Timbers Links Round-Up: Season Preview Edition

With MLS First Kick and the Timbers' inaugural season just eight days away, outlets are posting their season previews and predictions for the 2011 campaign. What should we look for this season?



Stumptown Footy of the SB Nation network gives its preview of the Timbers for their inaugural season, saying the Timbers aren’t quite acting like your typical expansion team.

ESPN takes a look at the 2011 MLS season on its MLS Final Kick: Season Preview show. Leading off the 8-minute video is the offseason’s hottest story: the arrival of the Timbers and Whitecaps in MLS.

Sports Illustrated’s Steve Davis examines the effect that the Timbers and Whitecaps will have on MLS this season, more specifically in the Northwest. Will the Timbers debut like the Sounders and escape the cellar in their inaugural campaign?

The Cascadia rivalry between the Timbers, Sounders and Whitecaps is already the most heated in MLS, says Associated Press writer Tim Booth.

Timbers forward Kenny Cooper makes the list of top MLS imports to watch in 2011 on SoccerByIves.net.

Anthony Burkhart of the Pottsville (PA) Republican-Herald profiles hometown hero David Horst, telling the story of how Horst found out he was selected by the Timbers in the MLS Expansion Draft last November.

AOL Fanhouse’s Brian Straus puts together an exposé on MLS uniforms, breaking them down team-by-team. I think you’ll like what he has to say about the Timbers’ Alaska Airlines-branded kits.

Drew Epperley of WVHooligan.com chimes in with his opinion on the uniforms. He notes that he is growing to like the Timbers’ threads more and more.




Something we'll try to deliver each week of the regular season is a bit of a scouting report on the Timbers' opponent, through the eyes of the folks who cover them. This week, the Timbers take on the San Jose Earthquakes in a closed scrimmage on Saturday, Mar. 11.

SB Nation previews the 2011 San Jose Earthquakes, who have been rolling out a 4-3-3 formation for much of the preseason.

Goal.com says that the ’Quakes’ versatility behind 2010 Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski is the key for the team to return to the conference finals for a second straight season.