PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers play host to the Minnesota Thunder on Friday at PGE Park at 8 p.m., live on Fox Soccer Channel. Friday’s match is highlighted by the Timbers’ annual Teddy Bear Toss to benefit Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Tickets start at $11 and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (800) 745-3000. As part of the Teddy Bear Toss, fans are invited to donate new stuffed animals for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital by tossing them onto the field following the Timbers’ first goal of the night. Contributed items will be distributed during several visits to the hospital by Timbers players and staff.
The Timbers (5-1-5, 20pts) enter Friday’s contest in third place in the USL First Division and on a 10-match unbeaten streak in league play. The Timbers finished a stretch of four road matches in eight days on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over the Sonoma County Sol in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup in Santa Rosa, Calif. Portland has out-scored its opponents 7-1 during its road stretch and recorded three shutouts.
On Tuesday, United Soccer Leagues announced that Portland defender
David Hayes
was selected to the USL First Division Team of the Week for Week 10. Hayes aided in the Timbers’ unbeaten road trip against the Charleston Battery and Carolina RailHawks last week.
Friday’s match is the first of three regular-season meetings between the Timbers and Thunder (1-5-4, 7pts) this season and marks the first time Timbers assistant coach
Amos Magee
will face his former club. Magee finished his 13-year playing career with the Thunder as the club’s all-time leading scorer and is a member of the Thunder Hall of Fame. He also served as Minnesota’s head coach from 2006-08. The Timbers have an all-time record of 10-5-11 against the Thunder.
In addition to the live telecast on Fox Soccer Channel, Portland’s match against the Thunder will be broadcast live online at
www.portlandtimbers.com
with announcers Andy McNamara and John Strong. A live Spanish broadcast will be available at 910AM+1390AM ESPN Deportes.
Due to the national broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel, the post-game fireworks display originally planned for Friday has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 11. Fans can exchange their ticket for Friday’s match at the PGE Park box office for a ticket of equal or lesser value to the Timbers’ match on Sept. 11 at PGE Park.
ABOUT MINNESOTA THUNDER
The Minnesota Thunder make their only visit to Portland this season on Friday and enter the match on a three-game winning streak, including Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Chicago Fire of the Premier Development League in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. Minnesota captured its first win in league action on June 14, with a 2-0 win over the Carolina RailHawks. After missing the first six matches of the season, midfielder Brian Cvilikas was selected as the USL First Division Player of the Week for Week 10, netting both goals in the team’s win over Carolina.
