Noland Hoshino thought it was a big deal when he attended his first Portland Timbers match.
“It was almost like a religious experience,” the Vancouver resident said. “I was just blown away by it.”
If a May home match against D.C. United was that thrilling, imagine how excited Hoshino will be on Sunday. Thanks to a contest sponsored by Microsoft, Hoshino will be in Columbus, Ohio, to watch the Timbers battle the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup championship match.
Hoshino learned of his good fortune on Tuesday when he received an email. At first glance, he assumed it was spam. But when he contacted the company in charge of the sweepstakes, Hoshino said they were glad to hear from him given the short time window for finalizing logistics.
As winner of the 2015 Windows MLS Cup Sweepstakes, Hoshino and three guests will fly to Columbus on Saturday. The prize includes round-trip air fare, two nights in a hotel, four tickets to the MLS Cup and more.
Hoshino is taking partner Bryan Dainty and the friends who invited them to attend their first Timbers game, Portland residents and Timbers season ticket holders Connie and Jim Fadden.
Retired from the Air Force, Hoshino has lived in Vancouver for 15 years. He is active in the community. He is an owner and the Director of Creative and Digital Marketing for High Five Media.
He said he’d long wanted to attend a Timbers game, but didn’t get the opportunity until he and Dainty were invited to join the Faddens for the May 27 match.
“From then on we were hooked,” said Hoshino, noting that he and Dainty have been to most of the Timbers home games since.
It was on his way to the last home match, the Nov. 22 playoff match against F.C. Dallas, that Hoshino stopped at a Microsoft store in Portland to look at laptops. A sales clerk suggested he entered the sweepstakes.
He now has a few jealous friends — some of them who attend games in the Timbers Army supporters section.
And he gets the chance to experience history. This is the Timbers first time in the MLS Cup final. A win means Portland will be Major League Soccer’s champion in only the club’s fifth season in the league.
“It’s going to be tough. Columbus has home-field advantage. They’re really good,” Hoshino said. “But the Portland Timbers have the wind at their back.”
On Sunday in Columbus, they will also have a winner backing them.
