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MLS Transfers

josecarlos-van-rankin-timbers
Portland Timbers

Official: Josecarlos Van Rankin re-signs with Portland

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Josecarlos Van Rankin has re-signed with the Portland Timbers, the club announced today. 

Van Rankin’s initial loan is through the summer, although Portland will have options to extend his contract to the end of the season and/or buy him outright.

 

For the fourth straight season, Van Rankin will be loaned from Chivas Guadalajara to play at another club. He played for Santon Laguna from 2019-21.

Van Rankin, 29, played 31.1 90s in all competitions for the Timbers last season, notching two assists. He was the starting right back when healthy.

Van Rankin finished in the 85th percentile for goal-creating actions by MLS fullbacks (0.29/90), 77th percentile for pressures (16.51/90) and 80th percentile for pass completion rate (82.6%) — according to Football Reference. He added 0.10 goals per 96 minutes, according to American Soccer Analysis.

Farley has also stated that “There’ll be four options at RB on the roster. It’s at least enough to see how things play out, decide how/if to address it in the summer window.”

It is unclear who exactly those “four options” will consist of.

Van Rankin made over $105,000 in guaranteed compensation with the Timbers in 2021. He returned to Chivas Guadalajara following his loan but was let go by the club.

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timbers-sign-david-ayala
Portland Timbers

Timbers sign midfielder David Ayala from Estudiantes

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers have signed midfielder David Ayala from Club Estudiantes de la Plata in Argentina, the club reported today.

Ayala, 19, has 33 appearances for Estudiantes across all competitions since joining the first team in 2019. As a defensive midfielder, he’s been referred to as a possible replacement for longtime Timber Diego Chara.

Per press release, “Ayala will occupy an international and a U22 Initiative Slot. Ayala will be added to the Timbers’ roster, pending a physical and receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 visa.”

Ayala has been rumored to join Portland for a while, with MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert providing the most recent scoops.

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abraham-bahachille-timbers
Portland Timbers

Report: Timbers close to signing Abraham Bahachille

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers are close to signing 20-year-old Venezuelan midfielder-defender Abraham Bahachille, according to Chris Smith of 90min.

Bahachille, 20, has mostly played in a defensive midfield role for his former club, Metropolitanos, in Venezuela. He played center back last night for the Timbers in a scoreless preseason draw and was the only player to go a full 90.

According to Smith’s report, “Despite receiving offers from Europe, 90min can confirm the Timbers are now in pole position to complete the free transfer of Bahachille ahead of the 2022 MLS season.”

Bahachille has 54 career appearances for Metropolitanos before becoming a free agent after the 2021 season. It is unclear whether he would be an under-22 signing or have a standard contract.

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Whitecaps preason 2
Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps Preseason Updates

by Michael Martinez
written by Michael Martinez

We are just one month away from the start of the regular season for the Vancouver Whitecaps, and that also means it’s preseason time! I want to apologize for being AFK for the latter portion of the last and most offseason. I can promise things will be much more consistent from now on. 

Vancouver Whitecaps Preseason Games

Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed the club would play four preseason games in San Diego, California. The team will depart for San Diego on February 5 for an 11-day camp in Southern California.

The first match will see the ‘Caps face a mix of Club Tijuana’s first team and reserve players on February 6. After, Vancouver will play their second match on February 9 against the USL side, New Mexico United. They also play at Triton Soccer Stadium.

In the third match, the Whitecaps will face USL side in San Diego Loyal SC at Torero Stadium on February 12. Finally, Vancouver will wrap up the trip with a closed-door scrimmage against LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 16.

Following the Galaxy match, the team will return to Vancouver and resume training at the WFC NSDC at UBC to prepare for their 2022 MLS regular-season opener against Columbus Crew on Saturday, February 26.

Whitecaps Preseason

Image via 90plus Podcast on Twitter

Whitecaps Preseason Roster Updates

Players reported for the start of the 2022 preseason camp this weekend, with the first on-field session kicking off on Monday at the Whitecaps FC National Soccer Development Centre.

The’ Caps current first-team roster includes a club record of 27 returning players and one new addition, as well as three players away on loan. The 28 MLS roster players have an average age of 24 years and 45 days. This includes 13 players 23-years-old or younger. The team will also feature 12 Canadians and 14 players from different birth countries. 

Tristan Blackmon and five 2021-midseason acquisitions in Ryan Gauld, Marcus Godinho, Florian Jungwirth, Pedro Vite, and Brian White are taking part in their first preseason camp in Vancouver.

Javain Brown is currently away with Jamaica as they get set to play an international friendly in Peru. In addition, Caio Alexandre, Evan Newton, and Ranko Veselinovic will arrive in Vancouver in the coming days. 

Maxime Crepeau is away for personal reasons, although the current rumor is that he is going to LAFC for a reported $1 million in GAM. Finally, Janio Bikel is in Europe while the club explores loan or transfer options.

The seven unsigned camp invitees include two members from last year’s roster in Isaac Boehmer and Tosaint Ricketts. In addition, the four SuperDraft selections, Giovanni Aguilar, Simon Becher, Théo Collomb, and Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador, will also join the team. Lastly, Kwame Awuah, who was most recently with Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, will be the final invitee.

Preseason Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Isaac Boehmer, Thomas Hasal, Evan Newton

Centre Backs (7): Tristan Blackmon, Matteo Campagna, Gianfranco Facchineri, Érik Godoy, Florian Jungwirth, Jake Nerwinski, Ranko Veselinović

Fullbacks/Wingers (6): Kwame Awuah, Javain Brown, Cristian Dájome, Marcus Godinho, Cristián Gutiérrez, Ryan Raposo

Midfielders (10): Giovanni Aguilar, Caio Alexandre, Michael Baldisimo, Janio Bikel, Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador, Ryan Gauld, Kamron Habibullah, Leonard Owusu, Russell Teibert, Pedro Vite

Forwards (8): Theo Bair, Simon Becher, Déiber Caicedo, Lucas Cavallini, Théo Collomb, David Egbo, Tosaint Ricketts, Brian White

Players away on loan:

Simon Colyn – Jong PSV

Derek Cornelius – Panetolikos FC

Damiano Pecile – Venezia FC

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timbers-sign-david-ayala
Portland Timbers

Update: Timbers close to signing midfielder David Ayala

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

** 1/18 update **

Tom Bogert has confirmed the previous report and added more details.

Ayala has an estimated transfer value of $1.87 million, per Transfermarkt. It looks like Portland paid about one million more than that.

**

The Portland Timbers will sign 19-year-old midfielder David Ayala from Estudiantes in Argentina, according to a report from César Luis Merlo.

“David Ayala will play for the Portland Timbers…once medical exams have been passed,” the report reads.

Ayala will reportedly be signed for four years with a fifth-year option. Tom Bogert reported that Ayala would be a U22 Initiative signing alongside Santiago Moreno, and that Portland will use their third U22 slot as well.

As a defensive midfielder, Ayala is often cast as the “Diego Chará replacement.” Chará’s contract was recently extended through 2024.

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rumor-sebastian-giovinco-to-portland
Portland Timbers

Rumor: Sebastian Giovinco to Portland?

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers are interested in former MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco, per Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sports.

“A concrete negotiation could start soon,” the translated article reads.

Giovinco, who will turn 35 later this month, spent his last two seasons at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. His contract reached a mutual termination last August.

Giovinco in MLS

Giovinco shined in MLS after leaving Juventus for Toronto FC.

The attacking midfielder burst onto the scene in 2015, winning MLS MVP, MLS Newcomer of the Year, and the MLS Golden Boot. He also led the Reds to a Canadian treble (MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Cup) in 2016.

The Italian played 142 matches for Toronto FC across all competitions from 2015-18, bagging 83 goals and 57 assists during that span. He is considered a TFC club legend and was named one of MLS’ top 25 players of all-time last season.

MLS interest

The former Juventus player has been flirting with an MLS return for a while now.

Last month, he expressed interest in returning to Toronto during an exclusive interview with Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star. He even attended a TFC match. However, Toronto signed Serie A star Lorenzo Insigne instead.

The former Juventus player was also linked to the Los Angeles Galaxy about a year ago.

Timbers’ need

From a roster standpoint, this makes sense. The Timbers may need to fill a playmaking midfield spot soon, unless they can re-sign Sebastián Blanco. Portland are set to lose Diego Valeri from the same position as well.

The Timbers have one Designated Player roster spot open without Blanco. Giovinco wanted to be a DP in a Toronto return.

Blanco removed the Timbers from his Instagram bio yesterday amid a lengthy offseason negotiation saga.

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Tega Ikoba via Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers

Timbers sign Tega Ikoba to MLS Homegrown contract

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

The Portland Timbers announced the signing of 18-year-old forward Tega Ikoba to an MLS Homegrown contract today. 

Ikoba is Portland’s first signing of 2022.

The club’s Richard Farley hinted at the move on Twitter yesterday.

Ikoba has been training with the Timbers’ first team for a while now, famously racing other players and being crowned “fastest on the team” in an online video. He appeared in preseason games with the first team in March 2021.

Ikoba is 6’4″ and 198 lbs. He will likely be the third striker behind Felipe Mora and Jarosław Niezgoda.

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Portland Timbers

Sebastian Blanco set to leave Portland Timbers

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Portland Timbers midfielder Sebastián Blanco will leave the club, according to reports from TyC Sports’ Juli Michels on Sunday, Jan. 2.

Blanco, who will turn 34 in March 2022, made 148 appearances for Portland since joining the club in 2017. His contract expired at the end of the 2021 season. The club was working on re-signing Blanco as soon as the offseason began.

Blanco posted a foreboding message on his Instagram story earlier in the day.

According to Micheles’ report, the Timbers were close to reaching an agreement before it fell through. Blanco may land somewhere else in MLS, where he’s been prolific for the past five seasons.

If the report is true, Portland will have an open Designated Player roster spot heading into 2022.

** 1/2/22 update **

ESPN’s Taylor Twellman has added more context to the Blanco situation.

As with Diego Valeri a few years ago, the Timbers are looking to sign a former DP to a targeted allocation money-level deal. 

** another 1/2/22 update **

Area Sports Network has confirmed the report and added a little more context. Apparently negotiations for a three-year deal were different than what the contract read.

The same account replied to that above tweet saying:

“From the player’s side, they express total surprise, and this week they will begin to evaluate options, always with MLS as the main option.”

Looks like the deal blindsided Blanco’s camp and that he could be on the move to somewhere else in MLS. 

** another 1/2/22 update **

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson weighs in on the situation, saying “we expect to keep him” on Instagram.

This statement might quiet the rumors a bit because Paulson has to be aware of the smoke from earlier today (see above). If MP has this kind of confidence after everything from earlier, maybe that’s a good sign.

** 1/3 update **

Paulson has deleted the above comment. Maybe he’s backtracking a bit?

** 1/4 update **

A report from El Espectador says Blanco is being pursued by Boca Juniors.

This is probably leverage-building by Blanco’s camp. Releasing these reports is commonplace in a situation where a player’s value is in question. Whether or not this interest from Boca is legitimate, it can help drive up Blanco’s value in negotiations with MLS teams.

This article may be updated with further information.

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Portland Timbers

Timbers Rumors: Van Rankin, Mabiala, and a new face?

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

It’s been a relatively quiet week along the Timbers rumor mill thus far. That’ll certainly heat up as the shortest offseason ever gets going.

But for those who’ve been too busy stuffing their faces during the holidays (totally understandable), here’s what you may have missed…

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Portland Timbers

Steve Clark signs with Houston Dynamo FC

by Charlie Folkestad
written by Charlie Folkestad

Former Portland Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark has signed a free agent contract with Houston Dynamo FC. Dynamo Insider first broke the news this morning before its confirmation by Tom Bogert.

Clark announced his departure from Portland yesterday via Instagram and paid his final respects to the club today. The Dynamo made their announcement official today as well.

Clark’s Timbers legacy

Clark logged 26 clean sheets in 92 total appearances across six different competitions for the Timbers after joining the club midway through the 2018 season. Houston will be his fourth MLS stop — Columbus (where he infamously lost to Portland in MLS Cup 2015), D.C. United, Portland, and now Houston.

Clark will be remembered as a solid goalkeeper for a club which has boasted some of the league’s best since joining MLS in 2011. Donovan Ricketts, Adam Kwarasey, and even Jeff Attinella have played massive roles in some of MLS’ best teams.

Portland’s back line was one of the worst in MLS for much of 2021. Despite this, Clark often saved the Timbers’ skins down the stretch. He played a crucial role in bringing Portland to MLS Cup despite a tough showing in the final itself.

Clark finished second in save percentage (78.2%) among MLS goalkeepers in 2021. He graded out well in advanced stats, too: Clark’s post-shot expected goal plus-minus (+4.1) was fourth in the league this season.

Clark was one of the league-high five goalkeepers used by the Timbers in 2021; along with Aljaz Ivacic, Logan Ketterer, Jeff Attinella, and Hunter Sulte.

Roster impact

This is a logical move from a roster management perspective. No team needs four goalkeepers. Portland already has Attinella and Sulte signed for next season and are in discussions with Ivacic.

Attinella is a clear capable No. 1 ‘keeper if he’s healthy. The other two still seem a little rough around the edges, but they’ll work in a pinch.

Ultimately, this is a money move. Clark is 35 already and it probably didn’t take much for Houston to outbid the Timbers for him.

 

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