It was a cold winter day in December when Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter called Diego Valeri.

The Timbers were coming off a disappointing 2016 season and preparing to send Argentine winger, Lucas Melano, on loan after a mostly unproductive year and a half in the Rose City. They were ready to make a large investment to sign yet another Argentine winger in his place.

By the time Porter spoke to Valeri, the club had already set their sights on Sebastian Blanco. Timbers general manager and president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson had witnessed Blanco play in numerous trips to Argentina over the years and Porter had pored over hours of video during the offseason. In Blanco, they saw a proven and dynamic winger that could provide goals and assists in Portland and had the potential to change the entire attack.

Valeri, who had come up through the ranks with Blanco and turned pro at Argentine club Lanus just a few years before the midfielder, was on the phone as one final and eminently trusted character reference.

The first words out Valeri's mouth confirmed what Porter already believed to be true from his scouting:

He's a competitor. He's a winner.

A NEW "BROTHER"

Blanco learned to play the most beloved sport in Argentina on the cement futsal courts near his home in Lomas de Zamora, a suburb of Buenos Aires.

As a child, he would spend afternoons playing pick-up games on the small-sided soccer field with his older brother German. The two competitive siblings always made sure they were on different teams with the winner earning bragging rights. When he wasn't on the field, little Seba usually joined his soccer-crazed father, Alberto, and two brothers in cheering on San Lorenzo, the family's favorite club.

Blanco was eight when he left the futsal court to try out for a spot in the youth system at Lanus.

He made it through just one day of tryouts before breaking his right ankle. After he healed, he managed to secure a spot in the Lanus academy, but the injury left him so terrified of using his right foot that he only kicked the ball with his left for the next year, something that he credits to this day as inadvertently turning him into a two-footed player.

"Once I healed and I was able to go back, I never left," said Blanco through an interpreter. "I played in the youth divisions at Lanus from the time I was eight until I became a professional at 17."

It was at Lanus that Blanco first became acquainted with Valeri.

Valeri was two years his senior, but their teams trained at adjacent fields and the two midfielders got to know each other during Blanco's first year in the youth program. As they moved up the ranks, the two Argentines developed a deep bond. Valeri turned pro with Lanus in 2003 and Blanco followed three years later.

In 2007, the two friends helped lead Lanus to the Apertura championship, the first league title in club history. They celebrated the achievement together on the field at the storied La Bombonera, the stadium of Boca Juniors.

"He was always a special player on the field and a great guy off the field," Valeri said. "We have a special relationship. Now, with the Timbers, that relationship is getting stronger. Here, we're like brothers."

IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT TEAM

Blanco left Lanus two years before Valeri signed with the Timbers.

The midfielder had long dreamed of playing in Europe and jumped at the opportunity to join Ukrainian club FC Metalist Kharkiv in 2011. After three years, he moved to West Bromwich, but struggled to adjust to the new culture and environment, making just three appearances in his short stint in the English Premier League.

"It was difficult to adjust to the new style of play, the day-to-day life," Blanco said. "So, when the opportunity to play for San Lorenzo came up, I jumped at it. I wanted the chance to show my skills again."

Competing for San Lorenzo was a dream come true for Blanco, who had grown up idolizing the prestigious Argentine club. There he revitalized his career, recording 12 goals and 14 assists in 84 appearances from 2015-17. At the same time, he settled down in Buenos Aires, meeting his soon-to-be wife, Natali, and opening up a pizzeria with a group of friends.

But by the end of 2016, Blanco had become increasingly restless.

Professional soccer in Argentina was in a state of chaos. Player safety remained a serious issue and, on top of that, the league was dealing with financial instability. Unpaid wages had caused the players' union to threaten to go on strike. It was unclear whether the season would begin on time.

"We didn't know if we were going to play," Blanco said. "The organization of the whole league was in a bit of disarray. I like structure. I like to know that I'm going to go to training every day and I'm just going to do my work."

Blanco desired stability for his family. Natali was pregnant with the couple's first child and the much sought-after winger desperately wanted to sign with a club where he could continue to grow as a player in a competitive league, while also being able to provide a peaceful home to raise his first child - motives not too different from those that led Valeri to sign with Portland back in 2013.

By January, the Timbers were among a host of teams - along with Liga MX side Club America and Turkish club Fenerbahce - pursuing Blanco. But after a lengthy phone conversation with his trusted compatriot Valeri, Blanco began to focus in on Portland.

Still, San Lorenzo didn't want to give up their talented winger. The negotiations lasted over a month. At points, discussions stalled and the Timbers started seriously looking into backup plans. But Portland ultimately offered San Lorenzo a $4 million transfer fee and the Argentine club finally agreed to let Blanco go.

"It was the longest time that it has ever taken us to acquire a player," Wilkinson said. "But we wanted him and I'll have to give Blanco a lot of credit, he also wanted to be in Portland. We kept our belief and we were finally able to find a way to close a deal."

AT HOME IN PORTLAND

Blanco's first few months in Portland weren't easy.

The diminutive 5 foot 6 midfielder had to adapt to MLS and the physical style of play, and even though he and Natali immediately started taking English classes twice a week, the language barrier posed an added challenge. The 29-year-old recorded an unremarkable one goal and two assists in his first 14 appearances for the Timbers.

But he has emerged as one of Portland's most indispensable players over the last two months.

In late July, Blanco sent a deft pass through two Houston Dynamo defenders to Valeri before sprinting into the box in anticipation of his fellow Argentine's next move. Valeri dribbled toward goal before cutting the ball back to Blanco, who calmly scored to give the Timbers a lead. The goal came a week after Blanco scored the game-winner at Vancouver. In his last 11 starts, he has four goals and four assists.

While Blanco's sometimes uncanny chemistry with Valeri has been a bonus for the club, the hard working Argentine winger has also brought flair and important versatility to the attack with his ability to play on both wings and shift between spots to provide width or challenge opponents centrally. His ability to cover ground and unselfishly contribute on defense has also been key for Portland.

"When you look at (Darlington) Nagbe and him in a 4-2-3-1, I don't know if you could have two better guys on the wings," Porter said. "They can play on either side, they can provide width and penetration wide and they can also come in and play in the pockets. That makes us less predictable. That makes our front four very fluid."

Blanco's production on the field has grown exponentially over time, just as he and his family have slowly grown to embrace Portland as their new home. After scoring each of his goals this year, Blanco has raised his hands to the sky in the shape of a heart, an ode to his pregnant wife.

At the end of August, Blanco and Natali will welcome their first daughter. She'll be an "original Timber," said Blanco proudly in English as he sat on a bench looking out on the Timbers training field on a recent sunny summer afternoon. A bright smile crossed his face as he spoke.

The couple has already picked out a fitting name for their daughter. They'll call her Felicitas, which is derived directly from the Spanish word for happiness.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg