The Portland Timbers start their run in the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tonight against the Sonoma County Sol at PGE Park at 7 p.m. Listen to tonight's match live on 95.5 The Game or watch a live video webstream.
Click here for tonight's match notes.
Tonight's Starters:
POR:
SON:
Match Preview:
The Portland Timbers open play in the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tonight at PGE Park. Starting a series of three games in five days tonight, Portland begins cup play against a familiar opponent in the Sonoma County Sol – a team they faced in the 2009 U.S. Open Cup tournament.
The 2010 tournament marks Portland’s seventh appearance in the U.S. Open Cup since 2001. Last season, the Timbers defeated both the Kitsap Pumas and Sonoma County in early rounds to reach the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, and faced Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC at PGE Park.
The Timbers and Sol squared off in the second round of the 2009 tournament in California. Forward
Mandjou Keita
scored two goals and midfielder
Brian Farber
logged two assists to guide Portland to a 3-0 win over the Sol and advance in the U.S. Open Cup.
The winner of the first-round matchup between the Timbers and Sol will face either the Kitsap Pumas of the Premier Development League or Bay Area Ambassadors of the USASA in the second round slated for Tuesday, June 22.
The Timbers are 5-6-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup matches, and have reached as far as the fourth round in 2004 and 2005, facing the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS in both tournaments.
Portland currently ranks fifth in the USL Conference of the USSF Division-2 Pro League with a record of 3-4-4 (13pts).
Following tonight’s match, the Timbers face a home-and-home series with the NSC Minnesota Stars this week, starting Thursday when the two sides meet at PGE Park at 7 p.m.