Archives for March 2010

It’s been a while since the last Timbers Tidbits. The formerly regular feature had pretty much been replaced by the Friday Timbers news roundups. But damn if lately there hasn’t been a lot more Timbers (and Timbers-ish) news out there – more than I can reasonably handle in a single weekly post. I attribute this to two key factors: the 2010 season is about to kick off (April 17!), and MLS is on the 2011 horizon.

Last Friday afternoon the Timbers defeated Vancouver 2-0 in preseason play. I don’t put much stock in the preseason, I think mainly it helps the coaches see what they got, and it helps the players build their fitness, but this preseason has been impressive: wins at OSU and Vancouver, a draw against San Jose, and a win against a hyped MLS side.

With the season right around the corner, we naturally begin taking stock . . . which is exactly what Bob Kellett has done at The Woodwork: Taking Stock with Three Weeks to Go.

In that piece, Bob points to what he rightly calls an interesting map assembled by Andrew Guest over at Pitch Invasion. Oregon impresses.

Also at Pitch Invasion, and also by Portland based soccer writer Andrew Guest, is an interesting analysis of fan culture: A Mental Game: Us versus Them and the Social Psychology of Fandom. The Portland rivalry with a club up north features prominently.

And there’s more tangentially Timbers related meta soccer news at The Oregon Economics Blog, which takes a look at trends in American soccer team crests in Soccernomics: Crests. We all hope Merritt makes the right decision regarding an updated Timbers crest – release promised in June.

In supporter news:

The recently established 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107ist) board elections are in full swing.

Your ballot will help decide which 11 107ist members will serve as the board for the 2010 season. The 11 candidates receiving the most votes will become your 107ist Council of XI. Although a normal term of office is 3 years, these members will serve for 1, 2, or 3 years, depending on how many votes they receive. The window for this election will run from 12:01 AM on March 29, 2010 until 11:59 PM on April 10, 2010. On April 11th we will announce the results of the election at a meeting at a place to be determined soon.

If you’re already a member, you should already have received your ballot (if not, email elections@timbersarmy.org with your concerns and questions).

In other supporter related news, TimbersArmy.org has opened a store. The offerings currently include stickers, t-shirts, and pint glasses. Prices are cheap (e.g. $10 and $12 for t-shirts), and the coolest thing is that all merchandise proceeds will go towards 107ist operations and activities as well as charitable organizations.

Another supporter group is forming, for now known as the Cider Girls Redux. This is a supporters group for the women of the Timbers Army. More details at the facebook page and this thread on SCUSA: Calling all Timbers Army Ladies.

And the final supporter news: You may know the Rowdies as those kids with the beer bong at the tailgates. Now they have their own website too: RowdiesPDX.org