Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson looks back on team's first five years in MLS in Q-and-A session

Paulson looks back on Timbers' first five years in MLS in Q-and-A

Merritt Paulson - Portland Timbers owner/president

The Portland Timbers are celebrating their fifth season in MLS, a memorable period of time in the Rose City that has seen everything form disappointment (eighth-place finish in 2012) to adulation (Western Conference regular-season championship in 2013).


Owner Merritt Paulson sat down with Timbers.com’s Samantha Yarock for a look back on the inaugural 2011 season.



“There were a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of days where I thought it wasn’t going to happen,” Paulson said of the build-up to the Timbers’ entry into MLS. “We kept pushing forward, and now in retrospect people say to me, ‘Boy it’s shocking you made it happen as fast as you made it happen.’”


In the expansive Q-and-A session, Paulson also talks about the highlights and lowlights of the five years in the league, his goals for the future and even shows off his pet boa constrictor (who would have thought).


The full interview is a trip down memory lane, but also one that looks ahead at what is to come.