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Being a long-time MLS believer, and having grown up going to games in the world’s best-attended league, the German Bundesliga, I spent two weeks this summer traveling Northern California and the Pacific Northwest in search of the growing North American soccer culture. Here’s my second set of random observations–from Providence Park in Portland, where I attended the hometown Timbers’ 3-0 win over visiting Sporting Kansas City back on August 7.
Former Player Sighting: Non-Sentimental Edition
Usually this category is about how being behind the scenes at a game and seeing former players walk by in suits and ties makes me sentimental for past MLS seasons. This one’s a bit different though. The only qualifying guy I saw in Portland is ex-U.S. international Taylor Twellman (see snapshot with ESPN colleague Ian Darke below), and what struck me is how his transition from the field to the booth has been so smooth that my first thought is always “the on-air talent” first and “the former player” second. That’s really rare, so tip of the cap to ‘ya, Taylor!
Goosebumps, Anyone?
Regardless of where you stand on the issue of patriotism and national anthems these days, if you don’t feel anything while watching the below video, you may want to check whether you have a pulse.
Are We There Yet? Darn Close!
In the first edition of this column about San Jose’s Avaya Stadium, I pointed to fans’ lack of interest in the warm-ups as a major difference from what one would see at German Bundesliga games and as a sign that many folks were still in the process of building a connection with the sport and the Quakes. My theory was that, given the Timbers’ long history at their current venue, their fans would exhibit more Germany-like behavior, and I wasn’t far off at all. While the more mellow crowd trickled in closer to kickoff, just as I had witnessed in San Jose, the vast majority of folks in the supporters section at the north end of the stadium were in their seats and making their presence heard from the moment the squads first entered the pitch. The best thing about it was the impressive size of Portland’s supporters group, the Timbers Army, whose visuals and acoustics rivaled what one would expect at home games of a smaller to midsize Bundesliga club, such as the love of my teenage years, local blue-collar outfit VfL Bochum. While VfL has never been one of the giants of German soccer–on the field or in terms of support–the club is taken very seriously around town and the atmosphere at its intimate Vonovia-Ruhrstadion makes home games feel intense and important. For an MLS franchise to replicate that is pretty cool.
FC St. Portland
In moving on to another theme referenced in the Quakes column, I feel inclined to say a few words about Portland fans’ overall disposition and openness toward diversity. It has been my hypothesis that in North America we are witnessing the rise of a supporters culture similar to what we know from the world’s soccer-crazy countries but largely without ugly elements such as physical or verbal abuse, homophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry. If the observation is accurate, Portland is no doubt a leading driver of this trend, with virtually everyone I encountered in and around the venue appearing strikingly friendly and inclusive.
In keeping with this, my observations included the large number of girls and women in the stands, several of the familiar LGBTQ-supportive rainbow flags, and many in attendance holding sunflowers, which are known to symbolize adoration, loyalty, longevity and positivity, among other things. With flowers in general also evoking associations of peace movements and the hippie subculture, the yellow specimens at Providence Park took center stage during the supporters section’s rendition of You Are My Sunshine (see video below). The song and the use of sunflowers is to pay homage to Timber Jim Serrill’s daughter, who died in a tragic car accident in 2004.
It was hardly surprising then that I faced no negative reactions whatsoever to either my “VEGAN4PEACE” shirt (in fact, one very supportive reaction) or my LA hat (despite most Timbers fans surely not being crazy about the Galaxy). Given all this, I couldn’t help but be reminded of oft-profiled German club FC St. Pauli with its left-leaning, anti-racist, anti-fascist and anti-homophobic supporters culture. If you’re not familiar with “Pauli,” it’s definitely worth reading up on. One pretty good profile can be found here. Conclusion: two thumbs up to the Timbers Army and the entire PTFC fan community for having created something truly special.
Related Observations
On a related note, I chatted with a couple of police officers before the game who reported that physical fights were extremely rare at Timbers games, even with traveling fans of Cascadia rivals Seattle or Vancouver in town. Curious to find out more, I struck up a conversation with a few folks in the section assigned to a sizable group attending in support of visiting SKC. Those to whom I spoke confirmed that relations between the rivaling fan groups were entirely peaceful, and as if to illustrate the point, three Timbers guys–among them Zippy Etzel of the Portland-centric Soccer Touchdown podcast–strolled into the opposition section and joined my pow-wow with a friendly gentleman dressed in Sporting gear (see snapshot below). I shared with the quartet my theory that genuine hostility was uncommon in North American soccer circles because as folks following a sport that is still somewhat fringe, we all bond over our shared minority status and interest in becoming more accepted. My conversation partners emphatically agreed with this and the idea that due to obvious parallels, soccer stadiums are natural safe havens for (formerly) marginalized social groups who are themselves in the process of fighting for acceptance, such as LGBTQ folks. It will take some traveling to more MLS venues to determine whether the hypothesis holds true in general.
More Testosterone? Nah, thanks.
After my earlier comparison between the Timbers and one of the two teams for whom I rooted growing up, VfL Bochum (the other being Borussia Dortmund), I will say that Bochum probably bags a narrow win over PTFC in the head-to-head for more intimidating atmosphere. Here’s the thing about that though. The reason the German club’s supporters section sounds a tiny bit meaner is that it tends to be mostly filled with testosterone-driven men who take the sport too seriously and who, thanks in part to their alcohol consumption, can’t always be trusted not to cross the fine line between passionate soccer fandom and genuine hostility toward opposition fans. If given a choice between the two options, I’d take a more peaceful and inclusive crowd over a slightly more intimidating one any day. In fact, is it possible that by putting the atmosphere in European stadiums on a pedestal, we may be glorifying something that is really bitter-sweet?
Bravo, KC faithful! Bravo, Sporting!
Having mentioned Sporting KC’s traveling faithful, I would be remiss not to applaud the significant size of their group as well as how vocal they were before, during and after the game. For proof, refer to the below videos documenting one of their chants and their reaction to an opposition ejection, respectively. As one supporter with whom I chatted prior to kickoff revealed, the club helps its fans cover expenses by purchasing and supplying tickets to away matches free of charge, which deserves a ton of praise. Away fans help make games feel more relevant, giving many international top caliber leagues like the Bundesliga an unfair advantage in the form of their teams’ relative proximity to one another. If most MLS franchises aren’t already providing tickets to those willing to travel, it is my assertion that those who are not are engaging in borderline criminal behavior. Let’s make sure this happens in every topflight city in North America.
No Fear of the Angry Bird
Remember when MLS teams used to play in massive football stadiums that made even a crowd of 20 thousand look like a tourist group taking a tour on a non-game-day? One of the most common and most transparent ways of hiding empty seats in those days was filming a handful of fans from way below their waistline and avoiding shots of the stands from above. As a matter of fact, you still at times see this technique employed today, say during midweek games at a one-third filled Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. What a treat it is then knowing no one needs to fear the use of the the bird eye’s view at Portland’s Providence Park, given just how packed the place is for all Timbers FC games. In my effort to gather proof, I was lucky to be aided by an elaborate system of walkways leading to the press box and “floating” above the crowd. Check out my collage of photos below.
Timberstamina
I was very impressed with the stamina displayed by a bunch of different parties, perhaps most so by mascot Timber Joey, who, in addition to sawing off a log slab after each Portland tally, found the time and energy to walk around and pose for photos with at least a couple million PTFC fans. A close second were the home team cheerleaders, who never seemed to take a break as they successfully worked to keep folks in the supporters section standing and cheering throughout the 90 minutes. Kudos to everyone for the hard work! Photos and videos below.
The Psychology of a Quarter Inch
Whenever I’ve seen players try to cheat on set pieces by placing the ball where it no longer made contact with the line/spot, I’ve wondered whether a quarter inch closer to the goal could really make that much of a difference. Can I just say that the parallel behavior of coaches cheating about staying inside their coaching zone (see Portland’s Caleb Porter below) is fairly amusing to me, and that I really don’t see the upside on to that one? That’s it. Just a random thought.
All Hands on Deck
One element illustrating how deeply embedded PTFC is in the community is the fact even the ushers wore team gear, had one eye on the game at all times, and burst into cheers whenever their beloved Timbers scored. As evidence of the “one-big-family feel” at Providence Park, the below photo shows one of the ushers (left) enjoying the company of a fan who had stopped by for a hug and chat.
Disaster Averted
Having attended a 0-0 draw between San Jose and NYCFC two days prior, I thought I was in for my second straight scoreless match and mouthed a silent “Thank you” to the Timbers’ Diego Valeri, Jack Jewsbury and Fanendo Adi after their tallies within the final half hour. As is evidenced by the below video, taken after Adi’s stoppage-time strike, the home fans shared my relief.
Will Ferrell Signing Nagbe and Harrington to LAFC?
Walking around behind the scenes after the game, I was shocked to find Darlington Nagbe and Michael Harrington hanging out with Will Ferrell in one of the the Timbers’ suites. Given Ferrell is a part-owner of LAFC, might we see these two MLS veterans plying their trade in SoCal next year?
That’s all for now, folks. Stay tuned for my report from Vancouver.
Gunnar Berndt is a long-time soccer writer and the former Director of Communications with USL side L.A. Blues (now O.C. Blues FC), PASL side Anaheim Bolts and NWSL side Chicago Red Stars. Click here to follow Gunnar on Twitter!
