The 1975 Portland Timbers exceeded expectations for an expansion side, putting together a league-best 16-6, 135-point season, on their way to the third-best average league attendance and an appearance in the very first Soccer Bowl—quickly creating Soccer City, USA, from scratch in just a little over three months. Not bad for a team that arrived so late it missed out on the 1975 draft and nearly missed out on existence altogether.

In the spirit of Match Day* coverage for previous matches, Green Is the Color is going to run a season preview of the 2026 campaign through the eyes of its 1976 counterpart, with the help of the Oregon Journal’s 1976 pullout and the Portland Timbers’ 1976 Season Guide.

Over the next four Fridays, we’ll cover the 2026 and 1976 teams in tandem. Until then, hopefully these three things will hold you over:

As our beloved building at 1844 SW Morrison Street turns 100 this year (and there are some very fun things coming with that, not just from the club but from our sponsor, Tursi Soccer), I’m just thankful I don’t have to scale these steps and cover matches from the old Civic Stadium press box.

Yesterday was the first media availability of the 2026 season, which included an open training session followed by a press conference featuring GM Ned Grabavoy, Head Coach Phil Neville, and players Kristoffer Velde, Brandon Bye, and Finn Surman.

If you missed those conversations, you can watch below:

If you’re here, you likely know this already, but there are some very talented, hard-working people who cover the club. Below are some outlets and follows, in no specific order, to keep you connected to the 2026 Timbers this season:

Podcasts (other than Green Is the Color on Apple and Spotify)