Portland Timbers

Discussion in 'Portland Thorns FC' started by Cliveworshipper, Nov 21, 2012.

  1. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    And how many former UNC players/free agents tweeted her today?
     
  2. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006

    Is she done with college? Love to have her if she is. Maybe Crystal comes out early...
     
  3. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What I like about the league, so far, is that it seems to have its priorities in order. The first priority is to be economically sustainable. It also seems to be realistic: Put teams where there are women's soccer fans. The teams appear not to be spending a lot of money unnecessarily -- for example, they did not conduct big PR campaigns about naming the teams and developing their logos.

    An aspect of this is containing coaching costs. I'm guessing that Cindy as a coach is not a big expense. In addition, as a bonus, she's a good "face" for the team. Is she someone with success as a top level professional women's coach? No. Is there someone with success as a top level professional women's coach that is available for a sum consistent with what would contribute to the team being economically sustainable? I doubt it, and if there is I'd like to know who it is.

    Cindy, to me, is the equivalent of a Michelle French. I'd love for Michelle to be the coach and hope she is offered the Seattle Reign job, and I'm happy with Cindy for similar reasons.

    By the way, she'll be the second UNC graduate USWNT striker living in the Portland area.
     
  4. kool-aide

    kool-aide Member+

    Feb 1, 2002
    a van by the river
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If your first post had been a reasonable version of "She has no head coaching experience beyond the youth level so I have some concerns" then I wouldn't have mentioned "UNC hate" But no, you did not "just point out she had no head coaching experience." Your first post about Parlow was:

    So you get a grip and get over yourself. Your first couple of posts about Parlow getting the job were petulant. If you don't want to be thought of as an overly emotional hater of UNC, then post content that demonstrates otherwise. Posts that demonstrate more than knee jerk reaction. And when people who have followed UNC closely try to give a bit of insight into Parlow's role at UNC, (ie Parlow has been running practices this year) you might try not posting responses that sound jerky or utterly dismissive.

    People that follow NCAA ball closely might have noticed the fact that UNC hasn't solely played the 3-4-3 for the last two years. Heck, any casual viewer tuning into this year's NCAA College Cup would have learned that piece of information.

    Longtime women's soccer fans might remember that Parlow played on the ATL Beat which did not utilize a 3 back formation. And those same longtime fans might remember that the USWNT hasn't ever played that formation. And people interested in Parlow's coaching might have checked out the philosophy for the youth program where she's been the director of coaching for several years.

    John Spencer didn't work out for the Timbers. But Kreis has worked out for Real Salt Lake. Guess which one spent multiple years as a pro level assistant coach and which went straight from playing to coaching.
     
  5. kool-aide

    kool-aide Member+

    Feb 1, 2002
    a van by the river
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're cool. I get what you're saying. The USA, imo, has trouble "letting" (perhaps accepting is the better word) tall players in soccer in roles beyond CB & some sort of target forward. For example, Garefrekes is ~5'10" and (imo) would never have been played as a wide player in the USA and would never have been the world class level player she was.
     
  6. ForeverLOST108

    ForeverLOST108 Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Orlando
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Very encouraging news posted today on Merritt Paulson's twitter:

     
  7. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    WOW, Portland's fans rock.
     
  8. msilverstein47

    msilverstein47 Member+

    Jan 11, 1999
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What do you when you have a 96 percent renewal rate in your season tickets and 6,500 fans on your waiting list? If you're MLS's Portland Timbers, you extend your brand. Thorns FC, Portland's team in the new NWSL, has already taken more than 2,000 season-ticket deposits for its first season, putting it on course to smash the season mark for a women's pro team.

    In 2001, the Washington Freedom with Mia Hamm reported having more than 3,000 season tickets for WUSA's first season.

    WPS season-ticket sales for its first season in 2009 ranged from 1,583 for the Chicago Red Stars to 408 for the St. Louis Athletica.
     
  9. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Paulson reporting on Twitter that the season ticket deposits are now at 3,500+.
     
  10. aperfectring

    aperfectring Member+

    Jul 13, 2011
    Hillsboro, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    While this likely includes a bunch of current Timbers season ticket holders who expressed interest without having to put any money down, this is still an amazing sign things will be going well in Portland. If they happened to convert all of those, they would only have ~1400 seats available for non-ST holders in Merlo.
     
  11. ForeverLOST108

    ForeverLOST108 Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Orlando
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Wow great news out of Portland. I'd love to hear how the rest of the teams are doing as well.
     
  12. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    Considering I would expect teams to crow about having even 1k, I'd bet most (if not all) have less than 25% of what Portland has.
     
  13. ForeverLOST108

    ForeverLOST108 Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Orlando
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Oh, I agree. I just want to put into perspective how big of a difference Portland has above the rest.
     
    Nacional Tijuana repped this.
  14. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To provide some perspective on the Portland numbers:

    * Timbers season ticket holders have the right to get in line for Thorns season tickets, if they have called in and said they want to be in line, with no additional payment. (All season tickets have been sold out from the beginning of the Timbers franchise.)

    * Timbers waiting list customers also have the right to get in line, if they have called in to get in line, with no additional payment. The cost to be on the Timbers waiting list is $50 per season ticket. I believe the waiting list is about 8,000.

    * Those who are not Timbers season ticket holders, who want Thorns season tickets, have two options: (1) Call in and get on the Thorns season ticket list for $25 per season ticket; and (2) Call in and get on the Timbers season ticket waiting list, while also requesting to be on the Thorns season ticket list, for $50 per season ticket.

    * The order in the line for Thorns season tickets is (1) Timbers season ticket holders who want Thorns tickets, (2) Timbers season ticket wait listers who want Thorns tickets, and (3) Thorn season ticket depositors.

    So, when I called to get on the Thorns list, the very capable staff person who fielded my call explained this to me and suggested I pay the extra deposit to get on the Timbers list in order to improve my place in line. I took him up on it.
     
  15. pdxsoccerfan

    pdxsoccerfan Member

    Aug 31, 2010
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Not really too surprising in my opinion. Portland has historically been supportive of women's soccer, and affiliating with the Timbers has helped to increase the visibility and credibility of the team. I think that is is unfortunate that other NWSL teams are not affiliated with their local MLS teams, as being connected to a successful MLS franchise could really help to grow support for the women's teams.
     
  16. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    And I noticed WNY mentioned their number on Twitter earlier this evening: 147
     
  17. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    147 ???
    Good God, that is like 1/30 of the amount Portland has sold so far, lol.
    But you know? If Abby is allocated to Western New York, they will compete against Portland this year for the most passionate fanbase. This is why the league should allocate Abby to Western NY. Portland is already going to be a packed house, Abby or no Abby.
     
  18. necron99

    necron99 Member

    Oct 17, 2011
    Club:
    Washington Freedom

    Actually the Timbers have sold 0 so far. They have only sold slots on the waiting list, and most of the people on the list paid 0 to get on it, because it relates to season ticket holders of the MLS team. That isn't to say they are doing poorly, or won't sell the most season tickets in the end. But as of now they have sold 0 tickets.
     
  19. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Although this is true, I think my earlier post was more informative. What we don't know is how many on the list are Timbers season ticket holders and how many are "old" Timbers season ticket wait listers. Neither of those groups has paid more money, but I don't think you actually know whether your "most" statement is correct. If you don't, you would better have said "it's possible most ...."

    We do know, however, that all 3500+ have said they want to be on the season ticket reservation list. Plus, some of them have ponied up $50 per season ticket to get on the Timbers wait list in order to get ahead of those not on the Timbers wait list. Plus, others of them have ponied up $25 per season ticket to get on the Thorns only wait list. (The deposits, by the way, are refundable.)

    Beyond that, so far as I know only the Timbers inner circle knows how many of the 3500 have ponied up money specifically to get on the Thorns wait list.
     
  20. necron99

    necron99 Member

    Oct 17, 2011
    Club:
    Washington Freedom
    The whole point of my post is that the Timbers have sold 0.... zero.... 0.... season tickets. So anyone saying they have sold 2000 or 3500 is wrong. That is all I was trying to say. Even if they sold 3500 wait-list spots at $25, that is not the same as selling 3500 tickets at $200. The deposit is refundable as well. It is entirely possible that many of those people will take a refund for whatever reason.

    I did say in my post that 3500 people on the waiting list is a big accomplishment, and that the Timbers will probably sell the most tickets. That doesn't change the fact that a big waiting list is not season tickets sold.
     
  21. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  22. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    So what's the mood out there? R they excited for Morgan or disappointed about Pinoe?
     
  23. aperfectring

    aperfectring Member+

    Jul 13, 2011
    Hillsboro, OR
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    The comments on here should just about sum that up:
    http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2013/...quire-alex-morgan-christine-sinclair-and-five

    My basic summary:
    - Most are extremely excited about Morgan and Sinclair (some talk about Heath as well).
    - Many are sad that Rapinoe won't be a part of the Thorns, but most of those seem to think Morgan and Sinclair make up for that.
    - A few are angry about Morgan (because of her ties to the Sounders Women, and the Sounders themselves), but that appears to be a vocal minority.

    Also: to give you an idea, the 180+ comments on that article outnumber 8 out of the top 10 viewed stories last year on the site, so I'd say there is a healthy buzz about it all.
     
  24. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    They r upset about Morgan playing for the Sounders but it's ok Pinoe played there as well. Very fair minded :)
     
  25. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    I'd say a minority are upset either played for the Tukwila Sounders women. More than a few fans of the women's game in Portland went North the 2 1/2 hrs to see them play at least a couple times. There were several players with Portland connections, and more with some sort of NW connection Portland fans were very used to seeing.
     

Share This Page