Fans are the heart and soul of all 20 Major League Soccer clubs. Now, for the next month, they’ll adorn their teams' back, too.
MLS announced on Friday that all 20 clubs will honor their season ticket holders by printing images of those fans’ faces on the back of player jerseys. MLS clubs will wear the special-edition jerseys for all regular-season games during the month of August, with all jerseys – home, road and alternate – featuring the custom numbering.
Each club made this initiative available to a specific number of qualifying season ticket holders who used a portal on the club’s website. Those season ticket holders selected a number (0-9) and the location within that number – similar to selecting a seat for air travel – and uploaded their picture.
The adidas Timbers Team Store at Providence Park will have a special limited amount of numbers in white and silver in stock for kit customization. Full name and number application costs $40 while adding the number only goes for $20. Call 503.553.5519 for more information.
Timbers fans will also have a unique opportunity to bid on players' game-worn jerseys following the Aug. 21 match against the Houston Dynamo. The auction is hosted by the club's community outreach platform Stand Together with proceeds benefitting the Portland Timbers Community Fund. Look for more information to be released later next week.
MLS will be the first league to utilize this platform, which is provided by Playing2 and has been used by the Mexican national team, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, among other teams. The numbers are being produced by Unisport, the official provider of authentic MLS letters and numbers.
