Portland

[Z010 Union]

Portland fans, this is the thread where you can demonstrate your interest in getting a forum. The busier the better. Discussion should involve possibilities including location, team colors and name - even if it is staying with Forest Green and Timbers.

[Gooner_for_Life]

Schweet, well i will kick things off.

I believe that if the new owners would like to retain a majority of the current fans then they need to keep as close of ties to the timbers as they can. This includes names and colors. Why start over when you can build off an average attendance of 5000 plus.

Unfortunately the location of a stadium is the thing that is puzzling to me. As much as i like PGE and its wonderful location i see it being cost prohibitive. The new owners would have to purchase the stadium, then heavily redevelop it to make it SSS. I could see purchasing land and developing a new stadium to be cheaper. The only thing is i doubt it would be located downtown if this was the case. If it wasnt located downtown then it would have to at least be located on the max line.

[SounderMan]

"Timbers" says soccer in Portland to me. Great tradition, great fans.....I can't believe I said that......:D, great rivalries with other clubs too. PGE would need a lot of work. OH ya, Timber Jim is a great "mascot" as well....... it's gotta be Timbers....... From a Sounder Fan.

[beaverfan]

Team name: Portland Timbers
Team colors: green and white
Stadium: PGE Park w/grass and another grandstand

Those three are musts, if any other those are changed I say screw it, leave the USL, let Seattle get the MLS-they seem to not mind it being in the suburbs anyway. I'm perfectly ok with the USL, the only real advantage for MLS is having players I know and having overall more exposure but either way the talent quality isn't really why I'm going but rather to support the local team which represents the city as well as to be around the soccer atmosphere which I can't get essentially anyway else. I don't see why everyone gets so obsessed with MLS and forgets that the USL is actually put together nicely.

As for if they put a team in Hillsboro, as mentioned above I wouldn't be pleased. I would certainly try to make it out to a few games a year but I also try to make it out to a few Portland Beavers minor league baseball games or a few local high school games...point being that I wouldn't say I'm a fan. Also they better be planning to expand the max out there, I for one am not driving out there. But I won't lie, it would be nice to have a good soccer stadium which could draw friendlies or national games.

Bottomline: I'm 100% ok with the USL team as it is and at this point it doesn't look like the MLS will be able to cover the above 3 points so I say forget it - maybe we can consider again in 5-10 years. Don't get me wrong though, the MLS would be simply incredible if done right here.

[krudmonk]

Maine?

;)

[Allison A]

It would have to be the Timbers, colors stay the same (they have barely changed in 30 years).

PGE Park would be perfect, but the Beavers would have to go elsewhere so it could be properly converted to be soccer-specific.

IF for some reason they have build a stadium elsewhere, downtown and near MAX would be perfect. If they go to the burbs they really need to stay close to MAX, I think. The empty land near the Nike campus is perfect if Nike wants to be behind an effort to bring MLS here.

I am very happy with the Timbers as they are now, other than the bad turf and the fact that our local media gives us almost no coverage. But if someone wants to bring MLS here, I don't want a new team name, I don't want a cookie-cutter stadium in Hillsboro, and I don't want the Timbers history wiped out.

I would also prefer our traditional rivals going to MLS at the same time. Soccer in Portland is all about tradition and passion, and if it's not the Timbers, and we can't hate the Sounders and Whitecaps when they come to town, it's lost an awful lot as far as we are concerned, even if it is one league up.

[Z010 Union]

It would have to be the Timbers, colors stay the same (they have barely changed in 30 years).

PGE Park would be perfect, but the Beavers would have to go elsewhere so it could be properly converted to be soccer-specific.

IF for some reason they have build a stadium elsewhere, downtown and near MAX would be perfect. If they go to the burbs they really need to stay close to MAX, I think. The empty land near the Nike campus is perfect if Nike wants to be behind an effort to bring MLS here.

I am very happy with the Timbers as they are now, other than the bad turf and the fact that our local media gives us almost no coverage. But if someone wants to bring MLS here, I don't want a new team name, I don't want a cookie-cutter stadium in Hillsboro, and I don't want the Timbers history wiped out.

I would also prefer our traditional rivals going to MLS at the same time. Soccer in Portland is all about tradition and passion, and if it's not the Timbers, and we can't hate the Sounders and Whitecaps when they come to town, it's lost an awful lot as far as we are concerned, even if it is one league up.

So wait, if you can't stay in a baseball stadium, keep your colors, name and rivals, you don't want to go? Really? If you had to choose the 2 most important would it be colors and name or rivals and stadium?

[Slim Pickins]

For me the most important thing is that they play in PGE Park on grass, although I would also go to games in a new stadium in central Portland. If they play in the suburbs, they'd might as well be in San Jose as far as I'm concerned.

[Kayak]

Team colors: green and white

Would you really rather white than have yellow as your away kit? White away kits always seem some what annoying to me, like the team loses a bit of its character when it goes on the road. Personally I think green at home yellow on the road would be pretty sweet. You’d instantly piss off Crew fans as well, which I sort of am but I digress. So I guess I’m wondering if you want white roads because you feel it’s more traditional for your team, or if you just prefer it, because I’ve seen your team play in all yellows before and they looked pretty good.

[j66j66]

name and colors above rivals and stadium, i'd reluctantly choose. rivals will grow organically even if seattle isn't there immediately. but also, i'm on record (http://www.urbanhonking.com/truefan/archives/2007/06/meh.html) as being very opposed to a suburban stadium (mostly for the transportation angle, i simply won't be able to see as many games if they move out of town), so i would hope i wouldn't be sacrificing a central location just to have Timbers in green.

from the interviews i've heard with Paulson, i'm reassured that he has a long term vision for the team and if he can make it work, he'll take the Timbers up.

[Tim Berscoragin]

PGE Park would be the obvious first choice. I think the stadium has to be in the city's core within walking distance of the blue/red MAX line.

Keeping the colors is important to me, but not a necessity.

I would think any owner would be stupid to not keep the Timbers name, given the history of the club and the strong ties the supporters have to that name.

I also wish the MLS wouldn't view the Northwest as a single club market. That seems fairly short-sighted to me. Nobody outside of the region considers Seattle a part of Portland or Portland a part of Seattle. They are two distinct metropolitan areas with significant population bases.

If a choice has to be made between the two markets, I think Portland has shown a better base of support for the sport here. I also think the fact that Portland only has one other professional sport (and none that conflict with the MLS season) bodes well for soccer here. Seattle has the Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics (who knows about the latter much longer).

All that said, I think the MLS is missing a grand opportunity to take advantage of the existing rivalry between the two cities if they announce expansion to only one. Selfishly, I'd like that ONE to be Portland if that's the only option. I think the pieces are in place for MLS to thrive in Portland.

[Totalnerd]

I would love to have MLS here in Portland, for a number of reasons (higher caliber of players, greater exposure, better exhibitions, longer season, possibility of int'l play, etc.). And right now we have an owner who definitely likes Portland and the two teams he just bought (Timbers, Beavers), has a ton of cash and seems interested in growing sports awareness in this town.

Location:

Downtown is my preference, and the obvious choice. PGE is a great stadium with history and lovely location, access to light rail & bus, bars & restaurants, etc. The obvious problem with MLS in PGE is the Beavers. Either they or the Timbers would have to leave the stadium (keep in mind the Beavers have been in that location for over 100 years), or Portland gets MLB, which would necessitate them building a new stadium anyway.

Other locations around town, even in the closer suburbs would be tolerable, if there were access to transit and other signs of civilization. I'm thinking Portland Meadows, Delta Park, Multnomah Greyhound Park. Honestly there are a lot of places around town that are severely underused or simply unused.

Hillsboro is right out. I live close-in east side, and work downtown. If there were a match on a weekday, I'd be pretty much screwed. Hillsboro stadium is out in the boonies, a full 20 miles from where I live, involving a drive across town and into the outer west burbs (read: traffic nightmare). Hillsboro = NO, NO, NO!

Team Colors & Name

Portland Timbers. We are Green, We are White, We are f-cking dynomite. Nuff sed.

[Kayak]

I also wish the MLS wouldn't view the Northwest as a single club market. That seems fairly short-sighted to me. Nobody outside of the region considers Seattle a part of Portland or Portland a part of Seattle. They are two distinct metropolitan areas with significant population bases.
I don’t think MLS actually thinks of the two as one entity, I think they refer to the PNW because they just know that they want a team up there. It’s about increasing the national footprint, not believing that they are the same city. I think if there was a truly viable owner working for a southern city MLS would be all over that too.

[steven nevets]

So wait, if you can't stay in a baseball stadium, keep your colors, name and rivals, you don't want to go? Really? If you had to choose the 2 most important would it be colors and name or rivals and stadium?

yep.

Colors and name. Im a Portland Timbers supporter.

I (100%) rather the club stay in the USL First Division than be Boca Portland with blue hoops in MLS.

[stokemanfc]

First off I think the team should keep its original colors and name, I also think that a MLS Portland would eventually out grow PGE and a new stadium will be needed. Hopefully, downtown seems the best option there are plenty of spaces near the fremont bridge and on the eastside. Hell memorial could be knocked down... as for Hillsboro being a spot it seems the team will loose its Burnside st. crowd to transit. The beavers aswell will have to get a new place to play because the MLS will want a soccer stadium not a dual after a while. Although there are challenges the benefits out way the cons. I also would like to see other NW teams promoted, I couldn't see a rational reason why SEA and Van would be left out... I just see Portland being the first because of fanbase, location, and average attendance. Then I see Vancouver and then Seattle to finish the NW rivalry. It''d be the new NE, NY, DC rivalry ::D

[steeplechase3k]

I also think that a MLS Portland would eventually out grow PGE and a new stadium will be needed.

If baseball is elsewhere the stadium could be expanded to about 35,000 without much difficulty, they might get to 40,000 if they really cramed the people in. That is as big, if not bigger, than many MLS stadiums, isn't it?

[Tim Berscoragin]

Long-term, I would guess you could envision an average attendance for a Portland MLS club between 15,000-20,000, depending on the success of the club and how recognizable the players are. I really don't think you'd have the problem of outgrowing PGE. And if you did, I would think you'd have money to burn in terms of building a new stadium.

[seangates]

I really don't care if we keep the name, the location, the colors, anything. I just want an MLS team to root for besides the only other pro team in town, the Jail-Blazers. Also, I'd love to see a Chelsea, Arsenal or other European team come to town. What a great time that would be!

Sean

[Gooner_for_Life]

I really don't care if we keep the name, the location, the colors, anything. I just want an MLS team to root for besides the only other pro team in town, the Jail-Blazers. Also, I'd love to see a Chelsea, Arsenal or other European team come to town. What a great time that would be!

Sean

I usually dont like to argue with other fans but this is just downright stupid man. If this were to happen the club would have to absolutely start over with its fan base instead of building off the great support that has been built up over the years.

The new owners should try to connect with the current fans as much as possible. Nuff said.

[seangates]

I understand your frustration with me. I mean, I'm NOT saying that they SHOULD do that, just that I, PERSONALLY, don't care. I will come to the games whether it's the Timbers or whether it is something else.

I'm positive both teams (if there were two - one MLS and one Timbers) would not be able to survive together. They'd have to either be combined, or the MLS team would replace the Timbers organization.

Sean