Stumptown Footy's Best of 2024

Our favorite stories from this past year!

Happy New Year Rose City! 2024 was a wild wild year for the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns. We saw two new eras start, said farewell to multiple legends, and of course enjoyed some incredible moments of soccer.

In the spirit of the year drawing to a close, the Stumptown Footy team wanted to share some of our favorite stories we wrote during 2024, and why they were our favorites. Please enjoy this final parade of our best bits, and take some time to read them if you missed them the first time!

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Alex Barnes

I think it goes without saying that this was my favorite piece of the year despite the result that followed… The rivalry still makes me feel all of the emotions toward Seattle that I harbored when I was a kid, and winning Cascadia Cup in Seattle was one of the few bright spots from the Timbers’ season.

I also loved our exclusive interview with Phil, and him taking the time to chat with us in the middle of a very busy season. I always love to learn a bit about his soccer philosophy and what makes him who he is away from soccer.

Ed. note: This was our most listened to Stumptown Radio episode of the year!

Melina Gaspar

Saying goodbye to Christine Sinclair was a moment I dreaded, and it happened too soon. It also didn’t happen in the way I thought it was going to be, or would've wanted it to be. So I was happy I could write a little something about her to honor her career.

Wilder Isom

This is one of my favorites because I feel so lucky to have been able to cover such a legend, and being able to write a goodbye piece was lovely.

Beating Seattle is always a highlight, and this was a very fun game.

Phuoc Nguyen

Telling the stories that matter the most is why I joined STF in the first place. This piece is about the true impact Payton Linnehan wants to have on the world. We can always talk about the sport, but only doing that is a disservice to the incredible people they are. I am glad to present this story because what she is trying to accomplish truly matters.

Honesty is the best policy.

Luukas Ojala

A real eye-opener to how the Timbers coaching staff goes about their business, both on and off the pitch.

Sam Svilar

Any time you get to write a rivalry game victory gamer is a good time. This home win was one of Portland’s most impressive of the year, and I loved writing the recap. Plus, the subheading for this is one of my favorites and I don’t think it was appreciated enough.

This analysis piece was from Evander’s first game of 2024, and it’s fun to look back on it now. It was the first glimpse at the magic we would see from the MVP candidate throughout the season.

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Note from the Editor: One final message from me to close out the year: Thank you. Just… wow. Thank you. Stumptown Footy grew in leaps and bounds that I couldn’t have dreamt of this year, and it’s all thanks to you, dear reader.

We found our footing on Substack, launched a podcast, interviewed players & coaches, covered some all-time moments, and had an absolute blast through it all. Thank you, Soccer City, for following along and reading as we wrote our hearts out.

I really can’t wait for what we’ve got cooking for 2025. Our passion and love for these teams hasn’t wavered (despite the teams’ best efforts), and that is only going to lead to bigger and better stuff next year. And we couldn’t do it without you.

From the bottom of all of our hearts: Thank you.

Onward,
Sam Svilar — Managing Editor, Stumptown Footy