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P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E P O R T L A N D T IM B E R S
Timbers ’
David
Horst
always
delivers his
best game —
on and o ff
the field
BY JULES BOYKOFF
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
ortland is affectionately known as “Soccer
City USA” thanks to its fervent support of
the sport from the professional ranks to the
youth leagues. The Portland Timbers have
undoubtedly helped buoy this soccer moniker.
Since beginning play in Major League Soccer in
2011, the Timbers have made a significant impact
on the local sports terrain. The team sells out
every home game. Nearly 10,000 people are on the
season-ticket waiting list. The Timbers enjoy the
best supporters section in the league: the
rambunctious Timbers Army, which features a
social-justice wing that volunteers in the
community for an array of projects. On the pitch
this season, the Timbers have put forth a
quicksilver style of soccer that has gained notice
across the country. The team is dynamic, offensive-
minded and skillful, but it also plays with great
heart.
Timbers player David Horst is emblematic of
this blend of skill and spirit. After being acquired
by the Timbers in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft,
Horst clawed his way into a starting position
anchoring the central defense. In 2012 he played
the full 90 minutes in 20 of the team’s final 22
matches, and in that stretch he earned MLS Team-
of-the-Week honors four times. He will forever be
remembered for his game-winning goal against the
arch-nemesis Seattle Sounders FC and for his role
in the raucous celebration that ensued. A leader
both on and off the pitch, Horst has worn the
captain’s armband for the club.
In April of this year, Horst broke his right leg
P
during a match against Houston Dynamo. In the
wake of this injury, Timbers Head Coach Caleb
Porter said of Horst, “He’s a fighter, he wants to
be on the field, he loves this club.” Street Roots
recently sat down with Horst to discuss a range of
topics, including his almost-completed comeback.
J u les Boykoff: In 2012 you were named the
Portland Timbers Community Player o f the Year in
honor o f your avid civic involvement. Why have you
chosen to get so involved in public service in the wider
Portland community?
David Horst: I chose to get involved so much
because we are put in a position, we are given an
opportunity, to give back to the community that
comes out every single week to support us. If you
haven’t seen, we get 20,000-plus fans every game,
so this is an opportunity for me to give back to
those people who support us week-in, week-out.
Also, there are a lot of organizations that the team
supports through (the community program) Stand
Together, so it’s a great opportunity for me to get
out into the community and support more causes.
You know, I didn’t realize how bad some things
were in Portland until I got out there and now it’s
made me even more interested in a lot of the
causes that I’ve been a part of. It’s great to open
my eyes to more of the things that are going o n -
outside of the city as well - I’ve really enjoyed
being a part of that.
J.B.: More specifically, what are some o f the
meaningful activities you have engaged in? Also, you
said you were surprised at some o f the things that
you’ve seen out in the community and realized that
there are some fixes that are needed. What do you
mean?
D.H.: Most definitely. One cause that I
volunteered at was Schoolhouse Supplies, where
they get supplies from a lot of local businesses, and
it allows teachers to come in and get supplies for
their classrooms. I found out that teachers in
Oregon are not reimbursed for the supplies that
they buy for their classrooms, which for the whole
year could be two or three thousand dollars worth
of stuff that they have to spend. If teachers don’t
have that money, their students aren’t going to get
the best experience in school. And I’ve been told
that the drop-out rate in Oregon is quite high. So,
teachers need these things. My parents were
teachers - both of them physical education
teachers - and so to see that kind of thing, you
know, it really opened my eyes to that problem. In
September, I’m volunteering again with
Schoolhouse Supplies for a backpack drive to get
backpacks to give to kids.
J.B.: That’s interesting both your parents were phys
ed teachers. Rum or has it your dad was also a football
coach, as in American Football.
D.H.: Yes, he was an American high school
football coach.
J.B.: OK, so you’re a big man: six feet, four inches,
more than two hundred pounds. You have the physical
See PLAYER, page 3
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McKibben about
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Street Roots
Annual
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A snapshot o f
an incredible
year
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A day in the life
Vendor Allen
Bennett shares his
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Page 11