The 2010 Portland Timbers season was the tenth and final season for the club in the USL Conference of the USSF Division-2 Professional League (D-2 Pro League), the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid. The D-2 Pro League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in 2010 to last just one season, as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the North American Soccer League (NASL). An expansion club retaining the Timbers name began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011.
The first competitive game of the 2010 season was played on April 17 at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon against the Rochester Rhinos. The Timbers won 1–0 on a Ryan Pore penalty in the 85th minute in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,418.
Background
The Portland Timbers started shaping the squad for the 2010 season on December 7, 2009 when they announced the signing of Quavas Kirk from the Minnesota Thunder while also naming nine players from the 2009 squad who would not be returning.
On January 15, head coach Gavin Wilkinson was named the 2009 FieldTurf USL Division 1 Coach of the Year for the second time. Three days later, the Timbers appointed Wilkinson Technical director of the Portland Timbers MLS club which was scheduled to begin play in 2011.
Also in January, Portland held an open tryout followed by an invite-only combine for potential new players. Major League Soccer rules allow the organization to sign several players from the 2010 2nd division squad for the 2011 MLS squad, bypassing the league's complicated allocation process, so many ex-MLS players and prospects turned out for the tryouts.
Although not taking part in the tryouts, Haitian national team midfielder James Marcelin and Canadian defender Ross Smith were signed by the Timbers in early February. The club also revealed that defender Takuro Nishimura had been transferred to Crystal Palace Baltimore.
Preseason
Trialists and training
The Timbers began their preseason schedule on February 17 against the Portland Pilots men's team at Merlo Field in a match to benefit Mercy Corps and their relief efforts in Haiti. The match featured mostly trialists for the Timbers including Doug DeMartin who scored both goals to lead the Timbers to a 2–0 victory over the off-season university squad. DeMartin, as well as former St. Pauli defender Ian Joy, rookie goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski and midfielder Derek Gaudet, were signed to contracts by the Timbers after featuring in the match.
Although just coming off of foot surgery, former U.S. national team goalkeeper Adin Brown was signed on February 23. After serving as a consultant with the Timbers for the past year, former Portland Trail Blazers executive Mike Golub was named chief operating officer of the Portland Timbers MLS club on March 1.
The returning players from the 2009 season saw their first action in a training match versus the Oregon State Beavers men's team in Corvallis on March 6. On March 11 it was announced that Alex Nimo would once again be acquired on loan from Real Salt Lake for the season.
Seattle Sounders FC Community Shield
Five days after their first game action together, the team traveled to Seattle on March 11 for the inaugural Seattle Sounders FC Community Shield. Trialist O. J. Obatola scored the only goal as the Timbers defeated Seattle Sounders FC of MLS, who were also in their preseason, in front of 18,606 spectators at Qwest Field.
Final preparations
On March 20, the Timbers went on the road to play the San Jose Earthquakes, their second MLS opponent in succession. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with long-time Timbers defender Scot Thompson scoring the 80th-minute equalizer. After winning two closed-door training matches on back-to-back days in different states versus Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Portland Pilots men's team once again, Portland signed former FC Dallas defender Steve Purdy on April 2.
On April 3, Portland were on the road once more in Bremerton, Washington to face the Kitsap Pumas of the Premier Development League. Kitsap defeated Portland 3–2 in a competitive match which saw Rodrigo López sent off by receiving two yellow cards in rapid succession after coming on as a substitute.
The Timbers made their final preseason player additions on April 7 when forwards O. J. Obatola and Bright Dike were signed to contracts. The preseason culminated with another closed-door training match versus the Seattle Redhawks men's team in Seattle which the Timbers won thanks to goals from Obatola and returning first team midfielder Ryan Pore.
Regular season
April
The Portland Timbers began their 10th and final season in 2nd division soccer on April 17 by hosting the Rochester Rhinos at PGE Park. A sell-out crowd of 15,418 watched as a Ryan Pore penalty in the 85th minute was enough to earn Portland an opening day victory. The club continued their positive start to the season by downing expansion club AC St. Louis 3–0 in a match which saw Pore score two goals and new signing O. J. Obatola get his first competitive goal for the Timbers.
After earning a 1–1 draw with Montreal Impact in Portland's first road game of the year, the Timbers rounded out a successful April with a 2–1 victory over Cascadia Cup rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Pore scored all three Timbers goals in the final two matches of April to give the midfielder six goals in four games as the Timbers stood atop the league.
May
Portland's four league matches in May were flanked by exhibition games featuring top Latin American competition. On May Day, Puntarenas of Costa Rica came to Portland and handed the Timbers a 3–1 loss. League play continued on May 13 with a loss at home to Crystal Palace Baltimore, a club in its first year in the 2nd division after moving up from the 3rd division following the 2009 season. That loss would be the start of an eight-game winless streak in the league for the Timbers.
Mandjou Keita, Portland's leading scorer from 2009 and recently returned from a loan spell in India, scored the opening goal against AC St. Louis in a rematch at PGE Park on May 15, but a stoppage time goal from Mike Ambersley meant the Timbers had to settle for a draw. Montreal Impact then traveled to Portland and took all 3 points from the suddenly struggling Timbers.
A disappointing May in the league was concluded when Crystal Palace Baltimore hosted the Timbers on May 22. Portland lost to Baltimore 2–1 after giving up another goal in second half injury time. The club's fortunes seemed to take a turn for the better when storied Argentinian club Boca Juniors came to town on May 29. In an exciting, back-and-forth game, the Timbers rallied to pull out a 3–2 victory thanks to a 91st minute free kick goal from Rodrigo López.
June
Hoping to build on their exhibition win versus Boca Juniors, the Timbers returned to league play as they hosted Carolina RailHawks FC on June 6. Ryan Pore again continued his scoring streak but Portland were thwarted by yet another stoppage time goal as Carolina earned a draw in the dying seconds of the match. The Timbers then traveled to Texas where they drew 0–0 with league leading Austin Aztex FC. Forward O. J. Obatola, who started six of the first seven league games and scored just one goal, had not played since the May 19 loss to Montreal and was released from his contract by mutual consent on June 10. Portland concluded their road trip on June 12 at Miami FC but lost 1–0 as their league winless streak was extended to seven games.
The second half of June would prove to be a congested affair as the 2010 edition of the U.S. Open Cup kicked off on June 15 with the Timbers hosting amateur side Sonoma County Sol of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in the first round. The teams had met previously in the second round of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup and Portland were again victors by the same 3–0 scoreline.
Just two days later, the Timbers were back in league play as they welcomed expansion club NSC Minnesota Stars to Portland for the teams' first ever meeting. Former Los Angeles Galaxy and University of Washington midfielder Ely Allen opened the scoring for the visitors in the 20th minute and Timbers midfielder James Marcelin was sent off in the 52nd minute helping Minnesota to the surprise victory. Portland had an immediate opportunity for payback as they traveled to Minnesota to face the Stars again two days later. An early penalty goal from Pore and the first career goal for defender Josh Cameron in the 89th minute were enough for the Timbers to record a 2–0 victory. This halted a nearly two month stretch in the league without a win for the Timbers, a span covering eight games.
A busy June continued as Portland made the trip to face PDL side Kitsap Pumas in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup on June 22. Rookie forward Bright Dike recorded a hat-trick as the Timbers defeated the Pumas 4–1, ensuring Portland would meet long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC in the third round. Returning to league play on June 27, Portland continued its new-found momentum as the Timbers hosted expansion club FC Tampa Bay and came away 1–0 winners.
Cup play resumed for the Timbers on June 30 as Portland played host to Seattle Sounders FC of MLS in the third round of the competition once again. A sold-out crowd of 15,422 watched as the Timbers played the Sounders to a 1–1 draw. In extra time, Seattle defender Taylor Graham was sent off for bringing down Dike just outside the penalty area. Portland failed to capitalize on the man advantage, however, and the match would be decided by penalty kicks. Sounders FC and former U.S. national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller made two saves during the shootout to help Seattle win 4–3 on penalties and knock the Timbers out of the cup for the second year running.
July
The Timbers had little time to rest after playing a draining 120 minutes against Seattle Sounders FC in the Open Cup as fellow Pacific Northwest rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC returned to PGE Park for league play just three days later. Due to fatigue, head coach Gavin Wilkinson made eight changes to the side that faced Seattle and the reserves were able to earn a 0–0 draw to maintain their lead over Vancouver in the 2010 Cascadia Cup standings. After their first full week without a game for over a month, a refreshed Portland team played host to struggling Miami FC on July 10. Canadian defender Ross Smith scored his first league goal for the club and Ryan Pore got his tenth goal of the season to lead the Timbers to a 2–0 win. After the match, while celebrating on the way out of PGE Park, two long lost elementary school chums were reacquainted. Three-and-a-half years later they married and now are expecting a child.
A twelve-day break in league play allowed the Timbers to schedule back-to-back exhibition games versus foreign opponents. Just one day after defeating Miami, Mexican club Atlas visited Portland. A 77th minute George Josten goal seemed to be enough for the Timbers to grab a narrow victory until Quavas Kirk brought down an Atlas player in the penalty area, earning the Mexicans a penalty. Luis Robles converted the kick in the 91st minute meaning the match would be decided by a penalty shootout. Portland Timbers U23's goalkeeper Jake Gleeson made two saves during the shootout as the Timbers defeated Atlas 4–2 on penalties.