Player news

Scot Thompson Retires from the Portland Timbers by me, here

Portland Timbers defender Scot Thompson announced his retirement from professional soccer last night at a special event held at Kell’s Irish Pub in Portland. Scott played for the Timbers from 2004 through 2010, racking up 156 regular-season matches and 12,994 minutes on the field. [more]

Rumor: Timbers interested in League Two midfielder Lee Hendrie by Dan at Dropping Timber

The Portland Timbers are interested in signing Lee Hendrie, but he would prefer to remain in England.

“Lee Hendrie has dropped a broad hint that he will snub American interest to stick at Valley Parade.

The City midfielder’s short-term deal runs out on January 4 and both San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers are keen to take him to the MLS.” [more]

Stadium updates

PGE Park Renovation Update — 11.8.10 by Lucas at The Nerd is the Word

I got a look inside the press box this morning; it currently sits in a state that I’d describe as “gutted” as it awaits refurbishing.

The floor plan of the press boxes will stay essentially the same, with a couple of coaches rooms added (per MLS code) to join the various radio, TV and control rooms. [more]

League news

MLS unveils 2011 Combine, SuperDraft details at PortlandMLS2011.com

NEW YORK – Major League Soccer today announced that the 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine will be held from January 8-11 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., concluding two days prior to the 2011 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas. For the eighth consecutive year, the SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention, on January 13 at 12:00 p.m. ET, in Baltimore, Maryland at the Baltimore Convention Center. [more]

Supporter news

Whipsaw Issue 4 submissions needed by shedbhoy at Talk Timbers

“The Whipsaw”, the Timbers Army fanzine, as reviewed in the most recent issue of “In the Streets of Hamburg” the St. Pauli fanzine is looking for articles art, poetry, musings, speculations on player signings etc for the next issue. The theme is “Here We Come.” Gary the Mackem has written a beautiful account of Sunderland’s visit to the Rose City in 2005, so you’ll be proud to have your article published alongside his. [more]

Audio

mao’s Football Show – Episode 2

FC Media Question of the Week, South American scouting trip, Lee Hendrie rejection, Ian Joy, 2011 kit launch, Horizon Air?, NerdWord stadium update, SC Eltersdorf, Asamoah Gyan and Sunderland, Wayne Rooney, Champions League, Pippo Inzaghi, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC United of Manchester, MLS awards, Andy Najar, Danny Mwanga, MLS Cup playoffs, Jürgen Klinsmann at Toronto FC, Portland Pilots, Whitecaps season tickets, Pioneers, RainDrops, Steelheads and Volcanos, Green is the
Color. [Listen at Cascadia.FM]

The Portland Timbers opened the under-construction PGE [for now . . .] Park to fans and media for a stadium tour last weekend. Ends up it was more of a construction company presentation than a tour, according to mao at the Portland Timbers blog at The Offside. Dropping Timber, The Nerd of the Word and the OregonLive Timbers Blog also have updates from the stadium event.

Kip at OregonLive posted a Timbers Weekend update on Saturday which disabuses the notion that Wayne Rooney’s visit to Portland has anything to do with the Timbers [did anyone really think that was a possibility?!]. Kip’s update also visits Vancouver, presents a Timbers MLS Timeline, and discusses the 2010 MLS Playoffs.

Aging [he’s almost as old as me!] American goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann currently plays for the Wolverhampton Wanderers, but has also played for Fulham, Reading, and Rochdale in the last decade. A native of Seattle, he began his career with the Sounders in 1994 and has played for the Rapids and the US National Team. Recently Hahnemann has pondered wrapping up his career, a la Kasey Keller, in the MLS.

Hahnemann said: “I’ll see what the team and what the family want to do. There are two new MLS teams – one in Portland and one in Vancouver – and I don’t know if it is time to return.

And finally, the official organ of the Portland Timbers, PortlandMLS2011.com, has a nice article on MLS supporters groups.

Team news

Timbers Insider: Talent search reaches South America by Geoffrey C. Arnold at The Oregonian

Continuing their global search for talent, the Portland Timbers’ head honchos are on the road again.

Technical director Gavin Wilkinson and head coach John Spencer will leave Portland for South America tomorrow in an effort to unearth foreign talent in building the Timbers’ MLS roster. [more]

Timbers to Release Home Kits on December 9 by mao at the Portland Timbers Blog at The Offside

With a runway show almost literally on a runway, Portland Timbers FC will unveil their 2011 Major League Soccer home kits at the Horizon Air hangar at Portland International Airport on December 9. The highly-anticipated kits will be debuted in men’s, women’s and children’s versions on the runway, presumably with change kits being unveiled at a later date. A crowd of 350 supporters will join sponsors and club brass at the presentation next month. [more]

Player news

Ian Joy’s Letter to Timbers Fans at Dropping Timber

To the Fans of Portland Timbers Football Club. I want to Thank you all for your Amazing passion and Support for the team and myself during the 2010 season. You are some of the best football fan’s that I have ever played in front of ever! The Noise and Electricity you produce is something you should all be very proud of and Something No player should ever take for granted. [more]

1v1 with midfielder Ryan Pore at PortlandTimbers.com

Last week, John Strong got in-depth with new Timbers signee Eddie Johnson moments after he was announced as one of the inaugural MLS Timbers. This week, we turn our camera on recently named USSF D-2 Pro League MVP and Golden Boot winner Ryan Pore. [more]

90 seconds with Eddie Johnson at PortlandTimbers.com

Forward Bright Dike and goalkeeper Steve Cronin have had their turn, now it’s time for new forward Eddie Johnson to take the hot seat. Is it cats or dogs? What was his first car? Get to one of the Major League Soccer club’s first players as we go 90 seconds with Eddie Johnson. [more]

Supporter news

How the brilliance of local rivalries peps up our soccer scene by Steve Davis at Daily Soccer Fix

Also file under: Why MLS must embrace (and not resist!) local derbies

I have been so extremely lucky to get to travel the world to see soccer, sometimes on my dime, sometimes on the company’s.

I’ve walked the tunnels of majestic stadiums, seen the world’s most decorated teams and personally witnessed the emotion, glory and pageantry of it all. [more]

Timbers History

Where Are They Now: Jim Cumbes at The Football League

NB: Jim Cumbes played goalkeeper for the NASL Portland Timbers in 1976

Not many sportsmen can boast of a playing career in which they have faced the likes of Pele, George Best, Gary Sobers and Viv Richards. Jim Cumbes is a notable exception. He combined making nearly 400 Football League appearances with a first-class cricket career that took in Lancashire, Surrey, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. [more]

It’s been an uncharacteristically slow week in terms of Timbers news, but I’ve assembled a small collection of miscellanea.

Let’s start on the business end of things

Timbers announce founding partnership with KeyBank at PortlandTimbers.com

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers today announced that KeyBank will be the exclusive banking partner for the Major League Soccer (MLS) team as it begins play in 2011.

As part of the multi-year Founding Partnership, the KeyBank Club and KeyBank Plaza will be featured as prominent additions to a newly renovated stadium for the Timbers. The partnership also includes fully integrated, co-marketing initiatives and an emphasis on youth-focused community programs. [more]

Timbers news news

Mao’s Football Show to Debut on Cascadia.FM by me, Dave Knows Portland

mao’s Football Show will broadcast live every Tuesday from 4-5pm on Cascadia.FM, starting on election day, November 2 2010. . . .

Michael Orr, aka mao, is a prolific soccer blogger. He is the man behind the indispensable Timbers Offside Blog and the cosmopolitan mao’s Football Blog.

Steven Lenhart, along with his brother Jim “Lendog” Lenhart, founded the Timbers Army [no, really!]. He’s a long time football fan, and Portland based photographer. [more]

Player news

90 with forward Bright Dike at PortlandTimbers.com

This week, it’s forward Bright Dike’s turn to go under the spotlight and up against the clock as the club’s first Major League Soccer players are featured in a get-to-know-you, rapid-fire series, called “90 seconds.” [more]

And in case you missed it earlier this week, check out Tuesday Timbers Tidbits (10/26/2010) for news on Alex Nimo’s arguably injudicious declarations, Byron Alvarez, and the MLS Expansion Draft. And visit Dropping Timber for some armchair GMing and more tidbits.