Portland Timbers History
The Portland Timbers joined MLS in 2009 and wasted little time in their mission to prove that The City of Roses was a proud soccer city. Under head coach Caleb Porter and Newcomer of the Year recipient Diego Valeri, the Timbers clinched the top spot in the Western Conference in 2013, earning their first-ever playoff berth. By 2015, the squad had notched their first MLS Cup victory over the Columbus Crew. Valeri would continue to play for the club until his retirement in 2022 after cementing himself as one of the biggest stars of MLS and earning the league's Most Valuable Player in 2017.
Led by head coach Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers topped the Western Conference for a second time in 2017 and followed the next year with a spot in the MLS Cup Final match against Atlanta United. The Timbers were ultimately defeated, but the match managed to set a then-record for league attendance with 73,019 fans checking in at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Portland won the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament and made another run to the MLS Cup Finals in 2021, but fell to New York FC on the Timbers’ home pitch at Providence Park.??
Portland Timbers Team Info
Conference: Western
Team Colors: Ponderosa Green, Moss Green
Team Rivals: Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy
Portland Timbers at Providence Park
Built on one of the most historic grounds in American professional sports, Providence Park is located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland and is the oldest configured, soccer-specific stadium in the MLS, dating back in some form to 1893. The 25,218-seat facility has since undergone several renovations, in 2001 and 2019.?
Providence Park currently hosts the Portland Timbers as well as the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. The pitch has also presided over matches for the MLS Cup, MLS All-Star Game, and two Women’s World Cups.