Portland Timbers

2008 season
President	Merritt Paulson
Head coach	Gavin Wilkinson
Stadium	PGE Park Portland, Oregon
USL-1	League: 11th Playoffs: Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	First round
Cascadia Cup	3rd
Top goalscorer	League: Chris Brown (8 goals) All: Chris Brown (9 goals)
Highest home attendance	13,050 vs. CHA (Sep 11)
Lowest home attendance	League: 4,921 vs. MIN (Apr 24) All: 3,089 vs. HWU (Jun 10)
Average home league attendance	League: 8,567 All: 8,225
Primary colors Secondary colors Third colors
←  2007 2009 →

The 2008 Portland Timbers season was the 8th season for the Portland Timbers—the third incarnation of a club to bear the Portland Timbers name—of the now-defunct USL First Division, the second-tier league of the United States and Canada at the time.

Preseason

Regular season

April

May

June

July

August

September

Competitions

USL First Division

Standings

  Commissioner's Cup, bye to semifinal round of playoffs
  First round of playoffs

Pos	Club	Pts	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	H2H Pts
1	Puerto Rico Islanders	54	30	15	6	9	43	23	+20
2	Vancouver Whitecaps	53	30	15	7	8	34	28	+6
3	Montreal Impact	42	30	12	12	6	33	28	+5
4	Rochester Rhinos	41†	30	11	10	9	35	32	+3
5	Charleston Battery	40	30	11	12	7	34	36	−2	CHA: 4 pts SEA: 4 pts
6	Seattle Sounders	40	30	10	10	10	37	36	+1
7	Minnesota Thunder	39	30	10	11	9	40	38	+2
8	Carolina RailHawks	37	30	9	11	10	34	43	−9
9	Miami FC	34	30	8	12	10	28	34	−6	MIA: 7 pts ATL: 1 pt
10	Atlanta Silverbacks	34	30	8	12	10	37	50	−13
11	Portland Timbers	31	30	7	13	10	26	33	−7

Tie-breaker order: 1. Head-to-head points; 2. Total wins; 3. Goal difference; 4. Goals for; 5. Lottery
^† Rochester deducted 1 point for use of an ineligible player on August 10, 2008 ^[1]

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
30	31	7	13	10	26	33	−7	5	5	5	15	13	+2	2	8	5	11	20	−9

Source: ^[2]
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

U.S. Open Cup

Cup bracket

First round

Cascadia Cup

2008

Team	Pts	Pld	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Vancouver Whitecaps	13	6	4	1	1	9	6	+3
Seattle Sounders	8	6	2	2	2	5	5	0
Portland Timbers	4	6	1	4	1	4	7	-3

Club

Squad

Kits

The Timbers wore a green home kit, bearing white accents on the collar and sleeves, with green shorts and green socks. The away kit was white with white shorts and white socks. The third kit was a deep maroon color, called "Rose City Red", with maroon shorts and maroon socks. ^[3]

Primary

Secondary

Third

Final roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   USA Jordan James 2 MF   USA Miguel Guante 4 DF   USA Tim Karalexis 5 DF   CAN Justin Thompson 6 DF   NZL Cameron Knowles 7 MF   USA Shaun Higgins 8 MF   USA Tom Poltl 9 MF   USA Drue Harris 10 MF   CIV Arsène Oka 11 FW   USA Chris Brown 12 DF   USA Leonard Griffin 13 FW   USA Jamil Walker

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF   USA Neil Dombrowski 15 MF   KEN Lawrence Olum 16 MF   SCO Bryan Little 17 DF   USA Scot Thompson 18 GK   USA Steve Reese 19 MF   USA Troy Ready 20 FW   SOL Benjamin Totori 21 DF   USA Cameron Dunn 23 FW   MEX Byron Alvarez 30 DF   JPN Takayuki Suzuki 32 GK   USA Chase Harrison 33 FW   USA Chris Bagley

Recognition

USL-1 All-League Second Team ^[4]

Pos	Player	GP
DF	Cameron Knowles	29

USL-1 Player of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent(s)	Ref
2	Takayuki Suzuki	Minnesota Thunder, Seattle Sounders	[5]

USL-1 Goal of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent	Ref
2	Takayuki Suzuki	Seattle Sounders	[6]
21	Byron Alvarez	Miami FC	[7]

USL-1 Team of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent(s)	Ref
1	Chris Brown	Puerto Rico Islanders	[8]
2	Ray Burse	Minnesota Thunder, Seattle Sounders	[5]
	Shaun Higgins
	Scot Thompson
	Takayuki Suzuki
4	Cameron Knowles	Rochester Rhinos, Seattle Sounders	[9]
5	Cameron Knowles	Puerto Rico Islanders, Miami FC	[10]
	Bryan Little
7	Miguel Guante	Montreal Impact	[11]
8	Leonard Griffin	Minnesota Thunder, Vancouver Whitecaps	[12]
9	Justin Thompson	Atlanta Silverbacks	[13]
11	Chris Brown	Carolina RailHawks, Atlanta Silverbacks	[14]
14	Lawrence Olum	Atlanta Silverbacks, Charleston Battery	[15]
15	Brad Knighton	Carolina RailHawks	[16]
	Cameron Knowles
16	Bryan Jordan	Minnesota Thunder	[17]
17	Bryan Jordan	Seattle Sounders, Charleston Battery	[18]
18	Bryan Jordan	Montreal Impact	[19]
	Scot Thompson
21	Chris Brown	Miami FC, Rochester Rhinos, Montreal Impact	[20]

Statistics

Appearances and goals

All players contracted or loaned to the club during the season included. ^{[21] [22]}

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		USL-1		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Jordan James	4	0	3+0	0	1+0	0
2	MF	USA	Miguel Guante	29	2	20+8	2	0+1	0
4	DF	USA	Tim Karalexis	11	0	3+7	0	1+0	0
5	DF	CAN	Justin Thompson	25	2	22+2	2	1+0	0
6	DF	NZL	Cameron Knowles	29	0	29+0	0	0+0	0
7	MF	USA	Shaun Higgins	28	2	26+2	2	0+0	0
8	MF	USA	Tom Poltl	25	0	22+3	0	0+0	0
9	MF	USA	Kiki Lara	7	0	1+5	0	1+0	0
10	MF	CIV	Arsène Oka	8	1	2+5	0	1+0	1
11	FW	USA	Chris Brown	28	9	27+0	8	1+0	1
12	DF	USA	Leonard Griffin	30	0	28+1	0	1+0	0
13	FW	USA	Jamil Walker	12	0	1+11	0	0+0	0
(13)	MF	USA	Andrew Gregor (traded to Rochester Rhinos)	13	0	12+1	0	0+0	0
14	MF	USA	Neil Dombrowski	14	0	8+5	0	1+0	0
15	MF	KEN	Lawrence Olum	24	3	14+10	3	0+0	0
16	MF	SCO	Bryan Little	18	0	5+12	0	1+0	0
17	DF	USA	Scot Thompson	27	1	27+0	1	0+0	0
18	GK	USA	Steve Reese	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
19	MF	USA	Troy Ready	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
20	FW	SOL	Benjamin Totori	3	0	0+3	0	0+0	0
21	DF	USA	Cameron Dunn	7	1	6+1	1	0+0	0
(22)	GK	USA	Brad Knighton (2 month loan from New England Revolution)	8	0	8+0	0	0+0	0
(22)	MF	ENG	Tom Taylor (released)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
23	FW	MEX	Byron Alvarez	9	1	7+2	1	0+0	0
(23)	GK	USA	Ray Burse (3 month loan from FC Dallas)	13	0	13+0	0	0+0	0
(24)	DF	ARM	Vardan Adzemian (4 month loan from Los Angeles Galaxy)	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
(25)	DF	USA	Scott Bolkan (4 month loan from Los Angeles Galaxy)	1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
(26)	FW	USA	Bryan Jordan (3 short-term loans from Los Angeles Galaxy)	9	3	8+1	3	0+0	0
30	FW	JPN	Takayuki Suzuki	27	1	21+5	1	0+1	0
32	GK	USA	Chase Harrison	6	0	6+0	0	0+0	0
33	FW	USA	Chris Bagley	27	2	11+15	2	1+0	0

Top scorers

Players with 1 goal or more included only. ^{[21] [22]}

Rk.	Nat.	Position	Player	Total	USL-1	U.S. Open Cup
1		FW	Chris Brown	9	8	1
2		FW	Bryan Jordan	3	3	0
		MF	Lawrence Olum	3	3	0
4		FW	Chris Bagley	2	2	0
		MF	Miguel Guante	2	2	0
		MF	Shaun Higgins	2	2	0
		DF	Justin Thompson	2	2	0
8		FW	Byron Alvarez	1	1	0
		DF	Cameron Dunn	1	1	0
		FW	Takayuki Suzuki	1	1	0
		DF	Scot Thompson	1	1	0
		MF	Arsène Oka	1	0	1
			TOTALS	28	26	2

Disciplinary record

Players with 1 card or more included only. ^[2]

No.	Nat.	Position	Player	Total		USL-1		U.S. Open Cup
2		MF	Miguel Guante	3	0	2	0	1	0
5		DF	Justin Thompson	7	0	6	0	1	0
6		DF	Cameron Knowles	6	0	6	0	0	0
7		MF	Shaun Higgins	7	0	7	0	0	0
8		MF	Tom Poltl	4	1	4	1	0	0
10		MF	Arsène Oka	1	0	0	0	1	0
11		FW	Chris Brown	2	1	1	1	1	0
12		DF	Leonard Griffin	5	1	5	1	0	0
13		FW	Jamil Walker	1	0	1	0	0	0
(13)		MF	Andrew Gregor	4	0	4	0	0	0
14		MF	Neil Dombrowski	1	0	1	0	0	0
15		MF	Lawrence Olum	2	0	2	0	0	0
16		MF	Bryan Little	2	0	1	0	1	0
17		DF	Scot Thompson	4	2	4	2	0	0
21		DF	Cameron Dunn	0	1	0	1	0	0
23		FW	Byron Alvarez	2	0	2	0	0	0
(23)		GK	Ray Burse	1	0	1	0	0	0
(26)		FW	Bryan Jordan	2	0	2	0	0	0
30		FW	Takayuki Suzuki	8	1	8	1	0	0
33		FW	Chris Bagley	2	0	2	0	0	0
			TOTALS	64	7	59	7	5	0

Goalkeeper stats

All goalkeepers included. ^{[21] [22]}

No.	Nat.	Player	Total				USL-1				U.S. Open Cup
			MIN	GA	GAA	SV	MIN	GA	GAA	SV	MIN	GA	GAA	SV
1		Jordan James	360	8	2.00	15	270	5	1.67	11	90	3	3.00	4
18		Steve Reese	0	0	—	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	—	0
(22)		Brad Knighton	720	10	1.25	27	720	10	1.25	27	0	0	—	0
(23)		Ray Burse	1170	9	0.69	50	1170	9	0.69	50	0	0	—	0
32		Chase Harrison	540	9	1.76	13	540	9	1.76	13	0	0	—	0
		TOTALS	2790	36	1.16	105	2700	33	1.10	101	90	3	3.00	4

Player movement

Transfers in

Date	Player	Position	Previous club	Fee/notes	Ref
December 5, 2007	Tim Karalexis	DF	Charleston Battery	Acquired in exchange for Luke Kreamalmeyer	[23]
December 18, 2007	Miguel Guante	MF	Miami FC	Free	[24]
January 18, 2008	Chris Brown	FW	Real Salt Lake	Free	[25]
February 28, 2008	Jordan James	GK	Houston Dynamo	Free	[26]
March 7, 2008	Arsène Oka	MF	New England Revolution	Free	[27]
March 28, 2008	Takayuki Suzuki	FW	Yokohama F. Marinos	Free	[28]
April 15, 2008	Leonard Griffin	DF	Columbus Crew	Free	[29]
April 16, 2008	Bryan Little	MF	Auckland City	Free	[30]
April 17, 2008	Benjamin Totori	FW	Waitakere United	Free	[31]
May 6, 2008	Steve Reese	GK	Portland Timbers	Free	[32]
May 6, 2008	Tom Taylor	MF	Portland Timbers	Free	[32]
July 9, 2008	Chase Harrison	GK	Rochester Rhinos	Acquired with Jamil Walker in exchange for Andrew Gregor	[33]
July 9, 2008	Jamil Walker	FW	Carolina RailHawks	Acquired with Chase Harrison in exchange for Andrew Gregor	[33]
July 22, 2008	Byron Alvarez	FW	Charleston Battery	Free	[34]
August 1, 2008	Cameron Dunn	DF	Hollywood United	Free	[35]

Loans in

Date	Player	Position	Loaned from	Fee/notes	Ref
April 7, 2008	Ray Burse	GK	FC Dallas	Season-long loan with option to recall; recalled by FC Dallas on July 2, 2008	[36] [37]
April 14, 2008	Vardan Adzemian	DF	Los Angeles Galaxy	Season-long loan with option to recall; recalled by Los Angeles Galaxy on August 1, 2011	[35] [38]
April 14, 2008	Scott Bolkan	DF	Los Angeles Galaxy	Season-long loan with option to recall; recalled by Los Angeles Galaxy on August 1, 2011	[35] [38]
June 4, 2008	Bryan Jordan	FW	Los Angeles Galaxy	Short-term loan; returned to Los Angeles Galaxy after 2 games	[39]
June 27, 2008	Bryan Jordan	FW	Los Angeles Galaxy	Short-term loan; returned to Los Angeles Galaxy after 2 games	[40]
July 2, 2008	Brad Knighton	GK	New England Revolution	Season-long loan with option to recall; recalled by New England Revolution on August 22, 2011	[37] [41]
July 30, 2008	Bryan Jordan	FW	Los Angeles Galaxy	Season-long loan with option to recall; recalled by Los Angeles Galaxy on September 3, 2011	[42]

Transfers out

Date	Player	Position	Destination club	Fee/notes	Ref
End of 2007 season	Jaime Ambriz	FW	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	Bayard Elfvin	GK	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	David Hague	FW	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	Luc Harrington	FW	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	Garrett Marcum	DF	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	Lee Morrison	DF	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
End of 2007 season	Matt Taylor	FW	N/A	Contract expired and not re-signed
December 5, 2007	Luke Kreamalmeyer	MF	Charleston Battery	Traded for Tim Karalexis	[23]
December 5, 2007	Kevin Meissner	DF	Unattached	Released	[23]
January 17, 2008	Tom Taylor	MF	Unattached	Released	[43]
March 25, 2008	Josh Wicks	GK	Los Angeles Galaxy	Undisclosed	[44]
March 25, 2008	Bryan Jordan	FW	Los Angeles Galaxy	Undisclosed	[44]
June 25, 2008	Tom Taylor	MF	Unattached	Released	[45]
July 9, 2008	Andrew Gregor	MF	Rochester Rhinos	Traded for Chase Harrison and Jamil Walker	[33]

Notes