The 1975 Portland Timbers season was the inaugural season for the Portland Timbers, an expansion team

Expansion team

An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...

 in the now-defunct North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

. In the Timbers first year of existence, the club won the Western Division title while amassing more points than any other club in the league. In the playoffs, the Timbers needed overtime

Overtime (sports)

Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

 to get past the Seattle Sounders and then defeated the St. Louis Stars

St. Louis Stars (soccer)

The St. Louis Stars were a soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri that played in the original NASL from 1967 to 1977.-History:The St. Louis Stars, founded in 1967 as a team in the NPSL were the first ever professional soccer team in St. Louis. The team was headed by Bob Hermann who later went on...

 on route to a berth in Soccer Bowl

Soccer Bowl

The Soccer Bowl was the championship game of the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1983. The event was created by NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam who was trying to build a neutral-site championship event in the mold of the NFL's Super Bowl....

 '75. Portland lost the championship game 2–0 to fellow expansion side Tampa Bay Rowdies at Spartan Stadium

Spartan Stadium (San Jose)

Spartan Stadium, located in San Jose, California, is the official stadium of the San José State University Spartans athletics teams. It is currently the home of the Spartan football and soccer teams....

 in San Jose, California

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

 on August 24.

Squad

The 1975 squad

Western Division standings

16

14

9

10

Pos	Club	Pld	W	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Portland Timbers	22	16	6	43	27
138
2	Seattle Sounders	22	15	7	42	28
129
3	Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...	22	12	10	42	33
107
4	Vancouver Whitecaps	22	11	11	38	28
99
5	San Jose Earthquakes	22	8	14	37	48	−11	83

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Source:

League results

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
May 2, 1975	Seattle Sounders	H	0–1	8,131
May 7, 1975	Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto Blizzard (NASL) The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....	H	1–0	8,500	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
May 11, 1975	Denver Dynamos Denver Dynamos The Denver Dynamos were a soccer team based out of Denver that played in the NASL from 1974 to 1975.Their home field was Mile High Stadium. After the 1975 season, they moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Kicks.-Year-by-year:...	A	1–3	4,267	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
May 16, 1975	Vancouver Whitecaps	A	2–0	7,815	Powell Barry Powell (footballer) Barry Powell is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Derby County, Burnley and Swansea City, in the North American Soccer League for the Portland Timbers, and in Hong Kong for Bulova and South China.-Career:Powell was born in... , Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:...
May 27, 1975	Rochester Lancers Rochester Lancers The Rochester Lancers were a soccer team based in Rochester, New York that played in the American Soccer League from 1967 until 1969 and the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1980 at Aquinas Stadium...	H	3–2 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	6,918	Godfrey Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey was a Welsh international footballer.Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990... , Anderson
May 30, 1975	Chicago Sting Chicago Sting The Chicago Sting was an American professional soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from in the 1982-83 season and again from 1984 to 1988...	H	2–0	9,526	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990... , Anderson
June 7, 1975	Vancouver Whitecaps	H	3–2 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	11,335	Day Graham Day (footballer) Graham Day is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Active in both England and the United States, Day made over 250 career league appearances.-Career:... , Godfrey Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey was a Welsh international footballer.Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960... , Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:...
June 14, 1975	San Jose Earthquakes	A	1–2	17,889	Kelly Jimmy Kelly (footballer born 1957) James William Kelly was an English footballer. His regular position was at midfielder. He was born in Carlisle, Cumbria. He played for Manchester United, Chicago Sting, Tulsa Roughnecks, Los Angeles Aztecs, and Portland Timbers....
June 18, 1975	Dallas Tornado Dallas Tornado Dallas Tornado were a soccer team based in Dallas that played in the NASL. They played from 1967 to 1981. Their home fields were Cotton Bowl , P.C. Cobb Stadium , Franklin Field , Texas Stadium and Ownby Stadium on the SMU campus...	H	3–0	14,688	Powell Barry Powell (footballer) Barry Powell is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Derby County, Burnley and Swansea City, in the North American Soccer League for the Portland Timbers, and in Hong Kong for Bulova and South China.-Career:Powell was born in... , Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:... , Kelly Jimmy Kelly (footballer born 1957) James William Kelly was an English footballer. His regular position was at midfielder. He was born in Carlisle, Cumbria. He played for Manchester United, Chicago Sting, Tulsa Roughnecks, Los Angeles Aztecs, and Portland Timbers....
June 21, 1975	San Antonio Thunder San Antonio Thunder The San Antonio Thunder were an American soccer team founded in 1975 as a member of the North American Soccer League. The team existed only two seasons in San Antonio, Texas before moving to Hawaii.-History:...	H	1–0 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	14,080	Anderson
June 27, 1975	Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...	A	2–1 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	6,609	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...  (2)
June 28, 1975	San Jose Earthquakes	A	2–1	18,883	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990... , Dangerfield Chris Dangerfield Christopher George "Chris" Dangerfield is a retired English footballer. He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one in the Western Soccer Alliance....
July 3, 1975	Vancouver Whitecaps	H	2–1	18,278	Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:... , Dangerfield Chris Dangerfield Christopher George "Chris" Dangerfield is a retired English footballer. He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one in the Western Soccer Alliance....
July 8, 1975	Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...	H	4–1	17,765	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990... , Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:... , Kelly Jimmy Kelly (footballer born 1957) James William Kelly was an English footballer. His regular position was at midfielder. He was born in Carlisle, Cumbria. He played for Manchester United, Chicago Sting, Tulsa Roughnecks, Los Angeles Aztecs, and Portland Timbers.... , Dangerfield Chris Dangerfield Christopher George "Chris" Dangerfield is a retired English footballer. He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one in the Western Soccer Alliance....
July 11, 1975	Hartford Bicentennials Connecticut Bicentennials The Hartford Bicentennials was a soccer team based out of Hartford, Connecticut that played in the North American Soccer League. The team played at Dillon Stadium....	A	3–1	2,582	Day Graham Day (footballer) Graham Day is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Active in both England and the United States, Day made over 250 career league appearances.-Career:... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990... , Betts Tony Betts Anthony Thomas Betts is an English former footballerwho played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League.-Playing career:...
July 12, 1975	Boston Minutemen Boston Minutemen The Boston Minutemen were a soccer team based out of Boston that played in the NASL. They played from 1974 to 1976. Their home fields included Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy and Sargent Field in New Bedford.Portuguese legend...	A	1–2	2,800	Dangerfield Chris Dangerfield Christopher George "Chris" Dangerfield is a retired English footballer. He began his career in England before playing ten seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one in the Western Soccer Alliance....
July 16, 1975	New York Cosmos New York Cosmos The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...	A	2–1	13,423	Godfrey Brian Godfrey Brian Cameron Godfrey was a Welsh international footballer.Brian was an inside forward who started his league career at Everton where he only made one appearance before joining Scunthorpe United in June 1960... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
July 19, 1975	St. Louis Stars St. Louis Stars (soccer) The St. Louis Stars were a soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri that played in the original NASL from 1967 to 1977.-History:The St. Louis Stars, founded in 1967 as a team in the NPSL were the first ever professional soccer team in St. Louis. The team was headed by Bob Hermann who later went on...	A	3–2 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	6,902	Lynch, McLaren Tommy McLaren Thomas "Tommy" McLaren was a Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder.He moved from Berwick Rangers to Port Vale in November 1967. He spent ten years at Vale Park, racking up 369 league and cup appearances... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
July 26, 1975	Seattle Sounders	H	2–1	27,310	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...  (2)
July 29, 1975	San Jose Earthquakes	H	3–2	23,003	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...  (2), Powell Barry Powell (footballer) Barry Powell is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Derby County, Burnley and Swansea City, in the North American Soccer League for the Portland Timbers, and in Hong Kong for Bulova and South China.-Career:Powell was born in...
August 2, 1975	Seattle Sounders	A	2–3 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	17,925	Powell Barry Powell (footballer) Barry Powell is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Derby County, Burnley and Swansea City, in the North American Soccer League for the Portland Timbers, and in Hong Kong for Bulova and South China.-Career:Powell was born in... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
August 9, 1975	Los Angeles Aztecs Los Angeles Aztecs The Los Angeles Aztecs were a soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League from 1974-81. The team was based in Los Angeles, California and part-owned by Elton John.-History:...	A	0–1	10,231

Source:

Playoff bracket

* = Won coin-flip
Source:

Playoff results

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
August 12, 1975	Seattle Sounders	H	2–1 (OT Overtime (sports) Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination... )	31,523	Powell Barry Powell (footballer) Barry Powell is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Derby County, Burnley and Swansea City, in the North American Soccer League for the Portland Timbers, and in Hong Kong for Bulova and South China.-Career:Powell was born in... , Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
August 17, 1975	St. Louis Stars St. Louis Stars (soccer) The St. Louis Stars were a soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri that played in the original NASL from 1967 to 1977.-History:The St. Louis Stars, founded in 1967 as a team in the NPSL were the first ever professional soccer team in St. Louis. The team was headed by Bob Hermann who later went on...	H	1–0	33,503	Withe Peter Withe Peter Withe is a much-travelled English footballer who played as a striker, between 1971 and 1990...
August 24, 1975	Tampa Bay Rowdies	N Spartan Stadium (San Jose) Spartan Stadium, located in San Jose, California, is the official stadium of the San José State University Spartans athletics teams. It is currently the home of the Spartan football and soccer teams....	0–2	17,009

Source: