Stand Together
As the 2012 Timbers season comes to a close as well as the #SoccerKicksCancer Breast Cancer Awarness campaign for October, we have on our hands a pair of Nagbe's Golden Boots. No, not those golden boots (FF to 1:00 mark).
These Golden Boots F-50 adiZeros from adidas:
Notice the special autograph. Nagbe was one of only five MLS players invited by adidas to utilize their miadidas custom shoe tool to design a special pair of boots to help promote Breast Cancer Awareness month for MLS.
And now you can enter for a chance to get your hands on them. All you have to do is follow @PTStandTogether on Twitter and re-Tweet this message to enter. One randomly chosen RT will win a pair. Click here for full contest rules.
Want to make your own pair? Watch this video of Nagbe putting his together then visit miadidas.
We've spoken about Darlington Nagbe's custom designed adidas boots as well as Joe Bendik donning pink gloves all as part of MLS' Soccer Kicks Cancer campaign this month.
KGW also took notice and did this nice report not only on the players' involvement but also why the ascent of pink-related products has raised awareness and funding around a disease that thirty years ago wouldn't even be allowed to be mentioned in the newspaper.
That growing awareness has helped saved lives. “We think when you look at all the pink, it has helped us reduce the death rate by some 30 percent,” said Komen Oregon CEO Thomas Bruner.
All Timbers players will be donning some bit of pink for the last regular season match on Oct. 27 against San Jose. To learn more, visit MLSsoccer.com's Soccer Kicks Cancer page.
Nagbe's custom adidas cleats
In honor of the league's support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, adidas has reached out to a number of MLS players to design their own special boots. As a result, DCU's Chris Pontius, New York's Kenny Cooper, Seattle's Fredy Montero, Sporting's Teal Bunbury and our very own Darlington Nagbe have all become shoe designers.
Nagbe has been training in his special custom shoes for a couple of weeks now looking to break them in for matchday. He's definitely excited to have them.
“These will be my first custom cleats, I’m pretty excited," he said. "Adidas is famous for their stripes, so I wanted to make the stripes, laces and other pieces on my boots pink to support breast cancer awareness. I used black and gold on the rest of the cleat to draw attention and try to make the pink really stand out.”
Like 'em? You can pick up your very own pair here.
And just because he didn't want to feel left out, Timbers 'keeper Joe Bendik has some special pink gloves he's sporting as well.
@darlingtonnagbe look I got some Breast Cancer Awareness gloves! I feel just as special as you. Hah twitter.com/Jtbendik/statu…
— Joe Bendik (@Jtbendik) October 4, 2012
With October upon us, MLS is once again launching their Soccer Kicks Cancer campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer awareness and treatment.
What this means is the return of the pink balls, special pink MLS W.O.R.K.S. ribbon patch on every player kit, pink shoelaces, pink sweatbands, and more--potentially even pink goalkeeping gloves. All 19 clubs are participating and there will be limited edition Breast Cancer Awareness gear available as well.
Additionally, there will be an auction of the pink match balls and game-worn gear on MLSSoccer.com/works starting on October 15.
Learn more about the whole event here.
Photo: Steven Lenhart
Timbers alumni and fans are banding together to participate in Portland’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s in the name of former Timbers player Jimmy Conway.
Conway played for the Timbers from 1978 until 1980 and served as an assistant coach from 2001 until 2005. Diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia, Conway still remains active in the Timbers community with the help of friend, former teammate, and Timbers Alumni Ambassador Mick Hoban.
“My relationship with Jimmy is still good as he recognizes me in association with Timbers games. I have taken him to all of the Timbers home games the past two seasons,” said Hoban.
“As a friend and former teammate I was saddened to hear the diagnosis but like many other friends I said that I would do all I could do to help.”
Hoban has been involved in previous efforts to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association in Conway’s name. After Conway’s diagnosis in 2010, friends and family members committed to a series of testimonial events for Conway - including a silent auction, a testimonial match and a golf tournament, leading to a donation of $21,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The 2012 Portland Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held Sunday, September 23 at Portland International Raceway. Timbers fans are invited to walk alongside Conway, Hoban, friends, family and Timbers Army members to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. Fans are encouraged to register with the Friends of Jimmy Conway team and to wear “something soccer” to the event.
For more information on the Alzheimer’s Association, Walk to End Alzheimer’s and dementia, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website here.
Timbers players Danny Mwanga and Jake Gleeson look to pitch in extra this week by helping run the check out lanes and bagging groceries at the Burlingame Fred Meyer tomorrow to benefit the Sports Buddies program of Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest.
On hand from 5:30-6:30pm on Sept. 13, Mwanga and Gleeson will bag any groceries that include Coca-Cola products. Five percent of all Coke products sold within that hour will go to benefit the Sports Buddies program with Fred Meyer and the Timbers matching the donation up to $1,000.
Another familiar face will also be on hand as former Timbers goalkeeper, current Alumni Ambassador, and Sports Buddies Program Coordinator Adin Brown will be in attendance as well.
Sports Buddies is a new, one-to-one mentorship program for at-risk youth with an emphasis on sports and Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest is one of the Timbers’ Stand Together community pillar partners.
Stock up tomorrow. Burlingame Fred Meyer is at 7555 SW Barbur Blvd.
While we often post here in The Backcut about news and interesting soccer tidbits, cool events with team partners, and other assorted ephemera, this Saturday, August 11 presents a particularly easy way to mix your love of Timbers with beer and helping out a great cause.
Join defender David Horst and goalkeeper Jake Gleeson--Gleeson freshly returned from London 2012--along with Timbery Joey at Widmer Brothers Brewing at 929 N Russell Street this Saturday from 5-8pm for a special "Brother's Day" event. There will be live music, prizes - including a pair of 2013 season tickets, plus for $20, you get two Timbers Reserve League tickets for the match against the San Jose Earthquake Reserves on Aug. 26, two drink tokens to Brother's Day, and a Timbers scarf and keychain.
All proceeds from the 21 and over event's beer sales and special ticket packages benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest--one of the Timbers Stand Together Pillar Partners.
Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday evening.
A few weeks ago during the Timbers' exciting friendly with Aston Villa at JELD-WEN Field, you may have noticed a spontaneous round of applause beginning at the stroke of the 19th minute. It was a show of solidarity and respect for Villa team captain and number 19 Stiliyan Petrov during his battle with leukemia. Petrov, who was diagnosed late in the 2011-12 EPL season, was undergoing treatments and did not accompany the team to Portland.
Aston Villa was happy to announce today that Petrov's leukemia appears to be in remission:
Thanks to the incredible support from supporters and fans, the Timbers are the MLS W.O.R.K.S./Continental Tire "How Green Are Your Goals?" contest winners. As a result of winning the league-wide contest, a deserving school in Portland will receive a $50,000 solar panel installation as part of an MLS W.O.R.K.S. Earth Day 2013 community service project.
In addition, Timbers fan Jeffrey Briley was named the "How Green Are Your Goals?" Sweepstakes Grand Prize winner and has won a trip to the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., and a set of tires, courtesy of Continental Tire.
MLS W.O.R.K.S. and Continental Tire launched the "How Green Are Your Goals?" campaign as a way to engage MLS fans to participate and support environmentally friendly efforts leading up to Earth Day. Fans were encouraged to visit the Greener Goals website to share stories of how they incorporate green efforts into their everyday lives. Click here for more on the contest and the “How Green Are Your Goals?” campaign.
MLS W.O.R.K.S. and MLS corporate partner Continental Tire announced their commitment to educate the next generation of energy users during MLS Cup 2011 and are participating in Bonneville Environmental Foundation's (BEF) Solar 4R Schools program.
These boots could be yours. Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer
At today's match against the San Jose Earthquakes (7:30 pm PT; KPTV Fox 12, Timbers Television Network; 750 AM The Game, La Pantera 940), the Portland Timbers will be conducting a very special Lose the Boot auction with all the proceeds going to support Mercy Corps, an international nonprofit based in Portland, to help raise awareness of, and money for, their Sport for Change programs around the world.
Fans can visit the Timbers Stand Together table, located near gate Gate 4 and the Sunset Porsche Audi Suite Elevator, any time during pregame and before the end of halftime to bid on a pair of a player’s game-worn boots. The winning bidder will go down to the field following the match to meet the player, receive the autographed boots and have a photo taken to commemorate the event.
Fans will be able to bid on any of the following players’ boots:
| Eric Alexander | Jack Jewsbury |
| Joe Bendik | Troy Perkins |
| Freddie Braun | Steve Purdy |
| Eric Brunner | Sebastian Rincon |
| Mike Chabala | Franck Songo’o |
| Diego Chara | Chris Taylor |
| David Horst | Sal Zizzo |
Stand Together with the Timbers in making a positive, charitable impact on communities around the world by making a bid at the Lose the Boot auction this evening All in all, it's a great chance to get a unique piece of memorabelia and meet one fo the Timbers players. Get bidding!
