PTFC - Go Timbers!

The Portland Timbers is the newest sporting franchise to come to Portland.  Last year tickets were snatched up so quickly so you had to win or go with a group.  So this year, pre-season game (or match? maybe a soccer aficionado can clarify this for me) tickets were available through a fundraiser to support the PCC nursing program.  I quickly jumped on the opportunity and requested tickets without even asking anyone.   Prior to the game I went out and bought a Timbers t-shirt to show support.

When setting up the self timer I must remember that I'm taller than Karen unless she is wearing heels.

As it turns out my friend Karen was the only other person who could go to the game.  We met up with our friend, John at Blue Moon and then headed to Jeld-Wen field.

At Blue Moon

So we arrive and find our seats.  I see another co-worker from student services, but other than that we do not know anyone.  The players are warming up and then they take what looks like a fire hose and begin watering the field.  It had snowed the day before and it is freezing.  I can only imagine what sliding on the wet turf in freezing weather might feel like.  The water is used to level everything out.

From our seats the view.

As the game begins, besides hearing my teeth chattering and I am realizing that we are in the "quiet" section.  At the far end from where we are sitting are fans waving flags and chanting.  I was informed by Rich (who is probably the soccer aficionado that I'm talking about) that this is the Timber Army.
The chanting is constant.  It happens the whole game!  We decided to move closer to the "fun" section.  All the moving and chanting in this section made me feel like it was physically warmer.  My reasoning for this was the Army was throwing off body heat and my teeth stopped chattering. 

It's blurry but the Timber Army is like none other.

The other thing I see is every fan has a scarf.  Hmmm smart thinking since it was so cold.  Why didn't I think of that!  At the break we decided to buy coffee.  I have decided if I attend another game, I will have to invest in at the very least a scarf.  In fact, Timber fans use their scarf and add sound effects to the Star Spangled Banner.  Something I have not seen or experienced at any other sporting event.

No Timbers wear you can see - another reason to get a scarf!

So this is what I know about soccer:

• Before Lacrosse came along this was the number one sport I lost athletes to 
• The field is not grass but turf
• The players comprise of a goalie, defenders, mid-fielders and forwards 
• There is a lot of hitting the ball with one's head
• The two halves - each 45 minutes long.  If they go in overtime it is for 2 minutes.
• It seems to be in some organizational sense in my mind a similarity to hockey (but not)
• PTFC stands for Portland Timbers Football Club (I did figure out what they were chanting some of the time)

Ok so as you can see I need to either get a Soccer tutor to catch me up to speed or find the book Soccer for Dummies.  Another thing that happens at the game is there is a lumberjack who roams through the stands with his chainsaw and occasionally starts it up to get the crowd going.  After a player scores, he cuts a slab off the log. 

Timbers score!

If you look at the picture above you see a guy in a pink sweater.  At first from far away I thought he was a crazy fan without a shirt on in freezing temperatures.  Who wears a pink sweater to a soccer game?  Oh wait we are in Portland....where we keep it weird or put a bird on it!

I definitely would go back to another game.  I had a great time.  That reminds me, I've completed another thing off the list of 39 experiences.