Mick Hoban is the original Portland Timber, the first player to arrive in Portland prior to the 1975 North American Soccer League season.
Four decades later he remains an ambassador for soccer in the region.
On Feb. 19, Hoban will share his expertise and passion in a presentation about the 2014 World Cup. The 7 p.m. talk at Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland is hosted by the local chapter of the American Outlaws, a national supporters group for the United States men’s national soccer team.
Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at www.albertarosetheatre.com.
Hoban, 61, is a friend and former business partner of Jurgen Klinsmann, coach for the U.S. men’s national team. Hoban said his presentation will include background on some of the unseen challenges faced by coaches and players during World Cup tournaments.
Fernando Proano of Vancouver worked with Hoban to plan the event. He said the goal is to help grow membership in the American Outlaws. Proano, whose father Augusto “Doc” Proano was one of the owners of the original Timbers, said he joined the supporter’s group early last year and traveled to Colorado to watch the United States defeat Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier played in a snowstorm.
“Anybody who thinks they will be watching the United States in the World Cup will benefit from this event,” Fernando Proano of Vancouver said.
After playing three seasons with the original Timbers, Hoban became the first soccer employee for Nike. He also worked internationally for Umbro and Adidas. In 2000, he formed with a partner, Soccer Solutions, a soccer consulting company that worked with national teams and others on logistical projects that included ticket distribution and media interaction to finding appropriate training grounds.
Though he didn’t play or coach in a World Cup, Hoban said his career gave him unseen access to teams and coaches at World Cups dating to 1994.
Hoban said he does not have any insight about the roster or lineups that Klinsmann will select for the tournament in Brazil. But his talk will touch on subjects that Klinsmann is likely to focus on as he prepares the team.
Hoban also will provide a scouting report on the teams the United States will face in group play at the World Cup: Ghana, Portugal and Germany.
