PORTLAND, Ore. – Following a 4-2 victory against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Sunday in USL league play, T2 play host to English Premier League club Newcastle United in an international exhibition Tuesday night at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
The friendly against Newcastle United will include a number of MLS Portland Timbers players and is included as part of Timbers full-season ticket packages as Bonus Game B. Individual tickets, starting at $18, are available online at www.timbers.com, by phone at (888) 736-6849 and at the Providence Park box office.
Known as the “Magpies,” Newcastle has won the league championship four times along with six FA Cup titles and the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Founded in 1892, Newcastle United has never dropped below the second tier of English soccer since joining the English Football League in 1893, while participating in the Premier League in all but two of its seasons since 1992-93.
Newcastle United enter Tuesday’s match following a 1-0 victory against Sacramento Republic at Bonney Field in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday. In a hard-fought match, Newcastle United took the lead in the 47th minute as Republic FC defender James Kiffe sent a Newcastle cross into his own net for an own goal and a 1-0 lead for the Magpies. Newcastle United went down a man in the 65th minute as defender Massadio Haïdara was sent off with a straight red for a tackle on Republic FC midfielder Danny Barrera, but the Magpies were able to hang on for the win.
Portland is the third, and final stop, for the Magpies on their preseason tour of the United States as they previously lost their first match of the trip 2-1 against Mexican Liga MX side Atlas at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 14.
During the 2014-15 Premier League season, Newcastle compiled a 10-19-9 overall record to ensure a sixth consecutive season in the Premier League in 2015-16. A five-match winning streak from Oct. 18-Nov. 22, 2014, helped vault Newcastle as high as fifth place during the first half of the season. In other competitions, the Magpies reached the quarterfinals of the 2014-15 English Football League Cup, including a 2-0, fourth-round win over Premier League heavyweights Manchester City on Oct. 29, 2014 before being knocked out by eventual finalists Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Newcastle United scored 46 goals across all competitions last season. Senegalese forward Papiss Cissé led the way for the Magpies last year, finishing the season with 11 goals in 22 appearances. Newcastle’s roster also features a pair of Dutch internationals with goalkeeper Tim Krul and defender Daryl Janmaat, each of whom appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the Netherlands, as well as French international midfielder Moussa Sissoko and 25-year-old Newcastle upon Tyne native Jack Colback, who registered four goals and six assists during league play for the Magpies in the 2014-15 season.
Former England national team manager, Steve McClaren, was appointed head coach of Newcastle United ahead of the 2015-16 season as the replacement for John Carver on June 10, 2015.
Following Tuesday’s match, T2 hit the road to face Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash., on Friday, July 24; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). Friday’s road match will be carried on a live, high-definition web stream on www.timbers2.com.
