On Tuesday we kicked off our 2014 You be the Portland Timbers GM feature with the goalkeeper, Donovan Ricketts. Following the end of the Portland Timbers' season, we are looking ahead to next year by offering fans a chance to evaluate the team's impact players.

Today, we're taking a look at defender Norberto Paparatto following his first season in Portland. Get a quick rundown on his performance this year and then check out the thoughts of our panel — The Oregonian's Jamie Goldberg and bloggers Kip Kesgard, Rick Curwen and Jennifer Kesgard — then cast your vote in the poll and add your thoughts in the comments section below. Here's what you need to know before you cast your vote.

Name: Norberto Paparatto

Age: 30

Vitals: 6' 3", 180 lbs

The Portland Timbers acquired Argentine center back Norberto Paparatto in the 2013 offseason to help shore up their back line in 2014. But Paparatto had trouble adjusting to MLS and a series of injuries limited his playing time in 2014. He made just 12 starts during the entire season.

In the beginning of the year, Paparatto didn't speak much English and the center back said that made it difficult for him to adjust on the field. Early in the year, he often made mistakes on the back line, conceded the ball too much and made some bad decisions to foul opponents. By mid-season, he had lost his starting center back position. Still, as the season went on, Paparatto began to adjust and earned his way back into the starting 11. By the end of the season, he looked like a much more consistent option alongside Liam Ridgewell at center back.

Our panel weighs in:

Jamie Goldberg: The Timbers need a consistent center back to start alongside Liam Ridgewell in 2015 and Norberto Paparatto may be the right player for that role. After an incredibly poor start to the 2014 season, Paparatto appeared to have adjusted to MLS by the end of the year and looked much more like the consistent defender that he was touted as before arriving in Portland. Paparatto seemed prone to injury in 2014, which could continue to be a problem heading into next season. Still, if the Argentine center back can stay healthy, he should be able to provide a solid presence on the field for Portland moving forward.

Rick Curwen: Paparatto, signed at the start of the 2014, had an erratic season in a defense that saw frequent personnel changes as Caleb Porter sought to stem the tide of goals conceded. Seen as an experienced and composed central defender who could play the ball out from the back as opposed to hoofing it up the field, Paparatto failed to impress in his early games. The mid-season arrival of Liam Ridgewell helped stabilize the back line and Paparatto's performances in the latter part of the season were all the better for it. I think the Paparatto/Ridgewell pairing could work and I'd be willing to give it more time in 2015.

Jennifer Kesgard: Paparatto experienced an unfortunate phenomenon when he joined the Timbers this year: being blamed for most of the defensive lapses. Following the successful 2013 season with the seemingly magical pair of Futty Danso and Pa Modou Kah, when the Timbers began 2014 with a sieve in the back, the only possible explanation was Paparatto, not that The Great Wall was breaking, too. Anyone could be expected to need some time to adjust to a new team and city but the scrutiny seemed amplified due to fan expectations. As the season continued, the blame then shifted to Futty, who did have a few noticeable gaffs but was not the main source. Paparatto and Liam Ridgewell pair up very nicely together. I'd like to see that continue. In fact, I command it. I'll talk about Kah more when it's his turn.

Kip Kesgard: He's by far the most physically imposing defender of the center back options the Timbers have, and as a late addition to the starting rotation during the late stages of the 2014 season, I thought Paparatto paired best with Liam Ridgewell, the team's designated player center back. It's a lot to ask for players to acclimate to the MLS environment - turf, various weather conditions, language barrier - and with his offseason signing, I thought the team put a lot of pressure on Norberto to be the early season savior for the defense and he had issues living up to the expectations. I know injury kept him out of some matches, and it still seemed at points that he was too willing to do his own thing defensively instead of syncing with the rest of the backline, but it seemed like working within the existing talent and coaches, Paparatto was far more effective late as he became more comfortable within the system. I'd like to see him stay as an option at center back especially after having a full year to familiarize himself with Portland and the Timbers, because I think his presence could be a huge key for the needed defensive improvement the Timbers must adopt to be competitive next season.