Timbers to face MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes in exhibition

The Portland Timbers announced today that the club will face Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes as part of a preseason doubleheader March 28 at the University of Portland’s Clive Charles Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, starting at $10, go on sale to the public March 3 and are available through the UP box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400. A special $6 youth ticket is available for children under 18 years of age and University of Portland students who present valid school ID at the door. For groups of 15 or more, contact Beth Connell at (503) 943-7245 to take advantage of special discounts on tickets.

“This will be a great test for our club,” said Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers head coach and general manager. “To play a quality club in San Jose that will be just days away from opening its regular season gives us a good chance to see where we are heading as we approach the 2008 season.”

As part of the doubleheader, the University of Portland men’s soccer team will play the San Jose Reserves at 5 p.m.

San Jose re-entered MLS as an expansion club on July 18, 2007, after the original Earthquakes franchise became the Houston Dynamo in 2005. The 2008 expansion side features MLS veterans in goalkeeper Joe Cannon and defender Nick Garcia as well as former youth U.S. National Team members Ryan Cochrane and Ned Grabavoy.

San Jose’s roster also includes players who’ve battled against the Timbers previously during their careers, including goalkeeper Preston Burpo, who was a member of the Seattle Sounders from 1997-2005, and forward Gavin Glinton, who was with the Charleston Battery in 2006.

Portland has squared off against San Jose three times since it joined the USL First Division in 2001. The Timbers captured a 1-0 exhibition win over the Earthquakes at PGE Park in 2001, and San Jose defeated the Timbers in U.S. Open Cup matches in 2004 and 2005.

The Timbers begin the 2008 USL First Division season April 17, when they play host to the Puerto Rico Islanders at PGE Park. Season tickets for the 2008 campaign, starting at $142.50, are available by contacting the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555. For more information on season-ticket packages, flex tickets, group discounts and party suites, visit www.portlandtimbers.com.