My name is Randy Kilwag. I attended my first Timbers match in 2012. It was a reserve squad match. They were giving away free tickets and I thought I’d see what the fuss was. Besides, we had guests visiting from out of town and needed something “Portland” to do. The stadium was mostly empty, but there were a bunch of loud and seeming drunk fans behind the goal chanting the whole time. They looked like they were really having fun.
The rowdy fans impressed me. Kalif Alhassan must have been injured, because he was playing for the reserve squad. Several times after he was on the ball the support were doing the the “Kalif, throw your hands up! ” chant. I didn’t realize he was on the first team, and I was surprised they had a chant for a guy who was on the reserve team, and they were really, really into it. Based on reserve squad game, I figured a real match was going to be a blast.
I started watching the Timbers on TV in 2013, and eventually made it to my first game. The match did not disappoint. I was hooked on the atmosphere. The vibe was different than professional sports as I knew them, and the fact that it wasn’t very popular in the US compared to the other ones definitely had an appeal. It seemed vaguely punk rock to me. A friend relayed the story of then coach Caleb Porter showing up a local bar near the stadium after a match once to engage with the fans. That sounded great to me. Sign me up.
I started going to more and more games, and eventually got season tickets. I’ve been to all 3 MLS Cups. I’ve designed a bunch of Timbers themed patches. I started a podcast with some friends and put in almost 90 episodes before leaving it. I’ve interviewed former Timbers players. I’ve painted Tifo. I started playing in pickup games despite only playing one season of recreational soccer as a kid. I started a Subbuteo club. I may not always know what I’m talking about, but that isn’t going to stop me from talking.
I started this web site in 2016, coming from a background in zine making. I had originally intended to make it a print zine, but decided to only online. To come full circle, I was involved in the short-lived “North End Noise” print zine.