August 31, 2010 – U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2) Portland Timbers
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers look to continue their five-game unbeaten streak as they play host to the Puerto Rico Islanders on Fan Appreciation Night Thursday in their regular-season home finale at PGE Park; kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Timbers’ final Miller Lite Thursday of the 2010 season are $12 in advance and are available for purchase through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
Thursday’s match marks Timbers final regular-season home game at PGE Park as a member of the USSF Division-2 Pro League. The Timbers are joining Major League Soccer and will play their inaugural season in North America’s top flight in a newly remodeled PGE Park in 2011.
Fan Appreciation Night features a host of events. The first 2,000 fans receive a Timbers MLS pennant, while the first 6,000 fans in attendance receive a raffle ticket and will be entered to win a variety of premium prizes, merchandise or autographed memorabilia during the evening.
Additionally, the Timbers will play host to their annual Jersey-Off-Our-Back auction. Through a special silent auction, fans can take home their favorite player’s game-worn jersey, with proceeds benefiting the Portland Timbers Community Fund. Those with a winning bid will be presented their jersey directly from the player on the field following the match.
Portland enters Thursday’s match 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 table. 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.
The Timbers and Islanders (8-7-8, 32pts) square off for the first time this season and in the first of two matchups over the final month of the regular season. Portland is 6-4-3 against Puerto Rico since the Islanders joined the league in 2005, including a 5-1-1 mark at PGE Park. Last season, the Timbers were 2-0-1 against the Islanders, which included a scoreless draw in their only meeting at PGE Park on July 23, 2009.
For Thursday, the Timbers will be without defender Mamadou Danso, who has called up by the Gambia National Team earlier this week for an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match Saturday in The Gambia. Additionally, the Timbers and forward Mandjou Keita have come to a mutual agreement for the player to return to India to finish the season.
The match against Puerto Rico will be broadcast live on Newsradio 750 KXL, with a Spanish-language broadcast on 910AM+1390AM ESPN Deportes. A live video webcast will be available online at www.portlandtimbers.com/live.
Portland plays its final four regular-season matches on the road. The USSF D-2 Pro League playoffs begin in early October.
ABOUT PUERTO RICO ISLANDERS
On a nine-game unbeaten streak, the Islanders visit PGE Park this week, where it has a 1-5-1 record since 2005. Puerto Rico ranks fourth in the USL Conference and sixth in the overall league standings. The Islanders’ current unbeaten run includes wins over the top two teams in the league – the Austin Aztex and Rochester Rhinos. In its last match, Puerto Rico defeated the Carolina RailHawks 3-2 on Aug. 28; forward Nick Addlery recorded a goal and an assist in that match. The Islanders’ last loss was July 11 to Carolina.
====
