The newest sports team from the creators of the Portland Pickles is serving soccer with a side of humor. The Portland Bangers, a new USL League Two men’s soccer team, will debut this summer. In soccer, a “banger” is a powerful, long-distance goal. In Great Britain, banger is slang for a sausage. Thus, the inspiration for the team mascot: Saucy T. Sausage. The pink and green Bangers logo features an anthropomorphic sausage sporting twin “sausage link” braids. The creation was “born from the city’s love of all things culinary,” according to the team’s website. For those wondering, the mascot’s middle initial stands for “The.” Saucy follows in the footsteps of its Pickles’ counterpart, Dillon T. Pickle. (For nonfans of baseball, a “pickle” is a baseball term for a player caught between bases.) And much like at Pickles games, fans can expect a costumed Saucy to roam Bangers matches. “The sausage is being made, so to speak, right now,” said Courtney Schmidt, general manager for both the Pickles and the Bangers. “We’re excited to debut both of them together.” Former Timbers player Jorge Villafaña is the team’s head coach. Diego Valeri, another former Timbers legend (turned winemaker), is also part of the coaching staff. The Bangers will play at the University of Oregon Portland campus, 2800 N.E. Liberty St., formerly the site of Concordia University. The team’s first home opener is May 15 against Bigfoot FC of Maple Valley, Washington. “Our goal with the Bangers is to emulate that community vibe at the Pickles,” Schmidt said. “We like to say that even if you’re not a baseball fan, you’re still going to have fun at a Pickles game because it’s more about the venue and the events and coming out and enjoying a beer on a summer night with your friends and family.” Local company Zenner’s Sausage will be the official sausage of the Portland Bangers, and Schmidt said plans are in the works for a “banger of the match” and rotating food specials. “Obviously, soccer is such a huge thing here and there’s a huge following for the sport, so we’re giving another avenue for people to get together and celebrate that,” Schmidt said. As of now, only Bangers season tickets are on sale, covering all seven home matches May 15-July 9. Season tickets range from $126 to $175, depending on the seating section. “The waitlist is still ever growing,” Schmidt said. “We may not even release single game tickets because we’re going to be completely sold out of season tickets for our first year, which is kind of crazy. It’s a very good problem to have.” The Bangers will play teams across Oregon and Washington. They’re part of the USL League Two, a semi-professional league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the U.S. and Canada. “It’s similar to the Pickles level of sport,” Schmidt said. “It’s a lot of college level players who are looking to stay in shape and continue training during the summer.” For those who want to be a Banger, the team is holding open tryouts March 29-30 at UO Portland stadium. Those interested can register online. And, just like the Pickles, the Bangers are looking for host families to house the players over the summer months. “We have a large host family community with the Pickles who really have become a family of their own,” Schmidt said. “It’s fun for families who might have young soccer players to have an older role model for the summer to stay with them.” Portland Banger shirts, hoodies and stickers are on sale at shopbangers.com, and more merch will drop online soon. The Pickles are known for their wild and strange themed promo games, including “Exploding Whale Night” and the upcoming “Bigfoot is Real and We Can Prove it Night.” Schmidt is keeping exact plans for the Bangers’ inaugural home game under wraps, but based on what their baseball plans, it’s fair to expect an epic sausage party. — Samantha Swindler covers features for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Here is Oregon. Reach her at sswindler@oregonian.com. Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.