When the Portland Timbers take the pitch at Providence Park, the roar of the Timbers Army is unmistakable. But for many supporters, matchday means finding ways to channel that same passion from miles away. A recent thread on r/Timbers posed a simple question: “When you can’t make it to the stadium, how do you keep the game day energy alive?“ The answers revealed just how locked in the Timbers faithful are, even from a distance.
Beer, food, and other consumables
It isn’t easy to find a city more dedicated to its craft beer than Portland. r/darthmaulstaint has strong feelings about how beer is tied to matchday, as their gameday tradition is to drink beer, lots and lots of beer. User r/Delicious_Specific82 is a little more specific with their taste as they enjoy a Widmer Hefeweizen on matchday. Widmer Brothers Brewing is the exclusive craft beer sponsor of the Portland Timbers, and their logo can be seen all around Providence Park.
Some people have a traditional pre-game meal, such as those who opt for a tasty breakfast sandwich consisting of homemade biscuits, pork sausage, and egg. Living abroad matches typically kick off in the early hours of the day, so a hearty breakfast is the best way they get locked in.
Not to be left out, Oregon is a state where it is legal to use THC products, and at least one Timbers fan connects it with their Timbers gameday. r/vietnamted said, “Weed. I mean every day, but I make sure to try even harder for the Timbers on game days.”
On mute
In 2022, Major League Soccer and AppleTV entered into a 10-year, $2.5 billion broadcast deal. The deal took away local and regional broadcast deals and divided fans. All matches are now behind a paywall, and this is taking things too far. r/PossibilityMaximum75 states that they will check to see if a game is on regular television and, if not, will forget about it except to check the score later. Previously, teams had their broadcast teams, lending a familiar voice when you could not be at the park. The personal touch has been removed, and some viewers are choosing to watch without the sound on.
Rage on Reddit
r/Icy_Song9418 and r/flees stay tied in with other Timbers supporters by jumping on Reddit and contributing to the match thread. Sharing their thoughts on the match as it unfolds in an online community of people who are doing the same. That hits the purpose of what it means to support a team, wanting to connect with others who share the same passion.
What these responses made clear is that being part of the Timbers Army isn’t about location, it’s about love, loyalty, and finding ways to stand together, no matter where you are. Sunday at 4:00 PM PST, the Portland Timbers face St. Louis FC in the heart of Missouri. Just because the Timbers are on the road does not mean thousands are not behind them, hanging on every touch of the ball, showing the boys in green and gold how much they care through the traditions they have created when they cannot be in the stadium. Onward, Rose City.
Timbers Tally 
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