PORTLAND
, Ore. –
Earlier in the week, forward
Benjamin Totori
was select to a 30-man squad for Waitakere United, who competes in the New Zealand Football Championship, which will ultimately compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December.
Totori, 22, was one of six strikers selected by Waitakere United head coach Chris Milicich to represent the club and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in the FIFA Club World Cup later this year. Waitakere United won the opportunity to represent the OFC after winning the 2007-08 O-League Championship in May.
Last season, Totori was one of Waitakere United’s leading scorers and also helped the New Zealand side capture the league title before joining the Timbers for the 2008 season.
Totori, a member of the Solomon Islands National Team, had an injury-plagued season with the Timbers in 2008. After making his USL First Division debut on May 26 at PGE Park, he injured his knee in the very next match on the road against the Montreal Impact, and as a result, missed eight matches in the early stages of the season. Following his initial recovery, Totori made appearances against Morelia and Tigres in exhibition action and also played against Puerto Rico on July 10 at PGE Park. But on July 16, Totori re-injured his right knee during training and missed the rest of the season. He traveled back to the Solomon Islands days later to begin his rehab and treatment.
Click here to read the full announcement regarding Totori's selection.
GRIFFIN
PLAYS SECOND MATCH WITH GALAXY RESERVES
Defender
Leonard Griffin
, who played the last two seasons with the Timbers, played in his second Reserve Division match with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer since the end of the 2008 USL First Division campaign. Griffin started along side defender
Vardan Adzemian
, who was loaned to the Timbers for a majority of the 2008 season, in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo Reserves on Oct. 19 at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Griffin was one of five players who played for the Galaxy Reserves last Sunday in Houston who have spent time with the Timbers during their career, including goalkeeper
Josh Wicks
(2007), forward
Bryan Jordan
(2007-08), defender
Mike Randolph
(2006) and Adzemian (2008).
Click here to read the full match report.
