August 9, 2014
Providence Park (Capacity: 20,438)
Portland, OR
Portland Timbers vs Chivas USA
Final Score: 2 – 0
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On my stadium bucket list is a Portland Timbers game and I was incredibly excited for this one, which came at the end of a vacation in Oregon. The largest city in the Beaver State has a population of 583,000 and is in the northwest part of the state, along the Willamette River in the valley of the same name. The Rose City of Portland has plenty of greenspace and nice scenery with snow-capped Mount Hood in the distance. Known for food carts, outdoor recreation and extensive craft breweries, the city is an interesting place with plenty of unique people. After a decade in the lower leagues, Portland joined the MLS in 2011, but this is a soccer-rabid region whose history goes back to 1975. The original Timbers played in the NASL for 7 seasons as the sport took off in the area. With admission into MLS, historic Civic Stadium underwent a $36 million renovation to convert the facility from a retro-fitted baseball park into a 20,000 seat soccer stadium. What followed was a facility unlike any other as the stadium built in 1926 joined old and new spectacularly. This, combined with amazing fans and atmosphere, make Providence Park quite the experience.
Prestige Ranking: 5 out of 5
Location
Providence Park sits within Portland, as part of the Goose Hollow section. While the neighborhood does not offer too much, there are several great bars and pubs nearby (like the Cheerful Bullpen and Bitter End Pub), almost providing a European feel. Downtown is just a ten-minute walk away and the area is busy with a lot of people hanging out and eating/drinking at various establishments (Portlanders love their beer). The best place to sightsee in Portland is just west of the stadium in Washington Park, where the highly acclaimed International Test Rose Gardens is located. Also in the park is the zoo, Japanese Gardens and a few beautiful views of the skyline and Mount Hood.
Location Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Driving around Portland was more complex than I expected as interstate highways were not always clear on directions and proper lanes to be in. To get into the city, I-405 or I-5 can be utilized. Inside downtown, driving is worse due to transit trains having live tracks on the road. I couldn’t figure out if you could drive on them or not (you can). Add in random street closures (the Morrison Bridge we wanted was closed the day we went in) and periodic spotty highway traffic, this is not a great city to drive. Parking around the stadium is very limited, so we opted for a downtown garage on 10th/Yamhill that did at least work well ($5 for an entire weekend day). It was only a 10 minute walk to the stadium. Nearly half of the Timbers crowd arrives via Portland’s excellent public transit system: the MAX Light Rail. With a stop outside Providence Park serving the Red and Blue lines, the system has many stops downtown and then extends across much of the Metro area. It gets crowded quickly after games, but trains seem to come quickly. Driving is doable, but the MAX is the best transportation option.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 5 out of 8
Exterior
The old facility is really not much more than an understated, olive green horseshoe with the open end being occupied by the historic Multnomah Athletic Club. What adds a ton of character to the otherwise bland outside is the extensive ivy growing on the walls and the old-school corner entrances. Beneath the “Providence Park” signage at the top is an awesome old manual board that reminisces of the stadium’s earlier times. The hand-changed letters display today’s game info and the upcoming schedule. Pictures of fans and the team logo cover the large, arched openings below. Within the front plaza, a somewhat creepy eight-foot bronze smiling face greets (or frightens) fans walking to the entrance.
Exterior Ranking: 7 out of 10
Concourse
A traditional covered, cramped concourse can be found underneath most of the stadium seating and as you would expect from a decades-old facility, it is hard to maneuver (especially in the soccer halftime rush). Windows do let in natural light and a nice amount of green is splashed on the walls and signage. Player posters and a few displays adorn the sides. What I did not expect is the outdoor walkway that takes care of the other side and the airiness is certainly welcomed. Along with a crowded team store, some more varied food stands are on this east side, along with a great display. Further down towards the corner is more room to stand and congregate. The big problem however, is that you cannot cut through the south end and cross to the other side of the stadium, instead being forced to walk all the way back around.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
Providence Park puts local and regional companies at the forefront and their name leads each item to let fans know they are getting a product from home. Even the simple stuff looked enticing with food made by companies that specialize in that main ingredient. Examples include the Tillamook Grilled Cheese, Carlton Farms Pulled Pork and Olympic Provisions Charcuterie Box. They also had a couple varieties of Pasties (an Irish specialty). For added variety, head to the open-air side of the stadium for burgers, barbeque, Thai curry or wok dishes. Lastly, the Soccer City Grill executes a great idea in highlighting a different city food cart at each game. For beer, the national products are there, but it’s almost all Widmer Brothers Brewing, of course made in Portland.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8
Interior
I have been fascinated by this place since Portland entered the MLS and the live visuals did not disappoint as this stadium is uniquely historic. While much of the work was done in a 2001 renovation to get the place ready for Triple-A baseball, the resulting layout has set up well for soccer. It’s not ideal and sightlines aren’t always spectacular, but it is quirky and generally works well. Primary seating is in the crescent-shaped original structure, which is split by a walkway that divides green chairbacks and tighter wooden benches. The Timbers Army takes up the side behind the goal. Pretty much all of these seats are covered by a large roof with wood on the underside that feels very Pacific Northwest. The roof helps big-time in an area that sees a lot of rain. The 1920s architecture shows with beams throughout the bowl that support the roof, but also obstruct some views. Part of a renovation is the unique, four-tiered luxury suites that look like they have been tucked into the corner all along. The suites do pose a few issues as their positioning leads to a wall that obstructs the view badly in Section 215 and to a lesser extent in Section 211. On the newer, more separated east sideline, a single set of mostly covered seats (embedded with “Portland” lettering) includes the KeyBank Club. If the sun is out, it will shine here. Finally, we finish in the open south end, which has a slightly unfinished feel. This area includes a few bleachers and tiered eating/viewing spots. What really completes and closes in the stadium is the unique attachment of the historic Multnomah Athletic Club that frames the area beyond the near field-level section. The adjoining buildings include windows where members on treadmills and bikes overlook the pitch. Providence Park is a special soccer stadium with a ton of character that is impossible to duplicate.
Interior Ranking: 10 out of 14
Scoreboard
Sitting at the base of the Athletic Club building is a rectangular scoreboard with a black base. The size is decent, as is the clear video screen that shows the game live throughout (along with replays). Sandwiched between a small logo for the Timbers and Thorns is a large “Providence Park” insignia. Score and time info make up the top of each side and then a list of ads follow. On the other end, a basic board just underneath the roof provides game details.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
At first, I thought this was the one thing lacking in the stadium. Then I ventured to the walkway on the east side and came across a wonderful display with the history of the site, stadium and team laid out over a wooden background. A little more team stuff would have made it better, but the unique look at the past is good overall. In the main concourse hallway, don’t miss the awesome mural of fans centered with the saying “You Cannot Stop Us…We Are The Rose City”. Inside, hanging from the roof near the Timbers Army is a “Ring of Honor”, which includes banners of five Timbers-related individuals.
Displays Ranking: 4.5 out of 6
Cost
With such a popular team in a soccer-mad city, Timbers tickets are pricey as the sideline seats cost $73 (plus a bogus $9.50 online fee). Seats higher up diminish to $42 (less if obstructed) and the cheapest ticket in the park still is about $35. While not the highest in the league, they are in the top tier. Gauging parking costs is tricky, but getting to the stadium can be cheap. Meanwhile, concession costs were up there. A hot dog runs $5.50, bottled water $3.75 and premium beer ranges from a $6 size 12oz to a $9 large.
Cost Ranking: 5 out of 8
Fan Support
The passion for soccer in this part of the country is remarkable and the Timbers have a fervent following throughout Portland. Nearly every game is sold out and the sight of empty seats at Providence Park is a rarity. With a season-ticket waiting list of nearly 10,000 and the largest supporters group in the league numbering in the thousands, support is remarkable. I won’t get into the debate between Seattle vs Portland in terms of which is better, but both are top of the league. Fans are decked out in their dark green throughout Providence Park. I was a little surprised at the 10% of the crowd that showed up late and left early, which was notable in my section (123). It still wasn’t enough to keep the Timbers from getting a perfect score in this category.
Fan Support Ranking: 8 out of 8
Atmosphere
The stadium rocks thanks to the immense Timbers Army swallowing up the north end. Their singing, chanting, cheering and occasional amazing tifo’s set the stage for a memorable experience. Some of the vocals that the rest of the crowd joined in on included “PT (clap-clap) FC” and “You can’t stop us…We are the Rose City”. The knowledgeable fans roared at times and the noise during goals was terrific as yellow and green smoke was dispensed in the North End. The only annoyance was that many were up and down the aisles during play and I thought we would have seen our side get up for corner kicks or bigger moments (they didn’t). Because of this, I just couldn’t quite give a perfect score, but believe me, this is still a special place for a game with an incredible atmosphere. Other notable occurrences…during the National Anthem, fans twirl and toss their scarves. In the 80th minute, the Timbers Army sings “You Are My Sunshine”, an emotional tribute to Timber Jim’s late daughter.
The lumberjack tradition of Portland soccer deserves a paragraph on its own. Back in the 1970s, the legend of Timber Jim was born and he began to bring a chainsaw to the game. Eventually, during the lower league days, a log was brought in and Timber Jim would saw off a piece after each goal. Jim retired in 2008 and Timber Joey took over. Since the team’s MLS debut, Joey cuts a log after each goal and presents the piece to the scorer after the game (along with one to the goalkeeper for a clean sheet). I was thankful to see this tradition during my game. In the second half, Timber Joey walked around the stadium displaying the slice of wood and also cranking the chainsaw. Everything with the Timbers is authentic and the whole game-day atmosphere is a must see for those falling in love with the beautiful game
Atmosphere Ranking: 13 out of 14
Other Stuff
More on Providence Park, which has the naming-rights sponsor after being bought by the Providence Health/Hospital system in the city (For a few years it was Jeld-Wen Field). In the early 20th century, the field was most known for hosting the annual Civil War football game between Oregon and Oregon State. In 1956, the Beavers baseball team started played there and Multnomah Stadium / Civic Stadium would see baseball for nearly 40 years. After a brief dark period and some lower-level baseball, the AAA team returned after a $38 million renovation in 2001. This change for baseball included suites, new seats and an improved concourse among other things. It turned out only to last for 9 years. When the transformation to a soccer/football-only facility commenced with more public money, the Beavers couldn’t get a new ballpark built and ended up leaving town again…..Yet to win a trophy, the Timbers made the semifinals of the MLS Playoffs and US Open Cup in 2013…..I love when a team does everything to embrace the character of the region and the Timbers do that beautifully. In an area with a significant logging history, the nickname, crest and colors represent their section of the Pacific Northwest quite well…..Likely the most heated rivalry in professional sports is the MLS version of Portland-Seattle. Heated is not even a strong enough word for this derby. These two teams, along with the Vancouver Whitecaps, compete in a three-way round robin (in-season) for the Cascadia Cup…..Providence Park is also home to the Portland Thorns of the NWSL.
Game
In just their third home win of the season, the Timbers used a pair of first-half goals to defeat Chivas. In the 10th minute, Diego Valeri scored a majestic goal with a deft touch that went in on the left side. After hitting a post fifteen minutes later, Portland had another goal as Rodney Wallace put away a ball inside the box. Despite nearly 50/50 possession, Chivas rarely threatened and the Timbers won going away. The advantage in shots went to Portland, 15-9.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
