PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers U-23s play host to two Premier Development League Northwest Division rivals this weekend at PGE Park. The Timbers U-23s face the Spokane Spiders on Friday and then take on the Yakima Reds Saturday; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. for both matches.
Tickets for the Timbers U-23s home matches at PGE Park can be purchased through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (800) 745-3000. A ticket package that includes admission into both matches is available for $10.
The Timbers U-23s matches on Friday and Saturday are the first of three scheduled home matches this season at PGE Park. The Timbers’ new development team will play a majority of its home schedule at venues throughout the greater-Portland area.
The team’s matches this weekend also mark the first of four qualification matches for the 2009 U.S. Open Cup tournament. Each PDL team based in the United States plays four qualification games as part of its regular-season schedule to determine entry into the annual tournament. Following the qualification round, the top team from each division will enter the first round of the U.S. Open Cup.
The Timbers U-23s recorded a 2-2 draw in their first game in team history on May 9, against the Victoria Highlanders. Midfielder
Jarad vanSchaik
tallied a goal and an assist to rally the Timbers U-23s to the draw. For his efforts, he was named to the PDL’s Team of the Week for the fifth week of the United Soccer Leagues season.
Friday’s and Saturday’s contests feature the first meetings between the Timbers U-23s and their opponents this season.
After the weekend, the Timbers U-23s embark on their first road trip in team history to take on the Seattle Wolves on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m., and the Tacoma Tide on Saturday, May 23 at 7:05 p.m. Both road matches will conclude the Timbers U-23s’ U.S. Open Cup qualification matches.
ABOUT SPOKANE SPIDERS
The Spiders (1-2-0, 3pts) hit the road for the first time this season when they visit PGE Park on Friday. After losing their first two matches of the season, the Spiders handed the Seattle Wolves a 3-1 loss on May 9. Midfielders Grant Falco and Mitchell Weller and forward Zach Smith each tallied for the Spiders in their first win of the season. Their match against the Timbers U-23s also begins their U.S. Open Cup qualification series.
ABOUT YAKIMA REDS
The Reds (0-2-0, 0pts) wrap up a two-game road trip to Oregon on Saturday when the face the Timbers U-23s. Yakima opened its 2009 season with a pair of losses, falling to the Wolves and Kitsap Pumas. The Reds’ roster features former Portland Timbers midfielder Jake Sagare, who has scored the team’s only goal through its first two matches. The team’s trip begins Friday in Salem, Ore. against the Cascade Surge.
