Portland Timbers Sign Defender Pa Modou Kah

With only three days to go before the close of the off-season transfer window, the Portland Timbers have finally gotten their man, bringing in Norwegian defender Pa Modou Kah to bolster a defense that has had an alarming rate of attrition this season.

Kah, 32, most recently played for Saudi Arabian club Al-Wehda of the Saudi Professional League. An experienced pro, he has made over three hundred appearances in his fifteen year career, the bulk of which came with Dutch club Roda JC, a consistently mid-table club in the Eredivisie.

It is a good bet that Kah will step in and start for the Timbers alongside Futty Danso after the injury to Mikael Silvestre suffered in last night's game against New England, something Caleb Porter confirmed in the team's press release.

Kah is a top-level player and will bring a wealth of experience as a professional, playing in some of the top leagues around the world. This signing couldn't come at a better time with the recent injury of Mikael Silvestre. We expect Kah to step into the backline and make an immediate impact in our club.

With Kah's signing, the Timbers will need to free up a roster spot as they currently are carrying 30 players, the maximum allowed. With David Horst's season ending injury it is possible that he has been removed from the roster, although a move allowing long absent Colombian defender Hanyer Mosquera to leave could also be in the cards.

What do you think of the Timbers' latest signing?

The Timbers' press release:

TIMBERS ACQUIRE DEFENDER PA MODOU KAH
Veteran joins Portland after playing for top clubs in Europe, Middle East

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers announced today that the club has signed defender Pa Modou Kah for the remainder of the 2013 season. He will be added to the roster pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 visa. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Kah, 32, joins the Timbers after playing the last two seasons with clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Kah has also featured for top clubs in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands during his career. He won a title with Norway's Vålerenga in 2002 and played in nearly 200 league matches over seven seasons (2004-11) at Dutch side Roda JC. On the international level, Kah has 10 caps with the Norway National Team.

"With the loss of David Horst, we have had our eye on adding another central defender for the past month," said Caleb Porter, head coach of the Timbers. "Kah is a top-level player and will bring a wealth of experience as a professional, playing in some of the top leagues around the world. This signing couldn't come at a better time with the recent injury of Mikael Silvestre. We expect Kah to step into the backline and make an immediate impact in our club."

Born in Banjul, The Gambia, Kah began his professional career as a teenager with Vålerenga in 1998. He spent six seasons with the Norwegian side, and played in 24 games, scoring three goals, during Vålerenga's Norwegian Football Cup-winning season in 2002.

After parts of two seasons with AIK of Sweden (2003-04), Kah transferred to Roda JC in 2004 and went on to make 189 league appearances and score 12 goals during his time with the club. He was member of Roda JC's 2004-05 UEFA Intertoto Cup side and helped guide the club to the finals of the 2007-08 KNVB Cup. Kah scored a career-best four goals during his final season with Roda in 2010-11, contributing to the club's sixth-place finish in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Kah joined Al-Kohr of the Qatar Stars League ahead of the 2011-12 season, and played in 13 games for the club over two seasons. His time in Qatar included a loan spell with Qatar Sports Club during the 2011-12 campaign, and Kah recently played 10 matches for Al-Wehda in the Saudi Arabian first division during the 2012-13 season.

Kah moved to Norway with his family as a child in 1998. After representing Norway at the U-21 level, he made his debut for the senior national team on Jan. 24, 2001. Kah scored his first international goal, tallying the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Austria on Nov. 22, 2002. His last appearance for Norway was against Wales in 2008.

Pa Modou Kah
Pronunciation: paw KAW
Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
Born: July 30, 1980, in Banjul, The Gambia
Last Club: Al-Wehda (Saudi Arabia)
College: n/a
Citizenship: Norway/The Gambia
Acquired: Signed May 3, 2013