Supporters
This weekend, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps will face each other in the second Cascadia Cup match of the season. The first match saw the Timbers draw even with Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field. The Timbers will look to take sole possession of first place in the Cascadia standings at BC Place on Saturday, and there is no doubt that many Timbers fans will make the trip.
As the season wears on, the costs of traveling to away Cascadia matches can start to add up. This season, our friends at 76 would like to support the fans that support the team. All you need to do is Instagram a shot of you traveling to or from this weekend's match with the hashtag #76roadtrip and you'll be eligible to win a $100 gas card and autographed Timbers team jersey. Not going to Canada this time? Never fear, the contest will also be happening for future Cascadia Cup rivalry matches on August 25th at Seattle and October 6th at Vancouver.
Onward, Rose City!
As part of our inaugural group of ticket holders, Cord won the chance to have a VIP experience for the Portland Timbers vs. Chivas USA match on May 12th, including KeyBank Club seats, and a chance to visit with Timber Joey on the field!
We asked Cord a few questions after the match:
When was your first match or memory of supporting the Timbers?
The MLS Opener on April 15th, 2011. Portland 4, Chicago 2 – especially Jorge Perlaza’s 29th minute goal, assisted by Kalif!
What was your favorite moment of this match?
Wallace's goal to put Timbers up 1-0. His game has dramatically improved since last season.
Who would you nominate as Player of the Match?
I'd have to go with Futty Danso. He was so solid on the back line as well as aggressive on the attacking side.
What is your prediction for the next match – Timbers versus the Vancouver Whitecaps?
I no longer predict the scores, and since I've stopped, we've had a great run!
What else should we know about your Timbers fandom? Any favorite pieces of Timbers memorabilia?
I was invited to the first Banquet dinner. Let's just say I had a little too much red wine and I took a wood carved axe that was on display. I got it signed by the team and it is become a permanent fixture in my house.
A big thanks to Cord and Tammy for being our guests and for their fantastic support!
If you are an Axe Society member and would like to enter to win the title of Member of the Match, please register here.
Dominic was the recipient of a Spread the Love welcome packet for the May 2nd match against the New England Revolution. Mick Hoban, current Timbers community ambassador and former NASLTimbers midfielder nominated him.
“I was looking forward to being in the company of soccer lovers, the Timbers Army, Timber Joey, [and] watching a great game of soccer,” said Dominic.
A native of Sierra Leone, Dominic spent 25 years teaching physical education in the Lake Oswego area. He is currently the head coach of the Lake Oswego High School girls’ varsity team, and is a former OYSA Girls Coach of the Year. Well-versed in soccer, Dominic says he was impressed with the how the team played.
“The team played a great game,” said Dominic. “The team's effort and gamesmanship on the field was very good. Especially team defense, speed of play, and possessing with a purpose.”
He says he also enjoyed the environment at JELD-WEN Field.
“I had a blast. The match was exciting. The Timbers fans were at their best. Their chanting and cheers echoed [through] the stadium the entire evening. The atmosphere was spectacular.”
In addition to being a coach, Dominic knows what it means to “Spread the Love” off the field. In 2006, he formed a non-profit organization called Kaimba Incorporated, also known as Dynasty House. The organization's mission is to help rebuild the lives of the people of the war-torn Sierra Leone by providing family housing and educational scholarships. So far the organization has built two five-bedroom houses, which are now home to six families, and is currently sponsoring 116 scholarships for grade school and high school age boys and girls.
What does “Spread the Love” mean to Dominic? “It means more than just those three words,” he said. “It is an act of giving/sharing a piece of whatever one has with others who might need it or benefit from it. It means making someone happy.”
Know someone you think is worthy? Nominate them at www.spreadtheloveptfc.com.
As part of our inaugural group of ticket holders, Mark and Cathy won the chance to have a VIP experience for the Portland Timbers vs. New England Revolution match on May 2nd, including KeyBank Club seats, and a chance to visit with Timber Joey on the field!
We asked Mark a few questions after the match:
What was your first memory of supporting the Timbers?
Growing up in London and having football in my blood, I was excited to take my two young sons to those early seasons when the Timbers first started, back up in the then A League. The crowds were sparse, but the fun was there. What I remember best is hearing the sound of some distant drumming and realizing it was coming from Timber Jim who was perched on a telegraph pole at the far end, beating a rhythm on his drum! I couldn't imagine that at any other football game in the world!
What was your favorite moment of this match?
My favorite moment was the give and go between Valeri and Nagbe in the first half, while the shot did fly over the bar, the lay off from Nagbe was exquisite!
Who would you nominate as Player of the Match?
Player of the Match for me was Chara, while we know he can run box to box endlessly, he has now added the telling pass to his repertoire, another great game for him.
What is your prediction for the next match – Timbers versus FC Dallas?
Dallas will be tough, realistically a draw would be a good result, at the moment though with the way the Timbers are playing and creating chances I'm going for a 2-1 Timbers win!
What else should we know about your Timbers fandom? Any match day superstitions?
My son Simon and I usually go to Alexis restaurant on Burnside for a big plate of calamari prior to a Timbers game. If we are lucky we may get a free shot of ouzo to help us on our way!
Thank you for a lovely evening, Cath and I had wonderful time! I think what made it a night to remember was the care and consideration that came from everyone on the Timbers staff, it did make us feel extra special!
Thank you again for a memorable night!
No Mark, thank you! And thank you for your wonderful support!
If you are an Axe Society member and would like to enter to win the title of Member of the Match, please register here.
Kaitlyn was the recipient of the Spread the Love welcome packet for the April 14th match against San Jose.
Carrie Cool, president of West Hills Junior Soccer Club, presented Kaitlyn with her Spread the Love packet.
Carrie and Kaitlyn had never met prior to their Spread the Love contact, but Carrie chose Kaitlyn for two reasons: “[Kaitlyn] had never seen a live Timbers game before,” and also works with the disabled in our community. “She won me over.”
Kaitlyn could not hold back her excitement when she received her packet.
“I was over the moon about finally getting to see the Timbers play live,” said Kaitlyn. “I was most looking forward to the atmosphere of the fans at the stadium, and being able to yell and holler at the game as opposed to just the TV!”
The Timbers took three points from San Jose that night after a sensational free kick goal from Will Johnson.
“It's hard to say whether my favorite part of the match was seeing Johnson score a beautiful goal,” said Kaitlyn, “or being in the crowd high fiving my friends and strangers as we all went wild right afterwards.”
She told us the excitement didn’t stop after the 90 minutes was over.
“Once I was in the car and out of public, there was a lot of smiling, laughing and all out jovial hollering with joy over the whole deal.”
Kaitlyn says she is officially hooked.
“I plan on trying my best to attend many more Timbers and Thorns FC matches in the very near future!”
Winning Instagram from April by @robynshuey
Midweek matches often change how fans travel and prepare. But for the most superstitious of fans, it doesn’t matter what day or time a match is, the matchday ritual is the same.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters want to know what your ritual is. Do you wear your lucky Timbers socks to work? Do you bring your scarf to the office? Share your ritual with us.
Throughout the 2013 season, the Portland Timbers and Stumptown Coffee Roasters are asking fans to share their pre-game rituals for the first home match of every month. All you have to do is Instagram a shot of your morning pregame ritual and share it with the hashtag #SCRTimbers.
One random fan will be selected each month to win a prize pack from Stumptown and the Timbers that includes:
- One (1) Signed Timbers Jersey
- One (1) 12oz bag of Kenya Gaturiri Coffee
- Two (2) Stumptown Coffee Roaster Mugs
- One (1) Stumptown Branded Red Rooster Hand Mill Grinder
Last month, @robynshuey won the Stumptown & Timbers prize pack for Instagram shot above. This month, it could be you.
For full contest rules, click here.
The Portland Timbers Food Cart Alliance (PTFCA) is a free, cross-promotional program designed to highlight the Rose City’s vibrant food cart culture. Through the PTFCA, select Portland-area food carts will have the opportunity to serve their food cart fare on Timbers and Thorns FC match days at JELD-WEN Field via fan vote.
Now’s your chance to choose the next round of carts that will serve at the stadium this season. Choose carefully, the five carts that receive the most votes on this poll will serve at three JELD-WEN Field events!
Know of any additional carts that should be included in this program? Post in the comments below or learn more about the program here.
The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC have announced a new partnership with Chirpify, which will allow fans to conduct transactions in-stream on social media, including entering online giveaways, buying merchandise and donating to charitable partners of the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC.
Once registered through Chirpify, all shipping, billing, and customer information will be automatically entered and makes entering Timbers and Thorns FC contests or purchasing merchandise as simple as replying to an official post on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Not only will Chirpify make transactions easier and faster for fans, they will also receive exclusive deals only offered through Chirpify. These exclusive offers will include contests, autograph vouchers and merchandise offers. When the Timbers and Thorns FC post contests and giveaways, fans that have registered with Chirpify can simply reply to the post to be eligible to win or to make a purchase.
For example, every home game fans that are registered with Chirpify will have the opportunity to enter to win autograph vouchers to use at post-game autograph signings with Timbers or Thorns FC players. Both teams will also give away signed merchandise and can’t buy game-day experiences.
Fans are encouraged to sign up now in order to take advantage of Timbers and Thorns FC promotions throughout the season.
“What a night!”
This was Christophe Vezinet’s initial reaction when we asked him about his experience at the Timbers match on April 6th against Houston. Christophe and his family were the recipients of a Spread the Love welcome package for that match.
Althea and Dougal Cullen, Timbers Army season ticket holders and former Waiting List members, nominated the Vezinet family to receive a Spread the Love welcome package.
“My brother Cedric, his daughter Madison, my daughter Manon and I had a lot of fun,” said Christophe. “You could feel all the great soccer vibrations all over JELD-WEN Field that night.”
Christophe is used to watching top-flight teams in Europe, and says the Timbers experience was very comparable.
“Even for the people that are not ‘soccer connoisseurs’, the Timbers team is really fun to watch,” Christophe explained. “Every time I see them playing I feel like they are going to crush the other team. I have yet to see a Timbers game that was boring, and since there is a little bit of French blood in that team, it can only increase my interest.”
However, says Christophe, his daughter and niece were likely more excited than him and his brother.
“A staff worker gave our daughters some passes to the autograph sessions with the players at the end of the game,” said Christophe. “You can imagine how excited they were to meet the players. I also received a hand written note from Manon thanking me for tickets. One of the highlight moments for me was getting to see how excited she was for the whole night.”
Christophe says he and his family are grateful for the opportunity, and are looking forward to coming back for another match.
“But most of all, a big thank you to the Timbers organization for letting us experience those moments; we will certainly do that again. It is a great way to spend a family night out. My daughter keeps asking me for another game night and she can’t wait to go to a Thorns game very soon.”
Rey was the recipient of the Spread the Love welcome packet for the April 6th match against Houston.
Die-hard Timbers season ticket holder and Stand Together advocate, Dwight Adkins, nominated Rey. Dwight is a good friend of Rey’s, and is a member at the gym where Rey coaches and trains.
“Rey is a trainer at Skogg, a kettlebell gym in the Pearl,” Dwight explained. “All day he motivates others to be healthy, strong and happy. Rey does a great job of inspiring others, and I thought a night at a Timbers match would be fun for him to sit back, relax and enjoy some awesome soccer with his family.”
Rey has only attended one Timbers match, about five years ago when the team played in the USL. The match against Houston was his first MLS Timbers experience.
“The fans were amazing,” said Rey. “I have been to tons of high school, college, and professional sporting events, and have never been in an atmosphere like the one I experienced that night at the Timbers match.”
Rey was also pleased with the result, as the Timbers took three points from Houston.
“The Timbers looked awesome scoring two goals against the Dynamo. I had a great time!”
He also expressed his gratitude toward Dwight for giving him his welcome packet.
“I was very excited that he chose me to give this opportunity to,” said Rey. “My schedule and budget haven't allowed for many extra activities and to get four tickets to three different events was so generous! “
