This cucumber that I harvested when I ripped the garden out last weekend represents the 2014 season of the Portland Timbers.
It’s green, it under-performed a tragic degree, but it tried. If nothing else, it gets credit for showing up. I will be back next year with all my hopes and dreams.
On September 27, shortly into a game against Toronto FC, our captain Will Johnson broke his leg. He’s number 4 above and that’s what he looks like with an unbroken leg. The other player is Futty Danso, who was on our team since we were a lower division team and well loved. He was traded earlier this season to Montreal. I’ve only cried about soccer 2 times. Once, in 2003 when Germany defeated the USA in Women’s World Cup at PGE Park. I was there. And second, when Futty was traded.
A few weeks later we played our final group match in the CCL and all we had to do was not lose by 2 or more goals.
We lost by 2 goals.
We managed to win our last game against Dallas, clean sheet but we were still 1 point shy of making it to the playoffs.
Shortly before the half our MVP and supporters’ player of the year Diego Valeri went down. He tore his ACL. He’s the guy on the left. That’s what he looks like with two good ACLs. The other player is Darlington Nagbe who scored his first goal of the season in the final match.
It has been a dark month for Timbers fans. Good bye 2014 season and good riddance.
I’ll be back in February with my plastic pants.
