BEAVERTON -- Monday brought to the Portland Timbers training facility new players training for a new team under the direction of a new coach.

Meet the Portland Timbers T2 coach Jay Vidovich.

Vidovich and a bunch of new guys (21 field players and four goalkeepers by one count) took the field after the Timbers cleared out on Monday for the first practice for the club's USL PRO team, referred to as T2.

Vidovich came to the Timbers after 21 years as head coach at Wake Forest.

And the first practice went well, he said: "The guys gave a tremendous effort out there."

From the Timbers at the top level, through T2 and down through the academy, Vidovich said the mission is pretty simple. It's "making sure I'm on the same page and making sure the same message is going through and through.

"The majority of the job is making sure someone on my team makes it to Caleb's team."

He's referring to Caleb Porter, head coach of the Timbers. Porter spoke after the Timbers finished training, said the team is "very excited. It's a big piece of this club."

Porter talked about the programs being "vertically integrated ... from top to bottom."

Communication about the rosters throughout the program goes on daily, Porter said.

But while the teams will remain separate groups, there will be some mingling, "some up-and-down in terms of training. Guys who aren't getting minutes with us (will be) getting minutes with them."

That may start with midfielders Diego Valeri and Will Johnson. Both are recovering from injuries, and Monday, Porter said both could play T2 to regain strength and confidence before returning to the Timbers.

How everything will work continues to be refined, Vidovich said.

"It's a work in progress, no doubt. We're testing new waters with new team, club and association, that's new," he said. "It's seamless. Our philosophies are all meshed together."

-- Molly Blue