The Portland Timbers play their first home match on Thursday as a Major League Soccer team. To mark the occasion, what follows is a synopsis of who these Timbers are and how they arrived at this occasion.
Timbers Timeline — North American Soccer League, 1975-82; Western Soccer League, 1989-90; United Soccer Leagues (second division pro soccer) 2001-2010. MLS expansion franchise awarded to Merritt Paulson on March 20, 2009.
About MLS — Formed in 1996 with 10 teams, it is the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It has 18 clubs in 2011. Each plays 34 regular-season matches between March and October, with the top 10 qualifying for the playoffs.
Season update — Timbers have a tie and two losses in their first three league matches, played at Colorado, at Toronto and at New England.
2011 Timbers:
Owner and president — Merritt Paulson. Bought Timbers to get the Portland Beavers baseball team and ended up a soccer guy.
General manager — Gavin Wilkinson. New Zealander came to Timbers in 2001 as hard-nosed defender for the second-division club. Was the Timbers head coach and GM from 2007-10.
Head coach — John Spencer, starred as a forward in Colorado, England and Scotland. First head coaching job.
Assistant coaches — Trevor James, Amos McGee, Adam Smith (goalkeepers).
Forwards
No. 33, Kenny Cooper: Age 26, 6-3, 210, seventh pro season (Dallas). The team’s highest-profile signing to date, Cooper scored 40 goals in 90 games playing for Dallas between 2006-09.
No. 9, Bright Dike (Dee-Kay): 24, 6-1 220 (Edmond, Okla.). Promising forward injured his Achilles in preseason and is out for the season.
No. 10, Eddie Johnson: 26, 5-11 185, 10th pro season (Chester, England). Product of the Manchester United youth development academy and England under-17 and under-20 national teams. Last season finished second in scoring in the U.S. second division with Austin.
No. 15, Jorge Perlaza: 26, 5-10 155, 11th pro season (Guapi, Colombia). Speedy forward with deceptive shot. A prospective impact player once he gets comfortable living in Portland.
No. 26, Brian Umony: 22, 5-8, 155, fifth pro season (Kampala, Uganda). Like Perlaza, possesses speed and a unique shot that earned him a roster slot.
Midfielders
No. 11, Kalif Alhassan: 20, 5-10 160, fourth pro season (Accra, Ghana). Discovered by Gavin Wilkinson last summer, Alhassan’s creative play has already earned him significant playing time.
No. 28, Freddie Braun: 22, 5-10 160, rookie (Rochester Hills, Mich.). Member of Timbers Under-23 national champions in 2010. Can play defense or midfield.
No. 17, Jeremy Hall: 22, 5-11 165, third pro season (Tampa, Fla.). Starter in midfield in the first three matches. Played 37 matches with New York Red Bulls in first two season.
No. 13, Jack Jewsbury: 29, 6-0 185, ninth pro season (Springfield, Mo.). Team captain acquired last month from Kansas City to provide veteran prsence in midfield.
No.8, Peter Lowry: 25, 5-11 165, fourth pro season (Fair Oaks, Calif.). Played 24 games with Chicago over last two seasons, scoring four goals.
No. 14, James Marcelin: 24, 6-2 175, fourth pro season (St. Marc, Haiti). A member of Haiti’s national team, played for the Timbers in the second division last season.
No. 16, Adam Moffat: 24, 6-0 175, seventh pro season (Glasgow, Scotland). Scored five goals over three seasons with Columbus Crew, where he started 23 matches in 2010.
No. 6, Darlington Nagbe: 20, 5-9, 165, rookie (Lakewood, Ohio). Was college soccer’s national player of the year in the fall, helping Akron win the national title. One of the Timbers under the spotlight.
No. 23, Ryan Pore: 27, 5-11 165, seventh pro season (Mansfield, Ohio). Played in 57 MLS matches over four seasons with Kansas City before joining the Timbers, where he scored 25 goals over two second-division seasons.
No. 7, Sal Zizzo: 24, 5-10 165, fifth pro season (San Diego). Attacking midfielder brings speed to the flank. Started his pro career in the top German league, before coming to MLS and joining Chivas USA last July.
Defenders
No. 5, Eric Brunner: 25, 6-4 170, fourth pro season (Dublin, Ohio). Appeared in 39 matches over two seasons with Columbus. Centerback has emerged as a Timbers’ team leader.
No. 98, Mamadou “Futty” Danso: 27, 6-3 185, third pro season (Serekunda, The Gambia). Member of The Gambia national team. Was a stalwart on defense for the Division 2 Timbers past two seasons.
No. 2, Kevin Goldthwaite: 28, 6-1 180, seventh pro season (Sacramento). Played 87 MLS matches over five seasons. Started for the 2008 New York MLS Cup finalists.
No. 12, David Horst: 25, 6-4 210, fourth pro season (Pine Grove, Pa.). While on loan from Real Salt Lake, central defender played a key role in Puerto Rico’s run to the Division 2 championship last season.
No. 25, Steve Purdy: 26, 6-4 190, fourth pro season (Rockville, Md.). Played for the USA national teams at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. Showed back-line versatility last summer with Division 2 Timbers. The regular right back this season.
No. 27, Chris Taylor: 21, 6-1, 160, rookie. Timbers second pick in the 2011 SuperDraft was a four-time all-conference player at Tulsa.
No. 22, Rodney Wallace: 22, 5-10 160, third pro season (San Jose, Costa Rica). Acquired in a noteworthy trade with D.C. United for midfielder Dax McCarty, Wallace is expected to hold down the important left back job.
Goalkeepers
No. 24, Adin Brown: 32, 6-5 230, 12th pro season (Pleasant Hill, Calif.). Played five seasons in MLS before moving to Norway’s top league in 2005. Started the Timbers first two matches, but suffered injury against Toronto.
No. 20, Jake Gleeson: 20, 6-3 200, rookie (Wellington, New Zealand). Gleeson has been the talk of the town with his fearless play after injuries to Perkins and Brown forced him into action.
No. 1, Troy Perkins: 29, 6-1 190, ninth pro season (Worthington, Ohio). The MLS goalkeeper of the year in 2006 with D.C. United, Perkins is expected to be the Timbers main goalkeeper once fully recovered from a preseason knee injury.
