PORTLAND TIMBERS AT HOUSTON DYNAMO TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 TIMBERS VS. DYNAMO Tuesday’s match is the third meeting between Portland and Houston. Last season, the Dynamo took all six points from the Timbers in two regular-season matches. In the first match, a road fixture on Aug. 14 at Robertson Stadium in Houston, former Timbers midfielder Adam Moffat scored in the 17th minute and forward Brian Ching added a second tally 10 minutes later as the Dynamo held on for a 2-1 win in front of 14,475 fans. Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury scored his seventh goal of the season, a new career high, in the 56th minute. Sal Zizzo and Darlington Nagbe earned the assists on the goal, as the Timbers saw their modest three-game unbeaten streak come to an end. Two months later, on Oct. 14, the Dynamo scored on each side of halftime for a 2-0 win in front of 20,323 fans at JELD-WEN Field. The match was the final regular-season home game for the Timbers in the 2011 season. Zizzo sustained a torn ACL during the first half and would miss the rest of the season. TIMBERS EXTEND HOME SELLOUT STREAK TO 22 MATCHES The Timbers have extended their home sellout streak to 22 matches following a match against Columbus on May 5. After selling out all 17 league home matches during the 2011 MLS season, the Timbers expanded the seating capacity of JELD-WEN Field to 20,438 (up from 18,627) for the 2012 season. TAKING SOME TIME OFF During the 2011 season, the Timbers registered a 1-1-1 overall league record following a layoff of 10 or more days between games. The longest layoff of last season was a 17-day span between league games (Aug. 24 vs. Chivas USA-Sept. 10 at Philadelphia). Tuesday’s match comes after a 10-day break for the Timbers, but isn’t the longest layoff the side will face during the 2012 campaign. Portland has stretches of 22 days (May 26-June 17) and 14 days (Oct. 7-21), as well as another 10-day break (Sept. 5-15) between league games this year. As a contrast, the Timbers will play six league matches in 25 days during the month of July. TIMBERS LOAN FORWARD DIKE TO LA BLUES OF USL PRO The Timbers announced May 8 that forward Bright Dike will join the L.A. Blues of USL PRO on a season-long loan. As part of the agreement, the Timbers may recall Dike from his loan at any time. Dike has started three MLS Reserve League games for the Timbers in 2012, scoring two goals. He played in 11 MLS regular-season matches and scored a goal in 2011 after missing the first five months of the season due to an Achilles injury. The Edmond, Okla., native first joined the club in 2010, during the Timbers’ final second division season, and signed with the MLS club on Oct. 19, 2010. A PLACE TO CALL HOME After spending the first three weeks of their inaugural 2011 MLS campaign on the road, the final stages of renovation work at JELD-WEN Field were completed in time for the Timbers to debut their impressively refurbished home on a national stage. The Timbers, in front of sold-out crowds of 18,627, scored seven goals on their way to opening up the stadium with a pair of wins over the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas in mid-April. JELD-WEN Field underwent a $40 million renovation that transformed the iconic downtown Portland venue into one of the most unique and intimate soccer venues in North America. JELD-WEN Field improvements include the addition of a new eastside seating section that will house the new KeyBank Club and premium club seats, the Widmer Brothers Southern Front deck behind the south goal that will provide unique vantage points ideal for casual group seating, a state-of-the-art video board that features high-definition technology for an enhanced fan experience and a new FieldTurf playing surface well-suited for the variety of sporting and community events that will be featured each year at JELD-WEN Field. Phase I of construction, which included foundation work for the new eastside seats, began in early 2010, while renovation on a larger scale began on Sept. 7, 2010, following the end of the Timbers second-division season. JELD-WEN Field, located in the heart of the city, was originally constructed in 1926 and has undergone a number of transformations over the years, none more substantial than the current renovation. The stadium has housed some of the most memorable events in its 85-year life, including presidential visits, an Elvis Presley performance in 1957, Pele’s last official game as a professional and the 2003 Women’s World Cup. It was home to the NASL Timbers from 1975-82 and most recently served as the home grounds for the USL Timbers from 2001-10.
SCOUTING THE DYNAMO Last year’s MLS Cup runners-up, the Dynamo have seen second-year forward Will Bruin take on the goal-scoring load early in the 2012 season with a team-leading four goals in six games. Bruin scored five goals in 25 appearances last season in his rookie year with Houston. Stalwart goalkeeper Tally Hall, a Northwest native, has made 43 consecutive starts in goal for the Dynamo. The Dynamo recently christened BBVA Compass Stadium, earning a 1-0 win over D.C. United in their stadium opener May 12. PERKINS RANKS NEAR TOP IN CONSECUTIVE STARTS AMONG ACTIVE KEEPERS Goalkeeper Troy Perkins has made 38 consecutive starts for the Timbers and the seven-year MLS veteran currently ranks fourth on the list of consecutive starts among the league’s active goalkeepers. Perkins’ current streak of 248 minutes without allowing a goal ranks third all-time among Timbers goalkeepers in the club’s two-year MLS history. The club record is 342 minutes set by Perkins last season (Aug. 20-Sept. 21, 2011). CONSECUTIVE STARTS (ACTIVE GOALKEEPERS)* 1. Matt Pickens (COL) 53 2. Tally Hall (HOU) 43 3. Dan Kennedy (CHV) 41 4. Troy Perkins (POR) 38 *As of May 12, 2012 MR. CONSISTENCY IN THE MIDFIELD Midfielder Diego Chara made his 21st consecutive start for the Timbers on May 5 against the Columbus Crew. Chara’s stretch of 21 straight starts set a new club record in the team’s two years in MLS. Chara has found a spot in the starting lineup in every league match since Aug. 14, 2011, against the Houston Dynamo. Before that, Chara made 15 straight starts from April 30-Aug. 3, 2011. The Colombian missed a match against San Jose on Aug. 6, 2011, due to a one-game, league-imposed suspension for caution accumulation. APPROACHING A MILESTONE The Timbers next goal will see the side reach a milestone. It will be the club’s 50th goal in league play. DEFENDER DANSO MARKS RETURN TO LINEUP WITH SHUTOUT Gambian international defender Futty Danso made his return to the Timbers lineup on May 5 against the Columbus Crew. Danso missed the first eight matches of the season while recovering from a broken bone in his left foot, but did play 45 minutes for the Timbers Reserves on April 22 against Vancouver. Against the Crew, Danso started and played 90 minutes while helping the back line record a shutout for the second straight home game. LOOKING FOR A GOAL According to Elias, the Timbers current streak of 231 minutes without scoring a goal (the last goal credited to Portland was a Sporting Kansas City own goal on April 21), is currently the club’s longest scoreless stretch, edging out a period of 230 minutes without a goal (May 29-June 19, 2011) during the 2011 season. FUCITO MAKES TIMBERS DEBUT AS LATE SUBSTITUTE ON MAY 5 Timbers forward Mike Fucito, who was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Impact on April 20 in return for either the Timbers’ highest second-round 2013 SuperDraft pick or a 2013 international roster slot (through Dec. 31, 2013), depending on his performance, made his debut on May 5 as an 82nd-minute substitute. DYNAMIC CONNECTIONS Timbers head coach John Spencer served as an assistant coach for the Dynamo under head coach Dominic Kinnear for nearly five seasons (2006-2010). He helped lead the Dynamo to back-to-back MLS Cup championships (2006, 2007) as well as four consecutive playoff appearances. Houston midfielder Adam Moffat made four appearances for the Timbers in 2011 before being traded to the Dynamo for defender/ midfielder Lovel Palmer and defender Mike Chabala on July 21, 2011. Timbers goalkeepers coach Mike Toshack served as goalkeepers coach for the Dynamo from 2006-2009. Jack Jewsbury and Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis were teammates in college at Saint Louis University (2000, 2001).