Football Season Guide

A campaign that nearly ended with success for Portland Timbers as they overcame patches of inconsistent form to not only secure a comfortable position in the Western Conference but also make it to the MLS Cup final where they lost out to Atlanta United. Giovani Savarese has let go of some of the more experienced head in his roster with the likes of Liam Ridgewell, Lawrence Olum and Roy Miller all pushing 35 and have left the club. Jake Gleeson's near decade long stay at Portland also comes to an end with the keeper's contract not being extended though he did play just a backup role during his stay. Portland have brought in Slovenian keeper Aljaz Ivacic as his replacement, though he arrives injured and is unlikely to challenge for the starting role with the club having a couple of reliable keepers in Jeff Attinella and Steve Clark on their roster. The biggest name though is that of Jorge Moreira who arrives on loan from River Plate while Claude Dielna has also been traded from New England Revolution and is expected to boost the options in the center of the defense. Of the new arrivals only Dielna and Moreira are expected to be pushing for a place in the starting lineup when the season kicks off and Portland's biggest strength will continue to be their central midfield triumvirate of Chara, Valeri and Guzman. With Blanco enjoying an excellent second half of the last campaign and Asprilla being their best player in the playoffs, Portland have got a settled midfield while Cristian Paredes, Andrés Flores and Bill Tuiloma will provide the necessary depth as the club chases another deep run in the playoffs.