Arena football returns to the Portland-Vancouver area today.
The Portland Thunder will play their first game in franchise history against the San Jose Sabercats at 7 p.m. at the Moda Center.
The Arena Football League was last in Portland in 1999, when the Forest Dragons finished the final of three seasons in the Rose City.
The Thunder are a young team with eight players who played college football in Oregon or Washington. Chief among them is quarterback Darron Thomas, who led Oregon to victory in the 2012 Rose Bowl.
San Jose finished last season 13-5, losing in the National Conference semifinals to eventual champion Arizona.
