I'm from Mississippi. I do not have a set MLS team because I do not have a team in the region. Dallas at 11 hours away is the closest option. I have family in Portland, and love northwest culture. I like what seattle is doing for American soccer, but I do not like seattle. I realize that the future of American soccer lies in the hands of the Northwestern rivalries (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland) and I'd like to help bring the great sport to America. I've watched many youtube videos and love the chants. Can ya'll sell me on some of the players/history of the franchise?
Not to be a dick, but I don't think asking people to sell you on the Timbers is the right approach. Perhaps you didn't mean it that way. And people don't tend to need to be sold on the Timbers - frankly the Timbers Army does the antithesis of recruiting - just post the same thing above in the introductions section of SoccerCityUSA.com and you'll see. Actually don't. Point is, if you find out on your own that this is the team you love and you spend the time to educate yourself on the history and players and have a tolerance for the occasional off season, then you'll do fine as a Timbers fan. But it has to be a meaningful personal discovery - it's got to come to you on your own - it certainly won't be spoon fed to you like it is with the Galaxy or the Sounders. The good news is that the people who do happen upon the Timbers through their own course and don't have to be sold tend to be the most loyal and dedicated supporters. A couple years ago I ran into a 20 year old kid outside of PGE park staring through the fence on 18th street who said he just moved to Portland from Kansas on his own because of the Timbers. No job and no plan other than to get a ticket to the match that Saturday. I do respect that you've done your own research already on YouTube and have read up on the club so you might already be on your way. Keep digging on talktimbers.com, read up on the links on the top of the message board. Then figure out if it's for you. Once you have that complete conviction - the kind that makes some people move on a whim - you'll be welcomed openly. But until then, supporters, probably of any club, won't have a lot of time for someone who still has to be convinced or can take it or leave it.
I appreciate the reply. I've done a good bit of research, and I like almost everything I've seen. I have not been able to see a lot of in game action from the Timbers because they get so little television play (I have seen the sunshine goal). Hopefully that will change next year. I love the renderings for the renovated PGE park. Most unique design in American soccer, no doubt. Hopefully I can become a season ticket holder I have a degree to finish and some giving back to do. Making it out there is my dream right now.
The Timbers Army and Timbers fans get all their info, planning, ideas, history, and merch at Talktimbers.com. Other ways to get info is listen to Talk Timbers and Strong At Night on 95.5 the Game 6-7pm PST. (you can listen online). There are some podcasts of past shows on the Strong at Night page of the radio website. And as the saying goes on "If you want to be in the Timbers Army, you already are."
You can stream all Timbers matches live, watch highlight packages from all this year's games and watch replays of entire games (including friendlies) here: http://portlandtimbers.com/live/
That is really the only requirement for being in the Timbers Army. Honestly, you do not even need to know anything about soccer.
It has nothing to do with the city of Seattle, or the sounders franchise. I just don't care for any of Seattle's players, and most of the people on MLS bandwagons here in the south are on the Sounders bandwagon. I really like everything about Philly's team right now. They have good colors, great players (Mwanga, McInerny, Mapp, Le Toux, Nakazawa, ect.), a beautiful stadium, but they play in Philadelphia.
Sssshhhhhhhh! Don't ever tell a Timber that you like Le Toux. True Timber fans HATE Le Toux. If you are going to be a Timber fan, and like any sort of Frenchman, you would be better off rooting for Levesque. At least Levesque played for the Timbers once.
Timbers will have new players next year. My criteria are pretty simple. 1) I want to cheer for a team that represents a geographical area that I like and can connect to. 2) I want to cheer for a team with nice kits. 3) I want to cheer for an underdog 4) I want to cheer for a team with a nice, downtown, soccer specific stadium with a great atmosphere created by the fans. 5) I want to cheer for a team that has at least one great rivalry, and is the underdog in that rivalry 6) I want a team with likable players. Portland gives me the first 5, and the 6th is a wait and see.
Ok. It'd be different if I had a regional team. A team I could connect with. The closest MLS team is 9 hours away in Dallas. I don't have the luxury of having a team I can be a part of at the current moment.
Andrew, as you've seen here, Sounders fans are so obsessed by the Timbers that they have to seek out posts in Timbers forums to comment on. You'll notice they're not telling you how great Seattle or the Sounders are... they're just bashing on Portland. It's almost like it's their job. Just look at the tifo they brought to PGE Park this year. It was all about hating on the Timbers rather than supporting their own team. So, in a way, they are telling you what Seattle is all about, you just have to read between the lines.
This. Because Portland isn't obsessed with Seattle at all: http://europeanfootballweekends.blogspot.com/2009/07/seattle-sounders-fc.html Hint: scroll through the comments. Edit: DJ: Is it your opinion that we should be talking about Seattle in your forum, and trying to sell this guy on our club? Honestly, I'm sure the guy is smart enough to find the Seattle forums on his own.
Here is the Timbers tifo from a Seattle visit to PGE. Notice the absolute lack of any Seattle directed hate. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AucOzX9qqRA"]YouTube- Portland Timbers Army Animated Tifo vs. Seattle - Timber Jim cuts down Space Needle‎[/ame] Quite honestly though, this is one of the best, most epic bits of tifo from the entire history of the rivalry, and my props to the Timbers Army for it. However it is also very funny in light of DemonJuice's above comment.
I'm sorry but YouTube is blocked at my work. I assume you're showing a huge Timber Jim, complete with huge Portland Timbers crest on his chest, cutting down the space needle? That's what I thought. Nope, no pro-Timbers message there. As opposed to the banner you guys brought this year to PGE. All I could make out from the north end was a huge "PDX" on it. By bgix's logic, the tifo the ECS displayed at the Community Shield wasn't pro-Sounders either since it depicted the dates of Timbers losses. I don't agree but it goes to show the warped mentality of our northern cousins.
Yep, that's the one. Of course we display anti-Portland tifo at matches against Portland. Your contention was some doe eyed statement about how everything is about being 100% pro-portland, with nary a thought about Seattle. Did you bother traipsing down memory lane on the European Soccer Blog? That must have been another example where the Seattle directed hate was simply an exercise in supporting the Timbers. Seattle directed hate is a year-round pastime for the Timbers Army, that only occasionally gets to manifest itself at matches. Say, does your ACES branch have a new scarf out yet? That first one was pretty cool!
Please to be quoting where I said that. Andrew, you'll also notice how the Sounders fans here have extensive bookmarks, ready to be busted out at a moment's notice, whenever the Timbers are mentioned. They'll huff and puff about how on-the-field is all that matters while squirreling away year old comment threads to use when it suits them. Don't try to retaliate with any contrary examples, though, because then they'll just flip back to screaming 'scoreboard' and you'll soon be bored. Trust me. Better to ignore them until you get drunk and wander into Rivalries but even if you refrain they'll seek you out when they aren't getting their Portland fix.
C'mon juice, that post is less than a half hour old! The ganja can't have affected your short term memory that badly can it? As for the ESB: It is a very nice pro-Seattle blog post, and so yes I have it bookmarked. It actually has nothing to do with Portland (perhaps a Cascadia rivalry tangent, seeing as how it was a Prost interview and all). It didn't become anything Portland related until the comments section was invaded by the detractors from Portland (just out of curiosity, DJ, which ones were yours?).
Yes. I don't believe I commented on that story. I'd have used my "name" if I had, though. I do have to give bgix props, though. At least he is just trolling the Portland boards on BS now for all things Portland instead of his well-used account on Talk Timbers. Keep it up, son, you're getting there.
There I must object. My SCUSA posts were never intended as trolls. As I am sure you are aware, I have many good reasons to like Portland in general, and the Timbers by extension. That said, my posts there attracted baited posts that would occasionally, sometimes regrettably, sometimes not, have the desired affect of provoking a reactionary come-back from me. I have largely therefore retired from that forum, except for rare times such as the extraordinary run by the Timber U-23s, where there really is no other venue, and I come on as a fan. You have to admit though, that with all of the TA BS about grassroots, that the title of this thread was just beyond tempting. And Fener's appearance just sealed the deal.
Please don't make me look up your first post on SCUSA about the Wicks—Montero incident to disprove what you're saying. Disclaimer: I'm not entirely sure that I'm not mixing you up with gstommylee there but I'm too lazy to fact check. I will stipulate, though, that you have generally attempted to be positive on SCUSA but, come on, did you really think you'd be well received as an Oregon native now in the ECS? This is getting way too kumbaya for my taste.