3.5.2011
I'll readily admit this post will have a different feel than the last write-up, as the haze of the previous night's success led to much less attention to detail of match play in the Timbers second match of the weekend when they drew 1-1 against Vancouver.
That said, it was one helluva weekend celebrating the Timbers inaugural foray into serious MLS competition on the banks of the infamous Green River. The only killers this weekend were the boys in green (Seattle, please don't pretend what you wear is green, it's neon aquamarine at best), and the pecking order for Pacific Northwest dominance was established early as the Timbers and Vancouver routed Seattle to put them back in their rightful place. The only place Seattle sits on top, as Timbers Army fans well know, is atop a bonfire:
"Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put Seattle on the top! Put Vancouver in the middle and then we'll burn the f*cking lot!
No, Portland Metro area non-soccer peeps, I'm not talking about our lovely neighbors just north of the Columbia, but our further north Canuck neighbors who are almost too nice to throw into a bonfire. Almost.
The atmosphere at Starfire on Friday night was intense, with equally exuberant support from Portland and Seattle. In contrast, the atmosphere Saturday was much more subdued, as it was purely one-sided, as the trickle of Vancouver fans appeared paltry to the Timbers Army on display. Albeit a pre-season tourney, the Army was in full voice and dominated the beer gardens as ably as our players commandeered the pitch. Pre-game was a fun build-up, with the Starfire Sports Complex offering a venue for supporters to play out their glory on mini-fields. The security team worked hard to separate the groups of fans, but despite the animosity in our chants, the person to person interaction was amicable and all in good fun. I'm looking forward to future Cascadia Summits, it makes for a great pre-season test for clubs and supporters alike, and gets everyone fired up for the start of the MLS season with a festival of football.
Now back to the match. The Timbers were a markedly different side from Friday night's match, with head coach John Spencer fielding a makeshift side of potential starters, reserves, and trialists all hoping to impress in a pre-season match. USL holdover Ryan Pore showed his worth early, opening the scoring with a close-range tap-in after a shot caromed off the post. The goal itself was a simple enough finish, what was impressive is that the scoring opportunity originally developed from a corner kick Pore had taken 30 seconds prior, in which he ran to the opposite side of the box to be in position to score from inside the six yard box.
Portland fans well know Pore's potency and penchant for poaching goals, and he certainly didn't hurt his chances to be a regular player in Spencer's lineup. My prediction? Pore will be an offensive super sub a la Ole Gunnar Solksjaer (regrettably of Manchester United fame).
The Timbers were later unlucky to provide Vancouver with an equalizer, after goalkeeper Adin Brown had done well to save the first strike, the ball took an unfortunate deflection off a Timbers defender into our own net. The only consolation was the Timbers scored all the goals in both their matches, and their goal difference proved to be the tiebreaker as we finished atop the Cascadia Summit, looking down on the Whitecaps and Sounders.
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