Timbers in the Desert: Julie and John Shockley on Preseason, Supporter Family, and Falling for Portland
Julie and John Shockley’s Timbers story started the way many great supporter stories do: with one match at Providence Park.
In 2012, while still living in Northern California, they came to Portland to visit Julie’s brother and took in their first Timbers match. The opponent was the Chicago Fire. The seats were not in the Timbers Army. In fact, they were near the away supporters section because those were the tickets they could get.
It did not matter.
From that first visit, the atmosphere did its work. The noise, the energy, the sense of family, and the feeling inside Providence Park all stood apart from other soccer experiences they had known. Both Julie and John had been around soccer for much of their lives, but this felt different. It felt like a club culture they could belong to.
For several years, the Timbers held preseason matches in Tucson, and Julie and John turned those trips into a regular part of their Timbers calendar. The connection started because Julie’s parents spent part of the year in Arizona. While visiting for baseball spring training, Julie and John found Timbers watch parties in Phoenix and met members of the Desert Corps, a Timbers Army regiment based in Arizona.
Those supporters encouraged them to come down for preseason.
So they did.
Instead of planning another baseball-focused trip, Julie and John flew into Phoenix, drove to Tucson, and joined the Desert Corps for a completely different kind of Timbers experience.
The setting was nothing like Providence Park. The stadium was smaller. The crowds were smaller. The players were closer. The access was personal. Supporters could stand near the sideline, interact with players, collect autographs, take photos, and see the team in a way that is nearly impossible during the regular season.
For Julie and John, that intimacy is what made Tucson special.
Players and coaches did not just pass by. They stopped. They talked. They took photos. Zarek Valentin, Vytas, Jeff Attinella, and Gio Savarese all stood out as people who made supporters feel seen. One year, Julie and John brought Julie’s parents, and players treated them like family, putting arms around them for photos and making the experience feel personal.
That is part of what makes Timbers culture different. It is not only about what happens during the 90 minutes. It is about the relationships that form around the club.
The Desert Corps helped create that same feeling hundreds of miles away from Portland.
Julie and John describe the Arizona preseason atmosphere almost like a traveling version of Timbers culture. There were tailgates, patch trading, stickers, food, tents, beer swaps, and plenty of songs. Supporters came from Portland and from other parts of the country. One person flew in from San Antonio each year and brought a pecan amber beer from Texas, creating a running tradition of beer trades at the tailgate.
It was soccer, community, and a little bit of spring training all rolled together.
The Desert Corps did not treat preseason like a minor event. They brought the same creativity and energy that defines the North End. They created tifos for preseason matches, including a Calvin and Hobbes design and an intricate sugar skull display. They chanted through matches. They made the experience feel important, even though the games did not count in the standings.
The biggest throughline in Julie and John’s story is not the location. It is the people.
They talked about Colin Smith, a Desert Corps supporter who helped connect them to the Arizona Timbers community. Years later, at a SheBelieves Cup match in a massive NFL stadium parking lot in Phoenix, Julie and John heard someone calling their names. It was Colin, stuck in traffic, recognizing them in the crowd.
That kind of moment captures what supporter culture can be at its best. You can be far from Providence Park, surrounded by thousands of people, and still run into someone connected through the Timbers.
That is why Julie and John’s story matters.
It is not just about Tucson preseason. It is not just about the Desert Corps. It is not just about one first match against the Chicago Fire.
It is about how the Timbers pull people in and then keep giving them reasons to stay.
Providence Park lit the fire. The Desert Corps helped deepen the connection. Preseason in Tucson gave them memories they could not have had anywhere else. Players and supporters made the club feel personal.
For Julie and John, the Timbers became more than a team.
They became a family.
From the Stands to the Center Circle: Brett Davidson Shares a Unique Timbers Matchday Experience
Every Timbers supporter knows the feeling.
You walk into Providence Park. The seats start filling in. The Timbers Army is getting louder. The scarves are ready. Kickoff is close. There is that familiar buzz in the air where the whole stadium feels like it is holding its breath for just a second before the match begins.
But what does that moment feel like from the middle of the pitch?
On this episode of Timbers Tally, I sit down with Brett Davidson to talk about one of the matchday traditions fans see all the time but may not know much about: the pre-game center circle ceremony.
Brett has been part of the group that carries and holds the large circular Timbers flag at midfield before kickoff. It is one of those moments that can feel routine from the stands, but from the field, it is anything but ordinary.
Brett’s connection to the Timbers runs deep. His parents were season ticket holders back in the Civic Stadium days, soccer has been part of his family for years, and now his daughter is involved in competitive and high school soccer. For Brett, going to Providence Park for a Timbers or Thorns match has become one of the best sports experiences in Portland.
That love for the game eventually led him to the center circle.
The opportunity started when Brett was looking for a team-bonding experience for his daughter’s club soccer team. After some searching, a few emails, and a helpful connection through the club’s technical director, Brett discovered that the center circle ceremony was something local groups could actually take part in.
And the process? It is more involved than fans might expect.
Groups arrive well before kickoff, check in near the stadium ramp, head down toward the field, practice carrying the large center-circle flag, and then return later when the stadium is full and the real moment begins.
Brett describes what it feels like to step onto the turf at Providence Park with thousands of fans looking on, the anthem moments away, and the stadium energy building all around you. He talks about the excitement of the first time, the surprise of the fireworks, and the fun of getting photos afterward from friends and fans seated all around the stadium.
It is a reminder that matchday is not just about the 90 minutes.
It is about the rituals. The people. The little behind-the-scenes moments that make supporters feel connected to the club in a personal way..
This episode is not just about standing at midfield before kickoff. It is about what makes Providence Park special: generations of supporters, families sharing the game, local soccer connections, matchday traditions, and the small stories that make the Timbers community feel like home.
So the next time you see a group holding the flag in the center circle before a match, you might look at that moment a little differently.
Because behind that flag are supporters, families, teams, teachers, designers, patch collectors, and people like Brett who help make the Timbers matchday experience what it is.
Listen to the full episode of Timbers Tally now.
Every Timbers supporter knows the feeling.
You walk into Providence Park. The seats start filling in. The Timbers Army is getting louder. The scarves are ready. Kickoff is close. There is that familiar buzz in the air where the whole stadium feels like it is holding its breath for just a second before the match begins.
But what does that moment feel like from the middle of the pitch?
On this episode of Timbers Tally, I sit down with Brett Davidson to talk about one of the matchday traditions fans see all the time but may not know much about: the pre-game center circle ceremony.
Brett has been part of the group that carries and holds the large circular Timbers flag at midfield before kickoff. It is one of those moments that can feel routine from the stands, but from the field, it is anything but ordinary.
Brett’s connection to the Timbers runs deep. His parents were season ticket holders back in the Civic Stadium days, soccer has been part of his family for years, and now his daughter is involved in competitive and high school soccer. For Brett, going to Providence Park for a Timbers or Thorns match has become one of the best sports experiences in Portland.
That love for the game eventually led him to the center circle.
The opportunity started when Brett was looking for a team-bonding experience for his daughter’s club soccer team. After some searching, a few emails, and a helpful connection through the club’s technical director, Brett discovered that the center circle ceremony was something local groups could actually take part in.
And the process? It is more involved than fans might expect.
Groups arrive well before kickoff, check in near the stadium ramp, head down toward the field, practice carrying the large center-circle flag, and then return later when the stadium is full and the real moment begins.
Brett describes what it feels like to step onto the turf at Providence Park with thousands of fans looking on, the anthem moments away, and the stadium energy building all around you. He talks about the excitement of the first time, the surprise of the fireworks, and the fun of getting photos afterward from friends and fans seated all around the stadium.
It is a reminder that matchday is not just about the 90 minutes.
It is about the rituals. The people. The little behind-the-scenes moments that make supporters feel connected to the club in a personal way..
This episode is not just about standing at midfield before kickoff. It is about what makes Providence Park special: generations of supporters, families sharing the game, local soccer connections, matchday traditions, and the small stories that make the Timbers community feel like home.
So the next time you see a group holding the flag in the center circle before a match, you might look at that moment a little differently.
Because behind that flag are supporters, families, teams, teachers, designers, patch collectors, and people like Brett who help make the Timbers matchday experience what it is.
Listen to the full episode of Timbers Tally now.
The Story Behind a Timber Jim Patch, Patch Patrol, and Preserving Timbers Supporter Culture
On this episode of Timbers Tally, I sat down with returning guest Jeff Sutton to talk about one of the most unique corners of Timbers culture: patches.
Jeff shares how he first fell in love with the Timbers after attending a 2013 match against Seattle, how Eugene’s Echo Squadron helped him stay connected from outside Portland, and how Patch Patrol became a creative home for supporters looking to tell their own stories through art.
The heart of the episode is Jeff’s story about designing a special patch connected to Timber Jim. Inspired by the Timbers Inn sign in Eugene, Jeff created a “Timber Jim” patch concept and reached out to Jim during a difficult time for his family. Timber Jim approved the design with one important request: make sure it said “Spread the Love.”
What began as a fundraiser for Timber Jim’s family became something even bigger. At Jim’s request, the money raised was redirected to Harper’s Playground, turning the patch into a small but powerful example of what makes this community special.
This conversation is about more than patches. It is about supporter creativity, trust, tradition, generosity, and the ongoing effort to preserve the stories that make soccer in Portland unlike anywhere else.
Whether you are deep into Patch Patrol or still wondering where everyone gets those battle jacket patches, this episode is a beautiful look at how Timbers supporters carry history, identity, and love with them.
Timbers Tally 