BEAVERTON, Ore. — Forty-eight days after lifting MLS Cup, and 43 days before the start of their sixth season in Major League Soccer, the Portland Timbers on Saturday gathered for their first training session of 2016.
Nat Borchers, for one, said he was happy to be there despite a rather short offseason.
“If you like what you do, you want to be out here every single day playing,” the central defender said. “And we’ve got a good group, and a good vibe and we want to take a lot of the confidence we had last year into this year, so it’s good to be back for sure.”
The Timbers will practice through Thursday at the team’s training facility in Beaverton, then head to Tucson for two weeks of training and four preseason matches. The team will return to Portland for its Simple Invitational preseason tournament with matches Feb. 21, Feb, 24, Feb. 27 at Providence Park.
The Timbers kick off their sixth Major League Soccer season on March 6, hosting Columbus three months after they beat the Crew 2-1 in the MLS Cup final.
Coach Caleb Porter said his message to his team at the first practice of 2016 was that 2015’s championship should provide motivation and confidence in 2016 – along with an understanding of how much work it takes to win a title.
“Once you’ve tasted it, you want that feeling again. And the good clubs, they do it again. That’s going to be the goal,” Porter said. “But we also understand it’s a long way off, it’s a process and there are going to be ups and downs.”
Despite salary-cap challenges, Portland kept the core of its roster together including nine of the 11 players who started that championship match. Players gone since the championship run include midfielder Will Johnson, left winger Rodney Wallace, left back Jorge Villafana, forward Maximilliano Urruti, defender Norberto Paparatto, and reserve midfielder Michael Nanchoff.
The club has been able to replace most of the departed players, apparently for less money. The one spot not yet filled is that of Wallace, who scored the MLS Cup winning goal and was with the Timbers for their first five MLS seasons.
The Timbers are working to add another winger according to Porter.
“I didn’t like losing some of the players we lost. But I really like the fact that we have some new blood in this club. Guys that will bring energy, hunger,” Porter said.
The additions include MLS veterans Jack McInerney, Ned Grabavoy, Chris Klute and Jermaine Taylor. McInerney, only 23, enters his seventh MLS season with 38 career goals and figures to back up Fanendo Adi at striker. Grabavoy, 32, is an attacking midfielder has won MLS Cups with the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. Grabavoy will provide depth behind Diego Valeri and Darlington Nagbe. Klute, acquired from Columbus, and Zarek Valentin are young left backs brought in to replace Villafana. Taylor comes from Houston to replace Paparatto as the top reserve central defender, though each of the new defenders can play multiple positions according to Porter.
Not yet in camp are Nagbe and Liam Ridgewell. Nagbe is at the U.S. Men’s National Team Camp that includes matches on Jan. 31 against Iceland and Feb. 5 against Canada. Ridgewell is on an offseason loan to Brighton & Hove Albion of England’s Championship (second division). Porter said Nagbe will rejoin the Timbers in time for their fourth match in Tucson, and Ridgewell is expected to return Portland for the Simple Invitational preseason tournament.
Roster notes
• Klute spent his first practice working with a trainer. Porter said it was a precaution as Klute recovers from offseason meniscus surgery, Klute is expected to be at full speed in a few days.
• Kharlton Belmar, the leading scorer for Timbers 2 in USL last season, is with the Timbers for training camp. Porter said he wants to see how Belmar’s progress compares with Michael Seaton and first-round draft pick Ben Polk, two other young forwards on the roster.
• Eric Avila, a 28-year-old midfielder who has played in 178 MLS games, was the lone trialist in camp on Saturday. Avila played in 21 matches last season with Orlando City. He started his career in 2008 with FC Dallas, where he played three-plus seasons. He has also played for Toronto FC and Chivas USA.
• All four picks from the recent MLS SuperDraft were in training on Saturday. Polk, the Timbers first-round pick, is the only one of them who has signed with MLS and is on the Timbers roster. Also in training was Akinjide Idowu, the Nigerian midfielder who signed this week with Timbers 2. Porter said he is in in the MLS training camp to get acclimated to Portland and to the club.
