MLS 2016 Thread

[paintmered]

Let's start this off with some of the new kits. Columbus Crew SC unveiled their newest one today, and it is beyond words terrible. It does have the colors of the Columbus city flag, so it has that going for it, I guess. In other news, Columbus could use a different city flag.

http://i.imgur.com/03vZpSa.jpg

http://imgur.com/bw9bzpW.jpg

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/wa_0.gif

[Yachtzee]

Oh that picture! I can't stop laughing. The players look like they're being held against their will. I will have to watch the video feed to see if they are blinking pleas for help in morse code.

So far the Twitteratti are comparing it to Minions or a men's urinal. I have a feeling there may be a rush of fans at the Columbus Crew Stadium Shop,. . . to buy up the last of last season's yellow jerseys. What stinks is that they've already taken down the yellow kit from the online retail shops. I wish I had gotten the yellow one while I had the chance. I had a premonition I wouldn't like the new jerseys.

[Kingspoint]

The Timbers began with a 2-1 win over Seattle in Arizona.

[Caveat Emperor]

My eyes, they burn...

[BuckeyeRed27]

Wait...that is a primary kit? Yikes.

[Yachtzee]

Wait...that is a primary kit? Yikes.

No, thankfully it's the secondary, with the black kit being the primary. Supposedly the yellow "banana" kit will be kept as a 3rd option. Coach decides what kit they wear, so I'm hoping Berhalter realizes what a disaster this kit is and it gets trotted out once or twice to appease the owners and then gets relegated to the dust bin of history. Of course my fear is that other teams will go with dark jerseys when possible to force the Crew to wear this abomination. I heard that Andy Loughnane of Crew SC said this kit will be a one year only deal, as opposed to the usual two years per jersey.

[paintmered]

No, thankfully it's the secondary, with the black kit being the primary. Supposedly the yellow "banana" kit will be kept as a 3rd option. Coach decides what kit they wear, so I'm hoping Berhalter realizes what a disaster this kit is and it gets trotted out once or twice to appease the owners and then gets relegated to the dust bin of history. Of course my fear is that other teams will go with dark jerseys when possible to force the Crew to wear this abomination. I heard that Andy Loughnane of Crew SC said this kit will be a one year only deal, as opposed to the usual two years per jersey.

It also means that today was hopefully the first and only time they wear that kit in Columbus.

[Big Red Smokey]

I like the kit. I dunno.

Could do without the shorts.

I have like 12 pairs of shoes that match the kit, so I'm excited. Haha.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Just bought tickets to go to the LA Galaxy vs. Santos Laguna CCL game in a couple weeks. Hopefully one of the MLS teams can win the dumb thing this year.

I'm pretty excited for the Galaxy this year. The second half of last year was such a dud that a shake up was needed and the offseason moves have been pretty exciting. I really hope this Jelle van Damme guy is good because his name is Jelle van Damme and that is awesome.

[paintmered]

My Columbus Crew SC pre-season primer:

Players out -

- Emanuel Pogatetz: the former Austrian captain was brought in at a high salary to solidify the defense and to replace Giancarlo "Pipo" Gonzalez, who was sold on a $6MM transfer to Palermo in 2014. He wasn't a fit in Berhalter's system and quickly found himself on the bench and then not game listed in favor of Tyson Wahl during 2015, which is not a compliment to say the least. CCSC declined his option for 2016, and Pogatetz has since signed with Union Berlin.
- Kristinn Steindorsson: Icelandic NT player and backup winger didn't show enough consistent quality during the season. CCSC declined his option, and Steindorsson has since signed with GIF Sundsvall in Sweden. Recently scored against the USMNT in a friendly.
- Ben Speas: home grown attacking mid saw little playing time last year. His contract expired and is now on trial with Seattle.
- Matt Lampson: backup GK whose contract expired.
- Aaron Schoenfeld: third option striker after the addition of Jack McInerney. Bounced between USL side Dayton Dutch Lions and CCSC in 2014 and saw some meaningful minutes in 2014-2015 with the MLS club. He never showed to be much more than a back-of-roster player. CCSC let his contract expire, and he is now playing with Maccabi Netanya in Israel and reportedly off to a fast start.
- Chris Klute: backup fullback traded to Portland for Garber bucks (general allocation money).
- Jack McInerney: 2nd option striker also traded to Portland for Super Garber bucks (targeted allocation money).
- Kevan Geogre: defensive mid who was waived for being well...not good.
- Romain Gall: the youngster winger who showed promise as a USMNT U-19 starter is having his star starting to fade. CCSC waived him in a surprising move, and it is expected that another club will pick him up. He needs quality minutes to develop, which aren't available on a winger-heavy side like CCSC.
- Sergio Campbell: last year's 1st round pick and central defender. He was a back-of-roster option and was a victim of consuming a precious foreign player slot.

Players in -

- Corey Ashe: veteran free agent pickup from Orlando City. Berhalter's system requires much of his wingers and fullbacks, so he needs quality depth at both positions. Ashe will backup Waylon Francis, who will be splitting duties with the Costa Rica NT.
- Emil Larsen: 24 year old Danish winger purchased from Odense Boldklub. It remains to be seen if he will be the LM starter over Meram and Cedric or assume Steindorrson's old role - should see the field regardless.
- Conor Casey: veteran free agent striker who isn't a 90 minute player at this point in his career, but he's physically strong and has always been good with his head in the box. He'll be a nice option for the last 15-20 minutes.
- Amro Tarek: 23 year old dual US/Egypt citizen acquired on a season loan with option to buy from Real Betis. He's played all over the pitch in his career, including ST. He will primarily be a central defender but can also play either fullback position.
- Ola Kamara: Two Kamaras are better than one! 26 year old Norwegian stiker and a discovery signing (MLS version of "dibs") from Austria Wien. Will be Kei's backup up top.
- Rodrigo Savaria: 1st round SuperDraft pick Guatemalan out of Florida Gulf Coast Univ.; replaces Kevan George's spot on the roster as backup to Wil Trapp at CDM.

Last year's summary -

The Crew had everything clicking at the end of season, and ended up hosting the MLS Cup Final until Steve Clark's 1st minute career-defining blunder slammed on the brakes. But it wasn't a smooth 2015 by any measure despite the improved roster quality. The team was poor on the road and struggled following the loss of Grana at RB (terminated contract to return to Argentina) and Wil Trapp (out two months with a concussion). The team suffered a mid-season swoon and generally failed to improve upon their 2014 season standings despite the roster improvements and Kamara's goal scoring. However, Berhalter showed his knack for player acquisition and righted the ship. Cedrick joined the team mid-season from Real Betis and added a quality late-match option. Harrison Afful (60 caps with Ganha) plugged the Grana-shaped hole at RB, and Gastón Sauro from FC Basel after recovering from a concussion, quickly kicked Tyson Wahl to the bench. With the defense finally solidified and roster healthy, CCSC went on a late-season tear and climbed their way to 2nd in the Eastern Conference.

Outlook for 2016 -

The Crew are rightfully among the MLS Cup favorites and should be a popular pick to win it all. All the contributors from 2015 are back and looking to pick up right where they left off. They're solid at the back, have a quality goalkeeper in Steve Clark (Cup Final blunder aside), and their front four can all create chances and finish assuming Higuaín and Kamara don't experience significant drop-offs. Kei Kamara is in a weeks-long contract dispute, as he's seeking a raise after his successful last season.


My tentative depth chart:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

GK - Clark, Stuver
RB - Afful, Jiménez, Barson
RCB - Parkhurst, Sauro, Tarek, Wahl
LCB - Sauro, Tarek, Wahl
LB - Francis, Ashe, Tarek
CDM - Trapp, Saravia, Saeid, Swanson
CM - Tchani, Saeid, Swanson
RM - Finlay, Cedrick, Jiménez
LM - Meram, Larsen, Cedrick
CAM - Higuaín, Saeid
ST - K. Kamara, O. Kamara, Casey

Designated Players (1 of 3) - Higuaín
International Players (8 of 8) - Afful, Francis, O. Kamara, Larsen, Cedric, Saeid, Saravia, Sauro

[Kingspoint]

I hope Portland fans don't embarrass themselves in the home opener against Columbus. A few were a little classless against Seattle in Arizona a couple of weeks ago.

13 days from today, if I remember, but there will be a recognition of the Championship which Columbus has to sit through. Should be good motivational fodder for them.

Probably won't be a double-post goal in this one.

[Yachtzee]

Okay, say what you will about the new jerseys, but Columbus Crew SC just pulled out the "drop the mic" move on the latest TV contract. They've worked out a partnership between Time Warner and Sinclair to have all regional games available both through TWCSportsNet and OVER THE AIR on Columbus-based channels owned by Sinclair. For the cord-cutters, all regional broadcasts will be available via MLS Live WITHOUT LOCAL BLACKOUT RESTRICTIONS! That is huge.

http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2016/02/25/crew-sc-announces-landmark-television-broadcast-partnership

So if you're local, you can get the games over the air for free, on cable/satellite tv through the locals or TWCSportsNet, or over the internet with MLS Live.
If you live anywhere in the State of Ohio, Northern KY, or Western PA, you can see Crew SC on TWCSportsNet or MLS Live.
If you live anywhere else in North America, you can see the games on MLS Live.
The only 3 games not available are are the national broadcasts on ESPN and FS1.

I'm not familiar with the TV deals of major sports teams outside Ohio, but at least in Ohio, it seems to me to be a real precedent setting deal, with the two key factors being that games will be available in the Columbus market over the air and via streaming service with no restrictions, while continuing to make games available to cable and streaming customers outside the Columbus market. I can't imagine the Reds, Indians, Cavs, or Blue Jackets making all of their games available on cable, over the air and streaming online with no restrictions (the NFL a whole different thing).

[RedTeamGo!]

Why do the MLS teams get completely dominated by the Mexican league teams in this CONCACAF champions league thing?

[BuckeyeRed27]

Why do the MLS teams get completely dominated by the Mexican league teams in this CONCACAF champions league thing?

The biggest factor is scheduling. The MLS doesn't adhere to the international calendar where Liga MX does. So the Mexican teams are about 8-10 games into their season, where MLS starts this weekend. It is this way every year, where this competition falls into MLS preseason basically. Games often look like these games do, where they are close for a bit and then the fitness factor kicks in and the Mexican teams score a bunch of goals late.

I don't want to discount talent either, many of these Mexican teams are very good and that is why they win. However if these games were played in April instead of February I think the MLS teams would fare a lot better.

[Yachtzee]

Tomorrow is Soccer Sunday! The season begins tomorrow with all 20 teams playing, with Crew SC heading to Portland to kick off ESPN's MLS coverage. Crew SC will be wearing the "For Columbus" kits, so we'll get to see straight away just how bad they look on TV.

Here is the Season Preview done up by Major League Soccer Soccer's Armchair Analyst, Matt Doyle:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/03/04/armchair-analyst-2016-mls-season-preview-spectacular


And in case you were wondering, here is a field guide for all the MLS Supporters Groups:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/series/supporters-group-guides


Speaking of Supporters, the Crew SC fan who flipped off the cameras when Don Garber was presenting the MLS Cup last season has become a minor soccer celebrity to the degree that Timbers fans launched a GoFundMe campaign to get her to Portland for the season opener.

http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2016/02/portland_timbers_fans_help_fun.html

Yes, I am so ready for the season to get started.

[paintmered]

Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Columbus and Kei Kamara ended their weeks-long contract dispute. Kamara emerges as CCSC's second designated player and will effectively double last year's salary through 2018, his age 34 season.

[Yachtzee]

Not yet mentioned in this thread is that Columbus and Kei Kamara ended their weeks-long contract dispute. Kamara emerges as CCSC's second designated player and will effectively double last year's salary through 2018, his age 34 season.

He definitely earned it last season. We'll have to see if he can maintain his level of performance over the next two years.

[Caveat Emperor]

Why do the MLS teams get completely dominated by the Mexican league teams in this CONCACAF champions league thing?

100% scheduling.

Plus that the CONCACAF Champions League is nowhere near as prestigious or "important" in the minds of fans as the UCL is in Europe.

[M2]

100% scheduling.

Plus that the CONCACAF Champions League is nowhere near as prestigious or "important" in the minds of fans as the UCL is in Europe.

The first knockout round falls at a terrible time for MLS, but fans seem to get extremely excited about when an MLS makes a run deep into the tournament. I suspect MLS clubs would have won it a couple of times already if it weren't for the constant expansion, which does water down the product.

[Kingspoint]

P-T

..

F-C

[Caveat Emperor]

Watching a Timbers match in Portland remains high on the sports wish list.

[Kingspoint]

Best of luck, Columbus!

[Kingspoint]

Sunny Weather for the Opening Ceremonies. Great.

But, at some point it's going to have to pour during the game.

[Kingspoint]

Nice 1st goal!

[paintmered]

Portland looks the better team in what has been a very entertaining first half.

[Kingspoint]

Portland looks the better team in what has been a very entertaining first half.

Columbus had some early first chances. They can score quickly.

The free kick goal was picture-perfect.

[paintmered]

Columbus had some early first chances. They can score quickly.

The free kick goal was picture-perfect.

Those low balls inside the six with a half dozen players who can get a touch on it triggered my goal keeper PTSD. Dammed if you play the cross, dammed if you don't.

[Kingspoint]

Great tying goal by Columbus. Both goals have been things of beauty.

[BuckeyeRed27]

The last 90 seconds of the Orlando game is worth seeking out....craziest ending I've seen in a couple years.

[Kingspoint]

Columbus has been in Portland's end the entire second half. There's a lot of time left.

[Kingspoint]

There's the downpour! What timing?!

Caleb Porter's first win in March in 13 tries.

9 months of this is going to be fun.

[paintmered]

Loss aside, that was very enjoyable. Fair play to Portland, they were a bit better with their chances. I think that this may not be the last these two teams meet this year.

What a great advertisement on national TV for the league.

[Kingspoint]

Loss aside, that was very enjoyable. Fair play to Portland, they were a bit better with their chances. I think that this may not be the last these two teams meet this year.

What a great advertisement on national TV for the league.

If Columbus had won, and they easily could have (off the post!), it would still be a great game from my view.

[Yachtzee]

Ugh. Just watched it on DVR because my son had one of his activities.

Disappointed by the loss, but man that goal by Higuain was something else! Also, those Crew SC kits look even worse when the sun is shining and you get glare off the artificial turf. They just look washed out.

[Kingspoint]

Watching a Timbers match in Portland remains high on the sports wish list.

Played about 10 soccer games in that Park when the field was like concrete in the 70's. Had to learn how to slide differently or you'd end up with some nasty turf burns. It was nice because of the width compared to a lot of the fields we played on that I enjoyed it so much, and it sat 33,000 back then. Our home field had the same width, so we were used to it. Back then, I could go in there and practice whenever I wanted. People weren't so anal about security in the 70's when it was obvious it was being used for a good purpose. Never played anymore after college, though...always basketball (every day). The current version of the Timbers have been great for the City. I remember when the original franchise was folding and they operated out of a little office where they couldn't afford the rent. Now, they're looking to expand the 21,000 seat soccer-only stadium. Great story for the new version of Portland. They're a good match.

[Caveat Emperor]

Ugh. Just watched it on DVR because my son had one of his activities.

Disappointed by the loss, but man that goal by Higuain was something else! Also, those Crew SC kits look even worse when the sun is shining and you get glare off the artificial turf. They just look washed out.

I didn't realize that the backs were solid white and not that same faded yellow.

They look hideous -- like something I would've picked out for my travel team when I was 11.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Nigel De Jong taking a lot of heat for his tackle on Nagbe last night. I was at the game and in real time I honestly thought Nagbe was faking the injury. After seeing the replay he obviously wasn't and that probably should have been a red card. I don't like this witch hunt type attack though on De Jong. It was a 50/50 ball and there was no intent there, just a bad tackle. The "hot take" crowd to me on this is honestly embarrassing.

[M2]

Nigel de Jong is guilty until proven innocent, by default.

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/f/f8/Nigel_de_Jong_kick_Xabi_Alonso.gif/revision/latest?cb=20100713170014

[Kingspoint]

Porter said that the x-rays came back negative, but that Nagbe would be listed as doubtful the next two games. I guess Nagbe was the second most tackled player in the MLS last season.

People are calling for a 5-game suspension, and he'll at the very least be given a post-game red card (only got a yellow during the game, as mentioned).

[Kingspoint]

Nigel de Jong is guilty until proven innocent, by default.

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/f/f8/Nigel_de_Jong_kick_Xabi_Alonso.gif/revision/latest?cb=20100713170014

That is brutal....equivalent to the ear-biting incident.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Porter said that the x-rays came back negative, but that Nagbe would be listed as doubtful the next two games. I guess Nagbe was the second most tackled player in the MLS last season.

People are calling for a 5-game suspension, and he'll at the very least be given a post-game red card (only got a yellow during the game, as mentioned).

It should be a red card, so the 1 game suspension is fine. Anything above that would be completely based on reputation (deserved or not) and not that play. It wasn't even the worst tackle in the game. Borchers took out Zardes on the sideline near the end of the first half and it wasn't even called a foul, yet had Zardes had his leg planted he would be out for the season probably.

[Kingspoint]

OK, the Timbers have some work to do. They looked fatigued, sloppy and they lost their composure 4 minutes into the game of their 3-1 home loss to Dallas FC.

[BuckeyeRed27]

OK, the Timbers have some work to do. They looked fatigued, sloppy and they lost their composure 4 minutes into the game of their 3-1 home loss to Dallas FC.

I thought they looked pretty tame against LA for the most part. Adi is great on the ball, but they didn't look fluid and seemed to lack speed. I don't remember one time where Cole or Rogers were really bothered down the flanks at all.

[Kingspoint]

I thought they looked pretty tame against LA for the most part. Adi is great on the ball, but they didn't look fluid and seemed to lack speed. I don't remember one time where Cole or Rogers were really bothered down the flanks at all.

The fatigue was probably due to a short rest game, and Porter chose to use the exact lineup, but he was pretty upset about the composure and sloppiness. He apologized to the fans.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Quite a week for you Crew fans out there....

[Yachtzee]

Quite a week for you Crew fans out there....

Ugh. As if the start of this season hasn't been disappointing enough. I didn't get to watch the game that gave rise to all this because I was at calling hours for my grandfather. Followed the game over the phone app while at dinner with my family and saw the Crew blow a 3 goal lead. Heard later about the blow up over the PK and initially I was in Kei Kamara's corner. The guy's up for a hat trick, let him take the kick. But everything since has been Kamara tossing hand grenades left and right. With everything he said, it was pretty clear he wasn't going to play nicely with Higuain after this and then, by thumbing his nose at the coach when he got disciplined, I'm not sure what else Crew SC could have done. So Crew SC ends up having to trade their top goal scorer from last season over a penalty kick dispute? My only hope is that, with the ton of allocation money, both general (Garberbux classic) and targeted (Garberbux plus), plus the international slot they received, they can make some kind of big signing in the summer transfer window.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I'd say Zlatan or bust.

There has to be more to the story than just what happened this weekend. That was the breaking point, but you don't trade your top scorer from a team that went to MLS Cup or a silly fight and some ill advised words in the press.

[Caveat Emperor]

John Terry is looking for work next season.

Just sayin'.

[Yachtzee]

I'd say Zlatan or bust.

There has to be more to the story than just what happened this weekend. That was the breaking point, but you don't trade your top scorer from a team that went to MLS Cup or a silly fight and some ill advised words in the press.

Zlatan would be awesome, or how about someone who already has a good relationship with Higuaín, his brother Gonzalo. ;) And then there is also the subject of previous speculation involving Crew SC, Falcao.

The owner Precourt tweeted that the PK incident was just one chapter in the book, which makes it sound like there were other issues behind the scenes.

[paintmered]

Quite a week for you Crew fans out there....

You aren't kidding. They can resurrect this season, but they've been terrible both on and off the field so far.

[Yachtzee]

Nm

[M2]

Well, as a Revs fan, I'm looking forward to some Kei Kamara. He is a very good fit for that team, at least on the field. Love that he only cost draft picks (which are nearly useless) and an international slot (which the Revs probably weren't going to use).

[Kingspoint]

The Timbers led the league in shutouts last season with 11,...or was it 13?

They have yet to register one. And, now the injuries are piling up. The season is getting away from them very fast.

[Yachtzee]

The Timbers led the league in shutouts last season with 11,...or was it 13?

They have yet to register one. And, now the injuries are piling up. The season is getting away from them very fast.

It's been a topsy-turvy season so far. I don't think anyone could have predicted the Timbers and Crew, last year's MLS Cup contenders, sitting near the bottom of their conferences, nor could anyone have predicted the Rapids and NYCFC doing so well.

[Caveat Emperor]

It's been a topsy-turvy season so far. I don't think anyone could have predicted the Timbers and Crew, last year's MLS Cup contenders, sitting near the bottom of their conferences, nor could anyone have predicted the Rapids and NYCFC doing so well.

Chelsea were in the relegation zone (or close to it) at this point in the PL season. The championship hangover is real.

[Kingspoint]

Chelsea were in the relegation zone (or close to it) at this point in the PL season. The championship hangover is real.

It's the toughest job a Coach has....motivating a team that's had a very successful season.

[M2]

It's the toughest job a Coach has....motivating a team that's had a very successful season.

It's even tougher when you're Jose Mourinho and your team is sick of you.

[Kingspoint]

Portland had a win in Utah tonight (RSL was 4-0-0 at home going into this game), but gave up a game-tying penalty kick in the 75th minute (Timbers still playing with their backup goalie for the 5th straight week) on a total flop (per the announcers, who were calling acting jobs both ways, but admitted you just can't stick your leg out in today's MLS as every forward goes down on any hint of contact). Will still take a road point, but should have had two.

[M2]

Went to the New England-Columbus game last night. A chant broke out about how urination played a critical role in the new Columbus uniform design and the supporters' section came up with a particularly rude rejoinder to the Crew to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It". Good times.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Just bought tickets to the LA Portland game next weekend up in Portland. Never been to the city before and can't wait to check out the stadium!

[Kingspoint]

Just bought tickets to the LA Portland game next weekend up in Portland. Never been to the city before and can't wait to check out the stadium!

Westofyou can show you all the best spots to both prepare for the game and explore other venues you have time for.

Have fun. We've had a mild Summer, but there's hope on the horizon.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Westofyou can show you all the best spots to both prepare for the game and explore other venues you have time for.

Have fun. We've had a mild Summer, but there's hope on the horizon.

Absolutely, any tips/advice are very welcome. I basically have Friday night and Saturday (game is at 1230).

Tickets are in the opposite end from the TA and staying downtown at The Benson Hotel.

[Kingspoint]

The Benson. :thumbup:

[Kingspoint]

Absolutely, any tips/advice are very welcome. I basically have Friday night and Saturday (game is at 1230).

Tickets are in the opposite end from the TA and staying downtown at The Benson Hotel.

If you like beer, I've seen those threads on beer and westofyou and others may as well be speaking Greek. He seems to have a thorough knowledge on who and where serves what kind, and it kind of goes hand-in-hand with Soccer.

[Kingspoint]

Portland has a 7-game unbeaten streak, but has only 3 wins to show for it. There's improvement, but it's not quite there, yet

[BuckeyeRed27]

If you like beer, I've seen those threads on beer and westofyou and others may as well be speaking Greek. He seems to have a thorough knowledge on who and where serves what kind, and it kind of goes hand-in-hand with Soccer.

I do like beer :beerme:

I've also heard Portland fans are very nice, I will most likely be wearing LA Galaxy stuff on Saturday and I'm not an idiot when it comes to drunken smack talking or anything.

[Kingspoint]

I think jojo also has the beer scene down in Portland, if I'm not mistaken.

If you only have Friday Night and Saturday morning. You could get up really early 6:00 am, which is tough to do if you go beer-hopping Friday Night, and you could drive along the "Old Columbia River Highway". Rent a car, of course, as there are several walking distance from the Benson. You should reach Horsetail Falls at the other end of the Old Columbia Hwy by 8:30 with stops (90-120 minutes will add to that time if you hike one of my two options I'll describe) after stopping first at 7:00 (if you leave at 6:15) to look at the views from The Portland Women's forum and Vista House. I'd skip going into the Vista House because of time unless you need the restroom. You'll wind through the forests for the next 15 minutes at 25-30 mph. It's slow enough to roll your windows down and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. You'll come to Latourell Falls. Get out and get yourself sprayed by the Falls, just a couple of minutes up the trail.

Next stop is Multnomah Falls, about 10-12 more minutes through the forests. Lock anything visible in the trunk when you stop at Vista House as there are lots of smash-and-grabs at the Mutnomah Falls parking lot. You'll be early enough to park in the least vulnerable spots. By noon, cars are parked a mile away. You have plenty of time to walk the 1.1M to the top of the Falls, including plenty of time to walk another mile up the Multnomah River to see falls after falls after falls. Various places along that stretch you can dip into the cold, refreshing water. Take a lunch with you and some water.

I forgot to mention to stop at Wahkeena Falls about half a mile before Multnomah Falls. You can also choose to loop around from the Multnomah River trail after you've seen most of those Falls instead of stopping at Wahkeena and coming down from behind Wahkeena Falls. The loop (Wahkeena Trail #420) is not a busy section so you'll see very few people (always nice when you're hiking among nature) on that section. Then just walk back to your car on the side of the Hwy, which is actually only a few hundred yards from the Multnomah Falls parking lot.

Now there's time left for Horsetail Falls, about 7 minutes East from MF. I won't have to tell you to get out for this one as the thunder of the Falls spills into the base right in front of the Hwy. My spouse and I were here June 5th when it was 100 in Portland that day. There was an older Japanese man in shorts and no shirt soaking himself in the pool of water below the Falls. There will be less water now, but you won't notice. Go in if you're bold. Get pictures everywhere you stop.

You won't have time for this if you took the Wahkeena Loop Trail as you're about 90 minutes from downtown Portland, but it may be closer to 75 as it will be I-84 all the way back as you head further East on the Old Hwy for about two minutes and follow the signs for I-84 West. The consierge at the Benson could take your car back to Enterprise, or whatever.

My Spouse and I took the Horsetail Falls trail to Upper Oneonta Falls. We passed under Ponytail Falls on our way to Oneonta Creek Trail passing Lower Oneonta Falls, which you can't see unless you go off trail. We went on a well-used off trail to try to get a look, but it was so steep we couldn't see the water going over the Falls. Upper Oneonta Falls was the destination. It splits into two falls and the shelf that it splits is accessible easily so you can stand or sit on the edge of it for half an hour at a time and just stare into the majestic open space as the water falls over on both sides of you.

There's just enough water at the top where you can lie down in the water and cool off. We both took advantage of that opportunity. She looked pretty hot afterwards, too, so it was double-refreshing for me. Along the Oneonta Creek Trail and Multnomah Creek Trail there are many tricklings of cold, fresh, clean water that's filtered through the inaccessible areas of the vast Mt.Hood National Forest. I refilled my water and I'll take bugs over chlorine every time.

The Multnomah Falls loop from the base of Multnomah Falls back to the restrooms at Multnomah Lodge takes between 90 minutes to 120 minutes. To go from Horsetail Falls to Upper Oneonta Falls and back takes about 90 minutes to 120 minutes. Both are great, but I like the latter because there are about 1/10th the people. You'll see enough people at the Timbers/Galaxy game and Downtown. Literally standing and sitting on the edge of a falls while it goes around you and falls on both sides beats anything along the other trail for me.

And, Lower Oneonta Falls is also called Triple Falls because ot actually opens up 2 spots to sit with water falling on both sides of you.

Have fun.

P-T!

F-C!

[westofyou]

Absolutely, any tips/advice are very welcome. I basically have Friday night and Saturday (game is at 1230).

Tickets are in the opposite end from the TA and staying downtown at The Benson Hotel.

Go to 10 Barrel when downtown, there's also a Rogue cross the street and a Dechuttes downtown too

But across the river is where you will find more breweries/eateries

That said any bar in town will have at least four local beers on tap and Ir Ciders and Sours

[Kingspoint]

Portland hosts the Sounders at Noon, PST. The Timber Army will be louder than normal. It's always a successful season if we beat them, no matter what else happens.

40 years ago I saw the Kingdome for the first time when I left from Portland and drove the 185 miles to see them play the Sounders, which we lost 2-1. I had never been to any stadium, and in 1976 the Kingdome was special simply for it's size. It's nothing now, but it was like something out of Star Wars.

We beat Seattle 4-1 scoring a couple times early last August. They remember, I guarantee it.

[Kingspoint]

It was a repeat of last August as Portland scored twice early. Won 3-1. They were getting healthy and then 3 starters got injured over the last 2 weeks, with one gone 10-12 weeks. They had to take a chance on a new player to try to stop the outflow of talent. No excuses, but they don't have the depth to deal with all these injuries. 4-0-4 in last 8 with the next game at home.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Had a great time in Portland (not just because of the 3 points!). Thanks for the tips guys, hopefully will be able to make it back up again soon.

[Kingspoint]

Congratulations. Nothing like a home loss to get everyone pointing fingers.

Hope you had a great time.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Congratulations. Nothing like a home loss to get everyone pointing fingers.

Hope you had a great time.

I did indeed. Stadium and crowd was great and everyone was really friendly.

Game was a bit ugly, particularly the second half, but LA has gotten very good at team defense. Van Damme is a monster back there and even though there has been some back line injuries there has been a lot of consistency. Getting the 2-0 lead early let guys let Zardes drop really deep and defend.

Feel bad for Borchers being out for the season, always liked him as a defender.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Landon Donovan coming out of retirement and is going to play the rest of the season for the Galaxy. I think I'm happy.

[Yachtzee]

Landon Donovan coming out of retirement and is going to play the rest of the season for the Galaxy. I think I'm happy.

Pretty crazy. Of course I thought he retired too soon to begin with.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Pretty crazy. Of course I thought he retired too soon to begin with.

He did for sure. Will be interesting to see where he is at. I can't imagine he will be anything other than a 10-20 minute sub for the rest of the regular season at least. No one he is in game shape and has to be really rusty.

That said I bought tickets for Sunday's game just in case.

[Caveat Emperor]

I don't know if people saw this story last year when it was written, but this got brought to my attention yesterday -- an "oral history" about the start of MLS: http://www.si.com/longform/2015/mls/

It's amazing how far the league has come in ~20 years.

[M2]

Probably no one else cares about this, but New England is in Dallas tonight playing for the U.S. Open Cup, which would the first trophy for either of these franchises in a long time.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Probably no one else cares about this, but New England is in Dallas tonight playing for the U.S. Open Cup, which would the first trophy for either of these franchises in a long time.

Galaxy should be playing in this game. Absolutely choked away the win against Dallas last month.

[M2]

Galaxy should be playing in this game. Absolutely choked away the win against Dallas last month.

Dallas showing off why they're the top team in the league. 3-1 FCD at the half. Revs already forced to make two injury subs. Crap.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Dallas showing off why they're the top team in the league. 3-1 FCD at the half. Revs already forced to make two injury subs. Crap.

They are looking solid. Still feel like they won't be there at the end of the playoffs though.

[M2]

They are looking solid. Still feel like they won't be there at the end of the playoffs though.

Might not be. MLS Cup is all about who's in form in November. Yet FCD has been the class of the league all year long.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Might not be. MLS Cup is all about who's in form in November. Yet FCD has been the class of the league all year long.

The top four teams in the west have a combined one loss at home and that was Dallas just last weekend. The MLS format doesn't put a huge premium on home field advantage though, but will be interesting to see how that plays out. Dallas has a tremendous amount of speed compared to the other top teams in the west. LA still has 2 games left against them which I'm excited for.