United by One Goal: The Thorns and Timbers Raised Money for Ukraine With a Charity Match

It was the first time the two teams shared the pitch at Providence Park.

Timbers-Thorns Play Match for ‘PTFC For Peace’, to benefit UNICEF Relief in Ukraine Hina Sugita (8) advances. The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns combined their rosters for the first time for an intramural game to benefit UNICEF’s relief efforts in Ukraine and surrounding countries, in Portland, Oregon on April 27, 2022. Fans were admitted free, and donations raised over half a million dollars. (John Rudoff/© John Rudoff 2022)

The Portland Thorns and Timbers shared the pitch at Providence Park for the first time ever on Wednesday, April 27. The cause that brought the two football clubs together: helping the people of Ukraine. Players wore jerseys the color of the Ukrainian flag, with Yellow beating Blue 4-3 by the time the 60-minute exhibition was over. But the score didn’t matter in the end. The charity match, dubbed PTFC for Peace, raised $500,000 (and counting) for UNICEF’s humanitarian response to the invasion.

Timbers-Thorns Play Match for ‘PTFC For Peace’, to benefit UNICEF Relief in Ukraine The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns combined their rosters for the first time for an intramural game to benefit UNICEF’s relief efforts in Ukraine and surrounding countries, in Portland, Oregon on April 27, 2022. Fans were admitted free, and donations raised over half a million dollars. (John Rudoff/© John Rudoff 2022)
Timbers-Thorns Play Match for ‘PTFC For Peace’, to benefit UNICEF Relief in Ukraine Ukrainian Referee Sergii Demianchuk poses for a photo. The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns combined their rosters for the first time for an intramural game to benefit UNICEF’s relief efforts in Ukraine and surrounding countries, in Portland, Oregon on April 27, 2022. Fans were admitted free, and donations raised over half a million dollars. (John Rudoff/© John Rudoff 2022)
Timbers-Thorns Play Match for ‘PTFC For Peace’, to benefit UNICEF Relief in Ukraine Ukrainian-American musician Darka Dusty Stebivka prepares for the Ukrainian national anthem. The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns combined their rosters for the first time for an intramural game to benefit UNICEF’s relief efforts in Ukraine and surrounding countries, in Portland, Oregon on April 27, 2022. Fans were admitted free, and donations raised over half a million dollars. (John Rudoff/© John Rudoff 2022)


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