The road was not very kind for the Portland Timbers. After defeating Columbus Crew away from the friendly confines of Providence Park in the Rose City to claim the 2015 MLS Cup, one might have expected the Timbers to become road warriors (sans the leather jackets and Mel Gibson-like attitude).
But that was not in the cards for Caleb Porter’s side. Their winless record away from Portland underscored the difficulties the club encountered in 2016 in their defense of their MLS Cup. In particular to hold a lead hindered their chances at getting points on the road. The numbers don’t lie: in seven of their sixteen road matches last season the Timbers held a lead at one point or another during the game.
Still not everything was doom and gloom for the Timbers on the road. On the pitch, the club showed a dogged persistence at never giving the home side an easy match (something that cannot be said for every MLS side). In the stands their supporters traveled from far and wide to see their favorite side. Speaking as someone who covers D.C. United, not exactly around the corner from Oregon, it was refreshing to see so many red and green jerseys make the trip to RFK Stadium in August.
So please enjoy some of our photos from the Portland Timbers travels on the road in 2016 courtesy of Corbin Elliott, Graham Green, Kari Heistad, John and Hazel May, Denise McCooey, and Lyndsay Radnedge.
