21 October 1893 - A Perfect Pitch For Portland

On 21 October 1893, the first recorded football match was played at Portland's Multnomah Field, which later became the home of the Portland Timbers.

Currently known as Jeld-Wen Field, the stadium dates back to 1926 when the original structure, Multnomah Stadium, was built on the site. But before that, it was a multi-purpose athletic field established in 1893 to host a variety of sports such as baseball, American football, greyhound racing, and cricket.

The first known association football match to be played there was between two sides called Portland and Astoria, according to a local newspaper article promoting the game. The article was careful to distinguish between association football and rugby, claiming that the latter was more popular in the United States at the time and noting that, in the former, "science was brought into play more than actual strength."

The contest was the third in a series between the two teams. It kicked off at 3:00 pm and Portland won 5-0.

[Thanks to http://portland.daveknows.org/. Visit http://portland.daveknows.org/2010/08/16/first-soccer-game-at-pge-park-october-21-1893/ for more information on the game.]