Portland Timbers owner and CEO Merritt Paulson, sitting next to general manager Gavin Wilkinson announced today the launch of the Timbers own USL Pro club, to begin competing in 2015. The Timbers join a growing list of MLS clubs to launch their own USL Pro teams, favoring that over an affiliation with a separate USL Pro Club. The Timbers themselves came from USL, where they played in the USL First Division from 2001-2009, before joining MLS in 2010.
The club will officially be Timbers 2, but the club announced they’ll be referred to as T2. They’ll play at the University of Portland. Here’s the new club’s logo:
Timbers USL PRO club logo #RCTID pic.twitter.com/X86aDYabk7
— Jamie Goldberg (@Jamiebgoldberg) October 14, 2014
Timbers owner Merritt Paulson tweeted this week that this move is part of the Timbers work towards “taking the club to the next level.”
For me, USL was where I was introduced to the Timbers. Now we return to USL Pro to take the club to next level. Details at 10:30 PST #RCTID
— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) October 14, 2014
Paulson also referenced a number of other MLS clubs launching USL Pro clubs, specifically referring to the Sounders, who are expected to announce the launch of their own club later today, saying “I think there’s another announcement, in some fishing village up north later today.”
Timbers Announce Launch of USL Pro Club T2
The growing number of MLS clubs launching USL Pro clubs is surely an indication that MLS teams are taking player development more seriously, something that will not only benefit MLS as a league, but should surely benefit the entire US Soccer program.
This past summer, as part of our MLS 3.0 Series, LWOS Writer Jack Hummel wrote on the need to overhaul US Soccer Development Academies to try to replicate the success that of the German development academies. To check out Jack’s great piece, go here. In Germany, Spain, and other countries, academy clubs compete in lower division leagues. MLS teams appear to be increasingly buying into this strategy, and the Timbers have now joined in.
For the Timbers, USL Pro represents a bridge between the academies and the first team in MLS, as well as a place where draft picks who may not be ready for MLS to develop their talents. This means less players will slip through the cracks, more raw talents discovered and developed, and the league and national team as a whole should benefit.
Had the Timbers had a USL Pro club in 2012 perhaps they would have sent Miguel Ibarra there, rather than not signing him after taking him in the Supplemental Draft. Instead, Ibarra ended up in NASL with Minnesota United and is currently on USMNT duty. I’m sure the Timbers would love to have been able to keep Ibarra around and develop him, but without a USL Pro club where he could play real matches and earn real experience, they couldn’t keep him around.
Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson did not announce who would coach T2, but said the club has identified and is close to signing a coach who is “well known for winning and developing players.” Wilkinson added that T2 will have its own coaching staff, but they will work under and in coordination with Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter.
This will give the Timbers more control over development of players who are not quite ready for the first team, while also allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into the MLS club when they’re ready. At T2, players will play the positions Porter envisions them playing in MLS and the team will play with the same philosophy, style, and system as the MLS club.
For the Timbers, a team which has lacked production from their academy, this club really is, as Paulson indicated, a move to taking the club to the next level. Portland has done well in player acquisitions for the most part in the last two years, but to really be successful long term in MLS the academy must produce. Given the rigorous salary structures of MLS it can be difficult or even impossible to keep top players together for the long term. Having an academy that produces players who can contribute to the first team means having a factory of affordable players. Portland will certainly be hoping that this new club will help academy players further their development so they’re ready when the first team comes calling.
PORTLAND TIMBERS ANNOUNCE USL PRO TEAM, T2
T2 to begin play during 2015 USL PRO season, offer unique opportunities for supporters through ‘1975 Trust’
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced that the club has formed Timbers 2 (to be referred to as T2), a professional team that will compete in USL PRO, a division of US Soccer below Major League Soccer.
T2 will begin competing in USL PRO during the 2015 season and play their home games at Merlo Field on the campus of the University of Portland. The team will train at the club’s adidas Timbers Training Center in Beaverton, Ore.
“I believe that MLS clubs with their own USL PRO teams in-market will have a competitive advantage on a number of levels,” said Merritt Paulson, owner/CEO of the Timbers. “This is a big investment for us and signifies our commitment to winning.”
Season ticket deposits are now being accepted at www.timbers2.com or by calling (503) 553-5555. Supporters season tickets start at just $8 per game, and the club is accepting $25 refundable deposits at this time.
With the launch of the T2 USL PRO club, the team is offering supporters an unprecedented opportunity to engage with and influence the new club through their 1975 Trust program. The 1975 Trust gives supporters the chance to be a T2 founding member and to help shape the direction of the club from the beginning. There is no cost to join the 1975 Trust, and enrollment is open only during the inaugural season to the first 1,975 people who purchase season tickets. Members of the 1975 Trust will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of team decisions and activities, such as choosing team kits on match day, helping choose the food and beverage options available at home games, helping shape the creative direction on club design projects and the ability to attend club meetings.
Additional benefits of being a member of the 1975 Trust include special discounts at food and merchandise stands at Merlo Field, access to pre- and postgame hospitality areas, select team personnel question-and-answer sessions and commemorative memorabilia each season.
“This is an exciting opportunity to grow a valuable partnership between the University of Portland and the Portland Timbers,” said Scott Leykam, University of Portland athletic director. “Part of being Soccer City, USA means working collaboratively at every level and this is just the latest example of the commitment this community has to growing the game of soccer. We are excited to be associated with one of the most progressive organizations in professional sports and look forward to working closely with the Timbers moving forward at one of the top collegiate soccer venues in the nation.”
The T2 logo, unveiled for the first time Tuesday during a news conference at Providence Park in Portland, features a unique mixture of the current Timbers brand, while paying tribute to past iterations of the club in both the second division and North American Soccer League (NASL). The badge features the iconic Timbers MLS axe enclosed in a circle, representing unity, wholeness and the club’s pursuit of perfection. Behind the axe, the badge pays homage to the club’s history by incorporating the original and iconic chevron patter included in the first-ever Timbers mark. Furthermore, the typeface on the number in the badge is part of the same font family as the numbers found on the original 1975 Portland Timbers NASL kits.
Additional T2 announcements are expected in the coming weeks and months as the club prepares for its first season in USL PRO.
ABOUT USL PRO
USL PRO is the strongest U.S. men’s professional soccer league on and off the field below and in support of Major League Soccer (MLS). Focused on league stability and franchise performance longevity, USL PRO featured 14 teams in 2014, including expansion teams in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Teams have already been announced for 2015 in Austin, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Louisville, St. Louis and Tulsa, with more additions expected soon. Through aggressive and deliberate growth in adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and US Soccer standards, USL PRO is building a robust, national professional soccer league in a format that promotes the benefits of regional league play. In 2013 USL PRO began a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with MLS that features individual team affiliations, inter-league play, and the opportunity for MLS clubs to field a second team in USL PRO. In addition to league play, USL PRO teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various domestic and international exhibitions. USL PRO is the longest-standing pro league affiliate member of US Soccer.
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