Liam the oak of England is bark to his best in US
THEIR mascot is a lumberjack with a chainsaw, and Liam Ridgewell found life at Portland Timbers easier than falling off a log.
Goalscorers and man-ofthe-match nominees are handed giant wooden blocks by Timber Joey as a souvenir trophy.
And tonight, knock on wood, the former Aston Villa, Birmingham and West Brom defender could become only the second English player after David Beckham to win the Major League Soccer Cup twice in the United States.
Conversely, the date with Atlanta United could mark the end of Ridgewell’s MLS adventure after four years as a cult hero in Oregon.
Although his contract has 12 months to run, he has not been a regular starter under new coach Giovanni Savarese and Ridgewell is pining for home.
But he has given the Timbers great bang for their bark and his experience will be an asset against Atlanta’s prolific Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez (34 goals in 38 games).
Ex-England captain Wayne Rooney made waves in the US with DC United, but Ridgewell’s adventure has turned him into a specialist in the cups and a hero in the copse.
Not bad for a player who only nipped up the Pacific coast for a look while he was on holiday.
He explained: “My time at West Brom was coming to an end, and after the best part of 14 years in the Midlands I was looking for a move back to my London roots.
“While I was on a 30th birthday trip to Las Vegas, my agent got in touch to say numerous clubs were interested in signing me – and one of them was Portland Timbers.
“I looked on a map and it was only an hour-and-ahalf ’s flight from Vegas, so out of curiosity I hopped on a plane to take a look.
“Straight away I liked the feel of the place – it had a different vibe which reminded me of east London. I needed a change of scenery, I needed a fresh outlook and I just thought, ‘Why not?’
“I came here to win things, not to wind down my career. We won the MLS Cup in 2015, and to do it a second time would be unbelievable.
“I didn’t think it could get any better than Birmingham beating Arsenal to win the Carling Cup at Wembley in 2011. That was an incredible achievement which will stick with me for the rest of my life because most didn’t give us a hope in hell.
“It was the same story when we beat Columbus Crew to win the MLS Cup – we were the underdogs the too, and it will be the same story again this weekend.
“I treat every chance to win something as if it’s my last, but it won’t affect my performance on the pitch or my efforts to prove I deserve to be in the team.
“When the season’s over, I’ll sit down with my wife and kids to talk about what happens next: I want to be playing every week and don’t want to see out my career sitting on a bench – even if it’s made from Timber Joey’s finest log slices.
“At 34, you don’t need to be a million miles away from home and not playing every game.
“I understand it’s the manager’s call and we’ll have an adult conversation about it, but I’d like to finish playing back home.
“If my experience with Portland is coming to an end, I’ve had an incredible time and winning another MLS Cup would be the perfect way to sign off.”