Portland is officially a soccer town. It has the stadium to prove it.
The final prep-work is finishing up at JELD-WEN Field. The upgrades on the old Civic Stadium / PGE Park to make it “JELD-WEN Field” were remarkable given the stadium has been around for more than a century. The most notable are the upgraded east-side grandstands.
The home-opener is Thursday night.
“For me, it means we’re realizing the potential of the game in this city,” Gavin Wilkinson, technical director and general manager, told mlssoccer.com “It’s a culmination of many things. It’s the growth of the organization, it’s the ownership, the business side of it, the Timbers Army, the fan base in general and the improvement on the playing side. To see everything come together, it’s exciting.”
Excitement for the Timbers’ arrival – as an MLS franchise and not a handful of soccer enthusiasts – has reached a new peak.
“Thursday can’t come soon enough, because I know everybody’s excited about it,” midfielder Jeremy Hall told mlssoccer.com. “We just want to get a win. That’s the most important thing right now. We want to show that we’re going to be a tough team to beat his year, especially at home.”
On Thursday night, the Timbers, their fans and the city of Portland are ready to start a new era in Portland sports.
GO TIMBERS!!
GO TIMBERS!!