NOTE: FIRST PHRASE OF THE HEADER IS INACCURATE -- IN MY HASTE I CONFUSED JOHN BAIN & BRIAN GANT, WHO IS SINC'S UNCLE; I SHALL WEAR MY SHAME LIKE AN ALBATROSS. BUT THE REST IS STILL TRUE.

Christine Sinclair is and always will be the greatest team sport athlete ever connected to the state of Oregon. The Babe Ruth AND Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of women's soccer. Two NCAA championships at the University of Portland, FIVE professional championships (3 of them here), an Olympic gold medal, 190 goals as a senior international (the most by ANY woman OR man ever), 542 goals combined as a collegiate, international and pro player (in 727 matches!), and a shining, humble, affable ambassador for the game, her nation, her team, and her town. I have had the privilege of watching her play since she was a college freshman (her roots in Portland soccer literally go back to her infancy), and I cannot thank her enough for the skill, the grit, the poise, and the example she has embodied -- or for all the thrills she's given us. Brava, captain! Fare thee very, very well!

In 2017, she was awarded the Order of Canada, the nation's second-highest honor, alongside some guy who used to make funny movies:

https://imgur.com/a/KhahtVx

Anybody know when/if they’ll do a restock on the community jersey on the ptfcauthentics website?

My back's been aching all week thinking about taking a knee to the spine.

Watched stuff, reviewed some data; this is my scouting report:

1) The Basics
Record/Stats: 13-9-7, 46 pts., 49 gf, 40 ga (+9), home 6-4-3, away 7-5-4, 7^(th) West, 10^(th) overall
Last 10:           WTWWLWTWTL
Venue:             AAAHHAHHAA (to be clear, H=home, A=away; I'm not laughing)
Remaining Games: v POR, v SEA, v MIN, v LAFC, @ RSL

The ‘Caps 46 points gets them 7^(th) place – i.e., two points and one place above the Timbers. Overall, and as supported by their record and numbers, I don’t see Vancouver as a great team. Possibly related, they have a thing about recruiting from Scotland. That said, it doesn’t take a great team to beat Portland on the road. Time to assess the challenge:

2) The Press & Its Discontents
While Vancouver doesn’t run the old-school press where every action, whether offensive or defensive, pushes forward, they do defend high, hunt the ball when it suits them, and generally look to win the ball in advantageous positions. And, based purely on recollection, the Timbers tend to sputter against teams that defend on the front foot – e.g., St. Louis, Vancouver, LAFC (this season, at least) – than they do against the team that look (or try) to stay organized – e.g., Colorado, RSL, the Galaxy(?). To the ‘Caps specifically, their defensive approach has the effect of keeping their games close, tough, and otherwise tight. I realized neither Dallas nor San Jose are attacking powerhouses, but Vancouver limited both teams to a handful of total shots; more impressively, they carried a fair chunk of their game at Houston. Basically, I’ll be surprised (but happy!) to see the Timbers run up the score at Vancouver. This is definitely an occasion for making the shots count – something the 2024 version of the Timbers is pretty damn good at.

3) Shake It Up, Keep Rolling the Same Number
Vanni Sartini scrambles his starting XI often, and perhaps situationally. Injury forces his hand here and there – e.g., I’m sure he’d start Ryan Gauld and Brian White every game he could, probably Andres Cubas too – but more than a few of his changes present as vibe-y adjustments he’s making based on opposition. I’d call Ranko Veselinovic (CB) and Yohei Takaoka (GK) the only real mainstays, but it feels like picking from a list from there – e.g., Alessandro Schopf (fires from range a lot, not always well), Sebastian Berhalter (a decent No. 8), Pedro Vite (a better No. 8), Tristan Blackmon (outside 3 in Sartini’s lately-preferred 3-man backline) – but you could just as easily see Ryan Raposo, Mathias Laborda, or Bjorn Utvik. Outside a player like, say, Ryan Gauld, I’m not going to get too excited if I don’t see this or that player start: when it comes to the ‘Caps this season, the parts seem to matter less than the whole – or, rather, the parts mainly serve the whole. And yet…

4) Three Players I’d Watch (Ryan Gauld, excluded; good, not great, but still key to their usual)
A) Stuart Armstrong
He’s fairly new, Scottish (see?), and 32 years old/experienced, he combined to score a smart, l’il goal with Gauld against San Jose. I don’t see the second coming in Armstrong or anything, but Sartini’s goosing up his minutes with each passing week, and he’s new, which means Phil, et al, don’t have a lot of tape on him.
B) Fafa Picault
Tricky AF on the ball, he has a great motor, a first step that can beat a defender, enough pace to be dangerous and even more veteran savvy. Picault has provided a sharp foil for Gauld (when he’s around), if only as an ever-present option, but he’s also having one of those career seasons he has in three-year cycles.
C) Brian White
The big question is how much time he sees, or whether he sees time at all, because White has missed more than his share this season. He provides a North Star for the ‘Caps attack, he’s tough to defend and, even with all that time off, he’s Vancouver’s leading scorer with 14 goals.

5) The Taste of the Home Cooking
Finally, Vancouver doesn’t boast a league-elite home record. Moreover, they haven’t won a real one since early June when they clipped the Rapids 2-1. All their late home success since then has come against teams that have already missed the 2024 post-season (Sporting KC, a historically horrific San Jose team) or teams with a terminal diagnosis staved off solely by math (St. Louis CITY FC, also just barely). Any time a competent team comes calling, even somewhat recently – e.g., Houston (a 3-4 loss in mid-July) and…Dallas (a goal-less draw a few weeks ago; Dallas has improved of late) – sees the ‘Caps drop two to three points. 

Bottom line, Portland just has to be a competent team…that managed a smart press well. Easy-peasy, hopefully.

I just pulled the trigger on a ticket for this weekend's game in Vancouver. Does anyone know when/where Timbers fans are getting a pregame beer?

The Axe & Rose community space will officially be opening on October 5th for the Thorns vs Royals match and will be open for the Timbers' home closer against Dallas on October 6th. There are 5 screens, 6 taps, and plenty of seating.

Because it's licensed as a private club with OLCC only 107IST members are allowed in the event space, so if you're not a member and want to attend, you can sign up here

Hi Timbers fans!

I am on the board for OPI and we are having a watch party/fundraiser for Clark County futsal projects this Saturday - 7pm - at Victor 23. We will be selling some super limited edition OPI/TANA patches at the event. We also have an online auction going - need not be present to win - that includes an autographed Pele jersey, Asprilla signed scarf and team autographed scarf and ball.

https://app.galabid.com/tanaopi/items?fbclid=IwY2xjawFMHL9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUw5sqrpTXnbuuhy6f9r-mxn3px9B-DqauLwAdsNget9ngDkgQx1liiJlw_aem_ILmVkWMztw3294Podq4vrg

So far we have built 4 blacktop futsal courts in Clark County and I am aiming for 15 blacktop courts. In my mind futsal is the best way to improve youth players while also being very low barrier.

Thank you for your support!

https://preview.redd.it/y0gqfauct6rd1.jpg?width=3023&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e88791a25bf1c3489fc2dcf5d105934b76073a79

https://preview.redd.it/knx4kie7t6rd1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb3329ad3cd2be78d8837ec0fcd176ffa507c7ae

https://preview.redd.it/28juyhops6rd1.jpg?width=3563&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=614e046c3077d7736716884130bc89b5711cc4b2

Patch Patrol is losing their minds over this…

I was gifted concert tickets to this concert. My brother, his GF and I started chanting "PTFC" from 206. For those who see this and joined in WE SALUTE YOU!

Attended the match... and every fan and steward at the grounds were really welcoming. It's my 3rd trip there and have yet to have a bad experience. I could use a whole lot less of their stadium PA, but the rest of the visit was great.

My wife and I were hoping to go to Seattle on the 19th and sit in the visitors section. I've had someone say that the best way to do that is join the 107 Timbers Army, but another friend told me that if you just show up in Timbers gear, the staff will direct you there. We're not interested in taking the bus, we just want to see the game from the visitors section.

Anyone have advice?

I just watched the latest Timbers YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukM3XGB38Uc&t=11s&ab\_channel=PortlandTimbers) and realized how much I'd love for the PTFC video production team to do a story about how the team translates from English to Spanish. Who are the interpreters? Do they translate in real time, so everyone understands the speeches in the moment? Or is it done after the fact? A story about the whole interpreter team and their process would be extremely welcome.

(Heck, you could do a second video about team-sponsored ESL classes. That would be interesting, too.)

Anyone have an update on how close the boys are securing a playoff or wild card spot? Would a win against Vancouver lock up a WC?

The Overlap U.S.

Went to the Real Madrid v Deportivo Alaves game tonight in Madrid and was quite surprised when Tomas was announced in the starting lineup for Alaves. He went the full 90 and was pretty effective. It was a fun “where are they now?” moment. Cool to see an ex-Timber go up against one of the best teams in the world.

This isn’t a thing!

This is the live form of these two clubs apparently....