PORTLAND, Ore.— The Portland Timbers kicked off their fourth week of preseason training camp this past Monday back in Portland at Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District’s Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex in Beaverton. Later this week, the Timbers will open a nine-day preseason camp in Casa Grande, Ariz.
With two-a-day training sessions for both Monday and Tuesday, the Timbers have today off before traveling down to the Grand Canyon State on Thursday. While in Arizona, the Timbers will play a slate of preseason exhibitions, including two against MLS clubs.
VIDEO: Watch clips from Tuesdays practice and learn which games Steve Purdy and Peter Lowry are most looking forward to in the regular season
“This is the time where we can really work on our team fitness, a large part of it with the context with the soccer ball,” said assistant coach Amos Magee.
Guys are not only getting fit and getting to the levels that they need to be at at this point in the year but also have some familiarity with new faces and new teammates. That’s been the main focus for us. We haven’t been that tactically oriented other than drilling in some fundamental tenets of how John wants our team to play. Those are the pieces we’ve been working on.”
Preseason Schedule
The Timbers also announced on Monday that they have added a preseason game against the U.S. U-18 National Team on Saturday in addition to the game previously scheduled with the Houston Dynamo. Now with two games on the schedule, the Timbers will feature a split-squad look in those games.
Talk Timbers airs Thursday on Sportsradio 95.5 The Game
The Timbers' weekly radio talk show, "Talk Timbers," airs this week on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. on Sportsradio 95.5 The Game. Featuring interviews with coaches, players, club officials and special guests, Talk Timbers is a prime source for Timbers news and information.
Fans can tune in to the show live on 95.5 The Game or listen online at www.955thegame.com.
Notes
-After the sun in California, goalkeeping coach had Adam Smith had Troy Perkins, Adin Brown, and Jake Gleeson gloriously diving through the mud at practice on Tuesday.
-The start of a new week brought with it a fresh face in camp, with 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft pick Taylor Mueller joining the training group Monday.
-Alo Barengrub, Robby Lynch, and Josh Cameron are no longer training with the group.
-After training with the Timbers in Ventura, Calif., non-roster players Spencer Thompson and Rodrigo Lopez re-joined the Timbers on Monday for training sessions.
