The Timbers and English Premier League side Manchester City square off tonight at the University of Portland's Merlo Field at 7 p.m. Catch a live broadcast on Sportsradio 95.5 The Game or follow live updates on Twitter.
A live webcast will not be available for this game, however the friendly will be archived and available for viewing on Sunday at www.portlandtimbers.com/live.
Click here for tonight's match notes.
Tonight's Starters:
POR: GK Cronin, D Danso, D Smith, D Purdy, D Joy, M Gaudet, M McManus, M Pore, M Nimo, F Dike, F Josten
MCFC: GK Hart, D Boyata, D Mee, D Cunningham, D Trippier, M Ireland, M Zabaleta, M Johnson, A., M Vieira, F Adebayor, F Bellamy
Match Preview:
The Portland Timbers continue their break from their regular-season schedule as they play host to one of England’s top clubs in Manchester City tonight in an international friendly. The Timbers stepped aside from league play last weekend, facing Mexico’s Club Deportivo Atlas in an exhibition July 11 at PGE Park.
Tonight’s exhibition match is the fourth of the season for the Timbers. In 2010, the Timbers have also played Costa Rica’s Puntarenas FC (May 1) and Argentina’s Boca Juniors (May 29) in exhibition contests. After a loss to Puntarenas, the Timbers have won back-to-back exhibitions against Boca Juniors and Atlas.
Last season, the Timbers faced English Premier League-bound Burnley FC in an exhibition at PGE Park on July 25, 2009. Then just a trialist, midfielder Rodrigo Lopez scored an equalizing goal on a free kick from distance late in the contest to knot the score at 2-2. Burnley then won the match in a penalty kick shootout 4-2.
Manchester City marks the Timbers fifth exhibition opponent from England since the 2005 campaign – Sunderland AFC (2005), Coventry City (2006), Preston North End (2007) and Burnley. Portland has an 8-4-4 record against international opponents since 2001, which includes a 2-1-1 mark against English sides.
The Timbers have recorded four consecutive shutouts in league play, which matches a modern-franchise record set back in 2007, to lead the club on a four-game unbeaten streak. Portland last allowed a goal in a 1-0 loss to the NSC Minnesota Stars on June 17 at PGE Park. While the Timbers string of shutouts is at four games, the club has not allowed a goal in 430 minutes of league play, which is a new modern-franchise record. The previous mark was 381 minutes, set during a stretch from May 11-June 9, 2007.
Midfielder Ryan Pore has hit the 10-goal mark for the second consecutive season, and becomes just the third player in Timbers modern-franchise history to achieve the feat. Forwards McKinley Tennyson (2002-03) and Byron Alvarez (2003-04) were the others. Now with 20 goals as a member of the Timbers, Pore ranks fourth among franchise career leaders in goals scored.
The Timbers kick off the first of two, four-game road stretches this season on Thursday, July 22 as they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C., at 7:30 p.m. It’s the first of two regular-season visits to Vancouver in 2010.
