PORTLAND
, Ore. –
The Portland Timbers play host to a series of two home matches this holiday weekend at PGE Park against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Miami FC Blues in a special day game on Monday as they celebrate Memorial Day with Bark in the Park at 2 p.m.
The Memorial Day weekend at PGE Park features two exciting events starting on Saturday, as the first 1,000 fans to see the Portland take on the Whitecaps receive a Timbers t-shirt courtesy of FSN. On Monday, fans are invited to bring their soccer-loving canines to the park for the Timbers' annual Bark in the Park as they square off with Miami FC.
Saturday’s match is the first of five Timbers home matches broadcast live on FSN this season. Both matches can be heard live on
www.portlandtimbers.com
; with a live video webcast available through USL Live at www.usllive.com.
The Timbers (3-0-4, 13pts) earned two points in consecutive draws on their road trip against the Puerto Rico Islanders and Miami FC last weekend. One of two remaining unbeaten teams in the USL First Division, the Timbers have collected five shutouts in their first seven matches of the season.
Portland faces a Whitecaps team playing their third game in six days, including matches on back-to-back days as they play host to the Seattle Sounders on Friday. Last season, the Timbers were 1-0-2 against their Northwest rivals and defeated the Whitecaps in the first round of the playoffs with a 3-0 win at PGE Park. Portland is 6-3-6 against Vancouver at PGE Park since 2001.
The Blues make their first of two trips to the Rose City this season on Monday to battle the Timbers. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in their first meeting on May 18. In 2007, the Timbers captured a 1-0 win over Miami on June 30 at PGE Park to improve their all-time record against the Blues at home to 1-1-0.
Tickets, starting at $11, are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phoning (503) 224-4400.
ABOUT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
The Whitecaps (3-1-1, 10pts) began a slate of three matches in six days on Monday with a 0-0 draw against the Montreal Impact at the new Saputo Stadium in Montreal, and continue their stretch this weekend against Seattle and Portland. Vancouver makes its only trip to PGE Park during the regular season on Saturday; the first of three regular-season matches between the two rivals. Unbeaten in their last three matches (2-0-1), the Whitecaps begin Cascadia Cup play against the Sounders and Timbers this weekend.
ABOUT MIAMI FC BLUES
Miami FC plays two games in three days as it travels to face the Minnesota Thunder on Saturday before coming to Portland on Monday. Miami FC is winless in its last five matches (0-4-1), including a 0-0 draw against Portland last weekend in Miami. Their last win was a 2-0 result over Puerto Rico on April 25. On Tuesday, the Blues signed defender Eric Brunner for the 2008 season. Brunner, a first-round selection by the New York Red Bulls in the 2008 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, is currently with the U.S. U-23 National Team for a tournament in France and will not be available this weekend.
