Portland Timbers

Soccer roots in Portland and first MLS seasons

Following England's World Cup victory in 1966, there was a significant increase in popularity of soccer in english speaking countries. The United States were heavily influenced and it paved the way for cities like Portland, Oregon to embrace the sport. The growth of professional soccer in Portland can be traced to the Portland Timbers, the city's expansion team in the top-level North American Soccer League (NASL) as an expansion team from 1975 until the club's seventh season in 1982. The club's major achievement was in their inaugural season during the league's playoffs, having won the league's division final, and runners-up in Soccer Bowl '75 losing to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the championship match. This achievement helped to not only bring significantly more attention to the sport in Portland, but also bring more fans and more recognition to the Portland Timbers name. In 1985, F.C. Portland had established and was a charter club in the Western Soccer Alliance League and competed until folding in 1990. Professional soccer was dormant in the city until 2001, when the USL Timbers was founded and competed in Division 2 soccer in USL pro until the club folded in 2010. The USL club finished with the best record in the league in both the 2004 and 2009 regular seasons. Back when the Portland Timbers joined the NASL in 1975, their first manager was Vic Crowe, who was Welsh and brought many of that inaugural 1975 team's…