Timbers game day!

[Unregistered]

Hey dip****, I simply said the Portland Timbers are the defending MLS champions. They won. They were the best team when it mattered most. If you don't get that, it says a lot about your intelligence.

Pay attention before you post more gibberish.

The Portland Timbers are defending MLS Champions. I cannot dumb this down for you any further. There is no other champion. There is one. And we are proud of our team.

What is a better measure of how good a team is: one that happens to win 3 games in a row at the end of the year or a team that won more games than any other team over the course of a 34 game schedule? Pretty simple that it's not the former. But if you want to keep believing that your 11th place (and dropping) Portland Timbers are the best team in MLS, keep on believing it. GW needs clowns like you.

[Unregistered]

What is a better measure of how good a team is: one that happens to win 3 games in a row at the end of the year or a team that won more games than any other team over the course of a 34 game schedule? Pretty simple that it's not the former. But if you want to keep believing that your 11th place (and dropping) Portland Timbers are the best team in MLS, keep on believing it. GW needs clowns like you.

Well, the Timbers are not great this year. They've lost many players, either to other clubs or to injury, and I suspect more than a few others will be gone soon. (Adi is reportedly wanting a transfer at the end of the season; and Nagbe is too good to stay in MLS).

But they were the champs last year. I know that many REAL soccer fans consider US sports leagues' habit of staging playoffs to determine championships to be unseemly, but the rules are the rules--if you win the MLS cup, you are deemed the league's champion; if you win the Supporters' Shield, you are not. I'm old enough to remember this debate in baseball--going to three divisions in each league and adding wildcard games pissed off lots of people; and even the act of adding divisions back in the 60s or so, rather than best regular-season record gets the pennant, also pissed off lots of people. But baseball got over it.

But if you hate the MLS Timbers because your DD is playing for Crossfire United, and you consider Westside/Eastside/WT FC to be mortal enemies of her soccer career--that's stupid.

[Unregistered]

That was very reasonable.

You're fired.

[Unregistered]

Well, the Timbers are not great this year. They've lost many players, either to other clubs or to injury, and I suspect more than a few others will be gone soon. (Adi is reportedly wanting a transfer at the end of the season; and Nagbe is too good to stay in MLS).

But they were the champs last year. I know that many REAL soccer fans consider US sports leagues' habit of staging playoffs to determine championships to be unseemly, but the rules are the rules--if you win the MLS cup, you are deemed the league's champion; if you win the Supporters' Shield, you are not. I'm old enough to remember this debate in baseball--going to three divisions in each league and adding wildcard games pissed off lots of people; and even the act of adding divisions back in the 60s or so, rather than best regular-season record gets the pennant, also pissed off lots of people. But baseball got over it.

But if you hate the MLS Timbers because your DD is playing for Crossfire United, and you consider Westside/Eastside/WT FC to be mortal enemies of her soccer career--that's stupid.

Hate's too strong a word. Strong dislike for the organization and it's leaders. And my MLS team is much better than the Timbers anyway...

[Unregistered]

Well, the Timbers are not great this year. They've lost many players, either to other clubs or to injury, and I suspect more than a few others will be gone soon. (Adi is reportedly wanting a transfer at the end of the season; and Nagbe is too good to stay in MLS).

But they were the champs last year. I know that many REAL soccer fans consider US sports leagues' habit of staging playoffs to determine championships to be unseemly, but the rules are the rules--if you win the MLS cup, you are deemed the league's champion; if you win the Supporters' Shield, you are not. I'm old enough to remember this debate in baseball--going to three divisions in each league and adding wildcard games pissed off lots of people; and even the act of adding divisions back in the 60s or so, rather than best regular-season record gets the pennant, also pissed off lots of people. But baseball got over it.

But if you hate the MLS Timbers because your DD is playing for Crossfire United, and you consider Westside/Eastside/WT FC to be mortal enemies of her soccer career--that's stupid.

Fair enough.

Not who you are responding to but my 2 cents:

MLS for a variety of reasons is kind of meh. When it came to town, got more interested in it for a while; but interest is largely gone. That part really has nothing to do with the Timbers.

Timbers involvement in pay-to-play is bad for youth soccer. They can be (and have been) a negative force. When they have financial successes elsewhere I worry it will be used against youth clubs locally.

Has really nothing to do with alliance clubs - the healthier those clubs are the better the soccer environment for my youngest dd (alliance clubs are not relevant for my oldest).

[Unregistered]

Who's the dipstick who keeps saying that the team with the best record is champion? Doesn't work that way in the US. Look at high school sports. NFL, MLB, NHL...college sports. None of them consider the regular season champ to be anything special. Except of course they usually get home field advantage in the playoffs.

The way they crown the best record in the regular season as the champion internationally is downright boring. Playoffs leading to a championship game is much more entertaining and a hell of a lot more pressure.

[Unregistered]

Who's the dipstick who keeps saying that the team with the best record is champion? Doesn't work that way in the US. Look at high school sports. NFL, MLB, NHL...college sports. None of them consider the regular season champ to be anything special. Except of course they usually get home field advantage in the playoffs.

The way they crown the best record in the regular season as the champion internationally is downright boring. Playoffs leading to a championship game is much more entertaining and a hell of a lot more pressure.

Typical redneck TA lemming caveman response. The rest of the world is infinitely superior to the USA when it comes to soccer but the USA knows best. Clowns abound among the Timbers fanboys...

[Unregistered]

Typical redneck TA lemming caveman response. The rest of the world is infinitely superior to the USA when it comes to soccer but the USA knows best. Clowns abound among the Timbers fanboys...

Well done sir. You have to work hard to have the dumbest comment of the day on talking soccer. You just took the award. Well done.

[Unregistered]

Typical redneck TA lemming caveman response. The rest of the world is infinitely superior to the USA when it comes to soccer but the USA knows best. Clowns abound among the Timbers fanboys...

My SSs are at Westside, so I personally am a yuppie TA lemming caveman™, but whatever.

Of course, in the rest of the world, nobody complains when professional clubs get involved with youth sports; indeed it's expected that pro clubs will have extensive youth systems. Independent youth clubs exist, but the hope of young players is to get invited to the local youth academy of Liverpool or Bayern Munich or Barcelona or PSG or Ajax.

The difference, though, is that a given area will often have many pro clubs to choose from. If you're in Madrid--well, Real has a youth system, Atlético has a youth system, etc. Depending on who gets promoted or relegated, London may have over a half-dozen teams in the Prem, each with their own youth academies. OTOH, the Timbers/Thorns are the only pro team in the state--so if and when they get involved, everyone else complains about the 800 lb gorilla in the room.

And for all the other major sports--it seems to be the expectation in the US that the professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MBL, NHL) butt out of youth sports entirely. Football and basketball have far more extensive development tracks in high school and the NCAA; baseball and hockey both have extensive and stable minor league systems. But other than junior hockey (which is independent of the NHL), professional and semi-pro clubs are expected to stay away from youth sports.

Part of this has to do, I suspect, with silly NCAA shamateurism rules, which seem to exist to ensure that athletes don't get paid until they're almost old enough to drink (legally). But a lot is about protecting the existing system. People love high school and college football and basketball, which is one reason I suspect the NBDL has limited appeal, and various minor football leagues have failed over the years. And there seem to be lots of people interested in defending the existing pay-to-play youth soccer system (even though it leaves much to be desired, and HS/college soccer is a rather bad joke). Now, it may be the case that the Timbers' influence is bad rather than good; this is a long term project. OTOH, FC Dallas, RSL, and a few other MLS clubs have spawned rather successful youth systems.

So if you are in favor of emulating how soccer development overseas, you won't mind a bit that the Timbers are getting involved in youth soccer. Complaining that they do a poor job is fair--unlike in Europe, they don't have the threat of relegation hanging over their heads, and no local competition. But insisting that the Timbers not participate in youth soccer is a clear example of "USA knows best".

[Unregistered]

My SSs are at Westside, so I personally am a yuppie TA lemming caveman™, but whatever.

Of course, in the rest of the world, nobody complains when professional clubs get involved with youth sports; indeed it's expected that pro clubs will have extensive youth systems. Independent youth clubs exist, but the hope of young players is to get invited to the local youth academy of Liverpool or Bayern Munich or Barcelona or PSG or Ajax.

The difference, though, is that a given area will often have many pro clubs to choose from. If you're in Madrid--well, Real has a youth system, Atlético has a youth system, etc. Depending on who gets promoted or relegated, London may have over a half-dozen teams in the Prem, each with their own youth academies. OTOH, the Timbers/Thorns are the only pro team in the state--so if and when they get involved, everyone else complains about the 800 lb gorilla in the room.

And for all the other major sports--it seems to be the expectation in the US that the professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MBL, NHL) butt out of youth sports entirely. Football and basketball have far more extensive development tracks in high school and the NCAA; baseball and hockey both have extensive and stable minor league systems. But other than junior hockey (which is independent of the NHL), professional and semi-pro clubs are expected to stay away from youth sports.

Part of this has to do, I suspect, with silly NCAA shamateurism rules, which seem to exist to ensure that athletes don't get paid until they're almost old enough to drink (legally). But a lot is about protecting the existing system. People love high school and college football and basketball, which is one reason I suspect the NBDL has limited appeal, and various minor football leagues have failed over the years. And there seem to be lots of people interested in defending the existing pay-to-play youth soccer system (even though it leaves much to be desired, and HS/college soccer is a rather bad joke). Now, it may be the case that the Timbers' influence is bad rather than good; this is a long term project. OTOH, FC Dallas, RSL, and a few other MLS clubs have spawned rather successful youth systems.

So if you are in favor of emulating how soccer development overseas, you won't mind a bit that the Timbers are getting involved in youth soccer. Complaining that they do a poor job is fair--unlike in Europe, they don't have the threat of relegation hanging over their heads, and no local competition. But insisting that the Timbers not participate in youth soccer is a clear example of "USA knows best".

Timbers clearly need some sort of development program for promising youth and they need to control it, that's not any issue or discussion, it's their right and a necessary component of professional soccer club in any country.

But, as we all know that isn't a talking point, instead they have created a business model that extends it's arm into becoming the defacto operational arm of the a the non-profit volunteer mission based OYSA and have taken control of the only profitable revenue streams the OYSA will ever have with the administration of each and every competitive league and cup play offered by the OYSA. Then to boost up more revenues they expand a nearly dead/ archaic animal called USYS ODP and grow it 5 to 6 fold in membership and form RTC's all over the state just to collect fees to suckers willing to join. Finally they use the direct access to the OYSA membership emails of the 70,000 member families to solicit more suckers to there useless no Timber present 'soccer camps' to rake in more dough.

They rape the OYSA to the point this skeleton 70,000 member org. has no cash reserves and basically serves as a shell corporation for peregrine to reap profits so the former OYSA rejects who now work at the Timbes (MS & EL) can earn a living off the present day OYSA membership services and Mr. Paulson isn't on the hook to pay these tools. It's f-ing hysterical brilliance. Even after covering these 2 salaries, they a are left with hundreds of thousands in profit and cash reserves from the OYSA enterprises, not unlike the OPL had when they had no overhead and ran leagues and cups and the OYSA was on life support. This isn't rocket science folks, it's one group just copying a former and telling you clowns to shove it up your ***** while they get fungible proceeds from the clueless masses of OYSA members.

No professional team in any country uses the profits generated by a State youth non-profit to fund it's activities, only in Oregon and Portlandia.

I could give a sh1t3 about Timbers Alliance, FC PDX, THUSC and LOSC spending thousands on travel to play in the ECNL, the Oregon US Dev Academy for Boys & Girls, it's all smoke and f-ing mirrors in a state that is so f'd up in youth soccer it's a pure tragedy of Greek proportions.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction see NSC, GPS and ADF as opposite end by products of one really screwed up 'state of youth soccer'.

R.I.P. City Portland!

[Unregistered]

My SSs are at Westside, so I personally am a yuppie TA lemming caveman™, but whatever.

Of course, in the rest of the world, nobody complains when professional clubs get involved with youth sports; indeed it's expected that pro clubs will have extensive youth systems. Independent youth clubs exist, but the hope of young players is to get invited to the local youth academy of Liverpool or Bayern Munich or Barcelona or PSG or Ajax.

The difference, though, is that a given area will often have many pro clubs to choose from. If you're in Madrid--well, Real has a youth system, Atlético has a youth system, etc. Depending on who gets promoted or relegated, London may have over a half-dozen teams in the Prem, each with their own youth academies. OTOH, the Timbers/Thorns are the only pro team in the state--so if and when they get involved, everyone else complains about the 800 lb gorilla in the room.

And for all the other major sports--it seems to be the expectation in the US that the professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MBL, NHL) butt out of youth sports entirely. Football and basketball have far more extensive development tracks in high school and the NCAA; baseball and hockey both have extensive and stable minor league systems. But other than junior hockey (which is independent of the NHL), professional and semi-pro clubs are expected to stay away from youth sports.

Part of this has to do, I suspect, with silly NCAA shamateurism rules, which seem to exist to ensure that athletes don't get paid until they're almost old enough to drink (legally). But a lot is about protecting the existing system. People love high school and college football and basketball, which is one reason I suspect the NBDL has limited appeal, and various minor football leagues have failed over the years. And there seem to be lots of people interested in defending the existing pay-to-play youth soccer system (even though it leaves much to be desired, and HS/college soccer is a rather bad joke). Now, it may be the case that the Timbers' influence is bad rather than good; this is a long term project. OTOH, FC Dallas, RSL, and a few other MLS clubs have spawned rather successful youth systems.

So if you are in favor of emulating how soccer development overseas, you won't mind a bit that the Timbers are getting involved in youth soccer. Complaining that they do a poor job is fair--unlike in Europe, they don't have the threat of relegation hanging over their heads, and no local competition. But insisting that the Timbers not participate in youth soccer is a clear example of "USA knows best".

MLS leaves lots to be desired - don't spend enough on players or development; no promotion/relegation; no solidarity/training comp. system; keep dumbing down the game (with ridiculous draft, playoff systems, combines) to try to sell to broader US sports market when there is a decent chunk of soccer fans who want an authentic soccer league.

There is little complaint (out of HS soccer coaches) about the Timbers Academy - it is largely the Timbers' $ they can do with it what the want. They haven't been particularly sucessful with it yet, but maybe that comes with time.

The criticism is directed at their entrance into pay-to-play model:

They have increased prices on 501(c)(3)s;
instead of staying above the fray in youth soccer politics they have added fuel to the fire; they use OYSA as their play thing to further their agenda (not all of which is inherently bad, but simply too many conflicts);
any semblance of accountability in oversight of competitive soccer leagues in this state is gone.

Alliance clubs in the Portland metro . . . not really interested in touching that subject.

Neither here nor there but Timbers monetizing pay-to-play is a bastardization of global development models.

[Unregistered]

Hate's too strong a word. Strong dislike for the organization and it's leaders. And my MLS team is much better than the Timbers anyway...

The Timbers are MLS champs so, by default, you are a dumbass.

[Unregistered]

What is a better measure of how good a team is: one that happens to win 3 games in a row at the end of the year or a team that won more games than any other team over the course of a 34 game schedule? Pretty simple that it's not the former. But if you want to keep believing that your 11th place (and dropping) Portland Timbers are the best team in MLS, keep on believing it. GW needs clowns like you.

Every team knows the goal when they start the season. Win the MLS cup. There is no other goal that means more. That is the one and only champion. Teams are managed with this in mind. The goal is to be playing your best soccer, with injuries behind you, so that you can win the MLS Cup. There is no team that would prefer the season best record to the MLS cup championship. None. Is this hard for you to comprehend? Honestly, you might be the stupidest poster in the history of TS. The only explanation is you are an ECNL parent or a Sounders fan.

[Unregistered]

Timbers clearly need some sort of development program for promising youth and they need to control it, that's not any issue or discussion, it's their right and a necessary component of professional soccer club in any country.

But, as we all know that isn't a talking point, instead they have created a business model that extends it's arm into becoming the defacto operational arm of the a the non-profit volunteer mission based OYSA and have taken control of the only profitable revenue streams the OYSA will ever have with the administration of each and every competitive league and cup play offered by the OYSA. Then to boost up more revenues they expand a nearly dead/ archaic animal called USYS ODP and grow it 5 to 6 fold in membership and form RTC's all over the state just to collect fees to suckers willing to join. Finally they use the direct access to the OYSA membership emails of the 70,000 member families to solicit more suckers to there useless no Timber present 'soccer camps' to rake in more dough.

They rape the OYSA to the point this skeleton 70,000 member org. has no cash reserves and basically serves as a shell corporation for peregrine to reap profits so the former OYSA rejects who now work at the Timbes (MS & EL) can earn a living off the present day OYSA membership services and Mr. Paulson isn't on the hook to pay these tools. It's f-ing hysterical brilliance. Even after covering these 2 salaries, they a are left with hundreds of thousands in profit and cash reserves from the OYSA enterprises, not unlike the OPL had when they had no overhead and ran leagues and cups and the OYSA was on life support. This isn't rocket science folks, it's one group just copying a former and telling you clowns to shove it up your ***** while they get fungible proceeds from the clueless masses of OYSA members.

No professional team in any country uses the profits generated by a State youth non-profit to fund it's activities, only in Oregon and Portlandia.

I could give a sh1t3 about Timbers Alliance, FC PDX, THUSC and LOSC spending thousands on travel to play in the ECNL, the Oregon US Dev Academy for Boys & Girls, it's all smoke and f-ing mirrors in a state that is so f'd up in youth soccer it's a pure tragedy of Greek proportions.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction see NSC, GPS and ADF as opposite end by products of one really screwed up 'state of youth soccer'.

R.I.P. City Portland!

Are you ok? It's just youth soccer. Relax friend.

[Unregistered]

Timbers clearly need some sort of development program for promising youth and they need to control it, that's not any issue or discussion, it's their right and a necessary component of professional soccer club in any country.

But, as we all know that isn't a talking point, instead they have created a business model that extends it's arm into becoming the defacto operational arm of the a the non-profit volunteer mission based OYSA and have taken control of the only profitable revenue streams the OYSA will ever have with the administration of each and every competitive league and cup play offered by the OYSA. Then to boost up more revenues they expand a nearly dead/ archaic animal called USYS ODP and grow it 5 to 6 fold in membership and form RTC's all over the state just to collect fees to suckers willing to join. Finally they use the direct access to the OYSA membership emails of the 70,000 member families to solicit more suckers to there useless no Timber present 'soccer camps' to rake in more dough.

They rape the OYSA to the point this skeleton 70,000 member org. has no cash reserves and basically serves as a shell corporation for peregrine to reap profits so the former OYSA rejects who now work at the Timbes (MS & EL) can earn a living off the present day OYSA membership services and Mr. Paulson isn't on the hook to pay these tools. It's f-ing hysterical brilliance. Even after covering these 2 salaries, they a are left with hundreds of thousands in profit and cash reserves from the OYSA enterprises, not unlike the OPL had when they had no overhead and ran leagues and cups and the OYSA was on life support. This isn't rocket science folks, it's one group just copying a former and telling you clowns to shove it up your ***** while they get fungible proceeds from the clueless masses of OYSA members.

No professional team in any country uses the profits generated by a State youth non-profit to fund it's activities, only in Oregon and Portlandia.

I could give a sh1t3 about Timbers Alliance, FC PDX, THUSC and LOSC spending thousands on travel to play in the ECNL, the Oregon US Dev Academy for Boys & Girls, it's all smoke and f-ing mirrors in a state that is so f'd up in youth soccer it's a pure tragedy of Greek proportions.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction see NSC, GPS and ADF as opposite end by products of one really screwed up 'state of youth soccer'.

R.I.P. City Portland!

Rape?

Jeebus H. Cripes, you need some perspective.