Wow, what a difference a year has made. It's hard to believe that 12 months ago, the Timbers had finished tied for last, there had been a coaching/administration change, and only Scot Thompson was under contract and we had just signed our first batch of players for the 2007 roster.
Now, the team is reigning league runner-up with an appearance in the postseason semifinals, has extended the 2007 Coach of the Year's contract by two years, and already has 12 players under contract for next season.
For Gavin and me, it has been a great offseason so far. We've been able to start tackling offseason duties much sooner, which will hopefully make our lives easier come next spring. As evidenced by the press releases, we've been holding contract talks with a number of our players, as well as a number of potential new ones, over the last few months and our current roster is the fruit of that. There are several more player signing announcements coming down the pike, including an exciting new player we hope to announce early next year.
We've also been busy working on exhibition opponents for the 2008 season. Last season was a fantastic year as far as our international opposition was concerned, and we hope to bring even higher quality teams in for next year. As always, it can be tough to get the teams to sign on the dotted line this far in advance of the match, but we are optimistic about getting some of these deals tied up very soon. Of course, stay tuned to learn about the opponents as soon as they are revealed.
It's hard to believe that the holidays have come up so quickly. Before we know it, it will be January, we'll be holding our annual tryouts, then not long after that our preseason will get underway and we're off! So sit back, relax and enjoy your holidays; the 2008 season will be here before we all know it!
- Posted by Brad Nicholson
