OREGON VOICES Soccer in the Seventies Chris Dangerfield and the Original Portland Timbers by Michael Orr and Morgen Young WITH THE PORTLAND Timbers’ Dangerfield played in the NASL ascent this year to Major League Soc- between 1975 and 198, wearing the cer, the current highest level of North uniforms of seven clubs in his ten American soccer, reflection on the first seasons. Born in the suburbs of Timbers team and the North American Birmingham, England, Dangerfield Soccer League (NASL) is apt. Prior to became a professional with Wolver- the Timbers’ establishment in 1975, hampton Wanderers of England’s Portland featured mostly minor league First Division at age sixteen. He was baseball and hockey teams, and the capped three times (that is, played Trail Blazers of the National Basketball in three international matches) as an Association (NBA) had not yet won England Under- before going on their famous 1977 championship. For loan to the Portland Timbers in 1975. a professional team from Portland to Two summers in Portland convinced reach the final of their league — as the young Dangerfield that his future the Timbers did in 1975 — was quite a in soccer was in the United States, and novelty for Portlanders and certainly he spent the rest of his playing career contributed to the city’s overwhelm- on the West Coast, appearing in over ing support for the team. Chris Dan- 400 games and scoring over 15 goals. gerfield was a member of that team, In 199, as coach of San Jose Oaks, and his memories of the season help Dangerfield won the U.S. Open Cup, explain how soccer was established as the longest-running club tournament a viable professional sport in Portland.1 in the United States. He was one of The authors are co-curators of Soccer City USA: The Portland Timbers and the NASL Years, 1975–8, an exhibition showing at the Oregon Historical Society until September , 11. OHQ vol. 112, no. 2 © 11 Oregon Historical Society © 1976 Kick, courtesy of the North American Soccer League Young Timbers supporters and Boy Scouts hang banners on the outfield wall at Civic Stadium. The “Soccer City, USA” moniker was adopted during the 1975 season and has been used in Portland ever since. hundreds of players who came from land from the West Midlands region outside the United States to play in of England, where he had played and the NASL. coached during the middle decades The NASL was founded in 1968 and, of the twentieth century. Dangerfield until its collapse after the 198 season, was one of five players to come from was the pinnacle of professional soc- Wolverhampton Wanderers, one of cer in the United States and Canada. several clubs from the Birmingham Star players from Europe and South area represented in the early Timbers America flocked to the NASL, par- teams. Many NASL Timbers players, ticularly during the late 197s, before including Dangerfield, were on loan big spending and small gate receipts for the summer. That experience led to financial instability, the folding helped establish Portland’s interna- of individual clubs, and, ultimately, tional reputation when they returned the demise of the league itself. The to their home clubs each fall. Portland Timbers joined the NASL Dangerfield’s time in Portland, in 1975 and played through the 198 though short, highlights the birth of season, always featuring British play- soccer culture in the Rose City. As ers like Dangerfield. The club’s first fans learned about the sport with each manager was Vic Crowe, a Welshman passing game, the Timbers themselves who brought many players to Port- became ingrained as a part of the sport Orr and Young, Chris Dangerfield and the Original Portland Timbers 1 for Portlanders. The early crowds and Dangerfield shares the fun he had in advent of the Booster Club in 1976 the summers of 1975 and 1976 to help were the forerunners of the large- the newest generation of Portland scale soccer support surrounding the soccer fans appreciate the path that modern Timbers. NASL teams and has led to the Timbers’ position in the players were most successful when sporting culture. there were personal interactions in the The following excerpts are from a community. Dangerfield and his fellow September 9, 1, interview with British teammates were importantly Chris Dangerfield that is part of a both good on the field and strong wide-reaching oral history project by ambassadors for the sport and the FC Media to document the memo- team. Despite being just a teenager, ries and stories of NASL-era players, Dangerfield recognized the value of coaches, and fans. With a dearth of these interactions and reveals that they long-form interviews and even less were just as significant in Portland as general recognition of the history having a winning team. The need for outside the biggest names, the oral such day-by-day building of a soccer history collection will serve as the basis culture is no longer a necessary part of research and further inquiry on the of the lives of the modern Timbers era of soccer that established the sport players, yet the tradition of the rela- in the United States and provided the tionships with city and fans remains. foundations for current clubs MORGEN YOUNG: Could you walk players came from in and around the me through how you came to play for Birmingham area, and that’s where the Timbers? Who recruited you? Vic Crowe was. Vic Crowe was the manager of Aston Villa for many years. CHRIS DANGERFIELD: If you look He played here in the old NASL with at the background of clubs that the Atlanta and knew Phil Woosman, who players came from in the first year was the president [Commissioner] of of 1975, most of them came around the league. Crowe was offered the Port- from an area of England called the land job and when he went looking for Midlands. The capital is basically players, he basically went to his own Birmingham and there were five of backyard and brought us from there. us that came from Wolverhampton, which is just outside of Birmingham. YOUNG: And Wolverhampton didn’t Mickey Hoban, Brian Godfrey, Willie have a problem with you going on loan Anderson, Tony Betts and Barry Lynch and going to North America? all had roots in Aston Villa. Ray Martin came from Birmingham City. Tommy DANGERFIELD: I was the youngest McLaren came from Port Vale. All the of the crew, the youngest of us all. The OHQ vol. 112, no. 2 © 1975 Kick, courtesy of the North American Soccer League Chis Dangerfield (13) celebrates with Tony Betts (14) and Graham Day after scoring the match-winning goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 3, 1975. two players who were more established I were the same age; we came through at the Wolves at the time were Barry the youth system together. Barry and Powell and Peter Withe. The others Jimmy were one year ahead of us were just reserve team players. I had in the youth system and Peter came just finished playing for the England in from South Africa. And so we all youth team, the under-18s. I was a played together that previous year in little bit knocking on the manager’s the reserve teams. When we came over door saying “I want to play, give me we were certainly familiar with our a chance.” So I think he got rid of me style of play, having played with each for a few months. other. We were also certainly aware of the other players who were brought in. YOUNG: So you were familiar with Willie Anderson played at Manchester Barry Powell and Peter Withe before United. Brian Godfrey was the captain you became their teammate at Port- of Aston Villa when I was a kid. So, it land? was a great opportunity to play with those guys as well. I think most of DANGERFIELD: We trained and us came on the same plane. We came played together, the five of us — Don- over in a two or three day period to a ald Gardner, Jimmy Kelly, Barry Pow- very rainy Portland. But we had left a ell, Peter Withe and I. Donald, Jimmy, rainy Birmingham, so it didn’t make Barry and I were all youth. Donald and much difference. Orr and Young, Chris Dangerfield and the Original Portland Timbers YOUNG: Did anyone greet you at the YOUNG: Was there any culture shock airport in Portland? being a teenager in the U.S.? DANGERFIELD: Yes, amazingly so. DANGERFIELD: There were a few. There was a booster club of sorts The first was the size of the car they that was there, in Portland green. gave us, which was one of those large We were very quickly introduced to cars with a bench seat in the front. people we’d never met before. They Everything was power steering and were very pleasant and seemed to be it took you three days to park it. And wanting to do anything they possibly then the stores were different. We all could for us. And they certainly did. remembered the first time we went Within the next few hours and over shopping to buy steaks and they were the next couple of days they had taken huge. We wondered how could we pos- us shopping, they had given us a car, sibly eat all that, but we did. Everything they’d settled us into the apartments, just seemed to be bigger and new and taken us to dinner. I thought I’d died just different.