PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s this weekend play host to their final two regular-season home matches of the 2012 Premier Development League season, presented by Billups Worldwide. The Timbers U-23s face the Washington Crossfire on Friday at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Wash., at 7 p.m. (Pacific), before taking on the Kitsap Pumas at Hare Field in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sunday at 6 p.m. (Pacific).
Sunday’s match against Kitsap is part of a doubleheader at Hare Field, with the Portland Rain of the Women’s Premier Soccer League and an adidas Timbers Alliance club playing the Spokane Shine at 3 p.m. (Pacific).
The Timbers U-23s (8-3-2, 26pts) currently sit in third place in the PDL’s Northwest Division, which features one of the tightest division races in the league. Entering the week, only four points separates the top four teams in the division, with Kitsap (9-3-2, 29pts) currently in first place and Washington (8-5-1, 25pts) in fourth. The Pumas and Seattle Sounders FC U-23 have clinched two of the division’s four postseason berths; Portland is one point away from clinching a playoff spot.
The Timbers U-23s return home from a season-long, three-game road stretch on a three-match unbeaten run. The Timbers U-23s earned a 2-0 win over Fraser Valley Mariners FC on June 29 and a 1-1 draw against Victoria Highlanders FC on June 30 during a two-game trip to British Columbia.
The Timbers U-23s and Crossfire play the second of three matchups this season on Friday. Crossfire won the first meeting 2-1 at Redmond High School despite an early goal from Timbers U-23s midfielder Andrew Ribeiro. The Timbers U-23s and Crossfire are tied in the all-time series at 3-3-1. Portland will face Washington for a second time in three games in its regular-season finale on Wednesday, July 11, in Redmond, Wash.
On Sunday, the Timbers U-23s play the Pumas in their regular-season home finale at Hare Field. The Timbers U-23s are 1-0-1 in the two previous games against Kitsap this season, including a 4-0 win led by a pair of goals scored by midfielder Steven Evans on May 24 at JELD-WEN Field. The two sides battled to a 2-2 draw on June 9 in Bremerton, Wash., with forwards Clark Phillips and Erik Hurtado scoring for Portland. The Timbers U-23s own a 3-2-3 record in the all-time series against the Pumas. Sunday’s contest marks the regular-season finale for Kitsap.
