Ever wonder what the MLS SuperDraft was like for Darlington Nagbe? Or how he prepares for a match? Or maybe you’re just looking for some great advice from the pros to improve your game.
The Portland Timbers community platform, Somos Timbers, and their partners Coca-Cola, Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods, State Farm Insurance, and Providence Health & Services – Oregon, have introduced a bilingual booklet jam-packed with material for die-hard Timbers fans and committed soccer players.
Photo: Portland Timbers
The booklet encompasses a snapshot of the U.S. Soccer system, personal bios from Timbers players and local community members, nutritional and exercise tips from Portland Timbers coaches, an energy bar recipe, a player resume template and more.
“We created the booklets to help parents and kids better understand and navigate the US soccer system”, said Kristel Wissel, Hispanic Business Development Manager for the Portland Timbers. “We also want to encourage local youth to maintain healthy and active lifestyles, as well as engage their parents in what their kids are passionate about.”
The booklet describes an ideal eating plan for active athletes who wish to get the most out of their caloric intake in order to play at an optimal level. The nutritional plan is straight out of the Timbers player’s manual.
Additionally, one of the main components of the Somos Timbers bilingual booklet is the personal interviews conducted with players and community members that have incredibly inspiring and incredibly different life stories that have an underlying common ground: fútbol.
“Everyone’s path to success in fútbol is different,” explained Wissel. “And everyone’s individual idea of what success is, is different. The interviews highlight five different individuals in our community that have found their own path to success, from strong family support for a young Latina to a kid from Liberia being selected as the 1st draft pick for the Timbers.”
“It is a priority for the Timbers to be connected to and engaged in the local Latino community,” said Timbers General Manager Gavin Wilkinson. “As one of the several community outreach initiatives through Somos Timbers, this booklet was designed for Latino youth soccer players and their parents to share tips on skill development, proper nutrition and goal setting, and be a positive source of motivation for kids.”
The bilingual booklets are already in circulation, with the first 500 booklets distributed when the Timbers visited the 22nd annual César E. Chávez Leadership Conference (CECLC) last month at Western Oregon University. The CECLC is an annual conference dedicated to the educational advancement of Latinos in northwestern Oregon.
To get your copy, sign-up for the Somos Timbers membership program or visit the Portland Timbers Español website and view the community calendar to stop by an upcoming Timbers sponsored event or soccer clinic, where the booklets will be distributed.
