BEAVERTON, Ore. — The Portland Timbers injury list is not shorter, but not longer heading into Sunday’s visit to CenturyLink Field to take on the Seattle Sounders.
But Portland might have some added depth at center back for the first of consecutive matches against their Cascadia rivals. Steven Taylor, the Newcastle United veteran who signed with Portland on Aug. 1, likely will at least be on the bench on Sunday.
He could provide an important boost for a Timbers’ back line that has been a revolving door this season. In the 2-0 loss at DC United last Saturday, Liam Ridgewell returned from injury, but he and Jermaine Taylor had an inconsistent first half as Portland fell behind 2-0. If Steven Taylor is ready, he and Ridgewell figure to be Porter’s preferred central defense pairing.
“He’s certainly fit enough to play 90 (minutes). Is he ready completely, sharp enough, exactly where we want him to be? No doubt he’ll get better over time,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “So we have to decide: Do we stick with Jermaine and Ridgy? Or do we put Steven Taylor in?”
Taylor, a 6-foot-2 30-year-old, appeared twice with Portland Timbers 2 in USL matches to get into shape. In his first appearance he scored an own goal and was on the field for all three goals from L.A. Galaxy II in a match that T2 rallied to win 4-3. Last Sunday, Taylor played 90 minutes and scored with a sharp header off a corner kick.
Porter said Taylor didn’t play badly in his T2 debut, but played very well on Sunday, calling him a “presence” in a T2 win over the Orange County Blues.
Players who definitely won’t play at Seattle are midfielder Ben Zemanski, winger Darren Mattocks and outside back Zarek Valentin. The trio are progressing, but Porter did not offer a timetable for their return from injury.
The Timbers will get a boost with Diego Chara returning. He was suspended for the trip to D.C. because of a red card. His presence figures to be important as the Timbers defend against the Sounders’ new Designated Player Nicolas Lodeiro and Clint Dempsey, neither of whom were in the lineup when Portland beat Seattle on July 17.
Porter noted that having Chara in the lineup increases his formation flexibility, including the option of starting Darlington Nagbe farther up field or on the wing instead of as a support player in midfield.
• Nigerian center back Gbenga Arokoyo has arrived in Portland and did some conditioning work on Tuesday. Porter said that, like Steven Taylor, Arokoyo will take two or there weeks to build fitness.
