Who would have said back in April that the MLS Western Division would web so tightly clustered that a sneeze from a particular player could put a team in or out of the playoffs. Who would have guessed back in April that the Portland Timbers, rebuilding after a disastrous campaign in 2012, would be aspiring against the Red Bulls to take the Supporters' Shield, would have the fewest losses in the MLS, would be standing, albeit with precarious footing, atop the MLS West? This has been a landmark season, almost miraculous considering the odds. Portland has been blessed with a visionary coach and a cadre of hard core believers, guys young and old, who think that the system they are playing in makes sense and that they can be champions if they play together.
I am watching, week by week, with great happiness for them, with great pleasure for the ecstatic flow of play, and with great hope that for the first time since 1975, the Portland Timbers, the boys in green, will be competing at the highest level in domestic soccer. Their success this year will set a standard and raise expectations. "Soccer City USA" should never be hollow shout with no resonance in the present.
This year is a tribute to the past of the club. More importantly, though, it's a shout about the future, where we're headed. I'm looking forward to that journey.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Don't punch that horse. This isn't Blazing Saddles.
Punching a horse seems to be a comic trope but isn't something football fans want to be remembered for. I'm happy to say that Portland Timbers supporters have largely refrained from rowdyism, preferring to dis opponents with great Tifo. Apparently that concept hasn't caught on in some of the ancient halls of futbol-- Newcastle for example. Let us search for a lesson here.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Portland Timbers are rooted in Portland
The evidence that futbol has gotten more than a superficial grip on our little city on the Willamette is reinforced in the recent 9-13 issue of Street Roots, a Portland journal which is committed to classic newspaper standards woven together with a commitment to making the sale of the paper a mechanism for street people to earn money as opposed to asking for handouts.
The above-mentioned issue features a front page photo of David Horst ,Timbers' defender who was injured early in the season, battling Landon Donovan. The Timbers have been energetic about connecting with community groups responding to many different needs, and Horst is apparently a great ambassador as he recovers from his injuries.
And that epitomizes a club, an organization, a group of men who are genuine and who actually care about the community where they live.
I honor that.
The above-mentioned issue features a front page photo of David Horst ,Timbers' defender who was injured early in the season, battling Landon Donovan. The Timbers have been energetic about connecting with community groups responding to many different needs, and Horst is apparently a great ambassador as he recovers from his injuries.
And that epitomizes a club, an organization, a group of men who are genuine and who actually care about the community where they live.
I honor that.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Urruti makes his mark with a flying boot!
Let's call him "Max" because we want to be friends with him. Maximiliano Urrutiis the most recent hero to join the "boys in green" and perhaps the most likely to evoke exuberance after his flying, extended foot goal against the Galaxy on a soggy Sunday last weekend. The link suggests that this goal was not a fluke and that the twenty-two year old player has definite magic. Be that true or not, his goal Sunday was stunning.
On a corner kick from the attacking left side, the crossing ball came in at an awkward height, too low to easily head and too high to easily trap or flick on. Urruti ran well past the near post, saw the ball coming and extended his right foot just enough to deflect the ball past a stunned Landon Donovan into the net. It is difficult enough to deflect a crossing ball from the near post back to anywhere dangerous with one's head much less with an outflung boot while in full forward run. But Urruti....er...Max did just that.
In the video recap, he continues forward toward the fans and he is clearly exuberant as he should be. In the stands, I saw the goal and gasped as did thousands of others because the goal was so unexpected and 'bellissimo'. Maradona or Messi would have been proud to have owned that touch.
But Max is a player with more than just the rare, spectacular touch in front of goal. He was a Timbers' wolf hounding the Galaxy keeper through the game and forcing one bad clearing kick after another. His speed and intensity pressuring the defense were clearly unsettling. And his vision of play and reflexes were on display when at 56 minutes in the game he gave a squirting pass outside to Rodney Wallace who forced the keeper to fly one-handed for the save.
As the season marches inexorably toward the playoffs, the Timbers give evidence of paring away all the "win resistance" and focusing on the qualities of determination, patience, and creativity to make their point. Max gave a tutorial on those qualities in the rain on Sunday.
And we march one step closer to our first playoff appearance.
Our blessings to the entire Timbers' crew. You've given us some great moments this season. Regardless of how it plays out, we're proud to be part of a club which can be legendary.
.
On a corner kick from the attacking left side, the crossing ball came in at an awkward height, too low to easily head and too high to easily trap or flick on. Urruti ran well past the near post, saw the ball coming and extended his right foot just enough to deflect the ball past a stunned Landon Donovan into the net. It is difficult enough to deflect a crossing ball from the near post back to anywhere dangerous with one's head much less with an outflung boot while in full forward run. But Urruti....er...Max did just that.
In the video recap, he continues forward toward the fans and he is clearly exuberant as he should be. In the stands, I saw the goal and gasped as did thousands of others because the goal was so unexpected and 'bellissimo'. Maradona or Messi would have been proud to have owned that touch.
But Max is a player with more than just the rare, spectacular touch in front of goal. He was a Timbers' wolf hounding the Galaxy keeper through the game and forcing one bad clearing kick after another. His speed and intensity pressuring the defense were clearly unsettling. And his vision of play and reflexes were on display when at 56 minutes in the game he gave a squirting pass outside to Rodney Wallace who forced the keeper to fly one-handed for the save.
As the season marches inexorably toward the playoffs, the Timbers give evidence of paring away all the "win resistance" and focusing on the qualities of determination, patience, and creativity to make their point. Max gave a tutorial on those qualities in the rain on Sunday.
And we march one step closer to our first playoff appearance.
Our blessings to the entire Timbers' crew. You've given us some great moments this season. Regardless of how it plays out, we're proud to be part of a club which can be legendary.
.
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