The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club will face the USL First Division Portland Timbers on Friday, March 28, 2008 at the University of Portland's Clive Charles Soccer Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT.
The Earthquakes have faced the Timbers three times in franchise history and lead the overall series 2-1. In their last meeting on August 3, 2005, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, San Jose shut out Portland 2-0 with goals scored by Wade Barrett and Brian Mullan. The previous year, on July 14, the Earthquakes defeated the Timbers 3-0 in the Open Cup with goals scored by Ramiro Corrales, Ronnie Ekelund and Dwayne De Rosario. Their first meeting was on June 4, 2001, in an exhibition match where Portland snuck by San Jose for a 2-1 win.
The Earthquakes are currently 2-1-2 this preseason. They lost one game and tied one game against the Houston Dynamo in their first two matches. This past week they defeated Cal Poly and the Columbus Crew, and earned a tie with D.C. United.
Earthquakes defender Ryan Cochrane, a Portland, Oregon native will return home to play in front of a hometown crowd. Cochrane returns to San Jose after playing two years with the Houston Dynamo.
Tickets, starting at $10, go on sale to the public March 3 and are available through the UP box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400. A special $6 youth ticket is available for children under 18 years of age. For groups of 15 or more, contact Beth Connell at (503) 943-7245 to take advantage of special discounts on tickets.
The San Jose Earthquakes are a Major League Soccer expansion franchise and will begin playing in April of 2008. Season tickets for the 2008 Earthquakes season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (408) 556-7700. Individual tickets are also on sale and can be purchased by calling 1-800-225-2277 or online at sjearthquakes.com.
