It feels good to be back on the winning side. The Timbers snapped their winless streak and notched the first away win in the team's MLS history on Saturday in the Windy City. We've got the recaps here, plus a little on the Women's World Cup, turf surfaces, and Grantland sounds off on the Cascadia Cup.
The Chicago Fire looked to get their rocky season back on track against the Timbers, but Jack Jewsbury's 25th minute penalty kick was the telling blow in Sunday's match writes Len Ziehm for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Stumptown Footy writer Ryan Gates tosses in some observations following his game recap, including a prediction that goalkeeper Troy Perkins will win MLS Save of the Week yet again.
It's OK if you haven't recovered from the rollercoaster Women's World Cup final on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal writes of the team that went from a "footnote to America's team" in a very short time and why Sunday's final was a game that will be remembered for a long time.
Artificial playing surfaces have always been a hot-button issue in MLS and the topic is resurfacing again as New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry commented on it recently. The Oregonian's Geoffrey C. Arnold has a story, along with some more MLS news from the weekend.
If you were preoccupied with the Women's World Cup on Sunday and forgot about the Copa America (South America's continental tournament), you missed seeing two World soccer powerhouses — Brazil and Argentina — both lose in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. The Washington Post has a rundown with some video links.
Bill Simmons' Grantland website visited the Rose City for the Cascadia rivalry with Seattle. Writer Chris Ryan takes a look at the fiercest rivalry in MLS.
Busy Week Ahead
Each week, we'll give you some insight behind enemy lines and show you what they're saying about the Timbers' opponent.
English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion heads to Portland to face the Timbers on Wednesday. Prior to that the Baggies fell 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes earlier last week and beat the Ventura County Fusion 4-2 on Sunday in Oxnard, Calif.
Steve Madeley of the Express & Star has been tagging along with West Brom in America. Check out his travel diary.
The Timbers' next league opponent, Columbus, are looking to improve on a draw with San Jose during the weekend. The Crew travels West to play the Galaxy on Wednesday before returning home to host Portland on Saturday.
