The Portland Timbers: Masters of fate, captains of destiny, MLS Cup winners

"I am the master of my fate, and the captain of my soul" - Nelson Mandela

***

In 1975, a new expansion side was born in the North American Soccer League. They were known as the Portland Timbers. A rag-tag group of players, captained by Welsh footballer Brian Godfrey, took the league by storm, chopping their way through the circuit, and watching giants of the league fall at their feet until they earned a berth in the Soccer Bowl.

Godfrey and his men stood against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and, on their day of destiny, were felled themselves, twice sliced apart, in cruel fashion. Godfrey's name faded from memory, as did those of his teammates, remembered only by the club's dedicated supporters.

(Courtesy: NASLjerseys.com)

That 2-0 loss is as close to a major trophy the city of Portland, Ore., has ever come in the world of soccer; in truth, the city has been starving for decades. Their only other professional sports franchise, the Portland Trail Blazers, haven't won the NBA title since 1977.

Portland isn't necessarily known as a sports town. In the "City of Roses", they're artistic. Hipster-esque. Craft breweries, flannel shirts, long beards. Sport by its very nature represents a conflicting view - aggression, fight, snarled teeth, and heartbreak.

The Timbers Army chooses, instead, to sing.

***

It took 27 seconds for Diego Valeri to score in the 2015 MLS Cup final.

It was a thing of beauty, and, better than that, of comedy.

Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark was too confident on the ball, took a cute touch, and was robbed for it.

Valeri, born in Lanus, an industrial center in Buenos Aires, knows how to fight - rather, the art of fighting for a cause. His native city's streets are named after memories of General Jose Maria Paz, and the battles he helped win during the Argentine Civil Wars in the early 1800s.

There is a beauty in a merciless death, a quick escape. For the Crew, conceding twice in seven minutes proved too high a hurdle to overcome. Kei Kamara tried to fight, but only succeeded in halving the deficit. It would not be enough to find redemption.

Destiny had other plans.

***

There are no stars on display at the Portland Timbers of 2015.

There are no marquee players, no high-profile signings, no big-money contracts. There are players, like Valeri, who have talent. There are players, like Darlington Nagbe, who run endlessly. There's Diego Chara, a wall in midfield. There's Fanendo Adi, a goal-scorer through and through.

Instead of stars, there was a system. And dominance, where it counted. Head coach Caleb Porter tweaked his tactics, his desires of possession football abandoned in favor of a physical game. An uglier game. One that worked - the Timbers went undefeated in nine games on their way to the MLS Cup.

Why not run faster? Why not jump higher? Hit harder?

And one question, above all - why not Portland?

For Porter, fate changed his plans. Or perhaps they were his own, all along.

***

The Portland Timbers are the first Cascadia outfit to win the MLS Cup.

The Cascadia Cup is a three-team tournament that is played throughout the course of the regular MLS season. It is comprised of the Timbers, and their two bitter rivals, the Seattle Sounders, and the Vancouver Whitecaps.

In the 2015 edition of the competition, the Whitecaps won handily. Portland finished in last place.

There's always next year.

***

The Timbers Army traveled thousands of miles to Columbus, Ohio, and filled an entire section of MAPFRE Stadium. Tradition traveled alongside them on the back of a semi-trailer. The Timbers hauled a felled tree, sliced dozens of times over the year, across the country.

Timber Joey, the club's mascot, has sliced a piece of the log for every goal scored by one of the team's players. His chainsaw was put aside for Sunday's final, prohibited from entry, along with the symbolic piece of wood.

Portland sees beauty in what is essentially a stump.

But why must all treasure shine?

The Timbers never needed star players. All they needed was their own. All that Portland ever needed to fulfill their destiny was a group of players dedicated to winning. There are no big names. Their roster is not a treasure.

The beauty is in the prize.