PGE Park Construction Update again

Dropping Timber, where all we talk about is stadiums and stuff.

Satdium Updates from Around the MLS

Philadelphia Union's first game at their new stadium PPL Park won't be til June 27th, til then they will play at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the Eagles. The Union sold the naming rights to their stadium to PPL, an electric utility company, for $20 million for 10 years. Check out their construction webcam.


Kansas City Wiz posted some new photos of the construction going on their new stadium that should be ready for the 2011 season. See more here.


Red Bull Arena grand opening will be March 20th against the legendary Brazilian club Santos and ace winger/striker Robinho will play in the match. Robinho is on loan to Santos from Man City, because he was having trouble getting regular playing time, that he wants in order to prepare for the World Cup. The first MLS game will be a week later on March 27th against the Chicago Fire. Read our stadium profile of Red Bull Arena here.

PGE Park Construction Update

Our elitist photographer gets the shot every time, and these pictures were taken today at noon. As you can see extensive foundation work is being done now, in preparation for building the east stands next Fall.

Here Burns a Soccer Fan

So the real question is do you sacrifice your beer for your fellow fan's shoe?

A young midfielder, a goalkeeper and a goalscorer walk into a...

The Timbers have added three more players to total 22 signed players for 2010. Timber fans have much to be excited about as many of the top lads from last year's fantastic season are returning. The Timbers have so far built an impressive roster for 2010 and these three players will surly have some time in the preseason to show their stuff.

Goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski 23, recently finished his collegiate career at Marquette University. A four-year contributor, he ranks among the school’s career leaders in goalkeeper minutes played (5,336), goals-against average (1.37), shutouts (11) and saves (206). He will play backup to Steve Cronin as other Timber GK Adin Brown recovers from injury. Pyzdrowski is sure to see some play in the upcoming preseason matches, and could really help his standing with the club. The Timbers have made sure that the back line is easily one of the best in the league.


Doug DeMartin is a pure goal scorer, at the UP charity match he blasted the only two goals of the game, and while at Michigan State he scored 38 goals and tallied nine assists in 76 games. After college DeMartin spent two years in the USL Premier Development League, he was drafted by the Wiz last year, but was never signed. How DeMartin will pan out will remain to be seen, but adding another goalscorer to a stacked roster is never a bad thing and at age 23, this could be a player that we see for many years.


Derek Gaudet is 20 year old mid-fielder from Nova Scotia who signed with Toronto FC when he was only 18 years old. He only made one appearance for Toronto FC and was released at the end of the season. He has been an active player for the youth clubs for the national soccer team and he trained with the senior Canadian national team in January. The young midfielder has little highlight video of what he brings to the table, he could be a very exciting player to watch develop.

USA 2 vs. 1 El Salvador Highlights

TIVO ALERT
The US flew into Amsterdam today, for a friendly against the Netherlands this Wednesday, as we prepare for the World Cup. The game will be televised live on ESPN 2 this Wednesday at 11:30AM. Holland is ranked 3rd in the FIFA world rankings and the match will be held at the awesome Amsterdam ArenA, pictured above.

Better Know a Timber - Quavas Kirk

Hello, I'm Quavas Kirk
Meet one of the Portland Timber's newest defenders, MLS veteran Quavas Kirk. This will be an ongoing series Dropping Timer will be bringing you - an attempt to help you get better acquainted with your 2010 Portland Timbers.

Signed in early December, Portland's promising free agent acquisition will be looking for an opportunity to showcase his strengths in what will be a showcase season overall for the 2011 MLS-bound Timbers. With a bit of luck and some solid play, it's likely Kirk will be joining them in the jump.

Besides a sharp fashion sense, Quavas will bring some extra excitement and athleticism when he arrives in Soccer City USA. Although only 21 years of age, Quavas has multiple seasons of experience in the MLS, but most recently playing for the USL Minnesota Thunder last season.

QUICK PROFILE
Born: April 13th, 1988
Birthplace: Aurora, Illinois
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185

Although only spending a few seasons in the MLS, Quavas is already quite well-traveled. A 3rd round draft pick by the LA Galaxy in 2005, Quavas played in 33 games for the Galaxy, but eventually was traded to DC United. After spending a season in DC and a brief trial with the Seattle Sounders, he was sent over to Minnesota where he appeared in 15 games last year.

Quavas is known as a player loaded with potential, someone who's still learning the game, but has the upside and the youth that can lead to improvement. Along with being a standout on Team USA's under-17 team (scoring 22 goals in 53 games), Kirk learned the game as a youth at the prestigous IMG Soccer Academy. Located in Bradenton, Florida, the IMG Soccer Academy is place for youths who are deadly serious about soccer. Kids live at the dorms, take classes, as well as go through rigorous soccer training throughout their education. Curfew is at 9pm. This place is no joke. In 2005, Quavas signed with the infamous Generation Adidas Program, a joint MLS/Adidas venture aimed at promoting and raising the level of youth soccer in America. The top teenage soccer talent in the nation are identified and then pushed to sign with MLS or other professional teams, as opposed to pursuing a college education (although a safeguard is in place to provide academic scholarships to players whos careers don't pan out). Generation Adidas is a bold program that's helped to produce such players as Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, and Freddy Adu.

The David Beckham Incident

As a member of the LA Galaxy, Quavas originally wore the number 23 on his jersey. However, upon the arrival of David Beckham, Quavas was forced to change his number to 15, despite publicly expressing his desire to keep the number. Beckham brought with him a list of requirements and special accomodations (including his bloated salary) when he came to the MLS and this was certainly one battle that Quavas was not going to win. Sorry, Quavas.

As a member of the Timbers, Quavas won't have to worry about quibling over kit numbers. Instead, he'll be a valued part of the teams 2010 season. Quavas will be an exciting defender to watch, somebody who'll probably show us flashes of brilliance throughout the year, but the question remains....Can Kirk fufill his potential and become a big-time player in the MLS? Well, we'll get an upclose view as he tries to answer that question this summer at PGE.

* MLS Stats - Espn Career Profile