Speed Kills. Nyassi Hat Trick

Nyassi could have been a Portland Timber had he been chosen in the expansion draft. It pains me to think about, especially after seeing this trio of goals. The kid has plenty of talent and loads of speed. Happy to see him have his coming out party against the Energy Drinks.

Rooney x 3 on Seattle

Hopefully we are about to witness a big year from Wayne Rooney. I predict a 20+ goal season after only finding the net 11 times this year.

SoccerPlex Improving Mini Field

Construction and renovations continue to take place at SoccerPlex these days. They added the Kickin' It Lounge a while back, and now they are relocating their office space in order to expand the mini field they previously had. They plan on having regular leagues on this new pitch in order to offer players a unique soccer experience. It appears they will still have walls wrapping the field, so it won't be identical to Portland Futsal's fields.

Street Stadia Pricing Details

"Dear Mike ,

Thank you for your inquiry.

We see the Street Stadia product as a perfect complement to small sided soccer. The fact that the product is portable and can be assembled in a matter of minutes offers users a fantastic solution to setting up quick and easy small-sided games.

With regard to our product offering we offer three standard unit sizes:

18m x 12m Street Stadia – best-selling product used for a range of soccer and sporting events, used mainly for community projects and academy coaching

15m x 10m Street Stadia –used for community projects and junior soccer matches as well as smaller sided adult games

12m x 8m Street Stadia – ideal for junior soccer events

The retail price tags of the standard courts are as follows

18m x 12m - $20,500
15m x 10m - $18,250
12m x 8m - $15,000

This will give you an indication of the typical prices however we try and price according to what the customer’s requirements which are on an individual basis.

We can customize pitch sizes, goalposts, netting, etc. Street Stadia can also be adapted to be used in a variety of different sports – basketball, tennis, volleyball.

Panels are provided blank and are ready to either have branded stickers applied to them or magnetic brandings. That can either be arranged by yourself or we can arrange on your behalf

Kind Regards,

Maren Perry"

15 - 20 thousand seems a bit steep for this field. I bet if I constructed something on my own with help from some skilled hands we could do it under 2 grand. However, if this field is as easy to put together as they say, and if its durable enough to last long enough, it could be a good investment. Also curious if it includes the trailer in the price. .

Street Stadia + Pitch Black

The wheels are turning. Street Stadia, you have officially caught my attention. Looking into unit cost.

Thirsty Lion 3 v 3 Street Soccer Tournament

For the third year in a row we are having a 3v3 street soccer tournament here in Portland. The first year it was held downtown at the Thirsty Lion, followed by last summers event in Pioneer Square. This year the event will be held in Tigard at the new Thirsty Lion location. Should be the perfect opportunity to showcase some of your new freestyle moves.

I had the pleasure of participating in the inaugural event outside Thirsty Lion, and it was part of my inspiration to start this blog. The idea of Pitch Black was born after playing under the lights at this tournament in front of the large crowds. I would highly recommend putting a team together for this event. Be sure to visit the website for all the details:

WASHINGTON SQUARE THIRSTY LION 3v3 STREET SOCCER

Dates: August 20 and 21
Time: 9 AM
Cost: $150 per team
Registration deadline is August 17th

King of Clubs TIFO

Not bad Timbers Army. Not bad at all....

Pitch Black Beverages Released

Two recent beverages sharing the Pitch Black name have hit store shelves recently. With a name like that, they will be offered exclusive privileges to sell at my street soccer facility. Anyone tried either of these drinks? Let me know what you think.

Nike5: Street Gato. Your Thoughts?

Who out there has had a chance to try out the new street gato from Nike? Let me know what you think about the shoes in terms of feel, touch, and durability. I'm probably most interested in the durability of these shoes. I've used my lunar gato boots outside on tennis courts and pavement and they have really taken a beating.

My personal favorite colorway would be the all black upper with white outsole. The little touch of neon green/yellow circling the boot completes the look.

Bumpy Pitch Collaboration with PTFC

I've been meaning to post this for awhile now, but if you follow The Original Winger or Bumpy Pitch you have probably seen this shirt inspired by Clive Charles and the Portland Timbers. Here is the copy from the official press release:

"This graphic and shirt hold a particularly special place for us (the BPFC team) as the inspiration for it can be found in a figure that played a huge role in our lives.

We had the pleasure of playing for Clive Charles on the US Olympic Team back in the day (Dunny much longer than myself). Clive was an amazing human being and coach. I’m sure anyone that ever met him, played for him, was a teammate, etc would tell you the exact same thing.

We’ve wanted to pay tribute to Clive in our own way for quite awhile. But it’s never been an easy thing to do and finding the right medium and message always needed to be done correctly. As a Portland institution and Timbers legend, the launch of the Portland Timbers in MLS this year seemed to provide the right time for us to do something for Clive.

We partnered with the Timbers Army and the 107ist on this to help continue to build the movement that these good folks have been building for years.

For those that dig into design elements, we made sure we put in a couple that pay tribute to Clive. His initials and retired number are featured on one of the axe handles, with the opposite handle seeing a nod to 2009 and the year that Portland was awarded an MLS franchise."

Shirt costs $30 which may be a little steep for some people, but it's unique and a portion of the proceeds goes to the 107st to help build the Timbers atmosphere we all love.