A Magical Night

You could tell something was up as soon as you approached PGE Park last night. Traffic was in chaos. Throngs of people were pouring towards the gate. And once you got inside, it was apparent that this wasn't just an ordinary large Timbers crowd. I kept saying to anyone who would listen, it was the most I'd seen for the Timbers since the Sunderland friendly in 2005. Little did I know that it was going to top even that.

A record 15,833 people came to see a team regain its form and complete an entire season undefeated at home. Throughout the second half, as the boys in greenyellow created chances they just couldn't put away, that creeping feeling began to come over me that we just weren't going to break through. But finally, in the 79th minute, a rebound fell right to Justin Thompson, who didn't even need to think about it. The volley he struck was like a dagger through the air, beating the Charleston keeper and unleashing crazed, pent-up hysteria like a biblical flood.

Even now, I still can't figure out how the planets aligned for the Timbers. Sure, some good promotion and a Thirsty Thursday bring in an extra thousand or so, but we're talking almost double the attendance of the last match (also a Thirsty Thursday), which was pretty impressive itself. Was it something in the water? Something in the beer? Regardless, I don't want to probe too deep and break the spell. This is rightly Soccer City, U.S.A., in word and deed.