Whatcha up to tonight? Well if you were a REAL AMERICAN, you'd apparently be watching soccer.
Yes, after neither Pele, nor a World Cup, nor a svelte young lady stripping down to her sports bra convinced the world's most powerful country to embrace the world's most popular game, the folks at Fox Soccer Channel went the next logical route: Re-branding!
In a season of firsts, add another one to Portland's dossier of debuts: FSC will unveil its revamped "Soccer Night in America" this very evening in our very city when the Timbers host the Philadelphia Union at 7:30 p.m. at the House of Pane in a clash between two clubs who've had early (and some say surprising) MLS success this season.
A match that's expected to be a defensive struggle (Yeah! Soccer!) will be national(istical)ly televised and feature *slow-motion cameras and spiffy 3D graphics*, which is apparently Fox's way of saying it's serious about growing soccer in The States.
More after the jump (about, you know, the match itself), including Fox's trailer for tonight's feature presentation and all the EXTRA TIME links you'll need to fast-forward to first kick.
Love low-scoring, defensive struggles? Me neither, but tonight's match may still grab that key 18-35 'Merican demo Fox seeks for a few other reasons:
First, the reputation of Portland's fans has grown to national proportions since the team's home debut last month, and the supporters' level of buy-in is just the sort of thing MLS would like to see displayed (and replicated) around the country. Philly has quite the fan association itself (the awesomely named "Sons of Ben"), which like the Timbers Army, flexed political muscle to bring its team to town.
The match could also have a bit more action than the pundits predict, as the Union will be without at least one starting defender. The Union are tied for both the most wins AND least goals in the MLS, and their score-early-and-kick-back style may be slightly compromised by playing on a pitch Union coach Peter Nowak called "a little to small" and likened to a "pinball" machine.
While Portland ponders if that's an insult or not, the Timbers would do well to pressure Philly's defense and not let them get into their comfort zone should they hope to carry some momentum into Seattle and make the next seven days "Soccer Week in Portland."
EXTRA TIME! "I love Internet links about soccer. USA. USA. USA."—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Bleed for the Timbers? Willing to literally bleed for non-soccer related causes? The Timbers are hosting a blood drive on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Red Cross' Portland Donation Center.
• Philadelphia's Danny Mwanga considers Portland his hometown, and the Westside Metros, Jeff High and Oregon State star says "there's going to be a lot of emotions" playing in front of family and friends.
• Starting fast and avoiding the counter-attack will be paramount for the Timbers' success tonight, says Paul Danzer of The Columbian.
• The Union practiced on a smaller field this week to prepare for Portland, according to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who notes the Timbers aren't playing like an expansion team so far.
• Timbers broadcaster John Strong says "Pinball Wizard" Portland's already scored "a minor victory" if the Union are spending too much time in practice worrying about the size of the pitch.
• The 2010-expansion-team Union "have surprised so far this season," and getting out early will be key for Portland, according to Timbers Insider Kelly McLain.
• Union blogger Ben Feldman says the Timbers have been "flat-out dominant" at the "simply electric" House of Pane while Scott Kessler picks the brain of Stumptown Footy's Geoff Gibson.
• The Sports Network's preview notes while "Portland has not figured out how to win on the road, the Timbers have already perfected their trade at home."
• Tonight's match pits "two of the biggest surprises of the early MLS season," according to Fox Sports' MLS rundown.
• Goal.com's Ryan Scally and Shane Evans tag-team a preview and offer predictions of tonight's match (neither of which involve a Portland win).
• Bettor.com previews the match and calls a 2-0 victory for the road team.
• Alaska Airlines—the Timbers' jersey sponsor, if you hadn't noticed—unveiled a "Timbers Jet" today at PDX inspired by the team's colors and designed by a "paint the plane" contest. Usually, press release quotes sound like they were written by marketing interns, but I'd like to believe Timbers owner Merritt Paulson actually said this out loud: “This is easily the best-looking plane you will find anywhere.” Easily!
