"You May Delay But Time Will Not" Benjamin Franklin

FC77 Older Nicks Spring 2026

In the mid-July summer of 2010 I thought that I should try writing a blog which I understood to be an online form of essaying.  I also thought that I would focus my writing on my experience as a soccer fan and amateur soccer player.  In the mid 70s when I was first introduced to 'the game' via the arrival of the the NASL Portland Timbers in our town,  I was working as a freelance writer on local sports and culture topics.  I managed to convince Lou Gauthier,  publisher and editor of Soccer Corner to offer me press credentials,  soccer story assignments and small amounts of money for each article he published.  The press credentials were a big incentive.  With my paper 'game pass' strung round my neck,  I could venture into the vast dark caverns below the Civic Stadium stands to ask questions in the team dressing rooms.  And could also climb the narrow stair to the high press box suspended under the west grandstand roof. Refreshments were provided which was a welcome perk.  And I was included in the game discussions with "real journalists" like The Big O's John Polis.  And press from opposing town papers or even occasional Sports Illustrated level scribblers.  The press credentials covered me to interview opposing clubs, college coaches and interesting folk in the broader soccer world.  My favorite interview back then was an hour or so spent with Robbie Rensenbrink, one of the stars of the "clockwork orange" Dutch national team in 1974.  He was a  very gracious and pragmatic interviewee.  He recognized that his knees were not going to last long and he was grateful to be in Portland with the opportunity to play.   

 

In the summer of 1977,  I was so taken with the game that I turned out for a 'recreational' league with scores of other men.  A core group of us enjoyed the summer experience so much that we stayed together as a team for the fall men's league.  I was not naturally athletic, but I was enthusiastic and enjoyed being on the team.  By 2010 I had been playing soccer for more than 30 years with team mates who had become staunch friends.  My social life was deeply entangled with my soccer life.  I remember reflecting with surprise that I was a 60 year old soccer junkie--still playing in league games on my Old Nicks team and kicking the ball around at weekly practices, euphemism for an hour of pickup play followed by an hour or so of beer drinking, reminiscing and tale telling.  

 

We are now passing through June 2026. I came home at noon today from a 'kickaround' at a cross town field with fourteen other older adults. Several of them are players I've teamed up with or played against since those early soccer days. Three of them were women, also in my age group, who've played for as many decades as I have. In Portland there are at least three of these 'old guys' sessions each week. It's not unusual for enough players to show up that we have three games of 10 v 10 played with small goals and no keepers. In this past year, we began an 'unofficial' O70 division. The fields are about 3/4 full size, 9 players on the field, 40 minute halves. Rules formulated through a democratic process to limit physical play and the risk of injury. The division generally follows the pattern of the formal soccer district--spring season of ten games and fall season of ten games.

I marveling that I am 76 years old and still playing.  And still playing in the company of my peers, though some of them are no longer with us.  I was taken by the Benjamin Franklin quote.  I am deeply grateful that I did not delay to make my life reflective of things I believe are important.  An active life and strong friendships are gifts.  I don't know when I'll 'hang up my cleats' but I am not waiting for it to happen.  

Mike Calder- 1953-2026

I met Mike Calder in June of 1977.  A hundred or more adults gathered at Delta Park one weekend to find out about playing summer recreational soccer. Portland Parks & Rec sponsored the event at the urging of Marijan Bosnar.   It was aimed at people who had not played the game before but who’d maybe seen the NASL Timbers. Or watched Soccer Made in Germany on PBS. 

The gathered adults were split into two large groups. A dozen balls were thrown out.  And we were encouraged to “play”which meant mostly "kick and run".  Afterward,  people interested in joining newly forming teams were directed to gather at one of several “stations” where team sponsors would sign us up.
Mike and I and about a dozen other guys including Mark Dillon ended up in a group sponsored by Glenn O’Dell, partner in an engineering firm—Seton, Johnson & O Dell.  None of us had met before.  I am not sure anyone had played on a soccer team before.  My 'experience' was 'bounce passing and trapping' on a nearby basketball court.

We named the team SJO Irregulars. The title was inspired by our jerseys--orange and yellow polo shirts from the Jantzen sportswear 'irregulars' table.  I have no clear memories of that summer’s games.  But the experience was good enough that we decided we should sign up in the fall Portland Men’s League. 

We never looked back.  O’Dell left for Seattle,  and we became Stouthearts for Schwabe  attorney Bob Stout, our goalkeeper.  I recruited my brother Brian Porter.  He recruited his friend Pat McKernan. New players arrived and others left. Bob Stout moved to Eugene in the early 80s. We practiced Wednesday nights under the lights of the adjacent tennis court at Colonel Sumner Park. Rain or shine.  We finished our evenings at Don Younger's Horse Brass Pub nearby. 

Mike picked up the sponsor search and took the team's reins.  He convinced the local representative for Young’s Brewery in England to sponsor us.  Our patronage at the Horse Brass helped.  We played in jerseys with the logos of Newcastle, Rams Head, Old Nicks, Tiger Beer and Young's Pale Ale.  Mike and Doug Morasch became key figures in the team mechanics.

By the mid-80s the team became two teams.  For the most part we played as Old Nicks and Newcastle.  Mike and Doug were team managers.  Notable players included Alex Addy, Dominic Yambasu, who coached us to a championship and a growing international cast of characters.  What an eye-opening experience!  Mike was at the helm of the group

Our core group shared a common attraction to the European club model.  Teams that were anchored by having a family friendly component,  a field of their own and a clubhouse.  I had experienced that model of soccer in Munich in '76.  As we entered 1997 still playing together, desire for a more substantial structure became intense.  We conceived of creating a non-profit club which would be the umbrella organization for individual teams.  By fall of that year FC77, our football club, became a reality.  We hosted a summer Athletic Cup picnic and kickaround for families and current and past players.  Mike used his graphic design skills and designed a black and white logo. I purchased a s
upply of t-shirts, sweats, hats and other items with the new logo to sell and strengthen our sense of identity.  Five teams were now affiliated with the club through several divisions.  Mike Calder was the president.   

In 2007, I stopped in the office at Montessori Earth School to ask about using their sport field for some of our soccer matches.  The talks led to FC77 and the school agreeing that the club teams would play all their home games on the grass soccer field on SE 148th.  The annual Athletic Cup would be held there.  The club would receive per game field fees from the GPSD which they would pay over to Montessori.   For a short time it appeared to be an ideal agreement.  Hosting more than fifty matches on the grass field, particularly during wet springs,  degraded the field condition and the school decided that the agreement was not workable as a result.  

At the beginning of the Millenium, Old Nicks signed up for a new adventure.  On the MLK holiday each year,  a tournament named for Dr. King was held in Las Vegas.   The tournament was an entertaining adventure.  The Nicks weren't competitive in a mix that included former NASL players and ethnic select teams.  But over the next years,  they selected stronger teams,  traveled and won more often.  In 2005 not enough Nicks players were able to go.  Team member Lyle McBride asked players from other teams in the league if they were interested.  A squad from Masterbooters, Old Nicks and Jimmy O's Pizza went and they played under the acronym FC77 MOJOs employing the first letters of the three team names.   

FC Mojos became a separate tournament soccer club. An FC77 anchor, Glenn Fithian Barrett's Bier Wagen, became a club institution. The Athletic Cup became a family event. And new competitions like the tournament in La Paz began. 

Mike Calder was a central figure in all of these evolutions.  He managed the Newcastle team for years.  He was always reliable; if he said he'd do something he did it. He was noted for believing that camaraderie was more important than winning.  While he often found situations frustrating I can't remember a time he got angry--often talking players into setting aside differences.  He was passionate about making it possible for people to play. To that end he helped form teams for players who didn't have one. Miscellaneous United and Random assortment were his humorous names for two of them. The key was persuading someone to be the manager with Mike's help.   

On the field he was respected as a solid defender and also was the 'go to' goalie when teams needed one. He was also trainer and medic for team mates.  I remember he was an advocate of DMSO as a liniment for healing injuries. You'd rub it on your knee and immediately experience garlic taste in your mouth.  He was a proponent of CBD in more recent times.  And I believe he was recommending drinking a mustard potion at a tournament last summer.  

Mike was generous with his time and skills off the field as well.  He volunteered on the GPSD board and elsewhere.  He always helped out at events and was active in club governance.  He was an "uncle" to kids his sister Karen fostered.  He had a wicked sense of humor and collaborated with Mark Dillon creating funny copy for the FC77 website and Newk News an occasional newsletter.  He would include terrible puns at the end of his match reports.  When the Athletic Cup was launched he found a base from an old trophy and glued an actual 'athletic cup' to the top, spray painting it gold.  

Mike was a writer.  He was working on a science fiction novel about the NFL and organized crime.  He was a talented artist traveling to Asia on projects to create faux images for hotels and similar buildings.  He applied his graphic design skills to create the original FC77 logo.  When the club held a contest for a new logo in our 40th year,  Mike updated his orginal logo design and added the logo "We Play Till We Die" in Latin script.  Little did we imagine how literal that might be.  He was on the O70 field playing just before the holidays.  As 2025 ended he contracted an infection which took his life on January 13, 2026.

For almost fifty years of being his friend and team mate, he gave me opportunities to keep playing the game and to emulate his style of being an admirable human.  
 

 In mid-February, I received email from the staff at Oregon Adult Soccer Association.  Anne Braghero, a longtime friend and soccer player, let me know that a woman had left materials she had found in her uncle Eric Nelson's effects while cleaning out his house after his passing.  Becca, the OASA Office Manager, had talked with her and had agreed to take them.  The photos and paper documents were brief snapshots from the Vikings soccer team which had played in the Portland Soccer League beginning in the 1920s. 

I was very excited to see this material. I knew of the team from the Cameron Cup championship lists and news clippings, but I had never seen anything with more detail.  The photo above is a team photo, likely from 1928.  The woman's uncle, Eric Nelson, is standing, second from left. I am struck by the very makeshift appearance of the goal around them.  Also notable is that some of the players have a beverage in hand--some things don't change.  And I wonder if the small item on the ground on the right might be a trophy?  Or just another bottle.  

Another item was a hand drawn 'game program' from Sunday October 7, 1928.  It is entitled Jays Soccer Sheet and pictures  a Viking facing a Scotsman on the cover with "Welcome Vikings" as a title and a subscript reading "worthy foemen".  The Longview Lumber Barons were hosting the Vikings side.

Players and positions on the roster sheet to the left also include captions and comments from the writer.  Two hand drawn ads-one from a jeweler and one from a plumber adorn the inside cover.  The flavor with which it is done reminds me very much of the 'home made' character of my early years in the Portland soccer league.  

Also included in the materials were several Viking Soccer Club membership cards for the year 1929 signed by president Arthur Harold.  I note that his name doesn't appear on the player roster nor are there substitutes listed.  The  Timber Barons were the Cameron Cup winners from the 1925-26 season until the 1928-29 season when they were bested by the German Sport Club for a year.  The Vikings came back to take the cup in 1931-32.  They made their last appearance as Cup winners in 1955-56.

The "season" for the Portland Soccer League appears to have been the one we started with in the late 70s.  September - March with a break over the holidays. Of course, all games were played on grass fields which had little grass by the end of the season. Other notable teams during these years included the Camerons (Judge Cameron's select side), Sellwood ( for whom Hugh Templeton played), Germania, Clan Macleay, Peninsula, National FC, Pacific Dept Store, Portland Scottish.   There were also Rosebuds who may have hailed from Olympia and White Heathers.   

I began to look for material documenting the period of soccer in Portland before the '75 Timbers somewhere back in the 80s.  As a history fan I was sure the game must have been played.  Thus these materials on Eric Nelson and Vikings. 

Silent No More

I have been happily busy for the past few years with playing soccer myself,  working at Leach Botanical Garden, a job I am privileged to have and enjoy, and practicing the art of being a Grampa. Along with many other activities. 

Recently, however, I was contacted by the Oregon Adult Soccer Association staff to let me know that a woman had dropped off ephemeral artifacts from the Vikings Soccer Club which had been active in the sport since the 1920s, a hundred years ago. I was also contacted in regard to the transfer of the Cameron and Bennett trophies to the Oregon Historical Society by the family of Roger Hamilton, a longtime champion of the sport. These two legendary cups in Portland's soccer history had turned up through Roger's efforts in 2010.  I was privileged at the time to meet with him as he had them examined for authenticity by an expert. 

These two events reminded me that the historical part of the game deserves documentation as we march further into the era of MLS and the Portland Timbers.  I dusted off my log-in file and resolved to get back to posting about that distant past.   Excellent and knowledgeable writers are already covering the sport at the professional level and the game is thriving as participation grows in weekly pickup games by the dozen around the city.  (I am a participant in "kickarounds" each week which draw between twenty and forty players most of whom are over the age of 60. 

So here it is--a rejuvenated Sodden Pitch, a virtual square of white space upon which I can write anything I desire.  I promise to stay on topic and hope to provide interest and value for those who believe that institutions need roots and traditions and talismans.  

FC77 Older Nicks - O65 Division 2021

Old Nicks Celebrate - November 5, 2017

Old Nicks gathered almost our entire team for a match against Rodders on a gray and blowy Sunday morning. The game went well for a change.  We almost never win on the Clackamas Community College field which is legendary for its 15 degree slope,  cow pasture grass,  and small size.  This day we were energized though and we won 2-0,  good goals both.  

Pinger and Bergenser have been running low level gambling operations related to the Timbers win totals, away win totals, and similar important reckonings and post-game had been designated as the moment to disclose the winners,  so all were primed to gather for bier and brats near the field.  

Front row-from the left. Robert Rivera,Geoffrey Pagen, John Mayfield, Mike Calder, Dr. Don Makande, Roy Thompson, John Russell, Jack Hevel, Pat McCormick, Tim Leslie.
Back Row-Mgr. Porter, Lyle McBride, Glenn Fithian-Barrett,Steve Pinger, Kim Bergenser, Jeff Heilman, Jim Hilliker, Al Gerritsen, Bruce Barclay, Kaiser Siddiqui, Rich Black, Jim Brinkman.
Sadly absent-Mark Vogel and Rock Courter.   Crew are wearing the new 40th Year kit.

              

Mgr Porter was tasked to bring a bbq which he did, transporting the propane tank in his child safety seat.  Bergenser was tasked with bringing the brats.  Others brought german style salads, chips, and garnishes.  The gathering place was on the Oregon City banks of the Clackamas River where the Trolley Trail passes on its way south.  Google maps calls the place Funkity Parking, and it was indeed fun.  Kim and Pinger ceremonially presented the 'caps'.  One, the wooden spoon cap was for getting spanked I think.  The contestant who fared the worst.   The other was the Cap Man cap which was won by Al Gerritsen who did not show for the ceremony and thereby the item was entrusted to the Mgr.  

 As with most social activities involving the Nicks (and some of their partners as well) there was cheerful conversation on many topics--our team has a wide-ranging interest and opinion in almost everything.  The discourse was fueled from the Bier Wagen with Glenn's famous five taps flowing profusely.  

Happily, the sun shone and the temperatures were warm for November.  Occasional runners and dog walkers passed by,  trying not to seem too curious about the gaggle of old men in funny hats.  Also fortuitously, we were not visited by the police or other official personages.  

The day unfolded just as everyone had hoped.  We were grateful to be there,  to share the company and to have played soccer.   Sometime later,  however,  we were all stunned and saddened to learn that Kim Bergenser's wife, Mary,  had passed away just about the time Kim was heading to visit her.  She was receiving treatment at OHSU and sudden complications took her unexpectedly.  The loss was a sharp reminder of our fragility as humans,  of how blessed we are to be part of this group who can share life,  however it unfolds.  

Dr. Makande closes out the ceremony with a Haka dance from his traveling road show. 

Celebrating in our 40th year

On July 22, 2017, FC77 gathered at the Montessori Sun School field at SE 148th just south of Division,  a pitch that has been the closest thing our club has known as a 'home' in our years playing the game. We came together on the occasion of the annual Athletic Cup, an annual gathering of club players, their families, and various other friends and opponents and people who wandered by and were interested.   The potluck, with an 'all comers' pickup game for young and old along with somewhat regular raffle of entertaining soccer items, has drawn from 40 to 60 folks, particularly since Montessori Field became our home pitch. 

This year is the 40th year since the original players in the club first started out as a pickup team in the Portland Parks summer league of 1977 playing under the banner of SJO Irregulars.  A highlight of the event was the unveiling of the 40th year badge,  selected from club member designs.   The six teams of FC77 were all represented at the event-  Old Nicks, Newcastle, Hibernians, Rangers, Bollocks and PBR.   

The best, most passionate soccer happens in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup

In the round of sixteen, it's not unusual for MLS sides to face off against an occasional upstart from USL or even lower divisions.  The Lamar Hunt Open Cup is notable in encouraging hopeful teams in the wide universe of American soccer to take a run at glory.  In this 2017 campaign,  the FC Cincinnati vs Chicago Fire match in the round of 16 was a bright moment supporting that concept.  After defeating the Columbus Crew in an earlier round,  Cincinnati stepped onto the field against one of MLS's hottest sides.  Chicago Fire are running hot in the MLS table atop the Eastern division. And they met their match in the Cincinnati team led by keeper Mitch Hildebrandt.   The game went to PKs and the Cincinnati side came out the victors.   The win puts them up against the other Cinderella team, Miami FC.  And at least one non-MLS team will advance to the next round after.  

I think this is a great tradition.  Worthy of our staunch support.  Soccer like many other sports has been enriched by the successes of unheralded champions.  If that ever stops,  the game will suffer.

As a followup to my earlier post about Marco Farfan  there’s been a long tradition of soccer players coming out of Portland's eastside.   While  East Portland (folding in Gresham and Troutdale and Fairview)  has only a quarter of the city's population, homegrown players joining the Timbers' ranks have often come from this economically challenged part of our community.   
In addition to Farfan,  at least two other soccer notables have come out of Centennial High School.  The school, opened in Oregon's centennial celebration of Statehood,  has been the alma mater of notables in other competitive arenas.  U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, for example, is an Eagle. 
Going back to soccer though, Scott Benedetti is a great example. Playing at University of Portland in the 80s,  Benedetti made his mark coming out of FCPortland, an organizational attempt to build a sustainable soccer organization in our region which continues to this day. He played for the reincarnated Portland Timbers of the late 80s and closed his career with the team at the beginning of the 21st Century.    
Another soccer notable who came from the same East Portland background was Josh Cameron who graduated from Centennial High School and played for the Portland Timbers.
Other local players pulled on a Portland Timbers jersey from other parts of the metropolitan area over the years, but this cluster of Centennial High School standouts is a reminder that the oft-neglected East County has much to contribute to Portland Pride and RCTID.

A homegrown Portland Timbers defender from East County!

Marco Farfan is an extraordinary figure in Portland's soccer history.  Starting this year with the Timbers' first team at left back, a position woefully hard to fill after the departure of Jorge Villapa˜na for Liga MX,  Farfan has been a solid performer-settled, smart, and unintimidated by the exalted setting.   What is most extraordinary is that he is only 18 and is still attending Centennial High School when he's not battling opposing players in the MLS.

Farfan is not the first professional Timbers' recruit from East County.  Scott Benedetti played at Centennial HS in the 80s, graduated to University of Portland and then joined the semi-pro FC Portland team going on to play for the resurgent Timbers and the Colorado Rapids in the USL.

Farfan has the potential, in my opinion, to be one of the best left backs ever for the Timbers, but also to become a standout on the US National team.  This profile suggests what a wonderful, ordinary kid he is,  despite his extraordinary talent.

You heard it here--maybe not first but early.   He could be great.   And that's a shout out for all the people of East Portland who often feel like they are deeply undervalued.

Barcelona Comeback v PSG not quite legendary.

Barcelona comes back to beat Paris St. Germain in Champions League play. The Catalonian side had gone down an extraordinary 0-4 in the first leg of their matchup with PSG.  This week they returned to Camp Nou for the second leg and pulled out a 6-1 win to advance on aggregate.  I tuned in to the replay because I love to see Barca at their best and I had heard about the result on 'the feed'.  

I was ready for a legendary comeback game.  And who doesn't love a comeback?  Not to mention that it's unheard of to comeback from a four point away deficit and win.  Has almost....well never...happened.  When all was said and done,  I was less than happy.  I had seen some wonderful and passionate play.  But the Spanish side won on the strength of two penalty kicks.   The first, in my opinion, came off a completely dubious call.  Neymar went down because of the trajectory of the falling PSG defender who was already in mid-collapse before Neymar even got close.  The second penalty was less clear but not a hard foul.  Either way,  the resolution of this game was not legendary in my opinion.   

I wish that it had been.  And I'm happy to see Barca go forward.  There will not be many more chances for this particular crew,  who are pretty legendary,  to make their mark on soccer history.  

Underdog Lincoln City sets mark in FA Cup win.

I don't really have to write a thing.   The BBC report says it all.  Underdogs have been known to bite.  That's why we love them.   This is a happy day for all the little guys with heart out there.

Old Nicks- Winter Season 2017

FC77 Old Nicks- Winter Season 2017

Winter season in the GPSD- week one.  Old Nicks and Pierres gathered their forces in the gray morning of January 7. When the winter season was first started, it would begin sometime in February or maybe March.  For some unknown reason we are now starting as soon after the new year as is physically possible. Most of our crew are philosophical about it.  It could be worse.  There might be no winter season.  Life has mysteries and we're all old enough and crotchety,  so we don't worry too much about solving things that don't make sense.  For me and Mike Calder (our keeper in orange) this is a landmark.  We are setting forth on our 40th year playing together.  Something I never expected. 

There aren't many times we've played in freezing weather,  much less with the temperature bouncing around 26 degrees.   As the team manager I'd been trying to keep an eye on the weather projections--the micro forecast for the field in Gladstone suggested that if the match started at 10am we would just skirt the arrival of freezing rain and/or snow.  I was concerned though about whether people would be able to get home safely from the field--so I was also monitoring TripCheck which showed red lines and crash symbols inching north on I5.  At 10am they were just barely to Salem.  The game started off with a ragged ebb and flow, both teams showing the effect of the  holiday break.  

Pierres takes a corner kick. Nicks position themselves to defend. 

Pierres dominated as the minutes passed, largely because their passing was more accurate. They had runs at our line using their speed on the left. We were confined to counterattacking which was not very effective without numbers up. Before too long, a bobbled ball went in our goal-our guys said it was deflected in. We went to the restart and the game sawed back and forth. Notably the wind picked up and flakes of dry snow began whirling around the shivering subs on the sideline. 

The play wasn't pretty, at least not most of the time.  Glenn took a knock and came off for a short break.  He trundled back on the field and flew through the opponents despite toppling over on a couple of occasions.  And we had opportunities though we didn't make as much of them as we would have liked.  A brace of shots wound off away from goal instead of curling the other way.  And the snow continued to fall. 

In the second half we ate a penalty kick given when Roy marked a Pierres attacker into the box with what seemed shoulder to shoulder pressure. The ref disagreed. Simon put the ball perfectly in the bottom of the left corner giving Mike no chance at it and we were down two.

View from the peanut gallery. Brink is cheerful.

Tim Leslie wonders when he can get back on the field. Standing on the sidelines is beaucoup cold. 

We took the ball to Pierres goalmouth more than once but John Lape stopped our attacks. Oddly, the sun broke through overhead late in the game despite the continuing snowfall.  Perhaps that was the trigger for the change in momentum.  Or perhaps it was that Nicks had lots of subs and Pierres did not.  Regardless,  the runs at their goal increased in number and the quality of the attacks improved.  Nicks strung together several series of passes up the left side which would have made us the dominant team in the match if we could have done it consistently.   We always have something to aspire to. Nicks were on the hunt.  Eventually a series of passes up the right side put the ball at Glenn's feet---he ran at the far post drawing defenders and put a perfectly placed, low, crisp ball across the face.   Kaiser was hanging just deep enough in the box to gather the ball and deliver it into the net with a clinician's touch.  Cheers rang out on the sidelines and Nicks went hot for the ball after the restart, but it was not to be.  The equalizer didn't come.  

Regardless, the game was one for the record books.  Coldest temperature played by the oldest?  Or just a record that the full complement of Nicks turned out in  such miserable weather to play together with good cheer and sheer joy at being able to be there.   Even Jack Hevel, who's been nursing a nasty achilles issue for some months, showed up with the intent of 'warming up' with the guys.  That was obviously something for another day.  

There were standout moments all around the pitch.  Russ had a breakaway and could have scored.  The center defense-John, Vogel and Roberto- didn't give up much.  The outside backs--Roy, Al and Tim managed the wily forwards and between the two squads, Pierres had few opportunities to move the ball down the wing and then back in to provide shooting opportunities.  We had them pegged.  The strong attacking play from the outside mids- Rock and Rich and Russ- kept Pierres off balance.   And Kaiser, Kim and Pinger provided real pressure and threats.  Kim had some stellar play in the first half.  And Kaiser was ready and making runs, more as the game progressed. 

Maybe the best thing about the game was that it started the Nicks on the sidelines talking about games from our long ago past that were battled out on snow and ice.  Sliding through mud puddles at Alberta Park against Team Nigeria.  Playing at Glenhaven with such a stiff wind from the northeast that the opposing keeper kicked a clearing ball which was taken by the wind to sail over his head and into goal giving us the victory.  Slogging through ankle deep mud with a substrate of ice at the old Delta Park fields,  ripe with the scent of something that might have been fertilizer.  Marching out the lines at Lents Park so that we could tell where the field was and actually have a game. 

This game goes with all those.  This game means a lot to me just because I was there with forty years of friendship and camaraderie and great stories.  Wouldn't be possible--even remotely--without the Nicks.  (And I am sad that McCormick, McBride, Makande, Heilman, Hilliker, Pagen, Osborn and Nicks past weren't there with us.)

Glenn had an amazing game despite being 'gimped'.

Kaiser scored our goal on a beautiful cross from Glenn.

The Jackster was designated photog and took this selfie. 

SC Germania- New Information about soccer champions

This photo of a photo shows the SC Germania Soccer team sometime after 1976.   They are pictured with the legendary trophies of Oregon Futbol which had been handed down since the 1920s.  The round globe on the pedestal and the two-handled cup on the right are respectively the Cameron Cup and the Bennett Trophy which have only resurfaced in recent years.   The Johnson Cup, another legendary championship cup is also pictured.  I have to confess ignorance about the specifics of the modern hardware--I know these trophies existed up until recent times but I don't know what the specific cups look like. 

The photo was sent to me by Juliet Dwyer,  the daughter of Steve Pataki, who's the white-shirted gent in the front row.  Juliet will be getting back to me with more information about her dad,  SC Germania and amateur soccer in Portland in the 70s.  

I had my first experience watching soccer played as it was supposed to be played in 1975 at Civic Stadium when the Timbers franchise launched.  I'd had a rough introduction to the idea of the game in 1969 as a PE class at Portland State--an elective.  The first class was held in the mud at Duniway Park where scores of college students with no idea of the game squared off in two teams and began chasing the ball.   The instructor,  who was the football coach,  was out there running around with us.  I ended up taking a direct hit to my upper calf in a challenge for the ball and was carried back to campus with my leg hemorrhaging
subdural blood.  I never got another crack at the class as I was purple from the knee down for weeks.  These experiences led to my signing up for a PP&R summer recreational program in 1977 and the beginning of my own soccer career.  

I look forward to discovering more about Steve Pitaki and his teammates in future posts.  These players were the torchbearers of the game for many years.  Germania, in particular, was notable because they had existed before the war but understandably were not active  during the war years.  After the war,  Germania returned under the auspices of the Germania Sports Club and continued to be a powerhouse into the 80s and beyond. 

John Milne Donaldson and the Portland Soccer Football Champions of 1925

The history of soccer in Oregon and Portland in the distant past is sometimes deeply murky and so it is, that when a moment of that history is illuminated,  it provides a spotlight on a snapshot of how robust the game has been.   

Patrick Donaldson, a local Portland business leader, has occasionally shared found records from his grandfather's career as a champion footballer in the early years of the 20th Century.   

Most recently, he sent me this previously unknown photo of the PSFA Championship team from 1925.   The team, The Camerons, were sponsored by passionate soccer supporter "Pops" Bennett.    

Bennett, with Judge George Cameron, was a significant figure in Portland's early soccer landscape.  The Bennett Cup and the Cameron Cup were competitive trophies in Portland in the early century. Judge Cameron was at the time a controversial figure in probes of vice and illegal liquor sales.  As a former District Attorney, City Council member and later Municipal Judge, Cameron was a target of city reformers.  

Apart from these issues, however, Cameron was a purist in his support of soccer. He supported leagues and teams and individuals in the 1920s and his creation of the Cameron Cup sparked a "Holy Grail" quest eighty years later to discover what had become of this substantial symbol of early Portland soccer.   

In the photo of the 1925 Champions,  John Milne Donaldson is at the far left in the front row.  
Notably, the photo shows the Cameron Cup, the central one with the orb,  the Bennett Cup, the cup with the ear like handles,  and the individual player trophy,  small and echoing the orb.   The trophy on the far left is not clearly defined.  (for more on these trophies and the detective story recovering them , see the March 2011 posts on this blog). 

We who play the game, love the game, support the game here are the descendants of those who set the stage nearly a century ago.   When we sign or say RCTID,  I hope that our vision includes these long ago players and organizers and coaches and supporters of the beautiful game.   

How great it is!

to see a young player begin to make his mark.   Darlington Nagbe  who has been a hard working and effective player for the Portland Timbers (may he take the pitch for us for many years to come) is beginning to come into his own.    This past week he hit two significant marks.  

A dazzling ball handler and distributor in the Timbers' midfield,  Nagbe has scored goals but has not been prolific.  He has much more often been the engineer behind the finishing touches.   In the Timbers' intense dustup with the Vancouver 'Caps last weekend,  Nagbe scored on a lovely free kick  to help the Timbers to a solid win.   Called up to the National Team immediately after,  he stepped onto the field in the second half of the US warmup vs Ecuador on Wednesday night.  The statistics say a lot.   He made all of his passes, a tribute I think to his talent and to the schooling under coach Caleb Porter.   Precision and poise.  And in the end,  he was there to score the winning goal , his first for the US and a critical one in his career. 

My guess is that these two strikes signal that Nagbe is ready to become the great player that all his many, many fans think he's capable of becoming.  He's gotten a reputation as the most-fouled player in the MLS and yet he's patient and even-tempered.  He's talented but is quiet about his talent.  What sport would not want to honor such a player as a role model and exemplar of what the game is intended to be?  

I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing the next chapter. 

Portland Timbers win MLS Cup in Columbus Ohio 12-6-15

Timbers are victorious in 2-1 final against the Columbus Crew, winners of the Eastern Conference and considered to be one of the most balanced and dangerous teams in the league.   I don't have any brilliant insights into this match which won't be written about by hundreds of others.  My reason for writing this post is simply to commemorate the moment--a long time coming for many many people who have been in the stands over the forty years since that first match in 1975.

That year,  the team marched from a June loss at home in the rain against the Seattle Sounders to take the Western Division title with a one game lead over the Sounders at the end of the season.  Post season pitted the teams again,  and 'the lads' in green won 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Tony Betts, a crowd favorite, cut in the mold of Will Johnson.  Ticket sales for the playoff games skyrocketed as high as 33,000 and the local press marveled at the site of people sleeping out in a queue at Civic Stadium to get their tickets,  particularly to the St. Louis Stars semifinal match which was decided on a goal by "the Wizard of Nod" Peter Withe.   The wins put the Timbers into the NASL Championship which was played in San Jose against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.   Sadly,  the Timbers lost that August 1975 match 0-2.

Since then, despite various iterations of the club and team through subsequent years,  there has not been a Championship.  Until today.

Several things shine out for me.   I watched the match today with two of my own longtime teammates and their spouses,  with my youngest son and his son.   None of that might have happened were it not for the Timbers from forty years past because I think none of us knew diddly about the game called soccer. Because of the Timbers,  I began to explore the skills and strategies of the game.  I was 25 years old, not an athlete,  somewhat opposed to jocks and jock culture.   I got a soccer ball and started going to a nearby park with a tennis court and practicing passing and trapping,   with both feet because that's what I heard the Timbers' coach say was important.   I didn't know anyone who played soccer.    In  June 1977,  I got an invite to show up for a 'soccer jamboree' at Delta Park which would lead to a recreational, Portland Parks summer league for people who were interested in the game.  I found myself on a team for the summer which morphed into a men's league team in the fall.   SJO Irregulars,  sponsored by Seton Johnson & Odell became the foundation for FC77, a club which has been fielding men's teams in a range of divisions for 38 years.   And most of those men, probably would not be playing soccer if it were not for the '75 Timbers.

Notable things about this legendary win by the Timbers. Diego Valeri's pressuring run on the keeper is the only time I can recall such a result.  I've seen keepers strike the ball into an onrushing attacker and give up a goal,  but never much a surgical 'no' as Valeri delivered.   This goal will be viewed on YouTube for decades.    The second goal by the Timbers clearly started from a ball that was in touch but neither the linesman nor the center registered that fact and when it was clear that there was no whistle,  Portland played forward,  catching Columbus flatfooted and leading to Wallace's goal.   Okay I get that it's 'not fair' but the primary axiom of the game is 'play the whistle'.   The Kamara goal that followed might have involved interference with the keeper but perhaps not.

The reality is that in the rest of the match, despite Columbus discipline and control,  the Timbers were the more dangerous side.  And if officiating were to be raised as an issue,  the clear handball on the goal line by Parkhurst--arm in unnatural position and looking at the ball as he deflects it,  should balance out the ball in touch in the first half.   The Timbers had two shots on the post, and Borchers' shot into the ground saved by Steve Clark's thighs speak to the effectiveness of the Timbers' attack.

The Boys deserved this win.  They scrapped and played hard and earned it.  And in my mind,  they are a team just finding their form.   So I am hoping, deeply, that the club sees this group of players  as the core for the future and looks to their potential growth as a squad.   These Timbers are worthy of everything dreamed of through the past four decades.

"We're gonna do what they say can't be done!"   Timbers Army.

Darlington Nagbe's MNT debut

Our Portland Timber attacking dynamo, Darlington Nagbe,  was called up to the US Men's National Team for a qualifying match against St. Vincent & the Grenadines.   Nagbe was called to play in the 64th minute along with another player.   review of the game's flow showed that he acquitted himself well, passing accurately,  moving off the ball to create opportunities and occasionally turning to the attack, at one point cracking off a strong shot.  

Notable to me was that Nagbe's workmanlike performance on the field in that short period of time involved precise passing,  intuitive movement off the ball,  and a defensive effort to break down counter attacks when the opponent picked up the ball.  I thought that Nagbe was stellar at showing he could play that role throughout his twenty-some minutes of play.   He made few mistakes and showed a clear understanding of the USMNT system despite its differences from his play with the Portland Timbers.

Nagbe is one of the most talented players over the ball in the MLS...and maybe elsewhere.  The typical response from opponents is to take him down and draw a soft foul.  This may be one of the weak points of the game---that a low consequence foul, say pushing the player to the ground,  doesn't cost the offending team much but nullifies the talent and skill of the player fouled.   I hope this isn't the direction the game is headed.

Nagbe deserves the call up.  He's a quality attacking player.  He's effective if he's used in a system that understands his strengths.  He will be a legendary player if he can be protected from the cynical fouls that are so common in MLS.

My hope is that he remains healthy and that he stays with Portland.   I think he's one of the best players I've seen---just needs some help against the thugs.

Portland Timbers first MLS playoff match: eliminating SKC in PKs.

Anyone who follows futbol passionately treasures their short list of legendary matches, generally matches attended in person.  And the game provides a limitless list of competitive moments, in small or large venues, where the passion was intense, the stakes were high, and the goddess, Fortune, put her hand on the scale more than once to tip the outcome. 

The first playoff match for the MLS Portland Timbers kicked contending matches aside as the team battled through 120 minutes of field play and eleven rounds of penalty kicks to finally take the win when keeper, Adam Kwarasey ,stopped opposing keeper, Jon Kempin, with a  great save after making his own statement by bending the net with a strong shot.  

Old Nicks v Pierres 9-12-15

On Saturday, September 12,  Old Nicks opened our fall season with a match against Pierre's, the perennial champions of the division we share in Portland's men's league, the GPSD.  This was a particularly notable moment because Old Nicks had won the O58 Summer League and championship game.  Pierre's never plays in Summer Leagues and so we'd won without having to face them. 

Pierre's is a classic select team carefully assembled over the years by Tony Ryan, a canny footballer with an eye to enjoying the game as a winner even when he's had to watch from the sidelines.   In our age group,  Pierre's has always been a strong team because the players have long played soccer,  have trained together for years, have been coached to a unified style of play, and in most instances are natural athletes.  Despite the fact that we've been beaten by them over and over through the years,  we have admired them for their style and commitment. 

Over the years since the Millennium  we have only had a single match in which we were able to eke out the win.  At the January King Cup Tournament in Las Vegas (held the weekend of Martin Luther King Day) 2002, our motley crew in its second tournament appearance faced off against Pierre's in a night game and beat them on a high lob from Jim Brinkman.  The win has been part of our team mythos for a dozen years since.  We did beat Pierre's that one time, but in league play, they've been unstoppable.   

Our strategy, strongly urged by Jack Stigler who has played with both teams, has been to initiate a regular team practice,  to drill on basics,  and to work on getting so familiar with each others' play that we are comfortable on the field.  "If I pass to this guy, he'll do this."   We were feeling confident from our steadily increasing team play in the summer result but were also keenly aware we'd won it without having to face Pierre's.

At noon on the newly created turf field at Delta 5 the players drifted in, preparing for the match.  Though it was an autumn day,  the temperature was warm and the sun was bright.  No Oregon overcast.   Old Nicks faced a dilemma.  We had enough players to take the field, but our goalkeeper wasn't available.  In Summer season we'd won using six different goalkeepers.   In addition,  we had half a dozen players out injured or on various forms of family trips. The biggest challenge of the oldest division may be that the players are all at an age when they want to do what they want to do--and on a given weekend that may not be soccer.

The other and beneficent side of the coin is that all the older players know each other and are willing to step in and fill a void for guys they like on a weekend where they are not opponents.   So it was that the Nicks' were augmented by Tom Wolfe in goal, Roddy Coles in defense and Greg Anderson as a rover.  All three had played for their own team, Masterbooters, just prior to our match and had agreed to hang over with us.

The match began as they so often have with Pierres kicking off and trying to organize an attack.  Only minutes into the game,  it was clear that something different was happening. Old Nicks players were pressuring the Pierres attack and disrupting it.  Old Nicks forced Pierres to cough up the ball and then began their own attack.  Repeatedly,  the Nicks' pressure forced turnovers and as the moments clicked by, Old Nicks began to counter, distributing the ball across the pitch. 

Rocky and Jeff supported by good midfield play, made a concerted give-go-gone passing sequence which led to Rock putting the ball in the net.Not many minutes later,  another rush at Pierre's goal produced a second goal.  Nicks' players had to ratchet down their exuberance knowing that Pierre's was capable of storming back.   

Then Nicks, pressing hard, won a corner kick.   Glenn took the cross which sailed in high, was cleared but straight to Kim Bergenser who sent a rocket into the net.   The halftime score ended 0-3.   

We did not know what to do with such a situation.  Not only had we never scored three goals against Pierre's, we couldn't recall who else could have.  But we knew that this was a most dangerous situation.  They had 45 minutes to correct all their mistakes and win the match. 

As it happened, they almost achieved that goal.  They muscled their way to a first goal, Reggie using sheer physicality to get through and take the shot.  Shortly after,  they earned a PK which was finished precisely against our gimpy keeper. And then, late in the second half,  a blooper of a shot from the outer left side of the box into the top right corner put the game outcome in question.  

Not because Nicks had been taken out of the game by any means.  We'd had attacking runs into their end and had not been able to convert.  Balls had hit the crossbar and the post more than once.  The decisive moment came when Jeff Heilman was able to beat their defender and paste the ball into the net in a perfectly timed run.  The tally was 4-3 Nicks.

That was the final result.  We'd broken a long string of losses.  We'd played together as a team and had shown that we could play the beautiful game when we were at our best. Most importantly,  Tony and a substantial cadre of Pierre's joined us for beer after,  and acknowledged our win as well as asserting their intention that we not make a habit of it.