The Portland Timbers management team feels very good about the way the offseason has unfolded, given budget and time constraints.
That was the message on Wednesday from coach Caleb Porter and general manager Gavin Wilkinson during a conference call with local reporters in advance of Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft.
The Timbers on Wednesday announced the acquisition of forward Jack McInerney from Columbus for allocation money, a move that replaces the departed Maximilliano Urruti and provides depth at the striker position.
“To get a striker that’s 23 years old that has been a pro for six years in MLS, that knows the league, that’s scored goals in this league, we feel is a very rare find,” Porter said.
McInerney has 38 goals in 143 MLS games with Philadelphia, Montreal and Columbus. The Timbers sent an undisclosed amount of targeted allocation money and general allocation money to Columbus for the 5-foot-10 striker.
McInerney is the fifth player acquired since the Timbers won the 2015 MLS Cup championship. All five have MLS experience.
Ned Grabavoy was added for depth behind Darlington Nagbe and Diego Valeri at the attacking midfield position.
Porter described Grabavoy as a more attack-oriented version of Jack Jewsbury in terms of the experience he provides. Porter considers Grabavoy, signed on Tuesday as a free agent, underrated in terms of his skill and his soccer smarts.
Defensive additions Chris Klute, Jermaine Taylor and Zarek Valentin add versatility and depth while filling vacancies left by departures of Jorge Villafana and Norberto Paparatto. Wilkinson confirmed on Wednesday that Paparatto rejected a contract offer from the Timbers.
All of the departures from the championship roster were business decisions related to the MLS salary cap, Wilkinson said. The GM said the team hopes to soon finalize a contract for Taylor, who the Timbers selected in the re-entry draft from Houston.
Taylor was added to replace Paparatto in providing experienced depth at center back.
Valentin, who played center back for Porter at Akron and left back for Porter with the USA under-23 national team, is primarily right-footed but can play either side according to Porter.
Klute, acquired last month in a trade with Columbus, is primarily a left back but can also fill in on the right according to Porter.
Porter said the Timbers are not finished shaping their 2016 roster. The club is seeking to add one more wing player he said. The departure of Rodney Wallace — who Porter said chose to explore opportunities overseas — means the left side of midfield is the one spot on the roster where the Timbers are not at least two players deep.
Wilkinson said the Timbers had targeted several players from overseas. But the short offseason window following the run to the title made it difficult to get international deals done.
Porter said bringing in players with MLS experience eases the transition process for both the team and the players. And several of the additions have previous experience in the CONCACAF Champions League, which will crowd the Timbers schedule in the late summer.
“Want to be the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League. That’s going to be a major priority,” Porter said.
The Timbers won’t be looking for immediate impact from today’s MLS SuperDraft.
“If we can get a player at the 20 that sticks, that eventually plays, then that’s a successful draft pick at 20,” Porter said.
