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We are just one short week into the Portland Timbers' post season and already things have been shaken up down on Morrison Street. With Jorge Villafana sold to Club Santos Laguna, Maximiliano Urruti taken by FC Dallas in the Re-entry Draft thanks to his (allegedly) byzantine contract, and Will Johnson headed out to Parts Unknown, the Timbers' depth chart is in flux.
The Timbers have never been a team to rest on their laurels, however, and moves are already being made with Chris Klute being brought in from the Columbus Crew to fill the hole at left back left by Villafana's departure. Beyond that, the second round of the Re-entry Draft, the MLS Superdraft, a fresh infusion of targeted allocation money, and the potential return of Nick Besler, Andy Thoma, and Norberto Paparatto all bode well for the Timbers continuing their off-season acquisitions and filling out the roster.
To get a better feel for just what the team still needs, let's take a look at the Timbers' depth chart.
The Attack
Center Forward
- Fanendo Adi
- Lucas Melano
- Michael Seaton
Left Wing
- Rodney Wallace
- Lucas Melano
Right Wing
- Lucas Melano
- Dairon Asprilla
The Timbers' attacking group, despite coming into its own late in the 2015 season, is remarkably thin across the board. With Lucas Melano as the first or second choice in all three positions across the Timbers' front line and no significant depth to speak of behind him, a single injury or suspension up top could prove difficult to deal with. Ad to all of that the rigors of the CONCACAF Champions League and the Timbers definitely need to get deeper across their front three. Michael Seaton could turn out to be a viable No. 2 striker for the Timbers, but as of yet remains unproven.
The Midfield
Attacking Midfield
- Diego Valeri
- Darlington Nagbe
- Lucas Melano
Center Midfield
a.k.a. The Darlington Nagbe Role
- Darlington Nagbe
- Diego Chara
- George Fochive
- Ben Zemanski
Defensive Midfield
- Diego Chara
- Ben Zemanski
- Jack Jewsbury
- George Fochive
- Nick Besler*
Coming into this offseason, the midfield is the one place where the Timbers are clearly stacked. The return of Ben Zemanski to full health following his recovery from the torn ACL that kept him out for the duration of the 2015 season gives the Timbers yet another flexible piece in the center of the pitch while bringing more experience to the side that a player -- no matter how talented -- like George Fochive.
The one area of concern here is in the No. 10 slot, where Darlington Nagbe and Diego Valeri are the team's only real options. Melano makes the list based on Caleb Porter and Gavin Wilkinson's insistence that he is capable of playing anywhere across the Timbers' attacking foursome, but if it comes down to it the Timbers will almost certainly switch up their formation before relying on him to pull the strings.
The Defense
Left Back
- Chris Klute
- Andy Thoma*
Right Back
- Alvas Powell
- Taylor Peay
- Ben Zemanski
- Andy Thoma*
Centerback
- Liam Ridgewell
- Nat Borchers
- Norberto Paparatto*
- Taylor Peay
- Anthony Manning
Goalkeeper
- Adam Kwarasey
- Jake Gleeson
On defense the Timbers appear to be well stocked at centerback, assuming Norberto Paparatto makes his return to the side for 2015. Looking outward, however, the Timbers are perilously thin at fullback. While the right back position seems adequately stocked, particularly with Ben Zemanski once again available, left back is much less so. Currently comprised of newcomer Chris Klute and not-currently-under-contract Andy Thoma, the Timbers will almost certainly want to find a second potential starter for that position to challenge Klute.
The other position at the back that the Timbers will need to find someone for is at goalkeeper. While the No. 1 and No. 2 slots are sew up by Adam Kwarasey and Jake Gleeson, the Timbers will want to find somebody that the team is comfortable putting on the bench with the first team to allow Gleeson to continue getting significant minutes with T2.