By Drew Olsen (@drewjolsen)

Whether or not we’re ready to admit it, The Diego Era in Portland is nearly at its end. Each season, even as Valeri and Chara continue to prove they are less impacted by time than the rest of us, we see the sun setting on the horizon. It may not happen in 2020, but sooner rather than later we’ll be reading about the next iteration of the Timbers.

Still, though we feel the darkness creeping in, this is not the end. We must cherish our time spent in The Diego Era, now more than ever. In a way it is easier now, knowing our time here is limited. And although the team has a Designated Player spot open (and potentially two), until the day of reckoning arrives, Portland’s roster will see only changes around the edges.

With that said, let’s get this out of the way…

The Elephant in the Room

Diego. Valeri. The drama of the offseason has been the negotiations between Valeri and the Timbers’ front office. After his final home game of the 2019 season, Valeri went into the Timbers Army crowd to say his goodbyes, inducing panic among all those who value love, beauty, and goodwill. The dispute is over if he will continue to be a DP or renegotiate to be a TAM player. Needless to say, the future of the franchise likely depends on if he returns. If not, the team’s top priority will be finding a player to fill his massive shoes. But there have been positive hints he’ll return, and letting him walk would be really stupid, so odds are good that he’ll be back. The pitchforks can remain unpolished for now.

Areas of Depth: Goalkeeper, Centerback, Left fullback, Defensive Midfield

After a standout season in 2018, Jeff Attinella struggled with injury through the beginning of 2019 before ultimately getting shut down for the season after surgery. Steve Clark stepped in and had the best season for a Timbers goalkeeper since the team joined MLS, finishing either first or second in all the goalkeeping metrics that aren’t completely pointless. Clark is currently out of contract and, despite a dramatic Instagram post, the Timbers protected him in the expansion draft and would be crazy not to sign him to a new contract that includes a healthy pay raise.

Larrys Mabiala was the only consistent centerback for Portland in 2019, with a rotating cast of Julio Cascante, Bill Tuiloma, and Claude Dielna each cycling through without nailing the position down. Dielna was both the most expensive and the worst of the bunch, and saw his option declined. The team has already announced the signing of Dario Zuparic from Croatia on a TAM deal, and the path is clear for him to be the starter with Cascante and Tuiloma backing them up.

Jorge Villafana will start again on the left, backed up again by Marco Farfan. Farfan has shown capably in limited minutes, though hasn’t been given a fair shot to earn his place in the defensive rotation so it’s unclear if the team sees him as a long-term option.