When Portland Timbers fans say hello to their team again Sunday with the start of the Simple Invitational preseason tournament at Providence Park – their first game action in the Rose City since last season – they’ll see plenty of familiar faces.
There will be, however, some new players on the field – in very important positions.
Portland shined a light on their most glaring weakness of 2014 – their defense – and brought in longtime Real Salt Lake center back Nat Borchers and Ghanaian international goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, while parting ways with veteran ‘keeper Donovan Ricketts, center back Pa Modou Kah and left back Michael Harrington.
Needless to say, integrating two new players in the back is one of the main goals for the Timbers this preseason.
Portland have also been without Designated Player center back Liam Ridgewell for the first three weeks of camp as he completed a short-term loan with Championship side Wigan FC. Coupled with the fact that outside backs Jorge Villafana and Alvas Powell are two players who only recently inherited starting roles with the Timbers, and it’s safe to say Portland’s backline is a wild card.
“Very seamless,” Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said of the integration of Borchers and Kwarasey. “They’re good professionals, they’re experienced.”
Borchers and Kwarasey joined the team at the start of preseason camp and saw action with the starting group in both preseason games – a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo and a scoreless draw with San Jose Earthquakes – in Tucson, Ariz.
"They came in and adjusted really fast," Villafana said of Borchers and Kwarasey. "They’re great players. They’re players who are going to help the team improve and take the team to a new level."
Borchers lined up next to Argentine Norberto Paparatto, who finished last season as a starter, but the former RSL man will likely usher in his partnership with Ridgewell in Portland’s tournament opener Sunday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“As a new player, I think there was already a lot of chemistry here,” Borchers said. “I think, for one, you’ve got a team with an identity and a style of play and a good group already, a foundation. So coming in, you could already see a lot of those connections and relationships established. And I think that hopefully with Liam coming back… we can get better.”
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