How to watch Portland Timbers on TV?

PORTLAND TIMBERS

The Portland Timbers franchise was founded in 2009 and began play in Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2011. This is actually the fourth version of the Timbers. The original team was a member of the old North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1975. The club has had some success and has developed strong rivalries with the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with whom they compete for the Cascadia Cup.

Professional soccer had long been a part of Portland. In 2007, a group led by Merritt Paulson began the process of founding an expansion team in MLS. Paulson is the CEO and majority owner of Peregrine Sports LLC, which is the owner of the Timbers. The company also owns Portland’s franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Fans can watch Portland Timbers games on TV and stream games from a number of different platforms. National broadcasts are shown on ESPN and ESPN2. Subscribers to ESPN+ can also watch on that network. The Portland Timbers complete schedule can be watched via live stream on ESPN+ as well as a number of other network apps such as ABC and FOX. Full game replays are available 48 hours after a match on ESPN+.

HOME OF PORTLAND TIMBERS

The Timbers play home matches at Providence Park in downtown Portland. The stadium is shared with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. Providence Park is the oldest soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer. Having undergone improvements through the years, the stadium now seats a capacity crowd of 25,218.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Portland finished first overall way back in its first year of existence – 1975 – in the old NASL. Since joining MLS, the Timbers have finished first in the Western Conference twice (2013, 2017). Portland won the MLS Cup in 2015, the only such title in team history. The Timbers were the runner-up in 2018 and the team won the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 after the season was interrupted by the coronavirus.

BEST OF PORTLAND TIMBERS

Midfielder Diego Chara leads the Portland franchise in appearances with 291 total. Chara still currently plays for the Timbers. His teammate Diego Valeri is also still a current member of the Timbers roster. Valeri is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. In eight seasons with Portland Valeri has totaled 87 goals. He is also the franchise leader in assists with 89. Valeri was the MVP of the MLS Cup in 2015, the year Portland won it. He was also the league MVP in 2017 after he scored 21 goals in 32 matches. Valeri was named one of MLS’s 25 greatest players in December 2020.

Darlington Nagbe played with the Timbers from 2011 to 2017 and is second all-time in franchise history in assists with 33. He is also third in goals with 31. Nagbe made the 2016 MLS All-Star game roster, the first of his career. In 2013, Nagbe was awarded the MLS Fair Play Award, which is given to the individual that presented the best overall sportsmanlike behavior. That season, he committed just eight fouls and received one yellow card in 2,848 minutes of play.