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Portland Timbers make (fashion) statement with MLS jerseys

Timbers_jersey4

By JOSE M. ROMERO

Not many MLS team jerseys look so distinctly different than the primary and secondary uniforms the expansion Portland Timbers unveiled Thursday afternoon at Portland International Airport.

Most figured green would be the primary color. It is, a dark green two-toned look with white and green sleeves, an axe on the upper back and a "No Pity" jock tag in honor of the Timbers Army, the team's main supporters group. Alaska Airlines, a Northwest-based carrier, is the jersey sponsor, those words splashed across the front. 

 The secondary kit, however, was the true star of the day – Rose City red with white sleeves and red stripes, a Rose City logo badge in honor of the city and its nickname, thorns stitched into the back and down the middle of the two shades of red used, and the words "Rose City" stitched on the back.

Both jerseys feature the club's primary crest on the top left front.

The Timbers staged a big production to present the jerseys and apparel line, using a hangar at the airport to house guests and opening the hangar doors to reveal a Boeing 737 jet on which was painted the team crest and a scarf over the fuselage.

Interestingly, both Boeing and Alaska Airlines are companies with Seattle roots, but the mere mention of Seattle drew boos at the unveiling. The two cities are longtime rivals in soccer going back to the NASL days and NBA days when Seattle had the Supersonics.

The plane rolled into the hangar, and people on board deplaned to a runway that they walked, fashion-show style, to model the Timbers gear. Alaska Airlines employees were featured as were players Steve Cronin (in primary kit), Ryan Pore and his wife Ashley, Adam Moffat, Peter Lowry, Eric Brunner (in secondary kit) and Rodney Wallace (long sleeve secondary kit).  

The team's downtown Portland store opens Friday morning and the primary jerseys will be on sale. The secondary kits are available in early 2011.

What do you think about the Timbers' new jerseys? Prefer the red or the green or neither? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Hate the Timbers, but love the Rose badge. Classy and cool looking… well done. Too bad it won’t bring them any trophies.

    But still amused at them adopting Seattle companies. It’s like they’re our little brothers. 🙂

    Take ’em all.

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  2. The dark green should hide it when they barf on themselves binge drinking before the games, so they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.

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  3. Well, Timbers fans have very little to talk about regarding actual talent, and they can no longer slam the rest of the league about being overly corporate, sooo…

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  4. I like them as much as the new Dynamo kits, which is to say, quite a bit. These look pretty good, the dynamo shirts are like Holland ’88 (cant go wrong). The new Seattle ones have that terrible bra strap, but at least they are trying something new, unlike the Revs, Fire, FCD, Chivas, RSL, and San Jose’s of the league.

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  5. Hey Rory, even most MLS owners themselves don’t, a lot of MLS owner’s relatives owned slaves. How come you are being selective about which owner you are attacking for what their relatives did? I guess that doesn’t matter because it was further in the past though? Yeah right.

    We’re all individuals and don’t control what our relatives do. I even heard your mom is a $10 crack whore, but nobody is saying you’ll give a rim job for cash.

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  6. Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!

    Seriously. Most teams wear there primary kit on the road, too, if it doesn’t conflict with the home team.

    I only see the change kit necessary for their game against Seattle.

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  7. I have to say I like most everything Portland is doing with their club. The marketing, the unveling, the rose city homage.

    What I don’t like is the two-tone, the bright red and astro turf.

    The green with the yellow stripes is the only one I’d wear.

    I like the effort though..

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  8. Actually Adidas USA is in Portland.

    Nike is generally considered to be in Beaverton, but it is really in an unincorporated parcel of land between Portland and Beaverton.

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  9. Agreed. You used to be able to buy a brand new jersey the week they came out for $50 and that was three years ago! Now you can’t even get them on clearance for $50 until two seasons after they change their jersey to something different.

    Four years ago for Christmas I spent $100 and got two jerseys and five t-shirts at mlsgear.com on cyber monday. This year you could get free shipping if you spent $75!

    What a rip off! You’d think with the extra $40 million from expansion teams they wouldn’t have to fleece the fans so much.

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  10. I doubt they could wear them at Colorado either as one of those two shades is pretty close to Rapids color. Also, with Kronke closing in on buying Arsenal I’d think he’d like Colorado to look like Arsenal one day instead of Portland.

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  11. Classy? That orange monstrosity is classy?

    Rec league circa 1993, or those orange mold-resistant shower curtains my college had that were made of some kind of unripable plastic.

    hard to believe that Seattle’s original jersey is now better than three that teams will sport next year (including Seattle’s new jersey).

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  12. Individually, fine. Together, not really digging the red with the green. Might look like Christmas year round in the Portland stands.

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  13. Agreed but they probably didn’t want to be called “Celtic Clones” and yet they’re alright with their classic Arsenal clones look (red with white sleeves ala Arsenal’s look for decades).

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  14. My hope was that the slogan would be “our owner’s daddy was behind the TARP plan”

    Okay, since the Tarp plan was the only bailout of the last few years that actually worked/will one day pay for itself that isn’t much of an insult.

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  15. But seriously… that Houston one is a train wreck. Worse jersey ever made outside of the XFL?

    Also, I’m pissed Colorado is getting rid of their baby blue/claret jersey that was by far the nicest the league’s ever seen.

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  16. I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay,

    Sleep all night and work all day…

    I cut down trees, I skip and jump,I like to press wildflowers

    I put on women’s clothing,

    and hang around in bars…

    He’s a lumberjack and he’s okay…

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  17. I don’t like the rose on the front. It looks like a second crest or advertiser’s logo and should not be allowed. If you like the rose so much then put in in your crest… we don’t want these things to look like Mexican team jersey’s or Nascar covered in crap. Besides, the only team that should be wearing something extra on the jersey is Colorado (who gets to wear the champions patch). I figured this kind of crap would happen once the league allowed teams to wear patches to honor the opening of new stadiums (ala New York last year).

    Also, the league really, really needs to say “no more red or blue jerseys, we have enough, thank you.”

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  18. The change kit is red, not the home kit, in case that wasn’t obvious. Do you see yellow shirts at Arsenal home games or neon green (or whatever awful color they are now) at Chelsea home games? Personally, I’m glad we are finally seeing some original change/away kit colors in MLS.

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  19. Anyone that thinks these jersey’s are ugly is an idiot! I don’t care what team you favor these kits are the best in the league hands down. The red is by far the greatest of any kit ever seen in the MLS. The entire process for these uniforms was well done. I feel that Portland will be in the running for best club with Seattle. Now if NE, Columbus, and Chivas would make some serious changes to their uniforms and name that would be great and past due.

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  20. I love ’em both.

    I was going to head down tonthe store and pick up a long-sleeve, but $120?!? What is Adidas/MLS/Timbers playing at? Two seasons ago, they offered discount jerseys for $35: I will sadly have to wait till there’s a sale.

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