It was me who got the proverbial ball rolling, the Men in Blazers who gave it an almighty shove and the Timbers Army who put it into the net - and with some style.

Savannah, the Columbus Crew fan, who memorably flipped the bird at the TV cameras after her team lost the MLS Cup final to the Portland Timbers in December, will be going to Portland this weekend for the rematch that helps usher in the new MLS season.

Incredibly, she is only able to go on this trip thanks to the generosity and community spirit of the Timbers fans, who have paid her way thanks to a GoFundMe page while Timbers owner Merritt Paulson has also provided a free ticket.

And - full disclosure - it was my idea, but only the idea I must add, to set up a crowdfunding initiative to get Savannah there.

Why? I had just written an article about how the supporters of NPSL side Detroit City FC had raised over $740,000 to renovate the 80-year-old Keyworth Stadium and, after seeing one of Savannah's tweets that she had wanted to go to Portland this weekend but could not afford to, I wanted to see if that same community spirit in US soccer could be utilised to get her there.