Soccer Mum?

Highlights from Thursday's Timbers' rout of the Minnesota Thunder included a pair of goals from Beaverton native Andrew Gregor, flawless goaltending by Josh Saunders and a carefully worded letter distributed to the fans standing in Section 107.

"Please do not use foul language in your songs, chants, and cheers," read the missive, penned by Timbers General Manager Jim Taylor and aimed at members of Timbers Army, a group of 400 to 500 raucous fans who show up every game to laud the locals, torment the foes and harass the refs.

Taylor is in a tough spot. He knows the Army generates a sense of energy and a sizable revenue stream in a stadium that's often short of both. But some of the Army's colorful traditions are, at least by Portland sports standards, a bit unorthodox.

Or, as Taylor told WW last week, "Our specific concern was the 'You Suck, Asshole' chant."

For the past several seasons, opposing goaltenders could expect a few hundred beery-eyed folks from Section 107 to rise from their seats, and, in unison, shout that three-word phrase whenever the keeper booted the ball back into play.

Challengers could also could expect to hear a specific word F-word (and we're not talking futbol), as well as numerous soccer singsongs and even a rendition of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You."

Taylor's letter tried to strike a balance between enthusiasm and profanity. "We don't want to do anything to stiffle [sic] your creative energy," he wrote, "but when conduct begins to infringe on the enjoyment of other fans...we have to respond...." The letter stopped short of any ultimatums, though it did ask fans to refrain from tossing things onto the pitch, making obscene gestures and breaking stadium property.

Timber diehard Kevin Alexander, who attended Thursday's match, agrees that Section 107 can get pretty rowdy. "It's not just soccer moms dragging their kids to the games," he says of the high-energy group. But, he adds, Taylor's letter seems to have worked. "'You Suck, Asshole' is dying on the vine," says the 29-year-old, "and usually there's a lot more F-bombs."

Still, at the end of last Thursday's match, a few intoxicated anglophiles seemed bent on starting a fight. Sporting the de rigueur spiked hair-and-Dr. Martens uniform, they pushed their way through the crowd and climbed up on the dugout--another no-no addressed in Taylor's letter. Within seconds, however, the wannabe hooligans were shouted down by the faithful fans.

"They're a great bunch of people," says Cathy McKay, owner of the Bullpen, a stadium-area bar favored by fans. In fact, McKay prefers the singing soccer spectators to the Beavers' baseball believers.

"They're less trouble than the Thirsty Thursday crowd," she says, referring to PGE Park's baseball-and-beer promotion. "They police themselves."

WWeek 2015