry, personified by
Hugo Alcaraz who looks lean and mean this year.
Anyone who
lives in Portland, likes soccer, but
won't watch the Timbers (but would if the Timbers were an MLS team...and there are many out there)
should catch a game. The Timbers have
players of MLS quality...
Bengard and
Alvarez at the head, but also the aforementioned
Alcaraz and keeper
Josh Saunders. Add
quality young players into the mix (Even seasoned pro
Benedetti who had a
great game last night) and the Timbers are a
team worth watching (and you can't always have said that about them in the last 3 years)
posted by the timberlog at 11:53 AM
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Timbers Win Again: Portland 2 - 1 Calgary
The Timbers made it
2 out of 2 with a
2-1 win over the Calgary Mustangs at PGE Park tonight.
The Timbers opened the scoring on 25' after
Hugo Alcaraz' cross after a great steal and run down the right flank was
headed home by Byron Alvarez from 6yds out.
The Timbers
looked hungry, but on 40' they let Calgary back into the game when
Smith got in behind the Timbers defence and
beat Josh Saunders to level the score.
The
second half started well and on 48'
Alex Bengard got the game winner. Alcaraz-Bengard-Benedetti-back to Bengard, who had time to
turn and shoot home from 12yds out. 2-1 Timbers.
Another win from what is looking like the
best Timbers side since the team returned to the Rose City.
[full report tomorrow]
posted by the timberlog at 9:40 PM
Timbers face Calgary tonight in Portland
Columbian Article -
Timbers face Calgary tonight in Portland
...including the snippet of news that
Bobby Howe intends to start
Scott Benedetti tonight in a 3-5-2 formation.
posted by the timberlog at 10:51 AM
Timbers Rookie Learns as he Goes
O Article about Timbers striker Alan Gordon and his
Red Shoes.
Gordon's
A-League career continues tonight at PGE Park, his
baptism was a memorable one, scoring in 21 seconds and receiving an elbow that left his with
stitches and a scar on his left cheekbone.
"It's going to take me awhile to adjust," Gordon agreed. "Those guys are very physical, they're very strong."
posted by the timberlog at 8:08 AM
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Suspension Sooner!
An
interesting change to the way the A-League handles
yellow card points which I've only just become aware of.
This season the group of cautions that fall under the heading
Unsporting Behavior have been changed slightly to reflect a
desire to eliminate certain types of misconduct.*
There are now 4 types of yellow that carry
5 disciplinary points. These are:
A
direct free kick foul in a reckless manner.
A
direct free kick foul while
tackling for the ball from behind without endangering the safety of an opponent.
A
tactical foul designed to
interfere with or impede an opposing team’s attacking play (e.g., pushing an opponent, blatantly holding an opponent or an opponent's uniform, handling the ball deliberately)
Handling the ball deliberately to
score a goal.
The
thresholds for suspensions remain 21, 33, 44 and 55 points.
The
upshot of this is that
player suspensions for yellow card accumulations could happen
sooner this season.
*In addition there are a couple of new cautions:
Making unauthorized marks on the field
Removing a jersey after scoring a goal
Of course I will be
keeping track of Timbers disciplinary point accumulation throughout the year (so far only
Aaron Heinzen has any points - changed from Hugo Alcaraz on review) and there will probably be another installment of the A-League-wide "
Who's a Naughty Boy Then" feature soon!!
posted by the timberlog at 3:13 PM
Timbers v Calgary Mustangs
Next up, the
Portland Timbers take on the
Calgary Mustangs at
PGE Park tomorrow night (Thursday 13th) at 7pm.
A reminder that
general admission tickets are only
9 of your american dollars ($4.75 if you get the
Fred Meyer family tickets).
The
Mustangs are supposed to be a
whole different proposition to last year's team from Calgary (the
Storm or
Whipping-Boys as we liked to refer to them!), but hopefully the Timbers
continue their great start to the 2004 A-League season.
But is there a
timberlog team-sheet I hear you whisper!!
yes there is!
Print it out if you like, not only does it hold (v. poor)
predictions of the line-ups, some
less than accurate news about the teams, but it actually doubles as a pass to allow you to
sit next to a real life
Portland celebrity.
No such thing I hear you cry! But Thursdays celebs are going to be Portland's MTV's
Real World member
Brynn and
Colin Meloy from local "smartpants band" The Decemberists! Of course you have to
find them first...and get past their
vast entourages!
OK, back to
ze Timbers.
The Timbers will be making
several appearances in the community in the coming week:
Wednesday, May 12, several players will make the trip to
Echo Shaw Elementary School to put on a
skills demonstration at a school assembly at 2 p.m.
Kellogg Middle School on Tuesday, May 18 to participate in
soccer drills with a physical education class at 2:10 p.m.
Wednesday, May 21 in Beaverton, 10 Timbers will get out their hammers and saws to help build a house for
Habitat for Humanity, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Phew!
posted by the timberlog at 10:43 AM
Monday, May 10, 2004
Things I will be doing this season
I will be updating the Timbers roster page (look, now I have all the players and
current stats up to date!) and eventually I might even have some
profile pages for the whole team (and not just the sorry few left over from year 1!)
I will be posting more from
Jake Sagare's player diary...but maybe after Thursday's game
I will be attempting to write
more about the games than I did for the Seattle game (which was
nothing!)
I will keep bringing you some (hopefully less than dodgy) inside-info from the team (for example: I think the
Andrew Gregor rumors are not true...but he did train with the Timbers today (Tuesday))
posted by the timberlog at 3:30 PM
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Media Watch
Tribune -
Timbers Defender is an Old Pro at 19
Article about the Timbers'
David Henning who turned pro at 16, played for the Milwaukee Rampage and most recently
made the Timbers first goal in the 2004 A-League season.
PGE Park was also among
WWeek's losers for their
bungling of the opening game. With only a
few ticket booths opened, hundreds of fans were
left standing in lines while the game started (missing a goal into the bargain!). I saw quite a few just
turn around and go home...some probably
won't be back, revenue that PGE Park can hardly turn down.
posted by the timberlog at 3:49 PM
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Gordon and Wilkinson Named to Team of the Week
Timbers'
Alan Gordon and
Gavin Wilkinson have been named to the
A-League team of the week for their performances in the
2-1 win over Seattle.
Former Timber
Keith Costigan was also named to the
PSL Team of the Week for his performances in Harrisburg City Islanders' games over the weekend.
posted by the timberlog at 6:04 PM
Monday, May 03, 2004
A-League Attendance
posted by the timberlog at 6:20 PM
Timbers Start with a Win
The Portland Timbers got the
start they wanted, both in terms of the game on Saturday against Seattle and the 2004 A-League season, with a
2-1 win in front of 6,891 fans.
While plenty of people were still
dealing with lines at the PGE Park ticket counters (!!) and just 20-odd seconds into the game, Timbers rookie
Alan Gordon recieved a pass from David Henning and
chipped the ball over Seattle goalkeeper Preston Burpo giving the Timbers an early lead.
Unfortunately the rest of the game didn't consist of such
perfect moments as this and a series of
heavy-handed play by Seattle (and that's being v. understated!) almost pulled the game
down into the mire. Alan Gordon had to leave the field for a gash above his eye on 18' and just before half-time Seattle's
Ryan Edwards was sent off for throwing an elbow at Gavin Wilkinson.
The
hotly contested game continued until
Byron Alvarez headed in the Timbers' second in the 71st minute from a cross from Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar, but the Timbers
failed to bury the game.
Kyle Smith scored for Seattle in the 75th minute, but the Timbers
hung on to win for the first-time on opening day since 2001.
Next up:
Calgary visit PGE Park on May 13
Columbian - Quick Start Powers Timers over Seattle
Oregonian - Timbers Rookie Quickly Proves Worth
Seattle Times - Sounders Lose Season Opener
posted by the timberlog at 4:43 PM