# 2001 Portland Timbers season

The 2001 Portland Timbers season was the inaugural season for the Portland Timbers—the 3rd incarnation of a club to bear the Timbers name—of the now-defunct A-League, the second-tier league of the United States and Canada at the time.

## Competitions
### A-League
#### Western Conference standings

Bye to quarterfinal round of playoffs  First round of playoffs
| Pos | Club | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 74 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 33 | +11 |
| 2 | San Diego F.C. | 68 | 26 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 55 | 42 | +13 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Rampage | 63 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 45 | 40 | +5 |
| 4 | Portland Timbers | 62 | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 41 | 38 | +3 |
| 5 | Seattle Sounders | 57 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 40 | 39 | +1 |
| 6 | Minnesota Thunder | 41 | 26 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 29 | 34 | −5 |
| 7 | El Paso Patriots | 40 | 26 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 39 | 42 | −3 |
Point system: 4 points for a win; 1 point for a draw; 1 point for scoring 3 or more goals in a game; 0 points for a loss

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | A | A | A | H | H | H | H | A | A |
| Result | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | T | W | L | W | W | T | L | L | L | W | L | L | L | W | T | W | W | L | W |

### A-League Playoffs
#### Playoff bracket

| First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | First Round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | | | 1 | Hershey Wildcats | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Charlotte Eagles | 0 | 2 | 2 | | Portland Timbers | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Portland Timbers | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | Hershey Wildcats | Hershey Wildcats | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Vancouver Whitecaps | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | San Diego F.C. | 2 | 2 | 4 | | San Diego F.C. | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Hershey Wildcats | Hershey Wildcats | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rochester Raging Rhinos | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 2 |
| | | | | | 2 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Charleston Battery | 1 | 1 | 2 | | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | Rochester Raging Rhinos | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Milwaukee Rampage | Milwaukee Rampage | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | Richmond Kickers | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Milwaukee Rampage (p) | 3 | 0 | 3 (4) | | Milwaukee Rampage (a.e.t.) | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Nashville Metros | 2 | 1 | 3 (2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

#### Quarterfinals
### U.S. Open Cup
#### Qualification Group 9 standings

Entry into second round of 2001 U.S. Open Cup  D-3 wildcard entry into second round of 2001 U.S. Open Cup
| Pos | Club | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | H2H Pts |
| 1 | Seattle Sounders | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | SEA: 6 pts UTA: 1 pt |
| 2 | Utah Blitzz (D-3) | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | SEA: 6 pts UTA: 1 pt |
| 3 | Portland Timbers | 13 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 8 | +2 |
| 4 | Northern Nevada Aces (D-3) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 24 | −23 |
Point system: 4 points for a win; 1 point for a draw; 1 point for scoring 3 or more goals in a game; 0 points for a loss

## Club
### Coaching staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head coach | Bobby Howe |
| Assistant coach | Jimmy Conway |
| Goalkeeper coach | Jim Brazeau |
Source:

### Management

| Owner | Portland Family Entertainment |
| Chief Executive Officer | Marshall Glickman |
| Chief Financial Officer | Mark Gardiner |
| General Manager | Jim Taylor |
| Ground (capacity and dimensions) | PGE Park ( / ) |
Source:

## Squad
### Kits

| Home | Away |

### Final roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | USA | Dan Moss |
| 2 | DF | CAN | Jeff Clarke |
| 3 | DF | IRL | Keith Costigan |
| 4 | DF | MEX | Jesús Ochoa |
| 5 | DF | NZL | Gavin Wilkinson |
| 7 | FW | USA | Darren Sawatzky |
| 8 | MF | NIR | Michael O'Neill |
| 9 | FW | USA | Greg Howes |
| 10 | FW | USA | Mark Baena |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 11 | MF | USA | Brian Winters |
| 12 | DF | USA | Matt Chulis |
| 14 | DF | USA | Scott Benedetti |
| 15 | MF | KGZ | Vadim Tolstolutsky |
| 18 | GK | USA | Matt Napoleon |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Neil Ryan |
| 22 | FW | SCO | Tony McPeak |
| 26 | DF | TRI | Brent Sancho |
| 30 | FW | TRI | Darin Lewis |

### Recognition

A-League All-League Second Team
| Pos | Player | GP |
| GK | Matt Napoleon | 26 |
| DF | Brent Sancho | 24 |
A-League Player of the Week
| Week | Player | Opponent(s) |
| 7 | Mark Baena | El Paso Patriots, San Diego F.C. |
A-League Team of the Week
| Week | Player | Opponent(s) |
| 4 | Michael O'Neill | Utah Blitzz, Northern Nevada Aces |
| 5 | Darren Sawatzky | Seattle Sounders (x2) |
| 7 | Mark Baena | El Paso Patriots, San Diego F.C. |
| 9 | Mark Baena | Minnesota Thunder, Utah Blitzz |
| 10 | Matt Napoleon | Vancouver Whitecaps, Minnesota Thunder |
| 13 | Greg Howes | San Diego F.C. |
| 13 | Brent Sancho | San Diego F.C. |
| 14 | Michael O'Neill | Milwaukee Rampage, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps |
| 20 | Mark Baena | Minnesota Thunder, Charlotte Eagles, Charleston Battery |
| 20 | Jeff Clarke | Minnesota Thunder, Charlotte Eagles, Charleston Battery |
| 21 | Greg Howes | Milwaukee Rampage |
| 21 | Michael O'Neill | Milwaukee Rampage |
| 22 | Scott Benedetti | San Diego F.C., El Paso Patriots |

### Statistics
#### Appearances and goals

All players contracted to the club during the season included.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | A-League | A-League | Playoffs | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup Qual. | U.S. Open Cup Qual. |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | USA | Dan Moss | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | CAN | Jeff Clarke | 25 | 3 | 20+1 | 3 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | IRL | Keith Costigan | 23 | 0 | 13+3 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | MEX | Jesús Ochoa | 22 | 0 | 8+8 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | NZL | Gavin Wilkinson | 33 | 2 | 24+1 | 2 | 4+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| (6) | MF | USA | Roger Gantz (released) | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | USA | Darren Sawatzky | 28 | 6 | 17+5 | 5 | 1+1 | 0 | 4+0 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | NIR | Michael O'Neill | 29 | 9 | 22+0 | 5 | 4+0 | 1 | 3+0 | 3 |
| 9 | FW | USA | Greg Howes | 26 | 9 | 19+2 | 7 | 3+0 | 1 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 10 | FW | USA | Mark Baena | 32 | 15 | 23+1 | 13 | 4+0 | 1 | 4+0 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Brian Winters | 33 | 0 | 25+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Matt Chulis | 31 | 0 | 23+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| (12) | MF | USA | Brian Kelly (1 week loan from Los Angeles Galaxy) | 1 | 1 | 1+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | USA | Scott Benedetti | 31 | 3 | 24+1 | 2 | 3+0 | 1 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | KGZ | Vadim Tolstolutsky | 17 | 3 | 7+5 | 2 | 0+2 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 |
| (16) | GK | USA | Adam Pearce (released) | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| (17) | MF | USA | Kevin Legg (released) | 7 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | USA | Matt Napoleon | 34 | 0 | 26+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| (20) | DF | USA | José Burciaga, Jr. (1 week loan from Kansas City Wizards) | 2 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| (20) | FW | CAN | Rob Baarts (released) | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Neil Ryan | 9 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | SCO | Tony McPeak | 12 | 0 | 2+7 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | TRI | Brent Sancho | 30 | 1 | 24+0 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | TRI | Darin Lewis | 10 | 1 | 1+6 | 0 | 1+2 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 |
| (—) | GK | USA | Matthew Nelson (released) | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |

#### Top scorers

Players with 1 goal or more included only.
| Rk. | Position | Player | Total | A-League | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup Qual. |
| 1 | FW | Mark Baena | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | FW | Greg Howes | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | MF | Michael O'Neill | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | FW | Darren Sawatzky | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | DF | Jeff Clarke | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Scott Benedetti | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Vadim Tolstolutsky | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | DF | Gavin Wilkinson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF | Brian Kelly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | DF | Brent Sancho | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Darin Lewis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 53 | 41 | 5 | 7 |

#### Disciplinary record

Players with 1 card or more included only.
| No. | Position | Player | Total | Total | A-League | A-League | Playoffs | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup Qual. | U.S. Open Cup Qual. |
| 2 | DF | Jeff Clarke | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Keith Costigan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Jesús Ochoa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Gavin Wilkinson | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Darren Sawatzky | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Michael O'Neill | 9 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Greg Howes | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Mark Baena | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Brian Winters | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | Matt Chulis | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | Scott Benedetti | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Vadim Tolstolutsky | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| (17) | MF | Kevin Legg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | Matt Napoleon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Neil Ryan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Brent Sancho | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 73 | 9 | 61 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 |

#### Goalkeeper stats

All goalkeepers included.
| No. | Nat. | Player | Total | Total | Total | Total | A-League | A-League | A-League | A-League | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup Qual. | U.S. Open Cup Qual. | U.S. Open Cup Qual. | U.S. Open Cup Qual. |
| No. | Nat. | Player | MIN | GA | GAA | SV | MIN | GA | GAA | SV | MIN | GA | GAA | SV | MIN | GA | GAA | SV |
| 1 | | Dan Moss | 57 | 3 | 4.74 | 4 | 57 | 3 | 4.74 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| (16) | | Adam Pearce | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 18 | | Matt Napoleon | 3152 | 46 | 1.31 | 169 | 2413 | 35 | 1.31 | 141 | 360 | 5 | 1.25 | 8 | 379 | 6 | 1.42 | 20 |
| (—) | | Matthew Nelson | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 3209 | 49 | 1.37 | 173 | 2470 | 38 | 1.38 | 145 | 360 | 5 | 1.25 | 8 | 379 | 6 | 1.42 | 20 |

### Player movement
#### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| February 7, 2001 | Greg Howes | FW | Seattle Sounders | Acquired for 2001 2nd and 3rd round A-League College Player Draft picks |
| February 27, 2001 | Jeff Clarke | DF | Baltimore Blast | Free |
| February 27, 2001 | Darren Sawatzky | FW | Seattle Sounders | Free |
| February 27, 2001 | Vadim Tolstolutsky (R) | MF | Seattle Pacific Falcons | A-League College Player Draft, 1st round |
| February 27, 2001 | Brian Winters | MF | Minnesota Thunder | Acquired via trade; terms not disclosed |
| March 22, 2001 | Mark Baena | FW | San Diego Flash | Free |
| April 4, 2001 | Keith Costigan (R) | DF | Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners | Free |
| April 4, 2001 | Kevin Legg | MF | Los Angeles Galaxy | Free |
| April 4, 2001 | Brent Sancho | DF | Joe Public | Free |
| April 4, 2001 | Gavin Wilkinson | DF | Kilkenny City | Free |
| April 16, 2001 | Jesús Ochoa (R) | DF | California Baptist Lancers | Free |
| April 20, 2001 | Matt Napoleon | GK | Columbus Crew | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Rob Baarts | FW | Utah Freezz | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Scott Benedetti | DF | Nottingham Forest | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Roger Gantz | MF | | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Tony McPeak | FW | Milwaukee Wave | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Matthew Nelson | GK | Kilkenny City | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Michael O'Neill | MF | St Johnstone | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Adam Pearce (R) | GK | Concordia Cavaliers | Free |
| April 26, 2001 | Neil Ryan | DF | Boston Bulldogs | Free |
| May 4, 2001 | Matt Chulis | DF | Chicago Fire | Free |
| May 22, 2001 | Darin Lewis (R) | FW | Connecticut Huskies | Free |
| May 24, 2001 | Dan Moss (R) | GK | Yale Bulldogs | Free |

#### Loans in

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref |
| April 27, 2001 | Brian Kelly | MF | Los Angeles Galaxy | Short-term loan; returned to Los Angeles Galaxy after one game | |
| August 4, 2001 | José Burciaga, Jr. | DF | Kansas City Wizards | Short-term loan; returned to Kansas City Wizards after two games | |

#### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| May 24, 2001 | Rob Baarts | FW | Unattached | Released |
| May 24, 2001 | Roger Gantz | MF | Unattached | Released |
| May 24, 2001 | Matthew Nelson | GK | Unattached | Released |
| July 27, 2001 | Kevin Legg | MF | Unattached | Released |
| August 2001 | Adam Pearce | GK | Unattached | Released |

#### Loans out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| July 2001 | Dan Moss | GK | Kansas City Wizards | Short-term loan |
| August 6, 2001 | Jesús Ochoa | DF | Los Angeles Galaxy | Short-term loan; returned to Portland after 1 game |
| August 6, 2001 | Vadim Tolstolutsky | MF | Los Angeles Galaxy | Short-term loan; returned to Portland after 1 game |