Portland Timbers Sign Taylor Peay, Make Schillo Tshuma Official

The Portland Timbers made official their first two picks in the 2014 MLS Superdraft, Schillo Tshuma and Taylor Peay, today, adding Tshuma, already on a Generation Adidas contract with the league, to the roster and signing Peay.

Both players impressed during the team's preseason trip to Tucson, Arizona, which concludes after the Timbers' match against Indy 11 tomorrow. Tshuma, 21, split time between the Timbers' first team group and the reserves in their first three preseason matches, scoring a goal in last week's 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City. Peay played with the reserves in all three matches, lining up at fullback on either side of the pitch where he impressed with his tackling and athleticism.

The signing leaves the Timbers with 29 27 players on the roster and the intention of signing a fourth goalkeeper, according to statements from Caleb Porter. This leaves draftees Aaron Long, George Fochive, and Victor Chavez on the outside looking in and very unlikely to make the team.

(Counting is hard)

The Timbers' press release:

TIMBERS ADD SCHILLO TSHUMA TO ROSTER, SIGN TAYLOR PEAY
Forward, defender join Portland for rookie campaigns in 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced that the club has added forward Schillo Tshuma to its roster and signed defender Taylor Peay, both selected by Portland in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

A member of Generation adidas, Tshuma, 21, was selected No. 17 overall by the Timbers in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. He recorded 16 goals and three assists in 49 career games over two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland. A native of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, he helped the Terrapins reach the NCAA 2013 College Cup final against Notre Dame. Tshuma was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team selection as a sophomore and was the second-leading scorer for Maryland last season, scoring six goals and one assist in 25 appearances (all starts). Moving from Zimbabwe to the Washington, D.C., suburbs in 2008 as part of a partnership between Grassroots Soccer and Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., Tshuma was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2012 after notching 10 goals and two assists in his first collegiate season.

Peay, 22, was selected in the second round (No. 26 overall) of the 2014 SuperDraft by Portland. He was a key member of the University of Washington defensive unit for four seasons, making 70 appearances (56 starts) from 2010-13. Peay became the third player in program history to earn NSCAA First Team All-America honors, also garnering All-Pac 12 first-team honors, in 2013 after helping the Huskies defense concede just 17 goals en route to the conference championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. Playing the full 90 minutes in each of the team’s three NCAA tournament games, Peay helped the Huskies reach the Elite 8, the program’s deepest tournament run in school history. A Salt Lake City native, Peay registered a career-high six goals during his senior season, and was one of 15 finalists for the 2013 MAC Hermann Trophy.

Schillo Tshuma
Pronunciation: SHEE-lo CHOO-ma
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Weight: 160
Born: Sept. 21, 1992
Hometown: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
College: University of Maryland
Citizenship: Zimbabwe
Acquired: Selected in the first round (No. 17 overall) in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft

Taylor Peay
Position: Defender
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180
Born: Sept. 5, 1991
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
College: University of Washington
Citizenship: United States
Acquired: Selected in the second round (No. 26 overall) in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft