Timbers can’t win games, but winning awards is no problem

By: Bob Kellett | July 23rd, 2008

The power of the Internets
The results are in and Takayuki Suzuki has left Brandon Roy and the other Portland athletes in his dust. From Willamette Week’s pointless, and now entirely comical, Best of Portland edition:

BEST ATHLETE
Takayuki Suzuki (Portland Timbers) Meet the Timbers’ new forward. The 32-year-old Japanese footballer played eight seasons in his home prefecture of Ibaraki (and all four games of the 2002 World Cup with the Japanese national team) before taking off for Belgrade and, two years later, Portland. It’s still too early in his first season to tell whether he’ll live up to the five goals he scored in 2004, but the fans have taken to him already.

Five goals! Hell, one more would be nice. Or an assist even.

Lots of awards for a team that can’t score
With the offense being as anemic as my vegetarian blood, just about any Portland Timbers player who manages to find the goal is going to make the USL First Division Team of the Week. Larry Olum makes the cut this week for his late game goal against Atlanta and not for the other 162 minutes he put in last weekend.

Timbers Career Leaders
Points scored: 91, Byron Alvarez
Goals: 41, Byron Alvarez
Shots: 195, Byron Alvarez
Fouls: 210, Byron Alvarez

Adios, Amos
A long-time heart and hustle type player took over coaching duties at his USL-1 club a few years ago, watched his team struggle this season and threw in the towel yesterday. I always thought there were a lot of similarities between the Minnesota Thunder’s Amos Magee and Gavin Wilkinson. Both have been constants with their respective teams for as long as I have been following this league and both were somewhat natural choices to become managers. I’d be shocked to see the Timbers boss quit, however. Doesn’t seem to be in his DNA.

Poker, anyone?
Timbers defender Justin Thompson was on 955 The Game yesterday in part to promote a cool charity event. On August 10 you can play poker with the Thompson twins - Justin and Scot - at a benefit for Portland Impact (a great organization that was foolish enough to employ me at one time). I’m thinking that JT’s poker face is pretty solid. Scot’s, not so much. If you want more details, email: overtime@955thegame.com