PORTLAND, Ore. — After three weeks of preseason training, the Portland Timbers U-23s kick off their fourth Premier Development League campaign on Friday as they play host to Fraser Valley Mariners FC at JELD-WEN Field; kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
WATCH: Timbers U-23s ready for opener
Tickets for the Timbers U-23s’ 2012 season opener will be available at the JELD-WEN Field box office starting at 10 a.m. on Friday. Tickets are priced $5 for adults and $2 for kids 12 and under.
The Timbers U-23s’ 2012 roster features seven returning players, including fourth-year midfielders Steven Evans (Troutdale, Ore.) and Roberto Farfan (Portland, Ore.). Returning for another season on the backline are defenders Chris Harms (Portland, Ore.) and Reed Matte (Birmingham, Ala.). One of the Timbers U-23s’ leading scorers in 2011, forward Erik Hurtado (Beaverton, Ore.) will rejoin the team in June.
More than a dozen new players join the Timbers U-23s for the upcoming campaign, including University of Memphis standout and 2011 Hermann Trophy semifinalist Mark Sherrod (Knoxville, Tenn.), All-Pac-12 striker EmeryWelshman (Mississauga, Ontario) from Oregon State University, U.S. U-20 National Team defender Eric Miller (Woodbury, Minn.), University of Washington goalkeeper Spencer Richey (Seattle, Wash.) and New Zealand U-20 National Team defender AnthonyHobbs (Auckland, New Zealand).
The Timbers U-23s and Mariners FC play a two-game, regular-season series in 2012. Portland is 3-2-0 in the all-time series against Fraser Valley (formerly the Abbotsford Mariners). After three straight wins in the series, the Timbers U-23s lost twice to Mariners FC in 2011. The two sides meet again this season at Bateman Park in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 29.
The Timbers U-23s’ season opener kicks off a stretch of three games in nine days to open the campaign. On Tuesday, May 15, the Timbers U-23s play host to PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association in the first round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday at JELD-WEN Field.
