PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Before the start of every match, the Portland Timbers sit together in the locker room, close their eyes and collectively take a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

Lacey Henderson quietly tells the players to ground themselves, feeling the floor beneath their feet.

“Then I’ll drop something to meditate on. Most recently I said something to the effect of making sure that you are really proud of where you’ve been and having faith in where you’re going to go,” she said. “I close it out the same way every single time, it’s a few breaths and I always say, 'I trust myself. I trust the team.'”

It's three minutes of Zen before Portland coach Phil Neville gives his pregame talk.

The Timbers are perhaps the only Major League Soccer team that practices meditation as a group

See Full Page