The Ayala Replacement?
After David Ayala was sold to Miami, one question was on everyone’s mind: “Who will replace him?” Three weeks later, it appears that the question has been partially answered.
Who is Cole Bassett?
Cole Bassett is a 24-year-old central midfielder from Colorado. In 2017, he joined the Colorado Rapids academy and made his first-team debut the next year (against the Timbers). 2020 was his breakout season; notching 5g/5a in 15 games. In 2021, he became a regular starter for a Rapids team that finished 1st in the Western Conference (5g/3a in 33 games). Due to those exploits, the Rapids sent him on a season-and-a-half long loan to Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He arrived in January 2022 and only played 86 minutes across 7 games in the back half of the season. That season-and-a-half long loan to Feyenoord turned into a half-season loan in August 2022. Colorado recalled Bassett and sent him back to the Netherlands but to a different club (Fortuna Sittard). Two starts and 11 appearances later (0g/0a), he was recalled by Colorado again in November 2022.
Upon his return to the Box State, the 21-year-old Bassett regained his starting role and posted 6g/1a in 2023 (25 appearances [22 starts]). But 2024 was his best season in Colorado. Deployed as a box-crashing 8 under new head coach Chris Armas, the Box State native tallied 9g/6a in 30 games (29 starts). This season was Best-XI worthy, even though he ended it with zero national honors. However, he did help his boyhood club make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Bassett was expected to build on that excellent season in 2025, but Armas kept tinkering with Colorado’s shape. 2024’s edition of the Rapids featured a 4-2-3-1 with Bassett in the pivot. In 2025, his position seemingly shifted week after week. Sometimes he was on the left wing. Sometimes he played as a number 10. But that 2024 consistency wasn’t there as Armas kept shuffling the midfield. Bassett finished 2025 with 3g/3a in 28 games.
The Roster-Building Aspect
In January 2024, Bassett signed a four-year contract extension with Colorado. That new contract was under the U22 Initiative, and he’ll continue to occupy that spot until the start of the 2027/28 season (when he turns 26 and ages out of the designation).
Per Tom Bogert of The Athletic, Colorado will receive an initial fee of $2.65M with a potential $1.05M in add-ons. Using my “Amortization Estimation,” Bassett’s raw cap hit is $2,175,000 (transfer fee divided by remaining length of contract [2] and added to base salary). He’ll hit Portland’s cap at $200K because of the U22 designation.
Because that cap hit will remain $2,175,000 at the start of the 2027/28 season, he could become a DP. However, it’s possible that the Timbers use GAM or TAM to buy down his cap hit to keep one of their high-value roster spots open. But that’s something to think about in the future, not right now.
The On-Field Aspect
I’m going to make an important distinction right off the bat: Cole Bassett is technically the David Ayala replacement.
The Timbers opened up a U22 slot with Ayala’s sale. Bassett is taking that slot. That is where the similarities end. Bassett will fill Ayala’s place in the Roster Profile, but not on the depth chart.
The American midfielder is more of a replacement for Felipe Carballo or Cristhian Paredes. But he adds something that the Timbers have been lacking in midfield for a while: off-ball runs.
Bassett’s raw progression stats won’t blow you away.
This radar is taken from 2025, when Bassett played all over the field. In 2024, Bassett had the most cumulative g+ (goals added) among all MLS defensive midfielders. 31% of that total belonged to one category: receiving.
Last year, I made multiple references to Portland’s struggles with receiving the ball in dangerous areas. Bassett’s 2024 g+ tally in that category was 2.38. Three 2025 Timbers surpassed that tally, but they were all attackers. Ayala is the first defensive midfielder to show up on the chart, and his number is 0.9.
Bassett’s engine and willingness to move off the ball will open up holes in opposition defenses for him and his teammates to exploit. That’s his superpower. He isn’t the most polished defensively, but he’s an attack-minded player with the ability to help Portland in the final third.
Final Whistle
Cole Bassett is an excellent addition, but he will not replace David Ayala. The Timbers have a player that can help their attack, but they still need to find a player that can progress the ball and win it back. Bassett isn’t that player, but his strengths are something that the Timbers desperately need.
I’d like to take a bit to properly acknowledge the significance of this transfer. Cole Bassett is the first player that the Timbers have brought to Portland for a cash fee. They’ve done a fair bit of business with allocation money, but the cashfer market (in Portland’s case) was a tool to sell players, not buy them. Bassett is a perfect example of what this type of transfer can do for the Timbers. A proven, MLS-tested player who can instantly slot into the starting lineup.
I expect to see him in the starting lineup for the majority of the season. After spending the majority of his 24 years running in the Colorado altitude, the Portland air should be even more of a boost to his tireless style of play. Although the future implications of the deal could result in some interesting questions in the summer of 2027, he’s an instant-impact homegrown American player who will provide the Timbers with off-ball contributions and goals from the pivot. One midfielder down, one to go. Onwards.
