The Portland Timbers announced the signing of their first four players on Tuesday afternoon, three of which were already on the team's roster for the 2010 USSF D-2 season. But the club isn't done there.
"We do anticipate taking at least another two players from the current 2010 Portland Timbers roster," technical director Gavin Wilkinson said during a press conference on Tuesday. "Those players were players that we felt stepped up in playoffs."
Three of the club's first four signings—Bright Dike, Ryan Pore and Austin Aztex striker Eddie Johnson—are attackers. The fourth is former LA Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin. Wilkinson expects the two further signings to start to fill out the positions on the squad.
"One of those players was a midfielder that, for us, was one of the most dominant players toward the end of the season and then playoffs," he said. "The other is a central defender that we think has a bright, bright future."
In discussing his team-building philosophy, particularly the importance of acquiring players from the club's previous iteration, Wilkinson made special mention of the Timbers' biggest rivals.
"Even though we may not like mentioning their name a lot, I think [Seattle] deserve a little bit of credit," he said. "You look at players such as Sebastien Le Toux, one of the league-leading goal-scorers this year, he came from Division 2. He was a standout player at this level. I think having a good foundation, a solid group of players, it allows John [Spencer, Timbers head coach] and myself to look at what pieces we need as far as developing a winning team."
Meet the newest Portland Timbers:
