On September 10, the Portland Timbers celebrated their 100th consecutive regular-season sell-out at Providence Park with a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Forward Fanendo Adi got on the scoresheet in the 12th minute of the match and his early goal from inside the box made the difference as the Timbers defense held firm in front of the 21,144 faithful at their home field.
The result was also the Timbers' 50th regular-season win at home – a period in which over two million fans walked through the Providence Park turnstiles.
Heading into the historic match, some of the longest-tenured players on the team spoke to Timbers.com about their own favorite regular season moments and about what the sell-out crowds have meant to them and the team throughout their careers here.
“[The first match against Chicago at home] was amazing,” recalled midfielder Diego Chara. “The crowd, the people, the team – I think that moment was one of my best memories in Portland.”
For midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who began his professional career with the Timbers in that inaugural 2011 season, the sell-out crowds were a consistent surprise.
“I wasn't expecting to sell out every single game,” Nagbe said. “I expected some games would maybe be a packed house: rivalry games, Seattle games, big games. But here every game mattered, whether in the playoff hunt or out of the playoff hunt. Every game it's been packed and the fans have been there every step of the way.”
One week after the victory over Salt Lake, the Timbers defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-1 at Providence Park – their 101st consecutive sell-out – thus beginning a new streak that fans and organization alike hope to continue for years to come.
