Luis Ramirez

Statesman Journal

The Timbers U23 team announced the signing of their first four players, and each one has a connection to the Salem area.

Joining the team in the spring will be goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Cascade, 2014), midfielder Reid Baez (Sprague, 2015), midfielder Edson Martinez (North Salem, 2015) and midfielder/defender Stefan Wutte (West Salem, 2013).

“All four of these guys played with the Capital Timbers FC and grew up in high schools in the Salem area,” head coach Aaron Lewis said. “We hope this lets the younger soccer players in the Capital Timbers and the (local) high schools understand that we play good soccer around this area and if you continue to do the right things and put yourself out there, you can play at an extremely high level.”

Farr currently plays college ball at Corban and was the 2015 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Player of the Year in the NAIA. He has been the Corban starting goalkeeper for three seasons under Lewis. Last season, he also played for the Charlotte Eagles in the PDL and led the entire league in goals-against-average.

“Everyone that puts on a jersey earns it and Jordan is a guy that not only deserves to be on the team, but deserves to have a substantial role with this group especially with what he’s done in the past,” Lewis said. “I think it’s extra special for him knowing the timing of it where the Timbers are coming to Salem and he can play in front of his family.”

Baez and Martinez are both members of the Timbers Academy. Baez is currently plying his trade in the West Coast Conference (WCC) with the Portland Pilots and earned All-Freshman honors there in 2015, while Martinez plays at Georgetown.

Wutte will be making his return to Salem after starring at Willamette for two seasons before transferring to Creighton.

The Timbers U23 team will kick off their regular season in Salem on May 16 when they host TSS FC Rovers.

“We’ve got a lot of alums out there doing big things, including Jake Gleeson starting with the Portland Timbers,” Lewis said. “Not only are some of they some of the best players in the country, but a lot of these guys are going to be playing elsewhere and getting paid for it.”

lramirez@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/@LuisRamirez10

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