I’m obsessed with 1844 SW Morrison Street. Outside of my family, the now-three-plus years I’ve spent finding, preserving, and sharing our soccer stories from the last 50 years has brought me more happiness than just about anything else I’ve encountered. All of it—the people (you), the soccer, the love—comes from one address and one building that is deservedly getting its flowers in its 100th year.
And what makes me happy today is that there is—once again—a unique way to share that special place with you, thanks to Tursi Soccer and Grafletics.
Let me explain:
Years ago, there was a really cool, original soccer place to get really cool, original soccer stuff: Possession FC. Located just four SW Morrison Street blocks east of the stadium, Possession FC housed some of the most interesting, original, and engaging soccer items one could get their hands on. In addition to good soccer stuff, it was owned and staffed by good soccer people, making it a must-visit for a home-match-day itinerary.
As Providence Park prepared to turn 100 years old this year, I went semi “Citizen Kane” on an item I remember, but did not buy, from Possession FC: a t-shirt featuring an outline of the seating schematic of my favorite stadium. I reached out to Dennie Wendt, author of Hooper’s Revolution and owner of the late Possession FC, and I asked if he knew how to find the shirt I couldn’t get out of my head. As luck would have it, he did.
In a few days, I received a package in the mail of some specific Possession FC leftover inventory which included a couple sizes of the no-longer-made stadium shirt, as well as other designs from the same company, Portland-based Grafletics.
But here’s where, as so many of these stories do, I put something out there, and it took a fortuitous turn: Wendt also sent an email introduction to the owner of Grafletics, the person who designed the stadium shirt: Rick Gilbert.
My hope was that we could bring this design back to life. I was optimistic Gilbert might be on board if I could only ask about the design and if there was the possibility it could live again.
Fast forward a few weeks and correspondence with Rick and Green Is the Color sponsor Tursi Soccer, and I found myself at my sponsor’s SW Canyon Road headquarters, looking at a design deck that would be part of a limited-run collaboration between Grafletics and Tursi Soccer, to celebrate Tursi Soccer’s 40th year of serving Soccer City, USA.
Fast forward a few more weeks, and the once-defunct design of my desire—as well as other super-cool clothing—is in this world again, this time as part of the limited-run anniversary collection that you can get right now, in time for this weekend’s home Timbers or Thorns matches.
My missed 2020 opportunity is now amended. While the limited run lasts—at Tursi Soccer or Grafletics online—this unique homage to my favorite place is again attainable, for you and me.
Make Tursi Soccer part of your 2026 must-visit for a home-match-day itinerary. Stop by the Downtown location four blocks east of Providence Park or the Headquarters on Canyon Road.
Though the Green Is the Color code of “GREEN15” that gets you 15% off retail purchases at Tursi Soccer stores in person or online does not apply to this specific collection, it does for many other items you could pick up to complement your new Tursi Soccer x Grafletics Anniversary Collection gear.
Finally, if you’re curious about how a soccer store can serve the Portland soccer community for 40 years, take a listen to Podcast Episode 15: Jim Tursi to hear the Tursi Soccer origin story.
And if creative clothing collaboration is your thing, I can’t recommend Rick Gilbert and Grafletics enough. You don’t have to wait for an introduction from the owner of a cool past-tense soccer store. You can simply reach out to Rick by completing this online form.
I’ll see you Saturday at 1844 SW Morrison Street—where the game has been on for 100 years—wearing my Tursi Soccer x Grafletics stadium tee.
#RCTID