The Portland Timbers returned to Jeld-Wen Field for their first match since the team’s 15-game unbeaten streak was put to an end by the Columbus Crew two weeks ago. Their meeting with the LA Galaxy on Saturday was a battle between two teams sharing the third spot in the Western Conference. The Galaxy had started to build up steam lately, winning their last three out of four matches.
With 12,436 fans in attendance, the Portland Thorns took to the pitch at Jeld-Wen Field on Saturday for their first-ever meeting with the Boston Breakers. The Breakers came on strong in the first half, pressing the attack and getting two goals from Sydney Leroux before the intermission. Portland came out reenergized in the second half and managed to slow down Boston’s offense, but couldn’t convert on any of their scoring opportunities as the Breakers gained some ground in the National Women’s Soccer League standings with a solid road victory.
The Portland Timbers will host Club Atletico Monarcas Morelia tonight for an international friendly at Jeld-Wen Field. Dubbed the “Copa Verde,” the competition between the Timbers and the first-division club from Mexico raises awareness of Portland’s Somos Timbers initiative, an outreach program focused on Hispanic youth development, education and health. A portion of the proceeds from the game will go to the Mexican Consulate of Portland’s IME Becas scholarship program. The winning team will take home the Copa Verde Cup, a symbol of sustainability hand-crafted by local artisan Alain Bally using salvaged Douglas fir beams from a demolished Southeast Portland warehouse.
The Portland Timbers took to the pitch on Sunday for their second meeting with the Colorado Rapids this season. After a 2-2 draw back on March 30 in Colorado, the Timbers got a chance to better that result with their home fans behind them at Jeld-Wen Field. Portland was riding a 14-game unbeaten streak and coming off a draw with the back-to-back MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy. That result lifted the Timbers into a tie for the second spot in the Western Conference, but the team was clearly hungry for more as they took down the Rapids 3-0 and made it 15 unbeaten in a row to move into a tie with Real Salt Lake for first place overall in the MLS standings.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team trekked to a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto over the weekend for a contest with the Canadian national team. Each squad was headlined by members of the Portland Thorns, with Alex Morgan suiting up for the U.S. and Christine Sinclair answering the call for Canada.
The Portland Timbers played host to the United Soccer League’s Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday in the third round of the 100th annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a nationwide tournament for all teams within the United States Soccer Federation. The Hammerheads faced a tall order as they tried to best the Timbers at home, but had a bit of help in the effort as Portland sat several starters, including goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, striker Ryan Johnson and midfielder Diego Valeri.
The Portland Timbers wrapped up their road trip on Saturday by extending their unbeaten streak to 11 with a 2-0 victory over DC United at RFK Stadium. The Timbers were without Kalif Alhassan, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, starting exciting striker Frederic Piquionne in his place.
Feelin’ Thorny? The once-controversial T-shirt slogan turned into an unofficial motto as the Portland Thorns rolled through their first six games of 2013 unbeaten, leaving the competition wondering if they had just taken an up-close and personal tour of the city’s rose gardens. But when the National Women’s Soccer League leaders faced off against Sky Blue FC on Thursday, they finally ran into an opponent they could not deny, losing 1-0.
The Portland Timbers needed another gritty comeback to keep their unbeaten streak going against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. Vancouver welcomed the Timbers to BC Place with the vast majority of the 19,823 fans in attendance behind the Whitecaps for the clash with their Cascadia Cup rivals. Going into the game, Portland was in second place in the MLS Western Conference, while the Whitecaps were one spot from the bottom.
The Portland Timbers welcomed Chivas USA to Jeld-Wen Field on Mother’s Day for a sold-out MLS Western Conference bout. The Timbers were hungry for a win after being held to draws in their last two matches. Portland’s frontline was back to normal with Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace in the starting lineup, while Chivas USA was playing without 2012 MLS all-star goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and midfielder Carlos Alvarez. The Timbers Army seemed to be on their best behavior when the Chivas USA squad came out onto the field, perhaps partly out of respect for the mothers in attendance.
The Portland Timbers went into FC Dallas Stadium for a meeting with the MLS’ No. 1 team on Wednesday. The teams had matching unbeaten streaks on the line, with both FC Dallas and Portland making it through their last seven games without a loss.