Timber likes view ahead

Tim Karalexis comes from the Battery with chops, optimism

By steve brandon

The Portland Tribune, Mar 25, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

It took him about 45 hours by car to get here and only a few minutes to see that coming to Portland was the right decision.

“You show up for training camp and there’s a duffel bag full of gear,” says Tim Karalexis, a 27-year-old defender who came to the Timbers for midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer in a December trade with the Charleston Battery.

“They give you practice jerseys, cleats, running shoes and sandals — Nike outfits everything. Little things like that keep you happy and make you feel like a professional athlete,” he says.

Karalexis drove by himself to Portland from the East Coast.

“In Nebraska and Wyoming, you don’t even have cell phone coverage,” he says. “Had to find the right music and just rock on.”

Anything with a beat will do, he says.

“I hear Portland has a good indie rock scene,” he says. “I got into that a little bit last year.”

The Timbers have become known in United Soccer Leagues circles as one of the most player-friendly teams, from the boost in management support to the fan support to the new FieldTurf at PGE Park.

The team itself isn’t bad, either.

“This is a good situation,” Karalexis says.

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