Two days after the Portland Timbers announced that they had paid a club-record transfer fee to acquire star forward Brian Fernandez from Liga MX side Necaxa, the 24-year-old Argentine stepped onto the field for his first full training session with his new club.

He was ready to work.

“I just want to be able to contribute to the team and their success," said Fernandez through an interpreter. "All I do is work hard and try to do my best to help.”

Just one week after participating in his first training session with the Timbers, Fernandez is now preparing to make his highly-anticipated debut for Portland.

Fernandez was not eligible to play when the Timbers (3-6-1, 10 points) took on the Vancouver Whitecaps last Friday because Portland had yet to receive the Argentine’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC). His ITC could only be released to the Timbers after he finished serving a three-game Liga MX suspension stemming from an April 28 incident where Fernandez got into a yelling match with a fan after being shown a questionable red card against Monterrey. The fan reportedly made vulgar comments toward Fernandez, who responded by spitting in the direction of the fan.

But Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said that Fernandez would be eligible and could potentially make his debut Wednesday when Portland travels to face the Houston Dynamo.

“He is eligible for this game,” Savarese said. “If he’s traveling, I’m pretty sure we’re going to see something from him.”

While Savarese said Fernandez would likely play in Wednesday’s game if he travels with the team, he would not say for sure whether the club’s new designated player would be joining the team in Houston or whether Fernandez could earn a spot in the starting 11 for the game. If he plays, it is more likely that Fernandez would come off the bench, rather than start in Houston, given his limited time with the team so far.

Even though Savarese wouldn’t tip his hand in regard to his lineup decisions for Wednesday, Fernandez could certainly give the Timbers a boost against a difficult Houston team if he sees the field. The fourth-place Dynamo (6-2-1, 19 points) are 5-0-1 at home this season.

“We’ve seen him train a few times and he’s pretty good, I’ll tell you that much,” Timbers defender Zarek Valentin said. “I’m excited to see him on the field and I’m excited for other teams to see him. I think it will open up a lot of space for a lot of different players because if you can have players on both sides of the field that are consistently being dangerous and putting defenders on their heels, it doesn’t allow a team to necessarily home in on one player and try to just stop him.”

While the addition of Fernandez could certainly help the Timbers Wednesday, Portland will have to overcome the absence of another crucial player.

Timbers midfielder Diego Chara, who picked up a yellow card in the 90th minute of Friday’s game at Vancouver, will miss Wednesday’s match as he serves a suspension for yellow card accumulation. Chara is absolutely vital for the Timbers. Portland has not won a game in 23 matches without Chara, dating back to July 2015.

Savarese will have to consider some new options as he aims to replace Chara and set the Timbers up to try to get a win Wednesday.

Portland recently traded midfielder David Guzman, who would have been the most obvious replacement for Chara. Without Guzman as an option, Savarese could insert Andy Polo back into the lineup, give Renzo Zambrano his first start as a Timber or move Bill Tuiloma to central midfield. He could also opt to change his formation.

“We have different options,” Savarese said.

Regardless of who steps on the field Wednesday, the Timbers will need to put in a strong performance if they hope to earn a positive result against a difficult Houston team.

The Timbers, who are playing their first 12 games of the season on the road due to construction at Providence Park, will play just two more games away from home before returning to Providence Park for their home opener on June 1. Savarese said that the club wants to finish its long road stretch on a high note.

“Credit to guys, they have traveled, they have battled,” Savarese said. “At the beginning, it was tough, but now we’ve found some balance. Two more games, but we need to make sure right now we are focused on Houston. That’s the team that’s in front of us. We need to be prepared.”

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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