Lost in the recent excitement over Philadelphia's team building and ongoing CBA drama is the plight of the Portland Timbers erstwhile stadiums renovations; PGE Park needs upgrading for the Timbers 2011 MLS debut, and the political wrangling over the deal has yet to reach a satisfactory conclusion.


Willamette Week has the most recent update, reporting that Mayor Sam Adams has tabled a zone code change that would make allowances for a new plan to get the renovations started.


This is not good news. Merritt Paulson's efforts to get the stadium project off the ground have come to naught, and the scheduled construction start date is a scant two months plus away.


Portland's travails, which now include a decision over where to play their final non-MLS season, are gray-hair inducing for even those not connected with the club. Fans and executives alike must be losing sleep on a nightly basis thanks to the unresolved stadium situation, and I imagine Don Garber is none to thrilled himself.


Where does Portland and their stadium fall on the list of concerns for a league facing labor turmoil? A critical concern only a few months ago, the profile of the Timbers civic negotiations has faded into the background noise of a busy close to 2009. MLS has remained steadfast in their requirements for PGE Park, and while Paulson appears to be looking for every possible way out, none has proven to be the magic path.


I don't expect to hear anything out of MLS on the matter, but the readiness of the Timbers for 2011 is slowly become a very real problem.