PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s play host to the Abbotsford Mariners on Friday at Gresham High School before facing the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency in their regular-season home finale on Sunday at PGE Park. The two home games wrap up a stretch of three games in five days, which begins Wednesday on the road against the Washington Crossfire.

 

Friday’s contest against the Mariners headlines the Cascade Cup youth tournament and helps kick off a week-long Timbers soccer camp in Gresham, Ore.; kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door. 

The match on Sunday is set for 2 p.m. and is part of a special soccer doubleheader at PGE Park. The regular-season home finale for the Timbers U-23s precedes the Portland Timbers exhibition match against Mexico’s Club Deportivo Atlas at 6 p.m. Tickets for the Timbers U-23s match are $5 and are available for purchase at the PGE Park box office.

 

On a team-record, 11-game winning streak, the Timbers U-23s (11-0-0, 33pts) are in first place in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division. With a nine-goal outburst in the team’s 9-0 win over the Spokane Spiders last week, the Timbers U-23s share the league lead in scoring with 40 goals on the campaign.

 

The Timbers U-23s open the week with tonight’s away match against the Crossfire at Interbay Stadium at 7 p.m. The two sides met previously in Portland on May 15, with the Timbers U-23s claiming a 3-1 win. Forward Brent Richards scored twice, with both goals coming off of assists from midfielder Tracy Hasson to aid in the team’s season-opening victory. In that match, Washington (5-6-1, 16pts) scored one of just three goals conceded by the Timbers U-23s this season.

 

On Friday, the Timbers U-23s and Mariners (2-8-1, 7pts) conclude their 2010 season series. Portland received goals from four different players to capture a 4-1 win over Abbotsford on June 19 to open a two-game road trip in British Columbia. The Timbers U-23s are 2-0-0 all-time against the Mariners, including a 5-0 victory in the lone matchup between the two clubs in 2009.

 

The Timbers U-23s conclude their regular-season home slate Sunday against the Whitecaps Residency (1-6-3, 6pts). In their first meeting this season, midfielder Freddie Braun scored the go-ahead goal as Portland earned a 3-0 victory in Burnaby, B.C. The Timbers U-23s are 3-0-0 all-time against the Whitecaps Residency and have shut out Vancouver in all three games of the series.

 

United Soccer Leagues announced today that Timbers U-23s forward Brent Richards was named to the PDL Team of the Week. Richards highlighted the Timbers U-23s’ win over the Spiders on July 2 with a four-goal performance; he leads the team in scoring with nine goals.

 

A native of Camas, Wash., Richards joins goalkeeper Jake Gleeson and defender Ryan Kawulok on the list of Timbers U-23s players to receive team of the week honors this season. Midfielder Roberto Farfan earned team of the week honorable mention on June 30.