PORTLAND TIMBERS AT REAL SALT LAKE SATURDAY, OCT. 22, 2011 TIMBERS AWARDED LEED® GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION The Portland Timbers announced that JELD-WEN Field has been awarded LEED® Silver Certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. JELD-WEN Field’s sustainability efforts include a number of initiatives, including the use of energy-efficient lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures; recycling stations and food-waste composting programs for staff and visitors; subsidized mass transit programs and availability of bicycle racks for fans; and utilizing reusable commodities, using green-certified materials and equipment. TIMBERS' HOME SELLOUT STREAK HITS 17 CONSECUTIVE MATCHES The Timbers saw their 17th consecutive sellout for a league match at JELD-WEN Field on Oct. 14, as Portland lost 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo. The Timbers have sold out each of their league matches at home and have drawn a total of 320,051 fans at JELD-WEN Field this season. Portland plays its final two regular-season matches on the road. MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AND NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP Major League Soccer and the NBC Sports Group announced last week a three-year media rights agreement, which commences at the start of the 2012 MLS season. The partnership calls for 45 MLS games and four U.S. Men’s National Team contests to be televised live across both NBC and NBC Sports Network each season. This marks the first rights deal for the newly-named cable channel that will be re-branded from VERSUS on January 2, 2012. The announcement was made today by MLS Commissioner and Soccer United Marketing CEO Don Garber and Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. Each season, NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games and two appearances by the U.S. Men’s National Team, marking the first time four MLS matches will be broadcast on English-language network television since 2002. The NBC Sports Network will televise 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. Men’s National Team matches. All telecasts on NBC and NBC Sports Network will consist of pre-game and post-game coverage. According to the agreement, the NBC Sports Group obtains digital rights across all platforms and devices for the games it televises. MLS ANNOUNCES 2011 MLS CUP PLAYOFF DATES Major League Soccer recently announced the dates for this season’s MLS Cup Playoff matches, culminating in MLS Cup 2011 on Sunday, Nov. 20, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The road to the league’s 16th championship consists of 13 total games, with a break for FIFA fixture dates (Nov. 11 & 15) between the conference championships and MLS Cup. The broadcast schedule and kickoff times for playoff games will be announced at a later date. Ten teams will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs upon the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 23. The top three teams in each conference will enter as automatic qualifiers and the next four teams, regardless of conference, will enter the Wild Card Games. The Timbers enter the week in 12th place in the standings, two points behind New York in the 10th and final playoff spot.
EVENLY MATCHED AROUND THE LEAGUE Following Friday's loss to Houston, the Timbers have dropped all six points to just three teams in the league so far this season. Only Sporting Kansas City, defending MLS Cup champions Colorado and Houston have won both games against the Timbers in 2011. Conversely, the Timbers have taken full points from two MLS opponents this season: Chicago and Vancouver. Portland and San Jose shared the points both times this year, with neither claiming a victory. In the remaining game, the Timbers can take all six points from Real Salt Lake with a win on Oct. 22. HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE The Timbers finished with a winning record at home for their inaugural season with a record that stands at 9-5-3. The Timbers become the fifth MLS team to have a winning home record as an expansion team. The Chicago Fire posted the best home record for an expansion club when they went 13-3 in home matches in 1998. DEFENSE SEES IMPROVEMENT AFTER TRADE The statistics indicate that the Timbers' defense has improved since a July 21 trade that brought outside defenders Mike Chabala and Lovel Palmer to the Rose City from the Houston Dynamo. In the 18 games before the fullbacks came to the club, the Timbers allowed 31 goals, an average of 1.72 goals per game, with four clean sheets. Starting with a July 23 loss at Columbus, the Timbers have allowed 16 goals in 15 games, a clip of 1.06 goals per game. The team has also recorded five shutouts in the span. The club has an overall record of 5-5-5 (20 points) since the trade. Prior to the move the team was 6-9-3 (21 points) through three more games played. TIMBERS U-23s SHINE IN COLLEGE RANKS Several of the Timbers U-23 players have started the 2011 NCAA season in impressive fashion. Beaverton, Ore., native Erik Hurtado was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Month for September. As of Oct. 17, Hurtado leads the Broncos (6-5-3 overall, 2-4 WCC) with 14 points (5 goals, 4 assists). Hurtado's five goals lead the WCC. Freshman Nick Palodichuk, from Battle Ground, Wash., ranks second for Duke University with six goals and three assists. After missing the first five games this season, University of Portland midfielder Steven Evans has gotten back on track, earning NSCAA Player of the Week honors on Sept. 26. Evans, a sophomore, leads the teams with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists). At the University of Washington, senior forward Brent Richards leads the team with 20 points (9 goals, 2 assists). Richards's nine goals ranks second overall in the Pacific-12 Conference.
TIMBERS UNVEIL 2012 SEASON TICKET DETAILS The Timbers have unveiled season ticket details for the 2012 MLS season, with season ticket prices on more than 80 percent of the seats at JELD-WEN Field remaining the same as the team’s inaugural MLS season. The Timbers sold out of season tickets prior to the start of their inaugural MLS season and currently have more than 4,000 fans on the Season Ticket Waiting List for the 2012 season. The team once again will feature a 20-game ticket package for 2012, and season tickets again will start as low as $4.95 per game for Value Terrace seats ($99 per season).
WEEKLY TIMBERS SHOWS TIMBERS IN 30 Timbers in 30 on FOX 12 is your one-stop source for game highlights, feature stories and live interviews with players, coaches, and local soccer writers reviewing the week in Timbers soccer. The show will also have exclusive player profiles and the latest game analysis from Timbers insiders. It’s the only television show dedicated entirely to the Timbers, and airs live every Sunday at 6 p.m. on KPTV FOX 12.
TALK TIMBERS Join Timbers broadcaster John Strong every Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Talk Timbers on 750 AM The Game. The official radio show of the Portland Timbers, Talk Timbers is your weekly home for everything Timbers and soccer on the airwaves. Featuring guest appearances by players, coaches and national media, as well as fan phone calls, it's the perfect destination for your dial to talk Timbers.