Timbers U-23s to play friendly against Martinique National Team

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers U-23s, the top development team for Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, will face the Martinique National Team in their first-ever friendly on Saturday at Buckman Field in Portland; kickoff is 7 p.m. (Pacific). The match is open to the public.

The Martinique National Team is in the Rose City preparing for the upcoming 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where it will compete in Group A against Canada, Mexico and Panama. Martinique and Canada play in the opening match of the tournament on Tuesday, July 7, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Martinique finished in the top four of the 2012 Caribbean Cup championship in December 2012 to clinch a berth in its fourth CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.

In their fifth season in the Premier Development League (PDL), the Timbers U-23s are one of the top teams in the league’s Western Conference and currently sit in second place in the Northwest Division with a record of 6-1-2 (20pts). The team has recorded six shutouts and allowed just four goals this season, tied for the fewest allowed in the conference.

The Timbers U-23s also play host to a pair of league games this week, starting Friday against the Washington Crossfire at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Wash., at 7 p.m. (Pacific). On Sunday, the Timbers U-23s play Victoria Highlanders FC at Hare Field in Hillsboro, Ore., at 12 noon (Pacific) in a matchup between two of the top teams in the Northwest Division.