Rodney Wallace will retire a Timber

Portland Timbers great Rodney Wallace has signed a one-day contract with the club in order to officially retire. Wallace will also be recognized prior to Sunday’s match against the Seattle Sounders at Providence Park.

“Thinking back on my career, I realized that retiring as a Timber was the best way for me to respect what the organization has done for me and what I was able to do for the club, the city, and the fans,” said midfielder Rodney Wallace via a press release. “Winning an MLS Cup is my biggest accomplishment to date, and I’m proud to have been a part of that.”

The Timbers acquired Wallace back in 2010 after trading Dax McCarty to D.C. United in exchange for the midfielder. Wallace was a part of the inaugural Timbers team in 2011 and made 129 appearances (101 starts) over five seasons. He tallied 18 goals and 20 assists during his time with the club and won Comeback Player of the Year back in 2014.

Wallace’s most notable team accomplishment was helping Portland win MLS Cup in 2015. He played a significant role with the club during that run, scoring the first goal against Kansas City in a knockout-round match and also scoring the game-winner against the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup final.

“Rodney Wallace gave so much to our club. Having him make the choice to retire a Timber is something that is tremendously meaningful to me personally and is testament to the quality experience many players have with us,” said Timbers owner and CEO Merritt Paulson in the release. “Also doing this before a Seattle game is fitting. Few Timbers ‘gutted the fish’ like Rodney!”

“First and foremost, I want to thank Rodney for everything he gave this club and for recognizing the club by deciding to retire a Timbers player,” said Timbers general manager and president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson in the release. “What Rodney brought to the Timbers was all encompassing – his quality, belief, commitment, desire, and swagger helped shape this club. His contributions on the field and in games was obvious for all to see, however the mentality he brought every day to the training ground was equally important. On behalf of all the previous and current staff I want to say thank you Rodney for choosing to be a Timbers player.”

Wallace also spent time playing overseas with Arouca and Sport Recife. He played two more seasons in MLS after that with New York City FC, where he logged five goals and seven assists. He played his final match with Sporting Kansas City on April 7, 2019.

For the full press release, click here.