It was the day we’d all been waiting for.  Lane United’s first league game against the Portland Timbers U-23.  The traveling Red Aces had not planned for the USA vs Belgium world cup game to go to extra time, so we scrambled around town collecting our carpool companions and hit the road for the short, one-hour drive north to Salem where we’d watch our boys take the field win, lose, or draw – the results kind of stopped mattering to us weeks ago. 

Primary objective: Show the team that we’ll be there for them no matter what, 5-game losing streak or not. 

Secondary objective: Avoid using timbers-derived chants/songs, except in emergency situations. 

The ten or so of the traveling Red Aces, for many of whom this was their first away day experience, assembled about an hour prior to the game and started warming up on drums and setting up our supporters’ section – dead center in the covered grandstands, and began to do our thing.  The cover did double duty, keeping the 100 degree sun off of us, and also channeling our drums out toward the players.  As we do at Willamalane Center, we drew in a cluster of children who watched us play as well as asked if they could help us. ( Next time we need to bring the buckets and “kid-drums”). 

The @LUFC_Red_Aces have scared most of the crowd here into one end of the stands, such is the vigor of their drumming. —  Lane United F.C. (@LaneUnitedFC) July 2, 2014

Today was the day that the Timbers recognized several local U-12 and U-13 youth teams that won the state cup in their age division.  Scattered throughout the stands were dozens of red-shirted middle-school girls and boys.  They proved to be the most enthusiastic PTFC supporters in the stands – more on them later. 

As we warmed up the drums and the players warmed up on the pitch, we could tell that everyone was up for it.  The ten of us in the Aces section, the players, the coaches, everyone.  Talking to players in the last week, I was repeatedly told that this is the team that they all wanted to play the most.  The Timbers, our local Big-Name team.  The team that we brought down to Eugene last year for our inaugural exhibition match (they beat us 3-0).  The team we’d all (jump and clap and) sing on to victory on any other day.  Just not against us.  Not today. 

As the teams took the field, we chanted “Bring out the boys in Red”.  I could see the grins on our players’ faces.  We sang the national anthem as we always do, despite a great performance by an Oregon National Guard sergeant.  After kickoff, the drums played for virtually the ENTIRE game.  It was marvelous.  Organic chants were happening.  Timbers fans were clapping along to the beats. 

It was probably the most fun I’ve had at a soccer game.  Ever. 

The first half ended 0-0. “ MORAL VICTORY” was the chant from our section.  We hadn’t been scored on.  We could still do this!  That bitter enemy of mine, “hope”, was starting to crawl its way back in.  The way the team was playing and connecting together made it hard to keep my expectations low. 

During the second half, a group of the U-12 girls started to chant “Let’s Go, Timbers, Let’s Go!” * clapclap*.  Being the nice people that we are, we drummed even louder with heavy beats that drowned our their cheers.  They succeeded in getting the crowd to cheer along with them for the first time all game.  We couldn’t drown out a whole stadium, so we resorted to cleverness.  We played on off-beats – this ruined the rhythm of the chant and many gave up quickly.  We watched the U-12 girls slink away from the section.  We had won.  Or so we thought…. 

Still 0-0, the U-12 girls came back.  They brought with them every other youth team that had come to the game, a group of dozens of girls.  In their bright red jerseys, they sat right in front of our drum section.  We must have looked great all in red.  With their powers combined, it was hard to drown them out with drums.  There was a good 10-minute stretch where we tried to disrupt “PT!-FC!”  chants from them.  They did a great job not getting flustered by the offbeats/heavy drums. 

Cacophony as a hundred middle-school girls chant "Let's go Timbers" to try and counteract the @LUFC_Red_Aces' big deep drumming. —  Lane United F.C. (@LaneUnitedFC) July 2, 2014

How could the ten of us stop an opponent with such massive numbers?  It seemed a Herculean task.  We chanted ourselves hoarse on “We are LUFC”, we drummed fast and hard.  We couldn’t overcome them.  We suddenly stopped drumming altogether.  They also stopped chanting.  It’s not as much fun without the drums.  Another moral victory. 

Coming into the 80th minute, I was hoping for a 0-0 draw, just to get our first point in weeks and to break the losing streak, when it happened: A long throw-in from the Timbers found the head of PTFC defender Dennis Castillo, who directed it past Matt Bersano, giving the Timbers a late 1-0 lead.  I was starting to regret that I had let hope crawl into my heart here, but the boys in Red weren’t ready to give up.  There was still plenty of time.  The final ten minutes of the game ground down to 5.  Then 3.  What could we do to help get the win? 

It was then that we drew on our bitter experience as Timbers fans.  Most of us are familiar with the Tetris curse.  The Timbers Army has a chant that is typically reserved for hard-fought or important victories.  This chant involves singing the “TETRIS” theme song and jumping back and forth in the stands. 

Many of us have watched as the Timbers go up by two or more goals late in the game.  Eager to celebrate, the Timbers Army will sing TETRIS too early.  This inevitably causes the Timbers to blow the lead and either lose or draw. “ Tetris is for closers!”  is a common response.  You’re never supposed to do it during a game.  It’s a very effective curse that can only be brought on by Timbers fans.  Luckily, all of us are Timbers fans on days when PTFC doesn’t play Lane United.  We started doing TETRIS, hoping that the curse would hold…

Trying to decide if @LUFC_Red_Aces jinxed U-23s with ironic Tetris.  And I might have helped. —  Paul Schmidt (@PCSPounder) July 2, 2014

It was soon afterward that Conner Bevans, served by fullback Dirk Van Der Velde, placed a brilliant volley past Timbers goalkeeper Justin Luthy.  We went ballistic and set off our red Smoke. 

The Reds weren’t done yet!  They charged back up the field, eager to win the game, earning several chances.  A shot was stopped by Luthy.  Eager to spring the counter-attack, he ran out to serve the ball, but walked over the line (to be fair, I couldn’t see the lines either).  A free kick was awarded at the very edge of the box.  Defender Casey Phillips put the ball right into the wall and the whistle blew to end the game. 

Wow. 

While the Timbers stretched on the field post-game, the Reds came over to give the Red Aces a standing ovation.  We’d done this together.  The way it should be.  Much of today felt like what I used to feel more strongly in the Timbers Army.  Organic chants.  Constant Drums.  Low expectations.  Straight-up fun. 

It was a draw that felt like a win.  A great win.  A moral victory.  We had broken the losing streak, gotten our first point in weeks, and had great energy heading into the Canadian roadtrip this weekend.  Hopefully the resounding chants and high spirits of the team can bring more points back to Lane County. 

Canada, watch out: Here come the Reds.