Houston - Xinhua
U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) on Tuesday announced the Portland Timbers were awarded the 2011 Xbox 360 Team Fair Play award. Statistics show that the Portland Timbers committed the fewest fouls in the league this season (347) during their inaugural campaign in MLS. They were also second-to-last in red cards (three) and, along with a handful of other teams, averaged fewer than 1.5 yellow cards per match. The Philadelphia Union and Chivas USA were the other two finalists for the team award. In addition to the number of fouls committed and cards awarded, MLS looked at Disciplinary Committee action and overall sportsmanlike behavior to select the finalists and winner for the club honor. The Portland Timbers are the 18th club of MLS, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. In 2011 regular competitions, Portland timbers made 11 wins, 14 losses and 9 ties in 34 games, four points short of reaching the playoffs in the Western Conference. Enditem