Timbers raise stakes in rivalry with Seattle (original) (raw)
By
The
aren't waiting until next year to stoke the rivalry with the
.
The Timbers paid for a billboard advertisement promoting the team. Guess where that billboard ad is located? About a half-mile from Qwest Field. That's right, in Seattle!
The billboard reads, "Portland, Oregon, Soccer City USA 2011." The Timbers' logo is also pictured in the ad. (To view photo, click
).
"We were sitting around trying to think of something fun and exciting," said Mike Golub, chief operating officer of the Timbers. "We decided to welcome our neighbors to the north to the rivalry."
Wow. That's pretty cheeky stuff.
But this shouldn't be surprising. Portland fans - and some Timbers' staff members - have always viewed Seattle fans as fakers, posers and not true soccer fans. They quickly point to the team's anemic attendance when the Sounders were in the USL's First Division and then set Major League Soccer attendance records during their inaugural MLS season in 2009.
Then there was Timbers owner Merritt Paulson saying the Timbers don't play video games in Portland, referring to the "X-Box 360" logo on the Sounders' jerseys and implying that the Timbers fans are the "real" soccer fans.
Paying to erect a billboard advertisement deep in enemy territory promoting the team was an audacious move by the Timbers.
"We were looking to continue the excitement surrounding the team going to MLS next year," Golub said. "We thought this would be a good way to do that."
This will definitely push the rivalry to a new level, but you gotta admire the Timbers for their brashness.
RECOMMENDED•oregonlive.com
And Golub said the Timbers aren't finished tweaking the Sounders.
"We have some more things up our sleeves that we're going to do," Golub said with a mischievous laugh.
-- Geoffrey C. Arnold
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.