It all started so great – the rabid fanbase arrived early in anticipation of what would surely be the Portland Timbers’ second MLS Cup victory- their first won at home. Some fans paid well over $500 to be part of the 25,218 in attendance – that is, if you could find a ticket, and the weather conditions were true to Portland in December – cold, rainy, and windy. Everything was going according to plan. Then a giant, inflatable MLS Cup that had been wheeled to the center of the pitch for the pre-game festivities failed to stay inflated and was unceremoniously rolled off. Then one of the pre-game pyrotechnic units was extinguished by the high winds, rhythmically spraying a mist of flammable fluid into the air until the same winds whipped neighboring flames into the path of the accelerant, assisting in re-igniting the flames. Finally, the opening kickoff was slightly delayed when a collection of season ticket holder volunteers struggled with removing a commemorative tarp that had seemingly collected too much of the aforementioned rain and wind.
Any of these slight mishaps could have been seen by the more superstitious among us as some sort of omen. I am not superstitious, however even I had to mutter “this seems ominous” as the inflatable cup limply flopped around in moderate winds.
I was one of those lucky 25,218 in attendance, having paid face value for my ticket, thanks to my one third share of a pair of season tickets. The thought of ominous pre-game festivities faded as quickly as my hometown team did – they were simply out played for what felt like the first 75 minutes of the game.
There was a miraculous last second equalizer that is a contender for the single most exciting moment I’ve seen live (the Chris Taylor walk-off from October is up there, as is the tainted Oregon-Oklahoma football game from 2006) but alas, the Timbers failed to gain the advantage in the shootout that followed a scoreless extra 30 minutes. NYCFC won and deserved to win – despite any miracles or omens. After digesting the loss for a few days, I can say it still sucks. But I was incredibly grateful that the team made it to the final, which seemed like an utter impossibility during much of this season.
MLS has a very short offseason and will start playing games that count in late February, which doesn’t provide a lot of time for reflection. Although an expansion draft passed yesterday with no impact on the Timbers, there will likely be several roster moves made before play resumes. If the reporting is to be believed, one of those transactions will likely be the departure of The Maestro, Diego Valeri – who happens to be my all-time favorite Timber. The former MVP was used primarily as a substitute this season, and at 35, is fairly ancient in football years. If this was indeed his last match in the green and gold, Saturday’s loss will hurt that much more.
Soccer has been a big part of my live sports consumption for more than a decade now, but it occupies only a small sliver of my collection. In fact, it’s probably the one part of my collection where I’ve demonstrated restraint and stuck to my PCs. In addition to a team-signed jersey and a team-signed pennant from their first MLS game, my Timbers collection totals about 200 cards. Most of those are dedicated to two Diegos – Valeri and Chara. I don’t buy packs of MLS cards, so what I have I either sought out or rescued from boxes found at Goodwill. If he is truly about to leave, I feel like it’s time I dedicate some real effort to augmenting my Valeri PC. For now, my best two Valeri cards – they are both sticker graphs, but I’ll take what I can get:
While he won one MLS Cup and an MVP for Portland, Valeri’s greatest honor is surely less known. During the summer of 2017 he had a nine-game scoring streak that coincided with my household’s adoption of a rambunctious little white and black kitten who had a penchant for diving under our feet as we walked around the house. It was only natural that this little soccer-ball shaped bundle of energy would be named Diego. When he’s a good boy, he’s Valeri. When he’s a lovable pest, he’s Chara.
If this is truly the end, thanks for everything, Maestro.