The Portland Timbers continue to prepare for their MLS opener on March 12 at home versus Philadelphia, but three of their defenders will add some international experience and frequent flier miles before then. Defenders "Futty" Danso, Steve Purdy, and Rodney Wallace have all been recalled by their national teams for possible inclusion in matches happening on February 29.

The Timbers Army certainly have been busy lately, making almost as many headlines as the team they support. We recap some recent news surrounding one of the premier soccer supporters groups in North America, from their work with the Independent Supporters Council to Friends of Trees to the TV show Portlandia.

The Portland Timbers continued training camp on Monday, February 20 at JELD-WEN Field. The main goal was game fitness, and while the speed and tempo was pretty impressive, Coach John Spencer indicated there's still plenty to do before he can determine his starting 11 in time for the team's home opener on March 12.

The Portland Timbers U-23 team announced their 2012 schedule. The U-23 team will play sixteen regular season matches plus hosting an opening round U.S. Open Cup match in May. As with previous seasons, the U-23 team will play home matches at varying locations around the Portland and Southwest Washington metropolitan area.

The Portland Timbers completed their California pre-season trip undefeated after beating the Chicago Fire 2 to 0 behind goals from Jorge Perlaza and Eric Alexander. Trialist Franck Songo'o assisted on both goals, and his pre-season efforts were awarded with an official contract offer from the Timbers as announced on February 16.

There's plenty of Timbers news hitting the wire recently, from the team's second pre-season exhibition win against Houston to another player suffering from injury to some Valentine's Day greetings to the Timbers from a familiar rival.

The Portland Timbers played their second pre-season exhibition on February 10, facing the Montreal Impact, a former rival from the Timbers' previous days in lower division soccer that now joined them in MLS. While the action was brisk at points, neither side could muster a goal as the teams played to a scoreless draw.

Catching up on the various Timbers news all up and down the West Coast, from the team securing their first victory of the 2012 season in their initial pre-season match versus Los Angeles to the status of Jose Adolfo Valencia's surgery to giving fans the chance to secure tickets to any of the 2012 Portland Timbers home matches

The Portland Timbers announced one change to their 2012 schedule because of a scheduling conflict at Vancouver, Canada's B.C. Place. To accomodate a CFL game for the B.C. Lions, the Timbers - Whitecaps match originally scheduled for Saturday, October 20 has been moved to Sunday, October 21.

Interested in helping out a wonderful community project and possibly rub elbows with Timbers legends Mick Hoban or Scot Thompson? The Friends of Trees are holding their annual tree planting on Saturday, February 11, and is inviting Timbers fans and community volunteers to join in the fun. Timber Joey will be there, but he's helping put trees in the ground, not cutting them down to celebrate goals.

The Portland Timbers began their training camp in California on February 5, but the front office announced two separate trades involving allocation money, international roster spots and draft picks. The Timbers will now have nine official international spots for the 2012 season after both announced deals.

The Portland Timbers completed their last scheduled practice in Portland before heading to California on February 5 for 12 days of training and four scrimmages. While the mood was soured a bit by the news of Jose Adolfo Valencia's knee surgery, the team remains upbeat about their prospects for the 2012 season.

The Portland Timbers were finally able to talk about the long term status of their young Colombian forward, Jose Adolfo Valencia. After discovering some scarring in his left knee during a pre-season medical exam that could lead to troubles down the line, the Timbers worked with Valencia's former club in Colombia to adjust the transfer agreement, allowing Valencia to undergo surgery in Portland this year.