Portland Timbers Still in the Hunt for a New Winger After Losing Out on Liga MX Player

The Major League Soccer season might almost be upon us, but the transfer rumors surrounding the Portland Timbers and their depth out on the wing continued today as team owner Merritt Paulson tweeted that the Timbers are still looking to bring in a player on the wing.

Interestingly, Paulson also confirmed that the team had lost out on another player -- something he had also refereed to in a since-deleted tweet last week -- this time adding that the player was in Liga MX and that the Timbers had lost out on him because of a "performance he had last week".

These little details are certainly interesting, particularly in light of recent criticisms of Major League Soccer that have come from fans around the league after a number of clubs lost players via transfer or otherwise to Liga MX clubs over the offseason, including former Timber Jorge Villafana to Santos Laguna.

The details shared by Paulson do not, however, give a clear picture of just what kind of player that the Timbers are pursuing. Looking purely at the highlights of the Liga MX's week 6 results, the Timbers could be aiming for a youngster like Pachuca's Hirving Lozano, 20, who stood out in the side's 5-2 comeback win over Puebla and would certainly be an exciting (but probably financially unfeasible) investment, or could be targeting an older player like Club America's Rubens Sambueza, 32, who is coming toward the end of his contract with one of Mexico's most storied sides, but may have re-signed after some impactful performances in recent matches.

Another possibility is that the Timbers were looking to link back up with the team's 2012 draft pick Miguel Ibarra. After Ibarra, 25, signed with the NASL's Minnesota North Stars -- now Minnesota United -- rather than with the Timbers, he received three caps with the United States Men's National Team for his performances and was transferred to Mexico's Club Leon. Since his arrival in Mexico at the start of the Liga MX's 2015/16 season, Ibarra has been a fringe player for Leon, making seven appearances for the side in the Apertura and not yet getting on the field for the side seven weeks into the Clausura. Adding fuel to this line of speculation is Ibarra's Twitter account, which recently followed both Paulson's and the Timbers' accounts.

Of course, as Paulson tweeted, this particular move is not happening and we will have to wait to see just where the Timbers look next as they continue their search for the Mystery Winger.