In 1975 Portland was awarded an expansion team in the North American Soccer League. The Portland Timbers were successful on the field in their first season and the love affair between Portlanders and the Timbers was set.

It was August 12, 1975 and the Seattle Sounders were in town for the quarterfinal playoff game at Multnomah Stadium (PGE Park) which was packed with over 31,000 supporters. The game played to a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time. A sudden death overtime ensued and the Timbers won the match. Fans by the thousands poured unto the field after the long hard fought victory to celebrate. It is not only one of the greatest matches in Timber history, but in the history of professional soccer in the US. We will work on getting some more clips from this match and from others of the good old days.

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The Timbers are on a five day training trip to Bremerton, Washington which will include a preseason game against Kitsap SC Pumas on Saturday at 6pm. The team was founded in 2008 and plays in the USL’s Premier Development League. For those thinking of making the trip north, tickets are only $5, and can be bought at the door of Bremerton Memorial Stadium.

The trip north will allow the players to focus on training and getting to know one another, as they will all be in foreign territory together. The Timbers are unbeaten in the preseason with a record of 3-0-1. Learn more about the trip at portlandtimbers.com.

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Portland continued it’s preseason success with a 2 nil drop of the Vancouver Whitecaps in Tukwila, Washington. Two goals were scored in the first half, both set up by Ryan Pore. Doug DeMartin scored in the 12th minute, beating the keeper on a one on one play. Trialist Bright Dike upped his ante in the 41st minute with a chip over the Vancouver keeper. Getting beat twice must have really angered Vancouver keeper Jay Nolly, because in the final minutes of play a hard tackle on a Timbers break away, got him sent off with a straight red card.

Its only preseason, but the success in finding the back of the net in every game thus far, means we may be seeing a lot of the 2009 success continue into 2010.

• For those following Ian Joy’s twitter, we got a racy picture of what he

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These pictures were taken this morning.

The 2010 MLS season is just hours away, and the league is stronger than ever. Player and owner negotiations dragged on for longer than anyone wanted, but no practice or games were missed, except by Frank Ljungberg. This season sees the the 16th team join the league, the Philadelphia Union. The importance of adding Philly to the league or any professional league can not be stated enough. Philly fans are miserable creatures, who sell out stadiums just to boo their own under performing team. Add to that the natural rivalries that exist with Boston & NY, and you will have a club that stirs passion for the game and the league.

The new Red Bull Arena is the crown jewel of American Soccer Stadiums, the location allows New Yorkers to take the path train to the matches, design is top notch and this modern stadium gives one of the world’s… Read the rest

Some more renderings of the renovations that will be in place for the 2011 season. The pictures are from city documents made available to the public on Portlandonline.com.