Beginning in November of 2017, The Portland Timbers and Thorns Organization has been steadily progressing on their its Providence Park expansion project in downtown Portland, which remains on track to be finished in the coming months during the spring of 2019.

With a current capacity of around 21,000, the project will add 4,000 additional seats to the stadium, bringing the capacity up to 25,000. This will generate further tickets sales for both teams’ home matches and create an even greater experience for fans, who can choose to sit in the higher-level seats with an excellent upper view of the field.

Merritt Paulson, the owner of both the Timbers and Thorns, gave an update on the expansion back in October via Twitter. The original budget for the project sat at $50 million, but has since increased to $70 million due to the cost of extra additions.

The organization is making up this deficit, however, by listing the new seats for season ticket holders early, with over 3,000 of the new seats for pass holders. The Timbers had more than 13,000 fans on the season ticket waiting list leading up to ticket sales, so they have had no trouble selling the new seats to eager supporters.

Due to construction efforts, the Timbers will most likely begin their MLS season on the road this year, but should be able to start playing games at Providence Park in mid-May. The team may even be able to play at home as the construction nears its end leading into summer.

Paulson is hopeful, however, that Providence Park will be ready and open when the club plays its first home game, and fans will get a refund for the seats that are part of the expansion if delays do occur.

The expanded and modernized stadium will be a great addition to the city of Portland, where Timbers and Thorns soccer is all the buzz during soccer season!