(PHOTO: Craig Mitchelldyer-Portland Timbers)

One of the most underrated attacking midfielders in MLS this past year is Diego Valeri. The Argentinian has been a creative catalyst for the Timbers this past season. His vision, and ability to create from any point on the opposing pitch is unmatched. Valeri's peers envy the bend, and curve he puts on the ball. Whether it be a pass, cross, or a mind blowing goal Valeri has the 'it' factor.

Now for some quick stats on Valeri.

Valeri is on both top 20 lists for assists and goals for the 2014 season in MLS. Valeri is 12th highest for goals scored and is the 2nd highest scoring midfielder only being beaten by Lee Nguyen of the New England Revolution. In assists, Valeri is 2nd overall only being bested by the legend himself, Landon Donovan. Those two stats speak volumes for the quality of Valeri's ability to create for his team.

Here I would like to take a look at some of his stunning moments this past season and how he has become one of the most valuable and respected members of the Timber's squad.

We will break this down into three parts:

Assists

Short Finishes

Long Balls

Assists:

In a game that lacked chances and defensively was not the greatest showing from the Timbers, Valeri finds a pocket of space and drops the ball right into Powell's lap. Let's not take one thing away from Powell and his goal, but Valeri's reading of bodies in the box worked fabulously. The organic feel to Valeri's pass here is something to take note of.

Again the service from Valeri is spectacular to the young Nigerian international prospect, Fanendo Adi. The Arc he creates to land the ball right in front of the goal is clean and basic but precise. Valeri can tell he has a small pack of three Timber's right in front of the 6 yard box and with Adi's 6ft 4 head popping out above the rest, he rests it upon his glorious forehead and Adi blasts it in. One of the many link ups between the two this season.

Now is this not one of the most glorious curves you've seen on a cross this year? Well, it definitely is and the insane accuracy of Valeri is front and center in this goal. The link up with fellow Argentinian Gastón Fernández is just magical. Considering the distance this cross cover's the defenders it eclipses and the height of Fernández, it only adds to the quality of the two Timber players. This may be Valeri's best cross of 2014.

Now lets take a look at when Valeri takes aim at the goal instead of a teammate.

Short Finishes:

What a link up between the three players. The run, and pass from Diego Chará, the flip and lift of the ball by Adi and the glorious finish from Valeri. Valeri takes the ball in mid air with a first touch shot on goal and blasts it right in. It deflects off the keeper, but he was no match for the golden toe of Valeri. The smoothness of the link between all three is one of the finest three man plays of any team this season and one of the top one touch goals all year.

The interactions in the box are just pure chaos here, but Will Johnson manages to control the ball long enough and route the players giving Valeri space for the shot. Valeri recognizes Johnson's curl in and see's the defenders follow suit and cuts behind leaving a clean angle to attack. He blasts it right in on the keeper. One of the best link ups between the two, and such a fluid interaction from pass to shot.

Here, we have a link up between Jorge Villafaña and Valeri. Villafaña finds himself on the left wing with the ball and no one expects a cross into Valeri. Valeri follows the ball in with perfect timing landing a one touch goal off his left foot in spectacular fashion.

Now we find ourselves in view of one of Valeri's most special of talents, scoring the long ball.

This whole piece was written not just to highlight the quality of such a midfielder, but to show off these amazing goals. Here we go!

Long Balls:

When coach Caleb Porter grants Valeri the chance to shine, oh how does he glow so bright. Valeri given the free kick from distance here whips it into the top right corner with a curve that is just humbling. The volume in this kick is so fun to watch. Valeri elevates the shot with power early and lets gravity just dip it right in that far corner. There's nothing the keeper can do a perfect free kick if there ever was one.

A counter that Valeri takes control of early turns into a fantastic run for the team. Valeri runs back dribbling with the ball through midfield avoiding defenders and gets a few yards out from the box and fakes out the defender and cuts back around. This leaves the entire teams defenders offset allowing Valeri to do a sort of blast chip shot to the far left corner, completely blowing the keeper away. Valeri demands respect here from defenders across MLS.

Valeri's awareness is in the spotlight here more than even his goal. Valeri realizes there are already options in the box for a cross and pulls back to the top giving some space and wide open since the focus for defenders has shifted to the box. The Keeper shifts too much to his left and Valeri makes him pay with a bottom corner shot with his right foot. A great link up with Wallace and a fantastic goal for Valeri.

Probably the best goal from Valeri and my personal favorite. Valeri notices immediately that he has been given too much space by the defenders and he capitalizes and goes all in on a long shot that just pays dividends for days. The curve he puts on the ball is just insane. The spin he puts on the ball actually makes it curve inwards and then back outwards and goes to the top right corner giving the keeper nearly no chance to get there. A truly world class goal from the Argentinian, and one of the best goals in the whole season.

There is no doubt the Diego Valeri is one of the best players in the MLS and consistently shows it. The highlights are nice, but with those amazing assists and finishes there are numbers to back each bit. Hopefully Valeri remains a mainstay for the Timbers in the following seasons, and blows past everyone to be the midfielder of the year.

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