PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s face a second match in four days as they visit North Sound SeaWolves FC at Edmonds Woodway High School in Edmonds, Wash., on Monday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Monday’s contest opens a stretch of three consecutive road games for the Timbers U-23s. Following the match against North Sound, the team faces a two-game road trip to British Columbia to take on the Fraser Valley Mariners on Friday, June 29 and Victoria Highlanders on Saturday, June 30.
In a tightly contested division race, the Timbers U-23s (6-3-1, 19pts) currently sit in fourth place in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division. Portland trails the first-place Kitsap Pumas by just four points with a game in hand. The top two teams from the division advance to the PDL postseason.
The Timbers U-23s look to rebound from a 4-3 loss to Seattle Sounders FC U-23 on June 22. Second-half goals from forward Erik Hurtado and midfielder Cam Vickers helped the Timbers U-23s rally back on two occasions to tie the match. But Sounders FC U-23 midfielder Fernando Monge struck the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to hand Portland its first home loss of the regular season.
The Timbers U-23s face SeaWolves FC (4-6-0, 12pts) for a second time in three games, with the two sides meeting previously on June 17 at Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Ore. Hurtado recorded a brace and assisted on a goal by Clark Phillips to lead the Timbers U-23s to a 4-1 victory over SeaWolves FC. Portland is 3-0-0 all-time against North Sound and holds an 11-2 advantage in scoring in the all-time series.
SeaWolves FC snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Victoria on June 22. Midfielder Marshall Kosaka scored the decisive goal for North Sound in the 65th minute. SeaWolves FC play host to the Timbers U-23s as part of a 10-game schedule during the month of June.
ABOUT PORTLAND TIMBERS U-23s
Founded Nov. 11, 2008, the Portland Timbers U-23s, presented by Billups Worldwide, is an amateur team affiliated with the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer and serves as a development platform for the club's first team. The team consists of standout players from collegiate and youth programs from Oregon, the Northwest and throughout the country. Since its formation, four Timbers U-23s players have signed with the first team, including midfielder Freddie Braun, goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, defender Ryan Kawulok and forward Brent Richards, who became the Timbers' first Homegrown Player in 2012. The Timbers U-23s assembled an historic campaign in 2010, posting a perfect 16-0-0 record during the regular season on their way to becoming the first undefeated champion in PDL history. For more information, visit www.portlandtimbers.com/u-23s.
