PORTLAND, Ore.
– The Portland Timbers signed veteran forward
Chris Brown
to a two-year deal through the 2009 season, it was announced today. Brown, a Portland native, has recorded 27 goals and 13 assists in 197 matches over the past nine seasons in Major League Soccer.
Last season with Real Salt Lake, Brown, 30, logged 1,084 minutes in 22 games and matched a career-best with five goals.
“Chris is a proven goal-scorer who has played for some of the top teams in this country,” said
Gavin Wilkinson
, head coach and general manager of the Timbers. “He brings with him a great deal of experience. With that, I expect Chris to continue to be productive in front of the goal and reinforce the hard-working mentality we adopted last year.”
“I’m excited about the opportunity to come back to Portland,” said Brown. “Both Gavin and Merritt (Paulson) have worked hard to get this team going in the right direction.
“I’m also looking forward to playing with some familiar faces. Andrew Gregor and I played together through college. With the history between Gregor and me, hopefully we can cause some damage around the league.”
Brown was selected by the Kansas City Wizards in the 1999 MLS College Draft and helped guide the club to its first MLS Cup title in 2000. After four seasons with Kansas City, Brown was traded to the New England Revolution in 2003, and then again to the San Jose Earthquakes in 2004. Selected by Real Salt Lake in the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft, Brown has played in 60 matches and totaled seven goals and an assist in the last three seasons with Salt Lake.
A standout at the University of Portland, Brown finished his collegiate career among the school’s leaders in goals (33), assists (23) and points (89). He was a two-time All-West Coast Conference first-team selection and a two-time member of the All-Far West second team. Following his junior season in 1997, Brown was named to the Soccer News All-American second team. He was nominated for the 1998 Missouri Athletic Club Collegiate Player of the Year award after scoring 10 goals as a senior.
Brown was a member of the U.S. National Team at the U-17, U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. He served as an alternate on the 2000 U.S. Olympic squad that finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Brown played prep soccer at Jesuit High School in Portland, leading the team to four consecutive state championships. Also during his youth career, Brown led his club team, FC Portland, to a U-18 club national title in 1994.
The announcement brings the Timbers’ list of signed roster players to 14.
Timbers season-ticket packages for the upcoming season start as low as $142.50. For more information on season-ticket packages, flex plans, suites and group opportunities, contact the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555 or visit,
www.portlandtimbers.com
.
