BEAVERTON, Ore. – The same intensity Sam Younie puts jerseys, shorts and boots can be seen on the field every Wednesday or Thursday, running the sidelines of the grass pitch at the Timbers Training Facility in Beaverton, Oregon.
With a level of focus that would alleviate any concerns we had with actual linesmen, the Portland Timbers’ equipment manager dominates the west side of the team’s training ground, doing his best to make the trainings’ 11-on-11s as realistic as possible.
“Sometimes, players don’t like it,” head coach Giovanni Savarese concedes, alluding to the dynamic between the group’s marquee names and one of its most-enduring presence.