Portland Timbers (USL)
 |
|
| Full name | Portland Timbers |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Timbers |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Dissolved | 2010 (MLS 2011) |
| Stadium |
PGE Park Portland, Oregon |
| Capacity | 15,418 |
| Owner | Portland Family Entertainment (2001–2003) Pacific Coast League (2004–2005) Portland Baseball Investment Group (2006) Shortstop LLC (2007–2010) |
| President |
 Marshall Glickman (2001) Mark Schuster (2002–2003) Tom Lasley (2004 interim) John Cunningham (2005–2006) Merritt Paulson (2007–2010) |
| Head Coach |
 Bobby Howe (2001–2005) Chris Agnello (2006) Gavin Wilkinson (2007–2010) |
| League |
A-League (2001–2004) USL First Division (2005–2009) USSF Division 2 Professional League (2010) |
| 2010 | USL Conference: 3rd Overall: 4th (3rd in points) Playoffs: Quarterfinals |
The Portland Timbers were an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of the 2010 season.
On March 20, 2009, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber announced an expansion team had been granted to the Portland area and would retain the Timbers name. The new team began play in MLS in 2011.
The team played its home games at what was then known as PGE Park (now known as Providence Park, the home of the current MLS team). The team's colors are green and white. The team also had a development team, Portland Timbers U23s, which won the Premier Development League championship in 2010 and is currently affiliated with the MLS team.
This incarnation of the Timbers is the third in US soccer history. They took the name of the original franchise that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1982.
In 1974, the North American Soccer League awarded an expansion franchise to Portland, Oregon. The new team, named the Timbers, began play in the 1975 season. In their inaugural season, the Timbers went to the championship game Soccer Bowl but lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0. It was during this magical season that the Timbers endeared themselves to the City and Portland became known as "Soccer City USA". While the Timbers boasted some of the league's best fan support, they sometimes struggled on the field. Despite going to the championship game in their first season, they missed the play offs in 1976 and 1977. In 1978, they went to the Conference Finals before falling to the New York Cosmos. The team folded at the end of the 1982 season as player salaries outpaced team revenue. These Timbers established soccer as a sport in the greater Portland area. Their legacy lives on in the current Timbers following and the many thousands who continue to play and follow the game. Many of these Timbers continued to live in the area after their playing careers and helped establish the soccer as a vital local sport.
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