Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson is never shy about expressing his opinion and he provided plenty about a âbizarre seasonâ for his team in a wide-ranging final episode of Timbers in 30.
A year after reaching MLS Cup, the Timbers fell short of their goal of getting back there, losing, 2-1, to Real Salt Lake in Round One of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs. He called watching the Seattle Sounders defeat RSL in the Conference Semifinals âpainful.â
âWe gave Seattle a gift. We really did,â Paulson said. âAll due respect to Salt Lake, weâre the better team. We had a lot of success against Seattle in the playoffs.â
There were challenges â the 12 consecutive road games to start the season due to the renovations at Providence Park â chief among them in a season full of adversity.
âI canât remember a season where we had so much adversity,â Paulson said. âSome of it was public, some of it was not public.â
Paulson credited coach Giovanni Savarese âfor keeping things in-house that should be kept in-house.â He also gave his stamp of approval for the job Savarese, who was criticized for some tactical decisions against RSL, did in his second season at the helm.
âIâm pleased with the job Gio did, that the coaches did,â he said. âIâve got no issues or questions with tactical decisions made down the stretch. Again, iâve got a full perspective on everything happening. I think weâre in good hands. Ultimately I think weâre going to be in good shape going forward.â
The biggest offseason question is the future of Designated Player Diego Valeri, who is out of contract at seasonâs end. Will the 33-year-old Argentine, who has 76 goals and 81 assists in 211 regular season games, be back?
âFirst and foremost, we want Diego back. I want Diego back, Iâve told him I want him back,â Paulson said. âGio wants him back, [Timbers GM] Gavin [Wilkinson] wants him back. He, along with Diego Chara, have been the faces of this franchise. They both should retire Portland Timbers.â
Paulson said thereâs a multi-year offer on the table âpretty similar to his current situation,â in which heâs been the highest paid Timbers player since he arrived in 2013.
âBut we also have to work within the realities of the MLS cap structure,â Paulson said. âItâs important that we had to have flexibility and we have flexibility with the DP spot. Iâm cautiously optimistic. At the same time, I want him to be happy and heâs got to do whatâs best for him and his family. Iâd love to see him back here.â
Paulson also would like to see Brian Fernandez, who is currently in the MLS SABH Program, return to be the impactful player he was in his first season with the Timbers, scoring 11 goals. âWhen himself,â Paulson said, Fernandez is a âdifferent-level type of difference maker.â
Paulson said Wilkinson and Savarese were in Europe on a scouting mission and theyâd address the media at a press conference next week. But the owner gave a few tidbits into what additions the Timbers hope to make this offseason.
âWe already have terms basically agreed to with a young, promising outside back, or right back,â Paulson said. âThe plans are to add a central defender, We probably will add a center midfielder and I think, moving to the attack, we need a productive winger, a right winger likely, a scoring threat. And then weâre really thin at the forward position, with or without Brian right now. âĤ Weâll add a forward as well.â