Prehistoric Timbers Army banner discovered. Found on tour in San Jose, August 25th 1975, in the North American Soccer League championship game between the Portland Timbers and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Rowdies won 2-0.
AP Photo
In last place in the West the Portland Timbers break a 4 game losing streak and take down the undefeated Sporting Kansas City. Handing KC their first loss of the season is hopefully a sign of a turnaround.
Pictures by Craig Mitchelldyer/Portland Timbers
Some Major League Friendship amongst fans this weekend, as supporters of the LA Galaxy and the Portland Timbers get together in LA outside the 90 minutes of hostilities in Carson at the Home Depot Center.
Portland Timbers fans come up with a creative way to use flares without breaking any stadium rules, at least.
Timelapse of the Portland Timbers home opener this year; love the bursts of green smoke that flash from the Timbers Army end.
Timbers Army.
Through the thick of the smoke we shall hoist our flag, ever victorious, independent, and free!
(via majak)
PORTLAND, Ore. - March 1, 2012 - Last spring, Lompoc Brewing introduced Kick Axe Dry-Hopped Pale Ale as a seasonal tribute to the Timbers Army, the fan club for the Portland Timbers MLS soccer team. In response to the popularity of the beer, Lompoc has added Kick Axe to its brand portfolio as a year-round product, both on draft and in bottles. Kick Axe makes its 2012 debut at a release party Friday, March 2 at Lompoc Sidebar, 3901 N Williams Ave., from 4 to 10 p.m.
Lompoc will donate $1 per case and $5 per keg to the Timbers Army 107 Independent Supporters’ Trust, the non-profit behind the Timbers Army that supports soccer charities and soccer events in and around Portland. Last year, Lompoc donated nearly $2,000 to the group.
ooooh, the 5th Quad is on my way home….
In case you missed it, the second episode of the monthly Pitch Invasion podcast was released yesterday, featuring interviews by Peter Wilt and Tom Dunmore with DC United General Manager Dave Kasper on the club’s upcoming MLS season and general development, and a conversation with Jeremy Wright of the Timbers Army on American supporter culture. It’s also on on iTunes.
The second episode of the monthly Pitch Invasion podcast, focused on North American soccer, features interviews with DC United General Manager Dave Kasper on the club’s upcoming MLS season and general development, and a conversation with Jeremy Wright of the Timbers Army, discussing the growth and future of supporter culture in Portland and nationwide following the recent Independent Supporters Council conference hosted in the Rose City.
It’s available to stream above and is also on iTunes. Please let us know your thoughts on the show in the comments below, and you can also listen to episode one here.
Pictured is a new series of billboards for the 2012 MLS season by the Portland Timbers. The club has built on the minimal look of last year’s campaign, arguably going even less direct this time: no text at all on three of the four graphics, no taglines, no URLs, no calls to action.
There is not a soccer ball to be seen, and no players in two of them. Last year’s campaign’s focus on fans made logical sense given the MLS version of the team hadn’t yet played but already had wildly passionate fans to showcase; continuing with that theme is smart, while also adding a touch of in-game passion by the use of action photo billboards unadorned by unnecessary text and instantly recognizable in the area.
The “call to action” is the passion on display in the chosen graphics and the presumption it will resonate naturally in Portland as the season approaches. The idea is that the team’s imagery (the logs, RCTID, etc), speaks for itself at this point locally. I think this works for a club with the Timbers’ presence in Portland, but there’s something to this that all MLS clubs should consider to some extent. MLS is not a mickey-mouse league; don’t act like it in your advertising, or people might think it is.
All in all, MLS marketing has come a long way since 1996 (and really, since 2006).
Update: interesting tweet from Timber’s owner Merritt Paulson in response to this post, “player angle, not fan angle this year.”
