Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers are an American professional soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. Since 2011, the Timbers have played their home games at Providence Park.

Peregrine Sports, owned by Merritt Paulson, got permission to start a Portland team in MLS in 2009. Paulson had bought the older second-division incarnation of the Timbers in 2007 and later started the Portland Thorns women’s team in 2012. The MLS team is a phoenix club, and it is the fourth soccer team in Portland (second top-level) to use the Timbers name. This name started with the team that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1982.

In 2013, the Timbers finished first in the Western Conference, making their first-ever playoff appearance and earning a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. In 2015, they won the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs and their first big trophy, the MLS Cup. In 2017, the club again finished first in the Western Conference. In 2018, the Timbers made the playoffs again, beating their rival Seattle in the semifinals, but lost the MLS Cup 2–0 to Atlanta United FC. In 2020, the Timbers won the one-time MLS is Back Tournament, beating Orlando City SC in the final, and qualified for the Champions League again. In 2021, the Timbers won the Western Conference but lost the MLS Cup 4–2 on penalties to New York City FC after a 1–1 tie in extra time.

Portland has long rivalries with nearby clubs Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. They compete for the Cascadia Cup.

History

Soccer roots in Portland and first MLS seasons

After England won the World Cup in 1966, soccer grew more popular in many countries, including the United States. Cities like Portland, Oregon began to love the sport. The Portland Timbers started as a new team in the top North American league, called the NASL, from 1975 to 1982. In their first season, they did very well in the playoffs, winning the division final but losing the big championship game. This helped bring more fans to soccer in Portland.

The Timbers joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011, thanks to the work of Merritt Paulson. They played their home games at Providence Park and kept the Portland Timbers name, showing the city's strong link to the team. The Timbers played their first MLS game in 2011 and finished sixth in the Western Conference that season.

Caleb Porter era (2013–2017)

In 2013, with new coach Caleb Porter, the Timbers had a lot of success. They finished first in the Western Conference and made the MLS playoffs for the first time. Diego Valeri, a player they got from Club Atlético Lanús, helped the team reach the conference finals. In 2015, the Timbers won the MLS Cup, their first big championship, by beating Columbus Crew SC.

Giovanni Savarese era (2018–2023)

Giovanni Savarese became the Timbers' coach in 2018. Under him, the Timbers reached the MLS Cup finals in 2018 and 2021. In 2020, during the MLS is Back Tournament, the Timbers won the championship. The team faced some tough times, including lower attendance and issues with some people in the organization.

Phil Neville era (2024−present)

In 2024, Phil Neville became the Timbers' coach. The team had a hard season but showed some good attacking play. They finished ninth in the Western Conference and made the MLS Cup playoffs. In 2025, the Timbers ended the season in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Colors and badge

The Portland Timbers' logo is a circle. It shows an axe to honor the Pacific Northwest's logging industry. Three chevrons look like a pine tree. They stand for the team's time in three leagues: the original North American Soccer League, the United Soccer Leagues, and Major League Soccer. The team's colors, ponderosa green and moss green, match the forests of Oregon.

Sponsors

The Portland Timbers' jerseys were first sponsored by Alaska Airlines. Their home jersey was green, and the alternate jersey was red, honoring Portland’s nickname, the Rose City.

In 2021, TikTok became the team's sleeve sponsor. Alaska ended their sponsorship after the 2023 season. In November 2023, DaBella became the new sponsor but was later replaced. In 2023, the Timbers also began featuring Apple TV+ on their jerseys.

In May 2024, the Timbers announced a partnership with the Tillamook County Creamery Association as their new jersey sponsor. For the 2025 season, Apple created special patches for all clubs, including the Timbers. The right sleeve sponsor spot became open at the start of the 2025 season after the TikTok deal ended. In December 2025, the Timbers announced that Bank of America will be their new primary sponsor starting in the 2026 season.

Uniform evolution

Home, away, and alternative uniforms.

• Home

• Away

• Alternate

Stadium

The Portland Timbers play their home games at Providence Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. They share this stadium with the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League. Providence Park is the oldest stadium built just for soccer in Major League Soccer and has a long history, dating back to 1893.

The stadium has hosted many important soccer events. It was renovated and expanded several times to improve it for soccer. The most recent expansion added more seats, making it one of the largest soccer-specific stadiums in the league. The Timbers have played at Providence Park since 1975.

Club culture

Supporters

Main article: Timbers Army

The Portland Timbers filled every seat at their home games from 2011 until 2020. Fans loved to watch the team play, and there was often a long wait for tickets.

The main group of fans is called the Timbers Army. They are famous for cheering loudly and creating a fun atmosphere at games. The Timbers Army started in 2001 as the Cascade Rangers, named after the mountains near Portland. They met in a special part of the stadium to cheer, wave flags, and chant. By 2002, they changed their name to the Timbers Army.

Rivalries

Main article: Cascadia Cup

The Cascadia Cup is a special trophy for a competition between three soccer teams in the Pacific Northwest: the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The three teams created the Cup in 2004, and Portland has won it six times.

Portland and Seattle have a strong rivalry that began in 1975. Fans from both cities often cheer very loudly when their teams play. Portland has had exciting matches against Seattle in the playoffs.

Vancouver Whitecaps also compete with Portland for the Cascadia Cup. While this rivalry is not as intense as the one with Seattle, Portland fans still enjoy these matches.

Portland fans also have a rivalry with teams from Los Angeles, like LAFC and LA Galaxy. These matches are often very exciting.

Mascot

The Timbers had a mascot named Timber Jim, a lumberjack, until 2008. Now, the mascot is Timber Joey. Joey cuts a piece of wood with a chainsaw every time the Timbers score a goal and gives it to the player who scored. If the team does not let any goals in, the goalkeeper also gets a piece of wood. Joey wears a special jersey made by a Portland company called Leatherman.

Broadcasting

From 2023, every Timbers match can be watched through the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. Before this, the Timbers games were often shown on local TV in Portland.

Before 2023, games not shown by Major League Soccer's national TV partners were broadcast by Root Sports Northwest. Some games were shown in English by Fox affiliate KPTV (channel 12) or its co-owned MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX (channel 49).

On the radio, all Timbers games are broadcast in English on KXTG (750 AM, "The Game") and in Spanish on KXET (1150 AM and 93.FM, "La Gran D"). KXTG also has a weekly radio show called Talk Timbers about the team and soccer.

Roster and staff

For details on former players, see All-time Portland Timbers roster.

Current roster

As of March 13, 2026

Note: Flags show which country's team a player can play for, as explained by FIFA eligibility rules. Some players can belong to more than one country that isn't part of FIFA.

Retired numbers

Main article: List of retired numbers in association football

Coaching and technical staff

Executive staff

Source: Portland Timbers

Head coach history

General manager history

Club captain history

Ring of Honor

Given to people who have done great things for the Portland Timbers. Right now, only six people are in this special group:

Those chosen have their names shown in the top northeast part of Providence Park.

Honors

The Portland Timbers have won several important titles in soccer. They won the big championship game, called the MLS Cup, in 2015. They were also second place two other times.

They were champions of their group, the Western Conference, three times in 2015, 2018, and 2021. They also led their group during the regular games in 2013 and 2017. In a special tournament called the MLS is Back Tournament, they were champions once.

Awards

The team received a special award for fair play in 2011.

Portland Timbers 2 (T2)

Portland Timbers 2, also called T2, is a team linked to the Portland Timbers. It started in October 2014 by Merritt Paulson. T2 began playing in 2015 and used Merlo Field for their home games. The aim of T2 is to help young players grow and show their skills before moving to the main team.

Records

Main article: List of Portland Timbers seasons

Here are some important facts about the Portland Timbers, a soccer team in Oregon. The Timbers have played in Major League Soccer since 2011.

Since 2011, the Timbers have had many sold-out home games. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Timbers have played in an important international tournament called the CONCACAF Champions League three times, starting with the 2014–15 edition.

**^**1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
**^**2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

DNQ = Did not qualify

Portland has qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League three times, the first time being the 2014–15 edition of the tournament.

Scores and results list Portland's goal tally first.

Table

Player statistics

Matches

As of August 5, 2024. Not all competitions included.^{[citation needed]}

USOC = U.S. Open Cup; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Portland Timbers roster.

Goals

As of April 25, 2023. Not all competitions included.^{[citation needed]}

USOC = U.S. Open Cup; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Portland Timbers roster.

Assists

As of February 10, 2022. Not all competitions included.^{[citation needed]}

USOC = U.S. Open Cup; CCL = CONCACAF Champions League
Bolded players are currently on the Portland Timbers roster.