History of Portland Timbers

The history of the Portland Timbers stretches back to 1975, when the original Timbers club joined the North American Soccer League, to the present club that plays in Major League Soccer.

League members Former members Other League

In January 1975, the North American Soccer League awarded an expansion franchise to Portland, Oregon. The name was selected on March 8, 1975 from more than 3,000 entries in an open contest. They began play in 1975. In their inaugural season, the Timbers went to the championship game, Soccer Bowl '75, but lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-0. It was during this season that the Timbers endeared themselves to the City and Portland became known as "Soccer City USA". While the Timbers boasted some of the league's best fan support, they sometimes struggled on the field. Despite going to the championship game in their first season, they missed the playoffs in 1976 and 1977. In 1978, they went to the Conference Finals before falling to the New York Cosmos. The team folded at the end of the 1982 season as player salaries outpaced team revenue. These Timbers established soccer as a sport in the greater Portland area. Their legacy lives on in the current Timbers following and the many thousands who continue to play and follow the game. Many of these Timbers continued to live in the area after their playing careers and helped establish the soccer as a vital local sport.

In 1985, F.C. Portland joined with three other independent clubs, the U.S. based F.C. Seattle and San Jose Earthquakes and the Canadian Victoria Riptides in a home and away round robin tournament, known as the Western Alliance Challenge Series. The four teams also played the Canadian Edmonton Brickmen and the Canadian national team. The games against the Brickmen counted in the standings which determined the end of series champions.

...
Wikipedia