Portland Timbers Development Update: Oct. 23, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers Academy teams travel to Redmond, Wash., this weekend to face Crossfire Premier on Saturday at Marymoor Park. The Timbers U-18 Academy kicks off at 2 p.m. (Pacific), and the Timbers U-16 Academy follows at 4:30 p.m.

The Timbers U-18s (2-2-2, 8pts) return to action after a successful weekend in their last matches Oct. 5-6, recording a 2-2 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes U-18 Academy and a 3-0 victory over Cal Odyssey at the adidas Timbers Training Center. Portland’s U-18 side has just one loss in its last five matches and currently sits in fifth place in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Northwest Division.

The Timbers U-16s (2-3-1, 7pts) are coming off play in the 2013-14 Generation adidas Cup last weekend, with games against the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA U-16 Academy teams in Southern California. In their last league game on Oct. 6, the Timbers U-16s claimed their second win and shutout of the season, defeating Cal Odyssey 3-0 on a two-goal performance by Nick Evans (Troutdale, Ore.).

Both the U-18 and U-16 sides for Crossfire Premier lead the Northwest Division in their respective age groups.

Rood, U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team wrap up training camp in Florida
Goalkeeper Lauren Rood, who plays club soccer for Washington Timbers of the adidas Timbers Alliance, recently wrapped up a training camp with the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team in Lakeland Ranch, Fla., as the national team prepares for the upcoming 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship in Jamaica.

The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team opens play in Group B of the CONCACAF tournament on Thursday, Oct. 31, against Trinidad & Tobago at Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay, Jamaica, at 3 p.m. (Pacific). Also competing in their group are Guatemala and Canada. The top two countries from the tournament advance to the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

Rood is a native of Camas, Wash., and one of two Pacific Northwest players on the U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team roster. She was first called into camp with the team in July and earned her first two caps in late August in a series of friendlies against England.