Timbers U-23s open 2013 campaign Tuesday

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s open their 2013 campaign Tuesday with a first-round match in the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at JELD-WEN Field. The Timbers U-23s then open their Premier Development League schedule Thursday at home in the first of two league games this week.

The Timbers U-23s play host to the Sacramento Gold of the National Premier Soccer League in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup at JELD-WEN Field at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). The team then plays host to Northwest Division-rival Seattle Sounders FC U-23 in its season opener Thursday at JELD-WEN Field as part of a special Providence Health & Fitness Day; kickoff is 11 a.m. (Pacific).

Tickets for both home matches are available for purchase at the JELD-WEN Field box office or online at www.portlandtimbers.com.

Portland caps its first week of the season on the road, traveling to play North Sound SeaWolves FC on Saturday at Edmonds Woodway High School in Edmonds, Wash., at 1 p.m. (Pacific).

The Timbers U-23s make their second consecutive appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team played PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association in the first round of the 2012 tournament. The Timbers U-23s qualified for the 2013 U.S. Open Cup – the 100th edition of the tournament – as a result of their second-place finish in the PDL’s Northwest Division last season.

The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament featuring 68 teams, including both amateur and professional clubs, from across U.S. Soccer. The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the second round and play the Charleston Battery of USL PRO.

The Timbers U-23s open their fifth PDL season Thursday against Sounders FC U-23 in the first of three regular-season meetings between the teams in 2013. Sounders FC U-23 won both closely contested matchups last season as the two teams finished first and second in the Northwest Division.

Thursday’s match is the first of three Providence Health & Fitness Days this season at JELD-WEN Field. The special day matches will feature a host of activities for youth, including a pre-game assembly.

Playing a third game in five days, the Timbers U-23s face SeaWolves FC in their first road test of the season Saturday. Portland has won all four of the previous meetings against North Sound, including a 3-1 win at Edmonds Woodway High School last season. Saturday’s match marks the PDL season-opener for North Sound.