PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers U-23s embark on their first road trip of the 2010 Premier Development League season as they face the Spokane Spiders tonight and then visit the Yakima Reds on Saturday. Kickoff for both matches is set for 7 p.m.
The two-game road trip concludes a stretch of three games in five days for the Timbers U-23s this week. On Tuesday, they defeated the Tacoma Tide 1-0 at PGE Park. Midfielder
Bim Ogunyemi
tallied the game’s lone goal, while goalkeeper
Jake Gleeson
was credited with his first shutout of the season in the victory.
The Timbers U-23s (2-0-0, 6pts) rank third in the PDL’s Northwest Division behind the Kitsap Pumas and Victoria Highlanders in a two-way tie for first place at nine points.
The matches against Spokane (0-2-0, 0pts) and Yakima (0-2-0, 0pts) also mark the Timbers U-23s’ final two qualification games for entry into the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament.
Last season, the Timbers U-23s were 2-0-0 against the Spiders, including a 4-1 victory on the road in Spokane, Wash. The Timbers U-23s won both matchups against the Reds in 2009, and out-scored Yakima 12-4 in those contests.
Richards named to PDL’s Team of the Week
On Wednesday, United Soccer Leagues announced that Timbers U-23s forward
Brent Richards
was named to the PDL Team of the Week for his two-goal performance in the team’s 3-1 season-opening win over the Washington Crossfire on May 15.
Richards, who completed his sophomore season at the University of Washington last fall, enters his second season with the Timbers U-23s in 2010. He was the Timbers U-23s’ second-leading scorer during the 2009 PDL season, logging four goals and four assists in 11 games.
