Portland Timbers

Founding and Early Years

Portland Timbers trace their roots to an NASL club founded in 1975, before an MLS franchise was awarded to Merritt Paulson on 20 March 2009. The club began MLS play in 2011, having played since 1926 on the same site, today named Providence Park.

Club Evolution

The Timbers name honours Oregon's logging heritage, symbolised by an axe on the club's crest, while green evokes the region's forests. The club is inseparable from the "Timbers Army," one of North American soccer's most iconic supporters groups, behind a streak of 163 consecutive sellouts between 2011 and 2020.

Great Managers

Caleb Porter (2013-2017) won the club's sole MLS Cup in 2015. Giovanni Savarese (2018-2023) later led the team to two further finals, in 2018 and 2021, as well as victory in the 2020 "MLS is Back" tournament.

Iconic Players

Diego Valeri, the club's ultimate legend between 2013 and 2022, was named league MVP in 2017 and scored the fastest goal in MLS Cup final history in 2015. Darlington Nagbe, the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, also embodies the club's identity.

Major Achievements

Portland Timbers have won one MLS Cup (2015) and the 2020 "MLS is Back" tournament, also playing two further MLS Cup finals (2018, 2021), without winning a Supporters' Shield or US Open Cup.

The Club Today

Led by Martí Cifuentes since July 2026 and chaired by Merritt Paulson, Portland Timbers are going through a transitional period on the bench, backed by one of MLS's most intense atmospheres.