With all the hype going into the Portland Timbers' first home game of the season Thursday night, the club made even bigger news Wednesday. They have signed midfielder Diego Chará as the club's first Designated Player.
Portland Timbers Sign First Designated Player, Midfielder Diego Chará
Chará will be added to the Timbers roster and will be eligible for selection upon the receipt of his P-1 visa. The 25-year-old striker joins the Timbers from Colombian first-division club Deportes Tolima, the same club where current Timbers striker Jorge Perlaza.
“Diego possesses a tireless work ethic, speed and exceptional technical ability,” Timbers general manager/technical director Gavin Wilkinson said in a team release. “He has consistently performed at a high level in Colombia and we’ve watched him closely for the past six months. We’ve stated that should a player become available that is exciting, young, talented, attack-minded and worth an investment of this type, we would definitely look to sign him. Diego is the right fit for the city and this organization.”
Prior to joining the Timbers, Chará scored two goals in nine league matches for Tolima as the club led the Liga Postobón in scoring through the first 11 games of the 2011 Apertura season with 23 goals. He also played in seven games in the 2011 Copa Libertadores, tallying an assist in a 2-0 win over Brazilian power Corinthians in the early stages of the tournament.
Chará is likely the playmaker that John Spencer has been looking for since day one. So far this season the Timbers attack has been hit or miss, mostly miss. With the likes of Kenny Cooper, Perlaza, rookie Darlington Nagbe, and Eddie Johnson, the Timbers have a quality attack already. Adding Chará will only help improve that.
Be sure to check out Stumptown Footy, SBNation.com’s Portland Timbers blog for more information on the Chará signing.
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