PORTLAND – The Inter Summer Tour 2016 is underway! Our first stop in the USA is Portland, Oregon. The Nerazzurri will use the city as their base for the first part of the tour, before heading to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to take on Paris Saint-Germain on 24 July.
So how much do you know about Inter’s first two summer destinations?
Let’s start on the west coast, with Oregon. It is known as a lush green state, with Willamette National Forest – one of the largest in North America – stretching from the north to the south. Oregon sits below Washington and above California.
Salem is the capital of the Beaver State, as Oregon is known. It was the end point of the famous Oregon Trail, a historic route built at the beginning of the 1830s by hunters travelling the 2000 miles from Missouri to Oregon.
The city of Portland, which is situated in the north-west of the state, is the most populous city in Oregon. Known as the City of Roses, over 550 varieties of roses are grown in Portland. Inter will be based at the University of Portland between 17 and 23 July.
In terms of sport, Portland is the home of NBA side Portland Trail Blazers, who are named after the first travellers of the Oregon Trail. The Trail Blazers have won one NBA Championship, back in 1977.
Major League Soccer team Portland Timbers won the MLS Cup in 2015/16 season, while National Women’s Soccer League outfit Portland Thorns FC clinched league glory in 2013.
Inter will play their first International Champions Cup match at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on 24 July. Eugene is Oregon’s second city in terms of inhabitants, as well as being home to the University of Oregon.
The University has close ties with Nike, Inter’s technical sponsor. The renowned brand was founded by two former University of Oregon students and is based in Portland. Over the years, Nike has invested in improved facilities for the Oregon Ducks, the university’s athletics team.
