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After announcing the Copa Verde a week or so ago, the Portland Timbers have taken little time to begin to announce their other planned friendlies. This year sees the English Premier League side Norwich City come to Portland, one of the up and coming teams in the EPL. By that I mean they were recently promoted and, as of now, look like they'll be staying up for at least another season.
Norwich's visit this summer marks another year in which an EPL team has visited Portland. Last year Aston Villa came over and the year before that was West Bromwich Albion.
The game will kick off on July 24th at 8:00pm at Jeld-Wen Field. The game is included as part of season ticket holder's packages so no need to worry there if you have those. Otherwise ticket details will be announced at a later date.
What do you think of Norwich City coming to Portland?
Full press release:
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers today announced that the club will play host to English Premier League club Norwich City FC in an international exhibition on Wednesday, July 24, at JELD-WEN Field at 8 p.m. (Pacific). Norwich City will visit the Rose City during its preseason tour to the United States.
The friendly against Norwich City is included as part of Timbers full-season ticket packages. Details regarding single-game tickets for the match will be announced at a later date.
Over a century old, Norwich City was originally formed in 1902 and has played a total of 21 seasons in England's top flight since 1972. The club was a founding member of the Premier League, and finished third in the league's inaugural season in 1992-93. Norwich City is a two-time winner of the League Cup (1962, 1985) and competed in the 1993-94 UEFA Cup. Norwich City has competed in each of the last two Premier League seasons, earning promotion after a second-place finish in the 2010-11 Championship campaign.
Nicknamed "the Canaries," Norwich City is nearing completion of the 2012-13 EPL season - the club's 100th competitive season. This season, Norwich City has captured wins over three of the top five clubs in the Premier League, including shutout victories over Manchester United and Arsenal. The Canaries have earned points in eight of their last 10 matches, starting with a draw against Tottenham Hotspur in January. The club has three league matches remaining this season and play host to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Under manager Chris Houghton, Norwich City is led by captain Grant Holt and midfielder Wesley Hoolahan, two veterans who aided in the club's recent return to the Premier League. Scotland international Robert Snodgrass is the club's leading scorer this season with six goals and seven assists. The backline features Premier League veterans Michael Turner, Cameroon international Sebastian Bassong and Javier Garrido, while midfielder Alexander Tettey has UEFA Champions and Europa League experience.
Norwich City visits Portland during a three-stop, preseason tour along the West Coast, which will begin in California, where the club will play an exhibition in Sacramento on July 18 and a friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 20. The Timbers have welcomed several Premier League clubs to the Rose City in recent seasons, including Aston Villa (2012), West Bromwich Albion (2011) and Manchester City (2010).
The Canaries' tour to the United States has been organized by PSC Ltd and First Wave Sports, who have in recent years, been involved in organizing U.S. pre-season tours for numerous other EPL teams such as Everton, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City.