Portland Timbers Offseason To-Do List: Part One

Now that Phil Neville has been named the new head coach of the Portland Timbers, it’s time to look at the roster and what needs to be done in order for the Timbers to return to the playoffs. However, I’m going to address Neville’s introductory press conference first. 

Phil Neville took the podium alongside GM Ned Grabavoy on Tuesday morning. He seems like a man who is genuinely happy to be here and said all the correct things that he needed to. I honestly think that a meeting between Neville and the Timbers Army needs to happen, because he is very open to meeting the supporters of this great club. He’s already been thrown into the deep end and it’s not really his fault. He kept talking about how he’s grown as a person and I’m willing to give him that chance to prove it. Ned Grabavoy fully stuck by his assessment of Neville’s character, so I’m going to treat this situation kind of like Brian Fernandez. The team knew of Fernandez’s drug problem before making him their record signing (at the time) and it ended up resurfacing in Portland, causing him to leave the club. If Neville’s character ends up being a problem, the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulders of the people who hired him. For the record, he was polite and very open with the media today, and I’m hoping that he can lead this club to plenty of wins and a lot of trophies. 

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In order to accomplish that, there are several question marks on this roster that need to be addressed. I’m going to go through those areas in order for most crucial to least crucial. This is my opinion, and I don’t expect all of you to agree with me. Let’s get this started.

1. Expiring Contracts

Before you can think about bringing in new players, you must address the players who are already on the roster. Here’s a picture of the Timbers’ salary situation at the end of the 2023 season:

Credit to Twitter user @DesertCorpsPTFC for putting this chart together. Every player listed in red has a contract that expires this offseason. Two of these red players will not be returning: Jaroslaw Niezgoda and Franck Boli. Niezgoda’s option was not picked up but the club will tend to his medical expenses while he recovers from an ACL tear. Boli’s option was picked up by the club, but he personally declined it. That leaves Eric Miller, David Bingham, Larrys Mabiala, Bryan Acosta, Sebastian Blanco, Justin Rasmussen, Noel Caliskan, and Diego Gutierrez as the players with undecided futures in Portland. Time to look at each of their cases and make a prediction.

Eric Miller

2023 stats across all competitions: 22 appearances (12 starts), 1,204 minutes played, 0g/0a, 1 yellow card.

That is not a pretty chart, and it looks a lot worse than it really is. When you watched Eric Miller this past season, you didn’t see a player who was awful. You saw a player who did exactly what the job required: a serviceable depth piece who could make spot starts and still contribute. He’s a valuable piece of the locker room and is a MLS veteran who is very familiar with the league. He has a team option, and I think it needs to be picked up. 

Larrys Mabiala

2023 stats across all competitions: 23 appearances (12 starts), 879 minutes played, 1g/0a, 3 yellow cards.

Larrys Mabiala deserves better from this fanbase. Since he joined in 2017, he has made 177 appearances for the Timbers and has been a part of 3 trophy-winning teams (yes, I’m counting winning the Western Conference as a trophy). He scored in the MLS is Back Final. In the final months of 2021, he almost single-handedly carried the Timbers to their second MLS Cup, and their failure to win cannot be laid at his feet in any way. However, that was 2021. Before that season began, Mabiala signed a contract extension that expires at the end of this season. That 2021 season was his last hurrah on the pitch, and it’s time for him to enter free agency with a standing ovation from our fanbase. Thank you for your service, Larrys. 

Bryan Acosta

2023 stats across all competitions: 22 appearances (19 starts), 1575 minutes played, 0g/1a, 7 yellow cards.

Those stats are a combination of his time with the Rapids and the Timbers. He made 7 appearances (4 starts) with the Timbers and tallied 1 assist and 1 yellow card. I’m very conflicted about whether or not I want him to return. He did show some of the form that reminded us why Dallas made him a Designated Player. However, he was brought in after the midfield was ravaged by injuries and the Timbers were begging for depth. He also was a positive influence in the locker room. If he was willing to take a serious paycut I wouldn’t have an issue with him returning. But the Timbers have 3 players who can play the 6 (Diego, Paredes, Ayala) and Acosta isn’t really an 8. I’m pretty sure that the team is going to try to retain him, but I think it would be a mistake roster-wise if they did.

Justin Rasmussen/Noel Caliskan/Diego Gutierrez

I’m grouping these three players together because they spent the majority of last season with T2. I think Gutierrez is a T2 player, and he should be brought back as one. Rasmussen is interesting. I think he’s miscast as a left back and could be better suited to playing farther up the pitch. However, if the team sees him as a left back, he’s going to stay with T2. Bring him back. Noel Caliskan has impressed me each time he steps on the field. There is a legitimate possibility of him cracking the midfield rotation next season, and he’s definitely going to be brought back. Not a ton of upside in this group (aside from Caliskan) but they’re valuable reserves who probably won’t see first team minutes unless there’s another serious injury crisis.

David Bingham

2023 stats across all competitions: 21 starts, 6 clean sheets, 33 goals conceded, 53 saves, 2 yellow cards.

Bingham took the starting job from Aljaz Ivacic and had a couple excellent games but wasn’t consistently good. He became the starter by default down the stretch after Ivacic was suspended and conceded 10 goals in the final 3 games of the season. He is set for free agency, but I think the club will bring him back as a backup. This team desperately needs a new #1, and I don’t have an issue with Bingham returning to back up the incoming starter. If he’s starting the season opener, serious questions have to be asked about Ned Grabavoy’s roster construction.

Sebastian Blanco

*Scouting report doesn’t exist*

2023 stats across all competitions: 22 appearances (4 starts), 529 minutes played, 2g/1a, 3 yellow cards.

We have probably seen Sebastian Blanco play his last game in a Timbers shirt. He deserves to go play wherever his heart desires. The future Ring of Honor member notched 203 Timbers appearances and 51 goals in his seven seasons in Portland. There is a possibility that Blanco gets brought back, but I have no idea what the correct number would be to keep him here. If a Felipe Mora-type contract would be acceptable for Blanco, I would have no problem at all with Blanco returning. I don’t think that’s likely, however, so get your farewells ready.

This is the end of part one, but there’s one other piece of news I need to talk about. The Timbers have a new jersey sponsor. Here’s my take on the reaction to DaBella’s new partnership with the Timbers:

When the Yates Report was released, Timbers and Thorns fans quickly took to social media to put pressure on companies who sponsored the Timbers. One of those companies was Alaska Airlines, who decided not to renew their contract with the team and let it expire in 2023. Well, it’s now 2023, and that contract expired. There were plenty of companies the Timbers tried to make a deal with, but a lot of those companies refused. DaBella didn’t, and the Timbers got a deal done. I find it very funny that the Timbers are sponsored by a company that specializes in windows and doors. It’s even funnier that the company will sit in your home and hold you hostage until you upgrade your roof. At least the logo doesn’t look terrible on a kit. We wanted Alaska to stop giving Merritt Paulson money, and now a shady home improvement company with a much smaller profit margin has taken over. Apparently there is a new “Best Seat in the House” promotion coming to Providence Park next season. A few lucky fans will be upgraded to a new seating section that is sponsored by DaBella. New chant alert: “SMALL HOUSE, IN THE MIDDLE OF PP.” 

Quick In Memoriam for the Timbers Plane. Gone, but never forgotten. Fly high.

That’s the end of Part 1. In the next installment of this series we will look at players who are under contract and might need to be moved on and come up with a general shopping list for Ned Grabavoy in the transfer market. Part 3 will be a deep dive with specific players the Timbers should be targeting. Thank you all for reading and I hope you haven’t been visited by a DaBella representative in the past year.

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