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In honor of 5 years in MLS... What are the Timbers best and worst decisions to date?


Here's my list:

BEST Decisions:

1) Staying downtown in Providence Park. Maybe this was always obvious... but I think the decision to stay in and retrofit the park has had the largest impact on the success of the franchise. I don't think we would have anywhere near the same atmosphere had they chosen to go out into one of the burbs. Now I just hope they can find a way to grow the stadium within the current(ish) footprint.

2) Hiring Porter. Possibly a little high on the list, I think Porter has already contributed significantly to the success of the franchise and I'm hopeful it will continue to grow. He was a known and coveted coach and coming to Portland with his style of play has helped put us on the map.

3) Hiring Golub. I'll give Golub a lot of credit for both the commercial success of the club as well as the in-stadium experience (If I'm wrong about roles, someone please clarify). Personally my biggest concern when the Timbers went to MLS was finding the commercial sponsors. Portland is a funny town in that most of the (few) large companies here can't or won't do local sponsorships.

4) Signing Valeri. Of all the players we've brought in, this one is the top to me. Valeri has been pure class on and off the field and has helped pave the way for others from South America. Honorable mention to Diego Chara.

5) Hosting ASG. I've heard from a number of people that this was the BEST ASG ever. But mostly I put this on the list because I think the club, city, and army learned how much they can do together. And I'm hopeful this will pay dividends in the future.

WORST Decisions

1) The initial crest disclosure. A little bit of a heavy handed process as well as a flawed crest is a starting point. But really this makes my list because I think the FO and Timbers Army were trying to figure out how to really work with each other and this was a very inauspicious piece of the picture. Kudo's to both that they moved past it.

2) Spencer/Boyd. I'll lump both of these into one category and just label it a noble failure. Noble because it was done with the right intentions, but ultimately a failure.

3) South Deck. Perhaps because it was misrepresented at the time (a concert venue?), I feel like the south deck of the stadium is significantly under optimized. As per a Paulson comment somewhere in the process, it's now one of the best options to increase seating. Sooner vs later would be great.

So... that's my list and I'd to hear others inputs. If it feels like the good substantially outweighs the bad, then I've captured what's in my mind at least.

This FanPost was written by a Stumptown Footy community member and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the site or its staff.

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