The Timbers' New Beginning

Monday, October 11, 2010 | View Comments
The Portland Timbers, USSF Division 2 version, were knocked out of the playoffs last night by the Vancouver Whitecaps when they won 1-0 but lost the two-legged series 1-2 on aggregate. While the Whitecaps will continue on in search of one final second division title, the Timbers have played their last game as a minor league outfit.


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That means their focus will now be on preparations for their first major league (soccer) campaign next spring. Head coach Gavin Wilkinson moves into a front office role while former Houston assistant John Spencer takes over the coaching reigns. The expansion draft, if the timing follows last year's pattern, is coming up in just about six weeks; while the Timbers can't yet know which MLS players will be protected by their current teams, scouting is of paramount concern. Sharing the wealth with Vancouver puts Portland at a disadvantage when compared with Seattle and Philadelphia, though they do have the first pick of the unprotected players.


Filling out the remainder of the roster, perhaps with 2010 holdovers like strikers Bright Dike (14 goals in 27 appearances this season) and Ryan Pore (15 in 34) as well as new signings and the team's first MLS SuperDraft in January (where Portland has the second pick) will happen over the course of the off-season.


Like Peter Nowak last year and Sigi Schmid the year before, John Spencer is a veteran of MLS. Knowing the system will undoubtedly help him in putting together his inaugural MLS team.  Spencer left Houston mid-season before being announced as Timbers head coach for 2011, so he has had some time to learn the Timbers current squad while keeping his eye elsewhere.  The continuity provided by Wilkinson's change in roles will help with the transition.


Meanwhile, upgrades to Portland's home stadium, the soon-to-be-named-something-else PGE Park, continue. The Timbers played last night's game at the University of Portland because of the construction, which will turn the 84 year-old multi-purpose venue into a 20,000-seat soccer specific stadium.


The club's MLS website has a webcam for fans to monitor the progress.





As of September 21st, the Timbers had sold out fifteen sections worth of season tickets (it's not clear what that is in terms of a hard number) and 95 percent of three others.


The Timbers seat selection tool, complete with scoreboard showing the Timbers up 4-0 over their most hated rivals the Sounders, gives fans the opportunity to scout their seat ahead of the stadium's completion.


Looking forward, the run-up to 2011 for the debut of the Timbers should be fascinating to watch.  As of this morning, the Timbers transition begins in earnest.


MLSsoccer.com's story on the Timbers final night as a USL franchise.

*Updated to add a link to a story with a few more details on the Timbers' plan for the off-season.
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