Timbers kick off preseason schedule this weekend

PORTLAND
, Ore. –
The Portland Timbers open their 2008 preseason schedule this weekend as they face Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes on Friday at the University of Portland and Gonzaga University on Sunday at Lincoln Park Stadium in Forest Grove, Ore.
Friday’s match against the 2008 expansion Earthquakes is a part of a special preseason doubleheader at the University of Portland’s Clive Charles Soccer Complex; kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tickets, starting at $10, are available through the UP box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400. The doubleheader begins at 5 p.m. with a match between the San Jose Reserves and University of Portland.
San Jose is 4-1-2 in preseason matches this season and recently captured the Carolina Challenge Cup, a preseason tournament hosted by the Charleston Battery. The Earthquakes roster features veteran goalkeeper
Joe Cannon
, defender and Portland native
Ryan Cochrane
, and international players in midfielder
Ivan Guerrero
(Honduras) and forward
Gavin Glinton
(Turks and Caicos). The preseason match against the Timbers is the Earthquakes’ final test before they open the 2008 MLS campaign on April 3 against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
All-time, the Timbers are 1-2-0 against San Jose. The last time the two teams met, the Earthquakes captured a 3-0 win in the fourth round of the 2005 U.S. Open Cup at PGE Park.
Portland faces Gonzaga University’s men’s team Sunday at 2 p.m., at the new Lincoln Park Stadium near the campus of Pacific University. Available only on game day, tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children under 17 and go on sale at 11 a.m.
A member of the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga made its second NCAA tournament appearance in 2007 with a 9-6-4 record.
The Timbers conclude their preseason slate on April 11 against the University of Portland men’s soccer team at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.
Portland opens the 2008 USL First Division season April 17 against the Puerto Rico Islanders at PGE Park. Season-ticket packages, party suites and group discounts are available by contacting the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555. Single-game tickets, starting at $11, can be purchased through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400.