Everywhere We Go | Timbers fan Dan Upp's surprise meeting in Chile with Felipe Mora's father

As the classic Timber Jim Timbers Army chant goes, “Everywhere we go, people want to know…who we are.”

For Portland Timbers fan Dan Upp, who lives in Chile, when he was asked who he is, his response led to a unique and surprising interaction with a parent of a Timbers player.

As Upp tells the story of a conversation he had in Spanish with a friendly gentleman passing by,

I was getting in line for a wine harvest festival (called a vendimia in Spanish) in the Casablanca Valley, wearing a Cristhian Paredes No. 22 Timbers jersey. A man wearing a warm-up jacket from the Chilean national team came up to me and said, “Paredes from the Timbers?”

This wasn’t too unusual, because most Chileans are crazy about soccer, and the Timbers crest has gained a lot of recognition down here since signing Felipe Mora. Most Chileans who recognize the Timbers crest when I’m wearing it make a comment about Mora, and I usually respond by telling them what a great player he’s been for us and how happy we are to have him.

But this time, when I said yes, the next remark was “My son plays with Paredes on the Timbers.” I said “Wow, are you Felipe Mora’s dad?!” and he said yes. I congratulated him, said how amazing it was to meet him, got a selfie, and then he continued on his way.

As you can see in the photo above, that is in fact, Julio Mora, Felipe's dad. Felipe Mora, a Chilean international, has appeared in 48 regular-season games for the Timbers (18 goals, seven assists) since first coming over on loan from Liga MX side Pumas in 2020 before completing a full transfer in January of 2021. Mora's best-known goal was the game-tying tally in stoppage time of the 2022 MLS Cup at Providence Park.

Despite living far away from Providence Park, Upp’s fandom runs deep. He previously lived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and helped organize a group of fans to watch the Timbers face CD Olimpia there during the 2014-14 CONCACAF Champions League that year.

Now, Upp’s ongoing international “tour” of sorts has led to helping spread the Timbers recognition even further.