Portland Timbers vs DC United: the live experience

Fandom. That's the best way to describe a Portland Timbers match. The stadium, the people, the atmosphere is just amazing. Today we experienced the first Timbers game in MLS action versus a depleted, yet still consistent, DC United squad. The score was a negative 2-3 for a game that should have been a tie. But the experience is what really counts at this point in the club's early MLS career.

In terms of the game, I'd have to say that the second half was much better. DC United looked more lively in the first half and Perry Kitchen kicked off the scoring through a carefully choreographed corner (either by the DC offense or the Portland defense). Meanwhile, Portland struggled as Perlaza and Cooper lacked quality in their attempts and Jewsbury seemed absent. Can we blame this on the mid-week friendly versus storied Ajax Amsterdam? Hardly. I think the referee had more of an influence in this game.

Indeed, the second half was more entertaining, both goal-wise and on-field action. After a phantom offside call on Cooper's goal came a series of 4 penalties. Two missed, three by the Timbers and one by DCU. It was really just one PK for Portland that was repeated twice after Hamid stepped off his line (or DC players invaded the area?). We won't ever know for sure, I don't think. As for the PKs, Cooper hesitated twice and Hamid stopped it twice, regardless of whether it was legitimate. Jewsbury then stepped up the third time around and scored. A PK for DC a bit later returned the scoreline in favor of DC. Josh Wolff finished it off just 6 minutes before the end. Even though Perlaza scored again for Portland, it was too little too late.

The Portland Timbers now lie at a crossroads. They have lost their first game at home and what was usually a sure 3 points on home turf now means they must reacquire points away from the Columbia Gorge. For DC, however, things are starting to click. Add to this the fact that they will have nearly their entire team (injuries aside) to work with during the Gold Cup and the top echelon of the Eastern Conference looks more accessible.

Soccer aside for a moment. Cheers to the Timbers fans. The intimacy of the stadium and the incessant chants by the Timbers Army are enough to get most fans of the sport riled up. The stadium is as beautiful as it is historic and its lower capacity makes for a better experience both inside and outside. We were back on the road driving south into the Willamette Valley after just 15 minutes.

Dos a Cero: for the fans

What does it mean to win by the score of 2 to 0? Closure. Endpoint. Triumph. For years, the Concacaf was ruled by one country: Mexico. A soccer nation like few others in the planet. A place that breathes futbol and elevates it to glory. But, on a February night in 2001, all of this changed. The United States sent a clear statement. They won at home. They made their home. For once, the majority in the stands was painted red. The scoreline simply filled the voids.

Dos a Cero was a tribute to the fans. A golden ticket for those who waited to have their team reach the potential that so many knew existed. They say that every journey has a first step. This win in a World Cup qualifier was what Concacaf needed: a change in venue.

Ever since that win the stadiums have looked fuller and, where before American fans were outnumbered by the visitors, more red, white and blue, together, was present. Soccer jerseys sold by the thousands... and just in time for Korea Japan 2002. For not only did this win solidify the US as the number one team in the conference, it also carried them all the way to the quarterfinals of that tournament. The game against Germany was stolen, we know.

And ever since that Dos a Cero, the US has been Number One in qualifying standings, winning every single qualifier home game versus the Aztecas by the same score: Dos a Cero. Columbus takes the credit. The heart of working class America gave us our working class heroes. For that is what the US is know for abroad: teamwork, allegiance, understanding.

Dos a Cero lit up the scoreboard and re-lit MLS: after that we received Donovan, Beasley, Howard, Dempsey, Altidore. Dos a Cero made us smile, cry, dream. This is for you, the fans. We cheer on with every goal scored, missed, surrendered. It doesn't matter. That's why we are fans of the game. Dos a Cero became a poem in our futbol hearts. Cheers to 10 years since that victory.