Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS).[1][2][3]
 | |||
| Full name | Portland Timbers 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | T2 | ||
| Founded | October 14, 2014 | ||
| Stadium | Providence Park Portland, Oregon | ||
| Capacity | 25,218 | ||
| Coordinates | 45°31′17″N 122°41′30″W | ||
| Owner | Portland Timbers (Peregrine Sports) | ||
| President | Merritt Paulson | ||
| Head coach | Shannon Murray | ||
| League | MLS Next Pro | ||
| 2023 | 10th, Western Conference Playoffs: Did not qualify | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
The team was a member of the USL Championship from 2015 to 2019, and was in the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid beginning in 2016. The organization withdrew from the 2021 USL Championship season so it could better transfer players to its parent club during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The reserves are now part of MLS reserve league MLS Next Pro.
History edit
The Timbers announced the formation of their USL Pro team at a press conference on October 14, 2014. Jay Vidovich, long-time Wake Forest head coach and two-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year, was hired as T2's head coach on December 18, 2014.[5][6] Timbers 2 held an open tryout in February 2015. It was announced on February 19 that there are six players currently signed to Timbers 2.[7] Their home games were played at Merlo Field, a soccer-specific stadium at the University of Portland for their first two seasons. After the 2016 season, the Timbers moved T2 home games to Providence Park,[8] and T2 would play there for the next three seasons. After the 2019 season, the Timbers announced that the ownership group of the Hillsboro Hops, a minor-league baseball team based in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, Oregon, would take over the business operations of T2, while the Timbers would remain T2 owners with responsibility for the playing staff. As part of this agreement, T2 will move to Hillsboro Stadium for 2020.[9] For the 2023 season, T2 moved back to Providence Park.[10]
In T2's first season, the team finished in 8th place in the Western Conference of the league table with 11 wins, 15 losses, and 2 ties. Kharlton Belmar was named USL Rookie of the Year and selected for the All-League Second Team.[11] Jay Vidovich resigned to become head coach of the University of Pittsburgh.[12] Assistant Coach Andrew Gregor was hired to replace him on January 6, 2016.[13]
T2 in 2016 had finished in ninth place in the Western Conference. Midway towards the end of the season, T2 had attempted to make a comeback to clinch the final spot for the USL playoffs which increased from the top six to eight teams in each conference. Timbers 2 competed against Arizona United in their final game of their season. Although the team had defeated Arizona, it was not enough to secure the final spot for a playoff berth due to Orange County winning in their final game with a better goal difference than T2.[14]
In October 2020, T2 announced it would skip the 2021 USL season, aiming to return in 2022.[15]
MLS Next Pro edit
The club announced on December 6, 2021, that it was joining the inaugural 21-team MLS Next Pro season starting in 2022.[16]
Players and staff edit
Roster edit
- As of 25 March 2023[17]
- ^ Signed to first team contract with the Portland Timbers.
- ^ Portland Timbers academy player.
Staff edit
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Serge Dinkota |
| Assistant coach |  Andrés Flores |
Head coaches edit
| Name | Nation | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Vidovich |  USA | December 18, 2014 – December 4, 2015 |
| Andrew Gregor | USA | January 6, 2016 – January 7, 2018 |
| Cameron Knowles |  NZL | January 8, 2018 – November 1, 2020 |
| Shannon Murray | USA | February 23, 2022 – May 2, 2024 |
| Serge Dinkota | CAN | May 2, 2024 – Present |
Badge and crest edit
T2's logo contains the same axe that is used in their parent organization's logo. The shape and design were previously used by the Portland Timbers USL franchise.
Stadium edit
- Merlo Field (2015–2016; 2019)
- Providence Park (2017–2019)
- Hillsboro Stadium (2020–2022)
- Providence Park (2023)
Record edit
Year-by-year edit
| Year | Division | League | Regular season (W-L-T) | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | USL | 11–15–2: Western Conf: 8th | Did not qualify | 3R | 3,362 |
| 2016 | 3 | USL | 12–14–4: Western Conf: 9th | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 2,323 |
| 2017 | 2 | USL | 3–23–6: Western Conf: 15th | Did not qualify | 2,524 | |
| 2018 | 2 | USL | 17–13–4: Western Conf: 6th | Conference Quarterfinals | 2,127 | |
| 2019 | 2 | USLC | 10–16–8: Western Conf: 14th | Did not qualify | 1,899 | |
| 2020 | 2 | USLC | 3–13–0: Western Conf: 18th | Did not qualify | N/A | |
| 2021 | On Hiatus | |||||
| 2022 | 3 | MLSNP | 2–18–4: Western Conf: 11th | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | N/A |
| 2023 | 3 | MLSNP | 11–16–1: Western Conf: 10th | Did not qualify | N/A | |
References edit
- ^ "Portland Timbers announce USL PRO team, T2". Portland Timbers. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ "Timbers Announce USL PRO Team". United Soccer Leagues (USL). October 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ "A 3rd pro soccer team in Portland? 3 reasons why the Timbers are making it happen". Portland Business Journal. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ "Portland, Philadelphia and Orlando reserve teams to leave USL after 2020". Major League Soccer.
- ^ "T2 names Jay Vidovich as first head coach". Portland Timbers. December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ "Portland Timbers hire longtime Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich to lead USL PRO side Timbers 2". Major League Soccer (MLS). December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ "Portland Timbers 2 Sign Six Players". stumptownfooty.com. Vox Media. February 19, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "T2 announce schedule for 2017 USL season". timbers.com. Portland Timbers. January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Portland Timbers and Hillsboro Hops announce new T2 partnership". timbers.com. Portland Timbers. October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Timbers2, Portland. "Portland Timbers2". Portland Timbers2. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Portland's Belmar Named USL Rookie of the Year". United Soccer Leagues (USL). October 29, 2015. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ "Vidovich Departs T2, Heads To Univ. of Pittsburgh". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ "Andrew Gregor named T2 head coach for 2016 USL season". timbers.com. Portland Timbers. January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ "USL Match Recap - Portland Timbers 2: 3, Arizona United SC: 2". timbers.com. Portland Timbers. September 24, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Sports, Oregonian/OregonLive (2020-10-16). "Portland Timbers 2 will not play 2021 season". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ "MLS NEXT Pro Unveils 21 Clubs for Inaugural Season". timbers.
- ^ "Players". Timbers.com. Portland Timbers. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
External links edit
- Official website
- T2: Timbers' new minor-league club offers taste of the past, glimpse of the future - Portland Business Journal
- Portland Timbers announce launch of USL PRO team T2 - OregonLive