Page 8
December 2, 2015
Boss Hogg
Christmas Tree Lot
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Timbers Advance to Championship Game
Play for MLS
Cup Sunday
in Columbus
Any Doug Fir 5-7 ft. $25.00
Any Grand Fir 5-7 ft. $25.00
Any Nobel Fir 5-7 ft. $35.00
New Location:
Corner of MLK and Lombard
The Portland Timbers are West-
ern Division champions of Major
League Soccer and will play for
the MLS Cup in a league cham-
pionship game Sunday against the
Columbus Crew Soccer Club in
Columbus, Ohio.
The match will begin at 1 p.m.
(PST) and broadcast on ESPN.
Both teams finished with the same
record (15-11-8) over 34 games.
Columbus is playing in their
second MLS Cup final, having
claimed the 2008 title with a 3-0
win over the New York Red Bulls
in Carson, Calif.
Portland, in their fifth year as an
MLS club, is playing in their first
MLS Cup final; they played in the
former North American Soccer
League for a championship in the
club’s original inaugural season in
1975, but lost the title match. The
Timbers were also Western Con-
ference Champions in 2013.
This will be the second MLS
Cup championship game hosted in
Columbus; San Jose beat the LA
Galaxy 2-1 in the 2001 final. Ear-
ly forecasts for Sunday’s weather
call for mostly sunny skies and a
The Portland Timbers celebrate winning the Western Conference
championship against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The win puts Portland in the title match for the MLS Cup champi-
onship on Sunday against Columbus Crew SC in Columbus, Ohio.
high of 51 degrees.
When the Portland Timbers
joined MLS five years ago, they
were celebrated as a club that
seemingly had everything: a rich
history in the origins of profes-
sional soccer in North America, a
rabid fan base and an unparalleled
atmosphere in their cozy down-
town stadium.
What lacked over the course of
their first half-decade in the league
was a major trophy to add. That
changed Sunday night at Toyota
Stadium, with Portland pulling out
a thrilling 2-2 draw to win the West-
ern Conference Championship 5-3
on aggregate goals over two legs.
“When we started the year, we
wanted to get into the playoffs and
win a trophy,” Timbers head coach
Caleb Porter said in his postgame
comments outside a champagne
and beer-drenched locker room.
“That was the goal, and here we
are. We’ve won one, and now we
want to win the big one. So it’s
very satisfying.”
Kobe Bryant to Retire at Season’s End
(AP) — Kobe Bryant has de-
cided to retire after this season,
ending his 20-year career with
the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 37-year-old Bryant is
third-leading scorer in NBA his-
tory.
“My heart can take the pound-
ing. My mind can handle the
grind. But my body knows it’s
time to say goodbye,” Bryant
wrote in a social media post.
Bryant went straight from
high school in suburban Phil-
adelphia to the Lakers in 1996,
and he earned five championship
rings and 17 All-Star selections
during two decades with the
franchise -- the longest tenure
with one team in NBA history.
Bryant also won two Olympic
gold medals.
But Bryant’s last three seasons
have ended early due to injuries,
and he played in only 41 games
over the previous two years.
“Kobe Bryant is one of the
greatest players in the history of
our game,” NBA Commission-
Kobe Bryant has decided to retire after this season. He is the
third-leading scorer in NBA history.
er Adam Silver said. “Whether
competing in the Finals or hoist-
ing jump shots after midnight
in an empty gym, Kobe has an
unconditional love for the game.
I join Kobe’s millions of fans
around the world in congratu-
lating him on an outstanding
NBA career and thank him for so
many thrilling memories.”