So, I was going to come in here to comment on how that was a thorough asskicking our guys just received at your team's hand...but there's no thread for me to post it in, and almost no BigSoccer activity here at all despite what I know is a big following of the team in your city with a healthy history. I'm curious, what gives?
People in Portland do their own thing. Which probably involves beer right now. There are several fan sites and forums for Timbers fans so if we are going to talk on the internet about the Timbers we do it on a Timbers-centric site. Stumptownfooty.com is the place I usually check up with for my Timbers fix.
For whatever reason, even after the fall of the Soccer City USA Boards, Timber Fans really haven't taken to Bigsoccer in a significant capacity. From what I've seen if you want to converse with Timber fans your best bet is at the stumptownfooty.com SBNation blog, or straight up on twitter under the #RCTID hashtag.
I'ved noticed that the Sounders' boards are almost as dead as these. I think it has to do with the fact that both are more recent additions to the MLS (despite their long histories), and their fan bases are very much focused around THEIR TEAMS, rather than soccer in general. In contrast, as a long-time soccer fan, I followed the USMNT first, and then got into MLS while living in the LA area and watching the Galaxy. I think a lot of Portland / Seattle fans got excited about their local teams, and became soccer fans because of the teams, rather than the other way around. It's actually pretty cool... but I sometimes wish there was more activity on BS just so it would be easier to keep up with what's going on with the clubs.
I wouldn't presume that much. Many people I've talked to in the section near me at Timbers games have been fans of soccer for years, just not fans of MLS until the Timbers entered the league. Timbers fans from before MLS were used to following the team on a variety of other sites, and continued to use those sites after the move to MLS. New fans who wished conversation had to go to those sites as well.
I didn't mean to imply that Timbers (and Sounders) fans are not long-time fans... just that they are more closely tied to their local teams. Sorry if it came across as if I were claiming Portland fans were "newbies". I don't believe that.
Sometimes, we're too busy doing the charitable work, having all the beers, and finding places to be social. After the game is, at least in my estimation, the wrong time to be beside the computer. Many of us have decided internet discussions are a thorough cesspool and decline to get involved. Someday, I hope to have this wisdom. Soccer City USA was a huge place of much quality. There's other places we hang, some of which are electronic, but even for an unsocial nerd like me, it's more fun being social.
The #1 reason is that there are better places to discuss Sounders/Timbers than on BS. Most Sounders fans on BS spend a majority of the time in the higher level forums, particularly the MLS:General and N&A forums. If we want to discuss Sounders specific, its better to head to Sounder@Heart or Twitter/Facebook. S@H, in particular, gets a ton of traffic with game threads getting around a thousand posts and post game articles getting hundreds.
Work schedule changed and can make the Timbers vs Colorado match. Supporters section is sold out. What are the chances of buying a ticket for another section and getting to stand with the "real" soccer fans behind the net? Thanks
Just because I have insider info, S@H is either #1 or #2 among all soccer blogs on SBNation. It comes in front or behind the Chelsea FC blog with Stumptown Footy as the third largest trafficked soccer blog.
That doesn't surprise me at all. Both S@H and Stumptown put out some real quality posts and the commenters just add to that quality.
I hope you don't mind me piggy backing off this, but I didn't want to create a new login on the other boards at this time. I'm done with SKC. I still love the players and the team, but I find it increasingly harder to cheer for them due to the ownership and how they are handling youth soccer and politics in the area. I just called my rep to cancel my season tickets for next year but it was too late so we'll be selling all of them. Anyway, I've always had a random soft spot for Portland and cheered for them unless it was against KC. In order to enjoy a team, I want to agree with most of what they stand for. Anything in particular I should know? For example: OnGoal is throwing its weight around (Cerner) to collect all of the youth teams and fields with promises they don't fulfill (basically, it's a money grab). They've already gobbled up the most competitive league in the area. Basically, if you aren't part of them they do everything they can to remove you from existence. Assimilate or die sort of thing. Please tell me Portland doesn't do crap like this.
The Timbers have absorbed the USDDA and ODP programs for Portland/Oregon, but I don't believe they've gone Borg on the levels below that.
They have also aligned with a few youth clubs that are now called Portland Timbers Alliance clubs. They allow the clubs to use the Timbers name and resources for coaches training. They're like satellite clubs that funnel the top prospects to the ODP teams. Two in Portland (East/West), one in SW Washington, one South, one Central Oregon. Youth can try out at any level, so the ODP team is still open to those outside these Alliance clubs. Straight from their website: http://www.portlandtimbers.com/youth
That's what SKC says they do to the letter. Instead, they just take money and offer nothing in return. If you want to get on the youth academy then you all but have to join one specific (also the most expensive) club to have any hopes. I don't mind having affiliates so long as the parent club actually fulfills their responsibilities towards them. I love our team but not our ownership so they don't get my money now.
More and more MLS teams are going deeper and deeper into the youth development process.. I believe the Fire are all the way down to U6, but virtually all are at least at U15/16 and a growing number are at U13/14. I can't speak for any other teams, but I know the Sounders have affiliations with several Seattle area clubs, but if you look at who is on our academy teams, the kids are coming from more than just those affiliated clubs (including a few that are openly hostile towards the Sounders). I'm sure the Timbers are the same way.
The Timbers are doing exactly what you hate about SKC, exactly the same thing. Actually, Gavin Wilkinson is doing it and using the Timbers brand to make it happen. He was the DOC for Westside Metros in the Portland area for years, which was one of the bigger youth clubs and 5 years ago or so, he helped lead a revolt from USYS to US Club for a group of the bigger Portland Metro area clubs, that initial move created the OPL, Oregon Premiere League for the bigger clubs and better players, which was basically a money grab and threw the whole youth soccer landscape in Oregon into chaos. Now that things settled down and seemed to be improving with the OPL and the level of youth soccer in Oregon (which is completely terrible and not befitting SCUSA), he has made a move to force everyone to align with the Timbers Alliance of clubs and he is now taking over OYSA, the league he left in the first place and taking all the TA clubs back to OYSA and leaving the OPL that he helped create and they are not giving any options for the leagues to combine schedules and play each other. They are also raising fees of course, for no other reason than that they can. All those bullcrap promises that were linked earlier about coaching resources, opportunity and all that are just complete BS, the Timbers are taking the youth soccer money and running. TA coached teams are all San Jose style jungle ball teams with unskilled athletes and their camps and training are garbage. What the timbers are doing to youth soccer is completely at odds with the ethos of the team, the city and it's supporters, but par for the course where Wilkinson is concerned. I love the Timbers and I don't blame them for the mess, #GWOUT
Maybe your complaints are more suited for Mike Smith and Adam Smith. But GW complaints are still vogue I guess.
Contrary to popular opinion, BigSoccer is NOT the alpha and omega of soccer support in the US and North America. In case you didn't notice, Montreal is as inactive here. It always has been. You can expect much the same from Orlando City. The bulk of our fans conduct most of our business elsewhere.
I'm glad to see this thread exists, as I was wondering the same myself. It makes sense to me that they (the Timbers) fans would keep to more Timber-centric boards to discuss PTFC matters.
Speaking of this, what are the more prominent forums for the clubs with low activities here? Portland: http://stumptownfooty.com/ Montreal: ? Toronto: ? Vancouver: ?