Soccer and the Stimulus

The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a two part stimulus package: expansion of Major League Soccer into Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, and the possibility of a high speed railway that connects the three cities. If you consider the connection between the two, the future for this region looks really good.

The Soccer

The first part of this stimulus is already in effect. MLS has seen significant success during its span and thus expanding teams rapidly. But they have been cautious, avoiding the mismanaged expansion that ultimately plagued the former National American Soccer League in the 1970s. There have actually been many smart moves that have kept them in business, and those smart moves led to Vancouver, British Columbia being awarded the 17th team in the league, the Seattle Sounders winning their inaugural match 3-0, and Portland, Oregon being awarded the 18th team in the league.

During the days of both the NASL and the United Soccer League, these three cities featured a storied rivalry. In 2004, fans of the three teams established a derby called the Cascadia Cup which rewarded to the club that finished with the best record in the season series between the three teams. As a young member of the Timbers Army, one of my favorite songs goes a little like this. Starting in 2011, that rivalry will once again be renewed. The Cascadia Cup will be up for grabs, and it should make for some exciting matches.

The Stimulus

Everyone knows about the economy and the stimulus package, and how its hopefully going to help turn this country around. One of the ideas on how to use that stimulus money is to re-ignite the idea of building high speed rail lines in various parts of US.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the proposed regions. And there is support out there to build a high speed rail line that would connect Eugene, OR to Vancouver, BC. One would be able to travel from Eugene to Seattle in 2-1/2 hours, then Seattle to Vancouver in the same time.
There are so many benefits from a project like this: thousands of jobs that would last years, increased ability to travel to work, commerce between cities, and so much more.

But also think about how this could impact the Northwest Derby. Fans would be able to travel in a more efficient way - cheaper than flights and faster than driving. And the effects could be huge: stadiums would have the ability to sell more tickets to visiting fans (games could also sell out easier), hotel reservations would increase, and restaurants could be packed. All three cities could see a huge boost to their tourism revenues because of the high speed rail.

Obviously it would take a while to get there. But if the matters were set in motion within the next year or two and construction started by 2011, so much good could come of this.

The Portland Timbers are joining the MLS!

Today was a wonderful day for the city of Portland. At a press conference on the second floor of Hilton hotel in downtown Portland, Major League soccer announced that it has chosen my beloved city to be the 18th team in the premiere soccer league in North America. The Portland Timbers, keeping their same name as the current USL squad, will join the Vancouver Whitecaps and start play in the 2011 season.

Now, I know that I certainly can't be as excited as some other fans, especially those in the Timbers Army. There are some many Portlanders that have been cheering for the boys in green ever since the old NASL days. I wasn't even alive then. I can't even take pride in the team once it reformed in 2001 in the USL.

I know, I really sound like a fan. But please, stay with me. I only recently started liking soccer. I used to be one of those naive sports fans that never gave soccer a single chance - saying that the game is boring; that the players are girls and flop all the time. My brother gave me the hardest time because of it, mostly since he has played soccer his entire life.

For some reason, I finally came around. I guess because I was studying German in college, and wanted to root for the German national team in the 2006 World Cup, which was partly hosted by them. I was hooked ever since.

In 2007, I started following the Portland Timbers. It was exciting, that when I finally came around on the beautiful sport, there was a team in my favorite city in the world. It was only unfortunate that they weren't even in the top league in the US. My first live professional soccer match was the Timbers second round playoff game. I won my ticket from a radio contest.

I have to make something clear though. After the Timbers, there are two other teams I root for. The first is Chelsea. I know they are hated. But after all that time hating soccer, when I finally decided to start watching it, the very first game I ever saw on TV was a Chelsea match. I just stuck to the team. I didn't have anyone in my ear telling me no, and no bias against them.

The third team I root for is 1. FC Cologne. In fall of 2007 I studied abroad in Germany, and lived in Cologne for three months. I got to witness first hand a soccer match in Europe. The stadium, the noise, the scarves. It was one of the best sporting events I had been to live.

From Livin' in Germany

From Livin' in Germany

But now that the Timbers will be in the MLS, everything is going change. I am going to try has hard as I can to get season tickets, even if I live in Eugene. I will follow this team no matter what. And I will root against Seattle too. I hope to make it up there when Chelsea comes to play. I'll where my Blues jersey proud. And root against the Timbers' most hated enemies.

Rose City 'Til I Die.