When Zarek Valentin joined the Montreal Impact as a 20-year-old in 2012, veteran Davy Arnaud took him aside and offered him some advice.

Arnaud told him to take time off the field to truly experience every city he played in.

It's advice that Valentin has taken to heart throughout his career and it's why he has made a point of immersing himself in the Portland community during his more than two seasons with the Timbers.

"I tell everyone that I could live here the rest of my life," Valentin said. "It's not just the club. Obviously, I could speak for hours about the club. It's just the vibe of the city, the view of the city, the neighborhoods, the restaurants, the outdoors, the everything. I love it."

Before joining the Timbers in 2016, Valentin had been a journeyman, playing for three clubs in five years as he moved from Chivas USA to the Montreal Impact to Bodo/Glimt in Norway.

But when former Timbers head coach Caleb Porter, who coached Valentin at the University of Akron, offered the defender a chance to join the Timbers in 2016, he jumped at the opportunity. Though new to the Pacific Northwest, it didn't take long for Valentin to feel right at home in Portland.

The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native decided to rent an apartment in the heart of the city next to Providence Park and immediately dug into his new community.

He has spent numerous hours exploring the restaurants, shops and parks in Northwest Portland and downtown and can rattle off a long list of favorite spots -- He loves taking his dogs, Winston and Rufus, to Wallace Park and can't stop raving about the burgers at Pine Street Market's Bless Your Heart. He also loves the laid back culture in Portland and the proximity to nature. He has already made it out to the Oregon coast and Cape Kiwanda and hopes to find time to explore Mt. Hood and take a trip to Crater Lake.

At the same time, Valentin has tried to get involved in the community on a deeper level by working with the Timbers organization to volunteer at local children's hospitals, Doernbecher and Shriners. He's also been a big proponent of local feminist brand Wildfang and has actively promoted their clothing line and progressive causes on social media.

"I never stop talking if you ask anyone," Valentin said. "As athletes, we have a platform to spread good and a responsibility to promote good things. I genuinely believe that."

As he has embraced the city of Portland off the field, Valentin has also developed into an important player for the Timbers on the field.

Originally brought in as a depth piece on defense, the 26-year-old has ended up playing a critical role for the Timbers on the backline with his ability to shift from right back to left back, and even play center back if called upon. He has made at least 17 starts in each of the last two seasons and has started in five of six games this year, filling in at both right and left back as needed.

"He's a smart player," Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. "He's a player that tries to keep things simple. He's a player that follows the assignments that you ask him to do on the field and he continues to grow."

A fun-loving and social person, Valentin enjoys joking around with his teammates after training or starting up conversations when he runs into fans off the field.

On Wednesday, he secretly joined in a media scrum with Fanendo Adi after practice, holding up a water bottle in place of a tape recorder and putting on a serious face until Adi noticed.

"Personally, I've always found that the happier I am off the field, the better I can perform on the field," Valentin said. "Things have gone pretty well this year, but I'm never satisfied personally with my performances. I can always do better."

Last spring, Valentin started to feel even more settled in Portland after his fiance, Liz McAteer, finally moved to the city to join him.

McAteer has quickly fallen in love with the city as well and started a new job in pediatric psychiatry in February. The couple even decided that they wanted to have their wedding in Portland. They will be married at a venue in downtown in December.

As an professional athlete, Valentin knows that his career could take him to another city at some point and, with his contract up at the end of the season, nothing is guaranteed. But he and McAteer can also see Portland becoming their permanent home. They've even talked about buying a house if Valentin remains with the Timbers next year.

But for now, Valentin is trying to make the most of every moment in his adopted city, on and off the field.

"I couldn't be happier," Valentin said. "This is slowly becoming home and I'm very excited about that."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg