Portland Timbers to Host New York Red Bulls in Season Opener, March 3rd

We knew it was coming this week and MLS HW has officially announced some of the dates for next year's home opener games, including our own Portland Timbers home opener. This year, the Portland Timbers will host the New York Red Bulls at Jeld-Wen Field on march 3rd, no exact time yet given.

Here's the schedule MLS has put out so far:

WEEK 1
Saturday, March 2:
Philadelphia Union vs. Sporting Kansas City (PPL Park)
FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids (FC Dallas Stadium)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC (BC Place)
Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United (BBVA Compass Stadium)
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Montreal Impact (CenturyLink Field)
Chivas USA vs. Columbus Crew (The Home Depot Center)

Sunday, March 3:
LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire (The Home Depot Center)
Portland Timbers vs. New York Red Bulls (JELD-WEN Field)
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake (Buck Shaw Stadium)

WEEK 2
Saturday, March 9:
Toronto FC vs. Sporting Kansas City (venue TBD)
D.C. United vs. Real Salt Lake (RFK Stadium)
Colorado Rapids vs. Philadelphia Union (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park)
Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution (Toyota Park)

WEEK 3
Saturday, March 16:
New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United (Red Bull Arena)
Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire (LIVESTRONG Sporting Park)
Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids (Rio Tinto Stadium)
Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC (Olympic Stadium)
Columbus Crew vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Crew Stadium)

WEEK 4
Saturday, March 23:
New England Revolution vs. FC Dallas (Gillette Stadium)

So far the Timbers are 2-0-0 for home openers having beat the Chicago Fire in 2011 and the Philadelphia Union in 2012. Obviously, the New York Red Bulls always present a unique challenge given their willingness to spend, but they're certainly not impossible to beat. Hopefully it'll make for a great way to kick off a resurgent 2013 season.

What do you think about the home opener?