Portland Timbers Face Cleveland; U-23s host Victoria

By: Bob Kellett | May 8th, 2009

After a week off to gloriously think about a victory (hey, we scored! twice!), the Portland Timbers (1-1-1, 3pts) get back at it on Saturday against the Cleveland City Stars (0-3-0, 0pts). Kickoff is 4 pm. You can watch on USL Live or if you are the social type you can join the crowd at Beulahland (118 NE 28th) or Rogue (1339 NW Flanders) or one of a number gathering spots. The Timbers face the City Stars at an advantageous time. They are a new club that is struggling to make their way in the big lights, bright city that is the USL First Division. Three games, three losses, nine goals yielded. That is a recipe for a long, Calgary-like season. The Timbers finish out the season in September with a pair of games against Cleveland. By then the City Stars might just be going through the motions before their winter vacation.

Bonsai!
History will be made in Tualatin on Saturday evening when the Timbers U-23 side – the Twigs, Bonsai, the Kids, the fill in the blank – play their first game against the Victoria Highlanders. Kickoff is 7pm at the Tualatin Hills Recreation Center (a venue that hosted the senior club (led by the legendary Chugger Adair) once for a preseason match if memory serves me correctly – and it does). What do we know about the PDL Timbers? Not much. The squad is managed by Amos Magee and the club’s roster currently lists Mutanda Kwelse as the lone player. The USL website has a bunch more names including Frankie Lopez who has been a standout player at the University of Portland the past few seasons. He’s joined by a number of other Pilots. Local kids playing for a local club. Good stuff.

You’ll also want to keep an eye on the University of Washington’s Brent Richards, who joins the club with rave reviews. An odd name on the list is Ryan Youngblood. He played for the Timbers a few years ago, never really earning playing time as a defender. He has stuck around the area and has scored a bunch of goals as a forward in the premier men’s league. It is a little strange that he is on the roster, since this really is supposed to be about developing young players (note that all the players listed are older than Alex Nimo), but I suppose it might be handy to have an older player or two around.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that having a youth side is simply awesome. It moves us one step closer to being a real soccer club. That is a good thing. Let’s hope that Magee can help some of the players develop into senior team members.

UPDATE: Kit sponsors are SolarWorld.

Kumbaya

“As a team, we have a lot of talent. This group is so diverse, we’re not going to take any shortcuts.” [Cleveland coach] Underwood, an Atlanta native who served as head coach of three USL teams froim (sic) 1994-98, wants to put an emphasis on winning and losing the right way in order to learn from its mistakes and become a better team.

Yes, they really are playing the game on Saturday at a place called Middlefield Cheese Stadium, and yes, I taught grammar to the staff at the Nordona Hills Sun newspaper.

Being Gavin Wilkinson
I hear that Cleveland is a lovely city. It is the Auckland of the United States or so I’ve been told. I can’t wait to get there and see my old mate, Rod Underwood. Nine goals in three games. Good thing I never let him sit in on the defensive meetings when he was my assistant. Rod, if you are reading this, here is the fearsome lineup you are going to have to contend with on Saturday.

Cronin
Thompson Knowles Danso Hayes
Farber Claesson McManus Pore
Keita Josten

If the shit don’t stink, why wear perfume. You know what I’m sayin’.

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