The 2009 Portland Timbers start the season on the road this Saturday, April 25th. A several hundred strong contingent of the Timbers Army support group are making the trip North to Vancouver, BC to cheer on the boys. If you can’t make it to Canada, head to Beulahland (118 NE 28th Ave) – match starts at 7pm.
But don’t miss the home opener Thursday, April 30th at PGE Park – the Timbers face the Carolina Railhawks [wtf is a Railhawk?!].
The Portland Timbers are one of the top supported teams in the United Soccer League. They play in the 1st Division (until 2011, when they join Major League Soccer as an expansion franchise).
By American standards, the Portland Timbers football club has a long and storied history, and sport one of the most boisterous, and best known, supporters groups in the country – The Timbers Army. The Timbers Army is a loose, grass roots, organization consisting of fans of all ages, professions, and political persuasions. The group receives no official imprimatur by the team, has no official leadership or structure, and primarily serves to have a hell of a time in the North End at Timbers matches. But the group also contributes to charities, organizes travel to away games, composes new songs, creates tifo, and has horrible head aches and a sore throat the day after games.
Required reading:
- The Town Team: The Timbers, Portland, The Future – by Zach Dundas at Portland Sportsman
How do you join the Timbers Army? Come to a match, buy a General Admission ticket, and follow the noise and scarves and green. The entire North End of PGE Park is unassigned seating. Just a few years ago the Army filled only the bottom rows of section 107, but now three entire sections, 106-108, can’t contain the group. Come on down! If you’re shy sit or stand on the periphery of these sections for a game or two learning the chants and songs and observing the ruckus. Unless you’re soulless, you will be drawn in.
- A Fan’s Guide to Attending Portland Timbers Games
– by Bob Kellett at the Timbers Offside Blog
The Soccer City USA Message Board, aka Talk Timbers is the information headquarters for the Timbers Army (and really all things soccer in Portland, Oregon). Sign up for an account and contribute to the discussion. Keep up with the latest news, learn about and contribute to the latest chant or tifo efforts, and get to know your fellow Timbers Army members virtually. Many of the folks you’ll meet in the stands are better known amongst the group by their message board moniker than their real names.
Required Reading:
- The best local Timbers blog is the Portland Timbers USL Blog at The Offside.
- Read Mark Evans’ occasional Portland Timbers bloggage at Blogtown (archive here). Mark’s cautiously optimistic this year.
- The Timber Mill is the best source for news, match reports, photos, and stats.
- The Portland Timbers website has press releases, roster updates, and generally the kind of news you’d expect from an official organ of the team.
- The 107 Report is the Timbers pod cast. Pre and post game analysis and interviews, music and hijinks.
- Google Alerts are your friend. Set one up for “Portland Timbers” and get linkage emailed to you.
- There are some old standbys, but new chants and songs are introduced fluidly all the time; the best way to learn them is to attend the games and keep up with the message board threads. Song sheets are occasionally handed out at games, and googling Timbers Army Chants brings up some good, but also a lot of outdated, info.
- Official Facebook Group (h/t devlyn)
- On Flickr (h/t devlyn)
[Commenters – send me more resources to add to this list!]
There’s the Official Facebook group, as well as some more on FB and MySpace (I don’t do MySpace). Oh, and looking at the photos on Flickr is a good rev-up for the season. ^_^
btw – when I went to a match at Carolina last year – their fans didn’t know what a railhawk is either – at least the ones we talked to.
devlyn – Thanks for the tips; added to list. And have a great time in Vancouver, BC!
Diane – The mystery gets more mysterious! Have a great time, too, in BC!!!
I’ve got some pics and videos of Timber related stuff in my domain. People are welcome to peruse them at their leisure.
-GK