brian costello
Image: ESPN
As some of you may have begun to notice, there's a growing buzz about this upcoming match for the Timbers this weekend. Seattle Sounders FC is coming to town and that means Rivalry. That mean Intensity. That means Cascadia Cup.
Though the Vancouver Whitecaps FC sit atop the Cascadia standings on two points having drawn both Seattle and Portland earlier in the season, Sunday's game is the first 2012 meeting between the Timbers and Sounders (2:00pm PT, ESPN, 750 AM The Game / La Pantera 940).
We'll be rolling out all kinds of special Cascadia coverage throughout the week with a look back at memorable moments, stories from supporters, and more. Take a look at Monday's flashback to a classic NASL Portland-Seattle battle to get you started.
ESPN is getting into the act as well. They partnered up with MLS and us to make some unique posters that you may see popping up in many of our local watering holes and pubs. The posters take a particular "angle" on the match (see right).
Moreover, there's a brand new promo that was created to whet your appetite as well:
Are you ready?
The 2012 FIFA European Championships got off to a rousing start late last week with group play. Poland's Robert Lewandowski got things started with the first goal of the tournament. The celebration of over 100,000 people in Warsaw's central square was not to be missed.
While MLS has only one player in the mix this year--LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane is the captain of Ireland--there are a number of players who Portland fans may have come across via recent international friendlies with the Timbers. Will it help you pick your side? Who knows, but take a look:
Joe Hart for Manchester City at UP - Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer
England
Roy Hodgson - The current England manager most recently was the head man for West Bromwich Albion when they came through Portland in 2011 and helped lead them to a 3-2 win. Euro 2012 marks Hodgson's first tournament with the Three Lions
Joe Hart - The current England starter in net was also the starting goalkeeper in Manchester City's 3-0 win over the USL-era Timbers in 2010 at the University of Portland.
Joleon Lescott - Part of the Manchester City travel roster in 2010, Lescott came on in the second half against the Timbers at UP. More recently, he started and scored England's only goal in their opening Euro 2012 1-1 draw with France on Monday.
Holland
Gregory van der Wiel - The young Dutch defender came to Portland last season as part of Ajax's U.S. trip and played the full 90 picking up an assist in their 2-0 exhibition win over the Timbers. Van der Wiel also started in Holland's 1-1 draw with Denmark last week.
Ireland
Simon Cox - Though English-born, Cox qualifies for Ireland from his grandmother's side. The West Bromwich Albion striker came on as a second half sub against the Timbers last July. He was also a 62nd minute addition for Ireland in their 3-1 loss to Croatia.
Shay Given - Part of the travel roster with Manchester City in 2010 when they played the USL-era Timbers at University of Portland, Given was held out of the match. He is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Irish and leads the squad witn 123 caps.
Sweden
Jonas Olsson - Another member of the West Brom squad who played here last season, the veteran Olsson was an unused sub in Sweden's 2-1 loss to Ukraine earlier today.
Looking to learn more about the Euros? Check out KickTV's coverage of the tournament. Former U.S. international and MLS defender Jimmy Conrad has been traveling about Poland and Ukraine taking in the sites, training, and the matches. It's a must watch if you want to get a feel for the pure fun that is the European tournament. As a sampler, take a look at his talking his way into the Spain-Italy match on Sunday:
The likeness is uncanny.
Our friends at Turner Construction--the builders behind the renovation of JELD-WEN Field--have been putting their construction know-how, support of the Timbers, and outreach in the community all to good use in the latest edition of Canstruction. Canstruction is a national organization working to end hunger having contributed over 17.5 million pounds of food to community food banks across the country since 1992.
They do it it by gathering donated cans of food and then letting teams utilze those cans in elaborate and creative artistic sculptures. Turner Construction created a massive Timbers crest out of hundreds of cans of donated food and their project is in the running for the Canstruction People's Choice Award. Simply head to their Facebook photo album and give them a like. You can also see the behemoth in person at Pioneer Place in downtown Portland. Voting runs through Sunday. VOTE!
With today's acquisition of Danny Mwanga from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for Jorge Perlaza, much has been made of Mwanga's Rose City roots. Originally born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mwanga and his family fled the Congolese civil war in 2006 to settle in Northeast Portland whereupon he starred for Jefferson High School (53 goals in nine games) and later for Oregon State University (Pac-10 Player and Freshman of the Year in 2009).
Photo: Oregon State University
Stephen Alexander of the Portland Tribune did a nice profile of Mwanga and the story of his journey to the United States when the then-Union forward came to take on the Timbers last season:
Mwanga was born into the bloodshed and sorrow of the Second Congo War. The war claimed the life of his father and forced his mother to flee the country, leaving Mwanga and his three older sisters behind. As a boy, Mwanga played soccer in the streets after school to forget some of the pain. A daring escape in June 2006 reunited Mwanga and his sisters with their mother in Northeast Portland.
It's a good read. Check it out here.
Searching through our own PortlandTimbers.com archives, last season Terry Horstman spoke with Mwanga's former Oregon State Beavers coach Steve Simmons as well as John Bain--president of Mwanga's youth team and adidas Timbers Alliance club, Westside Timbers. Bain is also a current Timbers alumni ambassador.
“He’s really humble, he really appreciates everybody, and he’s a really genuine and nice person.” Westside [Timbers] President and Timbers Ring of Honor inductee John Bain said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the surface of how good he’s going to be.”
At that same match in Portland last season, 400 of Mwanga's family and friends from the Westside team were in attendance. It's another great read.
The influence that Westside had on Mwanga is unmistakeable. In an article MLSsoccer.com did on Mwanga's homecoming, they talked about the role youth coach Monty Hawkins had on the young forward:
From teaching him how to drive to helping him find out where to go to school, Hawkins filled a very large void in the teenager’s life. “He helped me a lot and is a big part of my family,” Mwanga said.
Check out the full article here.
Timbers fans in Oregon, do you remember Mwanga's youth in Portland? Share your stories and memories in the comments below.
Uruwa Red Diamonds of Asia, Wydad of Africa, Galatasaray of Europe, Boca Juniors of South America.
These are some of the best supported clubs in the world with incredible fans, tifo, and atmosphere. Jimmy Conrad of KickTV took a look at each continent--sorry Australia and Antarctica--to pick one club that has the best of the best.
His selection for the best supporters of North America? The Timbers Army.
Saying, "Nothing compares to Portland on the day of a game," Conrad goes on to explain why Portland is one of the best on the planet.
Got a story, tip, soccer tidbit to share? Send it in to thebackcut (at) portlandtimbers.com.
Throughout the 2012 season, the Vancouver Whitecaps have been examining the supporters and culture in the various cities their team travels away to. This past weekend, our Cascadia rivals were here in Portland and the learned Peter Schaad--voice of the 'Caps--did a great piece on our very own Timbers Army. "If you've always dreamed of experiencing the beautiful game's supporters culture at its finest, you could go to Europe or South America," Schaad intones. "Or, you could travel down the I-5 and catch a game at Portland's JELD-WEN Field."
For Timbers supporters, new and longtime, it's a quick look into what makes the Timbers Army so unique.
Got a story, tip, soccer tidbit to share? Send it in to thebackcut (at) portlandtimbers.com.
Aragorn = Excited Soccer Fan
While tickets remain for tonight's 7:30 p.m. U.S. Open Cup match against Cal FC (Get them at the JELD-WEN Field Box Office), you may find yourself far from the friendly confines of the Rose City and wish to follow the match via our webstream at www.portlandtimbers.com.
This is great. However, we do ask that you be careful of where and how you watch the match. Actor, poet, painter, son of Arathorn, King of Middle Earth, and die hard soccer fan Viggo Mortenson had some issues of late while watching a live webstream of his beloved Argentine side San Lorenzo as he was waiting for a flight in the Washington, DC airport. Mortenson, who grew up in Argentina, was transfixed as he watched San Lorenzo fight to stay in the top flight. When they scored, he celebrated--much to the consternation of airport security.
The Hollywood Reporter talked about it and apparently Mortenson has a column for the San Lorenzo website whereupon he wrote:
“I screamed GOAAAAAAL with all my soul, and started jumping around the place like a frightened deer among the passengers and their suitcases,” he wrote. "People can't understand why am I screaming "PIPI!" [a player’s nickname] over and over again, and whether it’s because I’ve pissed myself or maybe I got hurt someway,” he added.
We're all for showing raucous forms of celebration. Just be careful not to scare fellow travelers. Tip of the hat for the link to @ShawnLevy--another soccer/film fanatic--who first tweeted about it.
Timbers vs. Cal FC webstream kicks off tonight at 7:30pm.
Got a story, tip, soccer tidbit to share? Send it in to thebackcut (at) portlandtimbers.com.
Waiting in line. It can bond people together. Timbers fans have been known to wait in line for hours, sometimes even days, to get their preferred seat before a game. It's a situation that people run across at Disneyworld, music festivals, and the like.
But here at JELD-WEN Field, that line waiting sometimes comes with some benefits. Forbes.com writes in a recent article about the re-imagning of the line waiting experience and how the Timbers are doing it a bit differently:
Major League Soccer executives are upping their game when it comes to line management. The league’s Portland Timbers club, for instance, handed out free Stumptown coffee and pizza, and a few of the team’s players joined fans waiting in line to sign autographs. The Timbers club’s owner Merritt Paulson even personally delivered coffee and doughnuts to line waiters during one cold morning.
So who knows? Next time in line, you never who you may run into.
Got a story, tip, soccer tidbit to share? Send it in to thebackcut (at) portlandtimbers.com.
With yesterday's announcement that the Timbers would be hosting either Cal FC or Wilmington Hammerheads in a third round match of the U.S. Open Cup on May 30, it's a good time to read up on just what is and why the U.S. Open Cup matters. We'll be having more in the lead-up to next week's match--we've got Valencia tomorrow in a friendly and a Cascadia Cup clash with Vancouver on Saturday--but Steven Goff of the Washington Post wrote a great love letter on Monday to just why he likes this unique soccer event:
I have a confession. I like the U.S. Open Cup. There, I said it.
[The] Open Cup offers the small clubs a long-shot dream of bumping off high-caliber opponents and advancing to international competition (the CONCACAF Champions League).
Best of all, the Open Cup creates David vs. Goliath matchups unseen in American sports outside the NCAA basketball tournament. One particularly dreamy pairing is close to coming to fruition. On Tuesday night, the Aegean Hawks, an amateur outfit from the D.C. area, will play the third-division Richmond Kickers at Maryland SoccerPlex in Montgomery County.
Take a few moments and read the whole thing--the U.S. Open Cup has a tremendously rich history. While the Timbers lean more towards the Goliath in their upcoming match next week, it certainly doesn't discount the interesting clash of teams across American soccer. This year's tournament is the 99th edition of the competition. Who says there's no soccer history in the U.S.?
Starting at $10, tickets go on sale to the general public Wednesday at 10 a.m. through the JELD-WEN Field box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phoning (800) 745-3000.
KickTV really went all out on this one with the graphics . . . . (wink)
Jimmy Conrad does expertly break it down though. Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich is tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. PT on FOX.
Who you got?
