Timbers play final PGE Park contest tonight
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The unbeaten streaks take backseat billing today when the Portland Timbers and Puerto Rico Islanders meet at PGE Park.
That’s because this is the last time the second-division version of the Timbers will play at this version of the downtown Portland Stadium.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. (radio on KXL, 750 AM) as two of the hottest teams in the U.S. Soccer Federation Division 2 Pro League meet. Because of construction scheduled to upgrade the stadium for the arrival next spring of Major League Soccer, this is the last match in 2010 to be played at the ancient venue.
Portland enters today’s contest on a five-match unbeaten streak (3-0-2). The Timbers are in third place in the USL Conference and sit in fourth place overall in the USSF D-2 Pro League. The top eight clubs in the league — regardless of conference alignment — advance to the postseason, with the two conference leaders occupying the top two seeds.
Any playoff home matches for the Timbers will be played at sites to be determined, with the University of Portland’s Merlo Field and Hillsboro Stadium possible sites.
On a nine-game unbeaten streak, the Islanders sit fourth in the USL Conference and sixth in the overall league standings. Puerto Rico’s current unbeaten run includes wins over the top two teams in the league, Austin and Rochester. The Islanders also knocked the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS out of the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Islanders’ last loss was July 11 to Carolina.
The Timbers will be without defender Mamadou Danso, who was called up by the Gambia national team for an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match Saturday. Also, Timbers forward Mandjou Keita will finish the season in India.
The Timbers are promoting this match as fan appreciation night. The first 2,000 fans receive a Timbers MLS pennant. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will be entered in a raffle for a variety of prizes.
Also, through a silent auction, fans can take home their favorite player’s game-worn jersey, with proceeds benefiting the Portland Timbers Community Fund.
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