Portland general manager and interim coach Gavin Wilkinson said the team will widen the field at Jeld-Wen Field for the 2013 season.

The plan is to add two yards on each side of the field, bringing the dimensions to 74 yards-by-110 yards.

"It's something that would be a natural development for us as a team," said Wilkinson, who was named coach of the week by MLSSoccer.com after the Timbers 2-1 win against Vancouver Saturday. "Coming in as an expansion team, we wanted a tighter area with which to play, to feed off the emotion."

The current field dimensions is one of the smallest in MLS and has drawn some criticism from opponents.

Wilkinson said the move is to help give the players more room for creativity and athleticism, but the plan was in motion before the search for a new coach had started.

"The new coach hasn't had any input on this," Wilkinson said. "This is a philosophical decision from the organization in the way we want to be recognized and the way we want to play."

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