Takayuki...Tabasaki!

If you haven't seen Taka Suzuki's goal from Saturday against Seattle, check out this angle shot from inside of the Timbers Army. Can you say 1 v. 4 plus the keeper? Ri-freakin'-diculous.

Early Season Drama

Ah yes, Portland v. Seattle. Always a grinding, physical, gut-wrenching battle, and one that may be coming to a close here in 2008. Will the fact that these two rivals will no longer be in the same league after this year make the final season's matches even more intense? Hard to say, but some things are certain: Andrew Gregor will get kicked, Hugo Alcaraz will get kicked and yellow cards will fly around like confetti.

Match Musings - Game 2

• The Thunder did not commit a single foul in the second half. They are either the softest team in the history of soccer or the man with the whistle was dozing on and off.
• Timber Joey needs a bit more practice cutting slabs off the victory log. Sean Higgins' slice was so thick he was struggling to get a handle on it.
• Pilots love PGE Park. Newcomers Chris Brown and Miguel Guante are playing like they're at home or something.

Spread the Love

Match Musings - Game 1

• It was a fitting end to Timber Jim's reign as Portland's number one soccer ambassador - a home victory in the 2008 season opener at PGE Park. Jim's message to the crowd of nearly 11,000 following a halftime ceremony in his honor was fitting as well: Spread the love.
• The new turf looked amazing and resulted in about 100 fewer throw-ins than in previous home games.
• The USLlive.com video of PR's assistant (I assume) coach running onto the pitch and swiping the ball off the foot of Gregor was hilarious.
• John Strong's on-air observation that Cameron Knowles and Tom Poltl resembled Dr. Evil and Mini Me with their freshly shaved domes.
  
• You have to love team owner/president Merritt Paulson's passion. Neck wrapped in a Timbers scarf, pacing the sidelines, totally immersed in the action. After a gaggle of absentee senior execs in the past (either physically or mentally from a soccer standpoint), the sports gods have delivered the ultimate owner for Soccer City USA.
• A near record listenership last night for a regular season home match audio broadcast. Thanks for tuning in! As always, you can find the free audio stream at www.portlandtimbers.com.
• If you didn't hear it last night or are a Muse fan, check out our broadcast open.
  

The back line is here.

During last season's remarkable run from the basement to the top of the USL-1 table, a common statement was spoken with a tinge of relief every time the team gathered in the early morning hours at PDX for one of our many pain inducing travel days: "The back line is here." Not that other players absent or in attendance were less important, but the general sentiment among the staff was once the four starting defenders were present and accounted for, we could breath easier.

With this week's signing of left back Leonard Griffin, the back line is officially here for 2008. Very good news.

Exhibition Wrap

The Ax Men wrapped up their exhibition season last night at the University of Portland, drawing the host Pilots 1-1. The ATTR couldn't make the match, but for recaps and the like, you're better off visiting blogs such as The Offside.

Timber Jim in the Merc

When the announcement came down a while back that Timber Jim was hanging up his chainsaw in 2008, I felt surprised and saddened at the thought of home matches without him. But to be honest, I kind of socked that nugget of info into a small nook of the memory banks and didn't summon it again until now. Now, in a little more than a week, Timber Jim's reign on the victory log will officially come to a close and it's definitely starting to sink in.

Check out the details of Jim's farewell in this rare sports-related story in the Portland Mercury.

My hope is Jim continues to wear his normal garb and bang his drum while he takes in matches as a "fan."

More ESPN.com Love for USL-1

I can't say I had ever heard of Anne Ramzy before yesterday, but chances are good that we were within 100 meters or so of each other during one of the many trips to the Bay last season. Now for the second time in two days, her byline shows up on ESPN soccernet with a USL-1 prediction list.

Can this attention continue? Let's hope so, but let's also hope she is wrong with her pick of the Sounders as the class of the division.

Ray Reviews

The Timbers brass officially announced that goalkeeper Ray Burse has been acquired on loan from FC Dallas on Monday. He reminds me a bit of Beckham's new teammate Josh Wicks from an athleticism standpoint, but my main concern is whether or not he replaces the Wicks "comedy" factor at training and on the road.

If you're not familiar with the 6-1 Kentucky native and alum of The Ohio State University, check out his save-reel highlights on MLSnet.

Suzuki Tops ESPN List

So the "World Wide Leader in Sports" doesn't cover USL-1 (or soccer in general, for that matter) on a regular basis, but when they do it's somewhat cool to see the words Portland Timbers etched on their website. ESPN.com's annual preview has hit the web and who's the top player to watch? Why it's Takayuki Suzuki, of course.