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Donovan Ricketts took in his first practice with the Portland Timbers today as the team held a closed training session at their Beaverton practice facility. While we did not get to see Ricketts in an actual game situation, he looked good in warm ups, getting down quickly and making some nice saves, and seemed genuinely pleased to be in Portland when facing the press after practice.

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The Portland Timbers have had defensive issues for most of the 2012 season, and it is a reason they are out of the playoff race in the MLS Western Conference, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the team shook up the roster on Thursday with another trade and an international player signing.

The Portland Timbers held a closed practice at Jeld-Wen Field today ahead of their game against Chivas USA tomorrow: their second in as many weeks. Practice was closed after the team went through their usual warm ups and some passing drills and not reopened until after eleven.

Eric Brunner once again practiced with the team, staying on the pitch through the end of training.

The LA Galaxy have signed Eugene native Brian Rowe, who has spent most of this season training with the Portland Timbers.

In his role as MLS Pool Goalkeeper, Rowe occasionally played for the Timbers Reserve side in place of keepers Jake Gleeson and Joe Bendik while they recovered from injuries.

As any supporter of the Portland Timbers should know, four former members of the U23s have been promoted to the first team since the team's inception in 2008. Two of the now-first teamers (Freddie Braun and Jake Gleeson) signed out of the MLS squad's first training camp. Rookie Ryan Kawulok was signed after being drafted by the Timbers in the supplemental draft, while fellow rookie Brent Richards became the Timbers first Home Grown Player.

With two games against Colorado in six days, the Timbers had a light practice session today at the team's Beaverton training center. Friday's starting eleven broke off and took part in a short regen session before heading inside while the rest of the team did their fitness work and played a short field game.

Timbers trade-apalooza continued today with Mike Chabala missing from practice after being traded away to DC United. The Timbers held an open practice at their Beaverton training center that was sparsely attended between trades, call ups, and sicknesses.

Missing from practice today were Jack Jewsbury and Steve Purdy.

Today's training report already had enough going on in it, so I thought I would go ahead and start a new thread for the day's quotes from Jack Jewsbury and Jake Gleeson. Here we go!

Jack Jewsbury

On the Troy Perkins trade

Yeah, it is tough. I saw him before we came out here.

The Timbers held a closed training session at their Beaverton practice facility today as they prepared to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps this Saturday. With every player but Chris Taylor (Taylor was added to the IR list last week) present, the Timbers had a record 32 players in training today, more than were at any practice this year before this week.

The Timbers held their first practice at Jeld-Wen Field since Gavin Wilkinson assumed the head coach's position. Although today's practice was closed, the press was not booted off the field until almost 10:40, a record in recent weeks. Wilkinson started things off with the usual warm ups before moving to passing drills and games of keep away before practice was closed.

After the big news of Troy Perkins' trade today the Timbers still practiced at their Beaverton training facility. Perkins was sighted briefly before practice as he stopped by to say goodbye to his teammates and clean out his locker.

Donovan Ricketts, who was picked up in exchange for Perkins, will practice with the team for the first time on Friday, according to Gavin Wilkinson.

The Timbers held a closed practice at their Beaverton training facility as they returned from their midweek day off. Where Wednesday's practice seemed somewhat unsettled at times, today saw the team out and joking with each other from the get go.

After the usual running, the team broke into groups for games of keep away and Gavin Wilkinson yelled for the "privileged kids" to get in the middle.

The Timbers held a long training session today at their Beaverton training facility. With the team bolstered by their improved play at home against Aston Villa on Tuesday night, training was lively as the team prepares to take on Chivas USA this weekend.

Helping to run the proceedings was new assistant coach Sean McAuley.

The Timbers held practice today at Jeld-Wen Field for the first time since their 5-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday. With only one day of practice between their two game road trip through California and Texas last week and tomorrow's friendly match against Aston Villa, the Timbers kept practice short today, heading inside to watch the tape of Saturday's loss together shortly after eleven.

The Portland Timbers held their last training session before embarking this afternoon on a five day, two game road trip through Carson and Frisco. Today's per-game preparations necessitated a closed but short practice before the team heads off to the airport this afternoon.

The Timbers' line up was unchanged from yesterday with Eric Brunner, Chris Taylor, and Rodney Wallace all missing practice due to injury, while Jake Gleeson is still abroad with the New Zealand Olympic team.

The Portland Timbers held a regeneration session today at their Beaverton training facility. With Saturday's starters, minus Lovel Palmer, heading inside after a brief workout the Timbers youngsters had a chance to shine in the the team's first open practice in months.

After the hard-fought, if futile, game over the weekend it was good to see all of the Timbers back on the pitch today.

With The LA Galaxy coming to town tomorrow, the Timbers underwent their final preparations for the two teams' third match up of the season at practice today. Training today was a closed session that, at an hour and fifteen minutes, ran somewhat longer than John Spencer's usual pre-match practices, which usually were between forty five minutes and an hour long.

The Timbers held a closed practice today their Beaverton training facility. With the sun out, spirits seemed high during the team's warm-up as they mixed things up from their usual routine with some rugby-style passing drills. Perhaps predictably, few of the American players knew what fitness coach John Ireland meant by "rugby football passing".

In their last training session before flying to LA to take on the Galaxy tomorrow, the Timbers found themselves in the middle of a much more busy training facility that normal. With the usual practice taking place alongside a Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club tournament and a tour for sponsors of the team, the atmosphere around the Timbers training facility was much more lively that normal.

Today's Timbers practice was once again closed to the press as the team trained at the Beaverton training facility. However, for the first time since the beginning of the break, the team was still out on the field kicking the ball around when the press was allowed to return.

Kris Boyd, who put in an appearance at the season ticket holders event last night after getting back in to town earlier in the day, practiced with the team today.

The Portland Timbers held practice today at their Beaverton training facility. As has been the case over the last two weeks, practice was completely closed outside the league mandated 15 minutes at the beginning of the day.

Eric Brunner is still concussed. Rodney Wallace's ankle is still hurt.

Today's closed practice at the Timbers training center saw the introduction of forward Danny Mwanga to the team. Mwanga took part in the full practice and was mobbed by the press afterward.

Once again Eric Brunner was not at practice as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered against Vancouver.

The Timbers held a closed practice today at their Beaverton Training Facility. With a number of players still missing and new acquisition Danny Mwanga not yet arrived, the group at practice was a small one.

Mwanga, who the Timbers picked up yesterday from the Philadelphia Union, should be arriving in time to practice with the team tomorrow, leaving him just over a week to get acclimated before the Timbers take on the Galaxy in LA.

The Portland Timbers held a closed practice today at the tram's training facility in Beaverton. With no games to play until the 17th, John Spencer was true to his word and the Timbers trained longer than usual, not wrapping up practice until 11:30.

Eric Brunner and Sebastian Rincon both missed practice due to injury, although Rincon was present and rehabbing at the practice facility.

The Portland Timbers held training this morning at their Beaverton facility. It was yet another closed session, as will all sessions be for the foreseeable future. At the end of the session today, all players except the goalkeepers left the pitch as a unit, instead of the usual lingering to get in some extra work.

After canceling practice yesterday (a decision that came before the Timbers shocking Open Cup defeat), the Timbers got back on the pitch at their new training facility today. With a long rest starting for the first team and a reserve game tomorrow, the Timbers did not have a very strenuous practice but did close the proceedings to the press after completing their warm-ups.

Mark Sherrod joins former Timbers U-23s players and current Timbers first-teamers Freddie Braun (2010), Jake Gleeson (2010), Ryan Kawulok (2010-11), Brent Richards (2009-11) as well as current Beaverton High School head soccer coach Ryan Youngblood (2009) on the list of Portland players to receive PDL All-Western Conference selections