Portland Timbers host Real Salt Lake in conference finals

Portland left back Michael Harrington (right) has been training with the U.S. men's national team during the month of January. He is competing to earn a spot on the final roster that will travel to Brazil and compete in the 2014 World Cup. Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

Portland defender Michael Harrington will be a different and improved player when he joins the Timbers' training camp in Tucson, Ariz., next week.

The left back has been training with the U.S. men's national team this month. Regardless of whether Harrington earns a spot on the final roster for the 2014 World Cup, the experience of training with and competing against elite players on a daily basis will help Harrington and the Timbers.

"It will give him a lot of confidence, knowing that there are a lot of left backs in America, and he got chosen ahead of everyone," said Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, a member of the Jamaican national team since 1998. "That will be good for Mikey and hopefully translate back to the Timbers."

Harrington is one of at least four uncapped players still on the roster who are continuing their training in Carson, Calif. The others are Seattle outside back DeAndre Yedlin, Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil and Chicago forward Mike Magee.

U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann hasn't decided on the final roster that will compete in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this summer, but Harrington survived the latest cut that occurred after the team returned from a 12-day stay in Brazil for what Klinsmann labeled a "dry run" for the quadrennial tournament.

Harrington and some of the remaining group of 22 players will get an opportunity to improve their chances of earning a spot on the final roster when the United States hosts South Korea in an international friendly Saturday at the StubHub Center.

Harrington will certainly have plenty of support inside the Timbers locker room.

"We're all hoping he gets a go in the game," Portland midfielder Jack Jewsbury said. "Because it looks like he's proven himself pretty well in the first few weeks."

Entering his second season with the Timbers and eighth MLS season overall, the call-up to the senior national team represents a highlight of Harrington's career.

Acquired after a trade with Kansas City in December 2012, the 28-year-old Harrington is coming off a strong season in his first year with the Timbers. Harrington started all 33 games he appeared in, providing solid defense while giving the Timbers another attacking player on the left side.

Harrington was a starter on a team that finished in first place in the Western Conference during the regular season and advanced to the conference championship series. Being a starter on a winning team always helps when the national team coaches are evaluating players for potential call-ups.

"I was hoping to get called up, but I didn't know," Harrington said by phone Wednesday from Santa Monica, Calif. "You put your focus on having a good season and for the team to be successful and do well. I was blessed because we had a great season. I just kind of hoped that the national team coaches had been watching those games and thought that I had performed well and wanted to give me an opportunity."

Harrington said he expects the experience of being around fellow national team players such as Landon Donovan, Kyle Beckerman, Brad Davis and Chris Wondolowksi for the past month will help him grow as a player and enhance his contributions to the Timbers.

"It's having the focus that goes into the details of everything that you're doing on the field — never taking a play off when you're playing at this level," Harrington said. "Whether that's the communication that you're giving the guys around you, organizing, the small details have to be there every play. That's something that's important to bring back — bring back that intensity and attention to detail."

Jewsbury, who trained with the 2009 national team, noticed one big difference during his time and expects Harrington will encounter a similar experience.

"The speed of play is just a touch quicker. The level of players that are there, it makes the speed of the play that much quicker," Jewsbury said. "So when he comes back here, you'd like to think it slows down for him a little bit and makes it that much easier."

Harrington hopes he'll get an opportunity to play during that friendly on Saturday. That opportunity could prove crucial in his quest to earn a spot on the final roster and join the national team in Brazil for the World Cup tournament.

Harrington said he'll fly from Los Angeles to Tucson following the game and rejoin the Timbers on Sunday. He will join the Timbers' training camp and see a few new faces, including recently acquired left back Jorge Villafana.

Villafana, who played seven seasons with Chivas USA, won't be replacing Harrington at the position. The 24-year-old was brought in primarily for depth.

"At this point, Mikey's the starter at left back," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. "Mikey's playing for the national team right now at left back. So it would be hard to move him anywhere."

It's likely that Porter will notice that Harrington is ready to play. The national team opened its training camp Jan. 6 and the schedule included two-a-day training sessions in the heat during the stay in Sao Paulo, which ran from Jan. 13 to Jan. 25.

Harrington said the training sessions were grueling, but beneficial. He added that the training has accelerated his game rounding into form just as he prepares to return to the Timbers.

"I'm kind of really starting to feel good about my game," Harrington said. "It's the preseason, and it takes a little while to get yourself back into full game shape. I'm starting to feel very fit, which is a good starting point to coming back into your season."

Notes: The Timbers travel to Arizona on Thursday and resume training in Tucson on Friday. They will play their first preseason game against defending MLS champion Kansas City on Saturday. The other scheduled games are against Houston (Feb. 5), Seattle (Feb. 8) and NASL squad Indy Eleven (Feb. 12) before returning to Portland (Feb. 13).

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold