Portland Timbers News Release - www.portlandtimbers.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

PORTLAND, OR -- The Portland Timbers play host to the Carolina RailHawks in their only visit to Portland during the regular season Thursday at PGE Park at 7 p.m.

Thursday’s contest is the second of three scheduled matches during the regular season between the Timbers and RailHawks as they continue their hunt for the playoffs.

The Timbers (5-7-7, 22pts) sit in sixth place in the USL First Division standings and are eight points behind the table-leading Charleston Battery. In eighth place, Carolina is just one point behind the Atlanta Silverbacks and two away from Portland. The top seven teams advance to the postseason.

Tickets for Thursday’s match start at $11 and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400.

Portland is 1-1-1 all-time against Carolina, which joined the USL First Division in 2007. In three previous matches against the RailHawks, the Timbers have allowed just one goal and recorded two shutouts. In their first meeting this season, the RailHawks (4-5-8, 20pts) captured a 1-0 win in Carolina on a third-minute goal by Martin Nuñez. The two sides end the season series on Sept. 20 in Carolina.

Thursday marks the first time that Timbers forward Jamil Walker will face his former club since he was acquired by Portland in a trade on July 9. Walker logged one goal and one assist in 11 matches for the RailHawks to start the 2008 season.

A live broadcast of the match against Carolina is available through www.portlandtimbers.com; with a live video webcast through USL Live at www.usllive.com.

Defender Tim Karalexis and forward Benjamin Totori will miss the remainder of the 2008 season due to season-ending knee injures suffered last week. Karalexis tore his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Atlanta on July 18, while Totori ruptured his right medial collateral ligament (MCL) during training on July 16 – the same knee he injured earlier in the season. Totori will return to the Solomon Islands on Saturday to begin his rehabilitation.

ABOUT CAROLINA RAILHAWKS
The RailHawks begin a two-game trip to the Northwest on Thursday against the Timbers. At 20 points on the season, the RailHawks currently sit in a two-way tie for eighth place with the Miami FC Blues. Carolina was dealt a 2-0 loss by the Puerto Rico Islanders on July 18 and is now 0-1-3 in its last four matches. The RailHawks’ last win was against the Timbers at home on June 27. On the road this season, Carolina is 1-4-4 and has been out-scored 16-8. The RailHawks end their two-game swing through the Northwest against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.