…to the Portland Timbers.
It was bound to happen eventually. I’ve enjoyed watching them from afar the past couple of years, but had never had the opportunity to make it to a match during my visits to the Land of Port. But with the club moving up to Major League Soccer next year, something had to give. I’ve been supporting the Kansas City Wizards for the last few years because…well, it’s the MLS team in the city that I live in. But when it comes down to it, I’ll always be a Portlander at heart. And my ultimate allegiance will always be pledged to teams fro the Rose City.
Lucky me, a few weeks ago the Timbers scheduled a friendly match against Boca Juniors during the week we would be in Portland. Boca is one of the premier clubs in Argentina, and a club with a lot of international street cred. A friend offered me his tickets for the match and I was ready to rock and roll.
My date for the night was a friend from high school. Luke is a very casual soccer fan, and I warned him that it would be a pretty rowdy night. We grabbed seats smack-dab in the middle of the supporter’s section, a couple of rows behind the bass drums and the trumpets. I warned Luke that after this experience he was either going to love soccer or hate it. From watching Timbers matches on TV, I knew the TImbers Army is one of the most enthusiastic soccer groups in the entire country and we were thus in for a loud and rambunctious night.
The lads and ladies of the Army didn’t disappoint.
Fortunately for us, they passed out song sheets so that us newbies could join in the singing and chanting. The group was amazingly organized and made it easy to join in the fun. Not only did I join in, but I almost lost my voice doing so. But that’s what happens when you sing and yell and chant for two straight hours. Add in smoke bombs, jumping, dancing, flags, the Brothers Widmer, and you have yourself an evening.
And it doesn’t hurt when the Timbers score a stoppage time goal to win the match.
The experience was so krunk that Luke informed his wife the next day that they were officially soccer fans. Both of them.
And with that, the Timbers are my team. The supporters made me feel at home, and the team traditions are absolutely phenomenal. And did I mention this gives me a great opportunity to bash Seattle? Because it does. And I like doing that. Not as much as I enjoy bashing California, but still. And before the bread on the Portland sandwich starts getting all huffy on me…We got Burgerville, suckas. Scoreboard.
Before we book those tickets to Portland next summer, we’re going to need to check the MLS schedule and make sure the Timbers are in town.
Renew and Restore
