Portland Timbers midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara have signed contract extensions with the club ahead of Sunday’s 2016 Major League Soccer opener.
The Timbers used targeted allocation money to sign both players. Other particulars of the deals were not disclosed. Both players have been with Portland since the Timbers entered MLS in 2011.
A native of Colombia, the 29-year-old Chara is the franchise leader in minutes played in MLS. A mainstay at the holding midfielder position, Chara has appeared in 146 MLS games since signing with the Timbers on April 11, 2011.
At 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, Chara’s primary role with the Timbers is disrupting opposing attacks. He has scored six goals and assisted on 13, while winning the admiration of teammates and fans in Portland. He has twice been honored as the Timbers player of the year by both his teammates and by the team’s fans, including winning both awards last season.
Nagbe, 25, made his debut in 2015 with the United States national team after gaining American citizenship. Nagbe has 23 career MLS goals and 20 assists.
On Sunday Nagbe is set to become the club’s all-era leader in games played for the Timbers in all competitions, dating to the original 1975 Timbers team. He has played in 160 MLS regular-season games for the Timbers, who made him the second pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft out of Akron, where he played for Caleb Porter.
Targeted allocation money was introduced last July to assist MLS teams in acquiring or retaining high-level players in addition to each clubs’ three allotted Designated Players. Through 2019, each MLS club receives an additional $100,000 per season to sign new players or retain players earning at or above the maximum charge against the salary cap ($436,250 in 2015).
Adi called up — Timbers striker Fanendo Adi is one of 42 players called into Nigeria’s national team for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt, scheduled for March 25 and March 29. The Timbers host Real Salt Lake March 19 then are idle until April 3, so it is possible that Adi will not miss any Portland matches.
It is Adi’s first time called into the senior national team.
