Spencer stands out with Timbers

JOHN SPENCER SAID:

On why Portland was the right spot for his first head coaching job:

“I made some phone calls to people I know in the league, and not one of them had a bad thing to say about the place. They all told me, ‘John, this is going to be a tremendous job. The fans, the atmosphere (in Portland) is electric. It’s as close to England as you’re going to see in America.’”

On the kind of players he will look for:

“If you look at the modern game, talent and technique are not enough anymore. You have to be a very good athlete, so you can get around the field and you’re mobile. You can close a ball down when you give it away. That’s the type of player that we’ll be looking for.

“Our standards aren’t going to be any different from the Chelseas, the Man Uniteds. We’re going to be looking for that kind of player. To find them and to try to play them the money that they’re looking for is a lot harder to do. But we want players that are hungry, full of fire. Players that want to come to practice and play hard every single day.

“I was a foreign player in this league, and I felt that there was an obligation when I was the highest paid player at Colorado to come out on that training field every day. I might not play well every day. But I tell you what, I was the hardest working player on the field every day. And that’s the mentality I want my players to have.”

PORTLAND — John Spencer opened with a joke about his short stature.

But when owner Merritt Paulson and technical director Gavin Wilkinson talked Wednesday about the first head coach for the Major League Soccer Portland Timbers, they said the 5-foot-6 Spencer stood out during an almost year-long search.

They talked about Spencer’s preference for an attacking, entertaining style of soccer, and about his belief in hard work on the field and off.

“We had a lot of conviction about him after we talked to him, but it was a very extensive search,” Paulson said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he is the right choice.”

This is the first head coaching job for Spencer, 39. He was introduced to the media and Timbers fans during a press conference held at the Adidas North American headquarters in north Portland.

Spencer comes to Portland after serving four-plus seasons as an assistant coach under Dominic Kinnear with the Houston Dynamos. As a forward, his 18-year professional playing career included five seasons with Chelsea in England’s top league and concluded with the Colorado Rapids, where he was a two-time MLS all-star.

Wilkinson described Spencer as a hard worker who didn’t take short cuts as a player or a coach. He is a good fit for the blue collar image the Timbers are promoting as they prepare to jump into Major League Soccer, Wilkinson said.

“Over the last four or five years, the best teams haven’t always won the MLS Cup,” Spencer noted, pointing to 2009 champion Real Salt Lake as a good example. “The hardest working, best organized teams have won the MLS Cup.”

The Timbers have nine games remaining this season, their last in North America’s second-level professional league. Wilkinson will continue as the head coach through this season, and he and Paulson both said their focus is winning a championship before making the leap to MLS.

Spencer, who saw a match at PGE Park for the first time on Wednesday, said he will watch most Timbers training sessions and games the rest of this season with an eye toward building his 2011 roster.

Figure that roster to be heavy on young players with high-end potential, rather than established name players.

“Our philosophy doesn’t need to be the same as Red Bulls or the L.A. Galaxy,” Spencer said, referring to the New York and Los Angeles franchises that have made a splash with international stars. “We may have a different outlook to what type of young player we bring in.”

The MLS currently allows its teams to sign two players beyond the salary cap. Paulson said the Timbers will spend the money for a designated player, but only if it’s the right fit.

“It’s not a resources issue,” Paulson said. “But we’re not going to do it for the sake of doing it. This city is a sophisticated soccer market, and we’re less focused on a marketing vehicle than we are in someone who’s going to come in here and help win games for us.”

That seems to fit Spencer’s plan.

“I come from a background where I feel that soccer is a business as well as a sport,” Spencer said. “If we’re looking for a designated player I think we should be looking for someone who’s young enough that if he does well there’s a possibility of selling him on, so that you can reinvest in your club.”

On Wednesday, the Timbers introduced their first significant personnel investment. Spencer said he was thrilled to have the opportunity.

“I think there’s a few hundred people around the world who would like to be standing in my position as head coach of the Portland Timbers,” Spencer said.

Timbers tie Minnesota, 2-2

The Portland Timbers missed an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and NSC Minnesota Stars on Wednesday, relinquishing a late lead and settling for a 2-2 draw before a crowd of more than 15,000 at PGE Park.

The teams remain tied for third place in their conference of the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 Pro League. Portland (7-7-7) has played two fewer games than Minnesota (7-9-7), but only three of the Timbers’ nine remaining games are at home.

Bright Dike (Dee-Kay) scored a quality goal late in the first half for Portland, tying the score 1-1 at halftime. When Ryan Pore drew a penalty kick and converted, the Timbers had a 2-1 lead with a half hour left in the match.

But moments later Timbers captain Ian Joy was sent off for a foul in midfield. And Minnesota equalized on a Simone Bracalello header from a corner kick in the 73rd minute.

“The good news is, we got a point (in the standings) with 10 men,” Timbers coach Gavin Wilkinson said.

The Timbers play at AC St. Louis on Saturday. Their home schedule closes with three games between Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.

“We’re disappointed,” said Pore, who had an assist on Dike’s goal in the 44th minute. “We’re in dire need of three points (for a win) at St. Louis.”

Ely Allen gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Portland played a strong first half, and a strong play by Dike earned the Timbers a halftime tie.

He touched the ball with his head, then his chest, before slamming home a strong left-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box.