For the second season in a row, Minnesota United will be the first team that the Portland Timbers face in their home stadium. It’s an honor, really, for our club to be a part of an atmosphere like that. I love the experience of TCF Bank Stadium, but the energy of Providence Park is palpable even through a TV screen.
The Timbers’ path to Major League Soccer is similar to that of Minnesota, albeit several years earlier. Merritt Paulson bought the Timbers in 2007, then playing in the USL-Pro, and immediately began the process of making them an expansion franchise.