PORTLAND
, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers finished their 2009 season with an exciting playoffs series against Vancouver. Five players who contributed to the team’s run over the final six weeks of the season are up for September Man of the Month honors.
The five players nominated for the September Man of the Month: defender
Stephen Keel
, midfielders
Johan Claesson
and
Brian Farber
and forwards
Takayuki Suzuki
and
George Josten
.
Votes can be cast through the Fan Poll on the Timbers website
www.portlandtimbers.com
; voting will end on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Keel, 26, started all seven matches for the Timbers over the final stretch of the season. He scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win on the road against the Austin Aztex on Sept. 7. Keel’s strike helped the Timbers continue their record-setting 24-game unbeaten streak.
Claesson, 28, returned from injury on Sept. 11 as the Timbers played host to the Aztex at PGE Park. He played in the final five matches of the season (four starts) and recorded an assist in the Timbers’ 2-1 win over the Cleveland City Stars in the regular-season finale.
Farber, 27, played a key role in the Timbers’ playoff run, scoring two goals in a 3-3 draw in the second leg of the semifinal series against the Vancouver Whitecaps; those were his first goals since the end of June. He started all seven matches for the Timbers over the final six weeks.
Suzuki, 33, played in six matches over the final month and a half of the campaign, and earned the start on Sept. 17 against Cleveland at PGE Park. He took a season-high five shots on Sept. 11 against Austin, playing 22 minutes and providing a spark off the bench.
Josten, 23, started six of the team’s final seven matches of the season. On Sept. 17 against Cleveland, he recorded his first multiple-goal game as a professional with two strikes in the Timbers’ 2-1 win. For his efforts, he was named the USL First Division Player of the Week in Week 24.
