PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers today announced the club has re-signed midfielders
Shaun Higgins
and
Troy Ready
for the 2008 season. Both Higgins and Ready return to Portland for a third season with the Timbers.
Last season, Higgins appeared in 23 matches and logged 1,680 minutes for the Timbers. He also started all four of the Timbers playoff matches and tallied an assist against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first round.
“Shaun was a great addition to the squad last season,” said
Gavin Wilkinson
, head coach and general manager of the Timbers. “He proved to be a great asset throughout the course of the season, and it was a high priority to bring him back in 2008.”
Higgins, 29, began his professional career in Portland in 2005. The Redlands, Calif., native played in 16 matches and recorded two goals to help the Timbers reach the playoffs in his rookie season. In 2006, Higgins played in six Reserve Division matches with Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA. Prior to his professional career, Higgins played four seasons (2001-04) with the Orange County Blue Star of the Premier Development League (PDL).
At Cal State Fullerton, Higgins appeared in 67 matches and recorded 13 goals and eight assists during his collegiate career.
Ready, 27, joined the Timbers in 2006 following seasons in the PDL with the Spokane Shadow in 2004 and Cascade Surge in 2005. A native of Spokane, Wash., Ready was initially discovered at a Timbers tryout in 2006 and went on to play in 11 matches that season. He earned several honors during his collegiate career at the University of Washington, including All-Pac-10 first-team honors and the team’s MVP award in 2004.
“Troy is a great professional,” said Wilkinson. “He provides us with different options in the way of playing style; we’re excited to bring him back.”
In 2007, Ready logged an assist in 343 minutes over nine matches for Portland.
Additionally, the Timbers also announced the club has come to a mutual agreement with midfielder
Tom Taylor
to release him from his contract. Taylor totaled 133 minutes in five matches with Portland in 2007.
With the announcement, the Timbers now have 13 players under contract for the 2008 season.
Season-ticket packages for the Timbers’ 2008 USL First Division season are currently available by contacting the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555. For more information on season tickets, flex plans, suites and group discounts, visit
www.portlandtimbers.com
.
