After matches, Portland Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella generally makes a beeline for the east side of Providence Park to find his daughter, Remy Rose. He relishes the opportunity to bring the 20-month-old onto the field and make the slow walk around the perimeter of Providence Park with her in his arms.

"I love being a dad and it's something I'm really proud of," he said.

The ardent Timbers fans known as the Timbers Army agree that it's a fitting role for the lovable goalkeeper, who they've come to call "Dadttinella."

"I think it's just funny that they caught on to that pretty early," Attinella said. "I think with my style and just the way I live my life, it's probably a really fitting nickname."

Attinella enjoys heading back to his home in Lake Oswego every day after the Timbers' training sessions to spend afternoons with Remy, his wife, Kendall, and their dog, Lyla. But his exuberance for the game doesn't disappear when he steps off the field. From the moment he became a father, Attinella knew that he wanted to share his immense love of sports with his daughter. That's how he became an author of children's books.

"I wanted to create an avenue to share what I thought were sports stories that shouldn't be forgotten," Attinella said. "I'm just trying to tie it all together so that when I'm reading to my daughter, it's stuff that hopefully we can both connect with. These are stories that I really love and hopefully she really loves in the future."

Over the last year and half, Attinella has written children's books about the Chicago Cubs' historic 2016 World Series victory, LeBron James leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA championship and the success of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He describes the books as "nursery rhymes with a sports emphasis." He has also written a book about the space race and plans to release another one this year on the Alabama football program.

The books have all been released through It Had to Be Told, a publishing company started by Attinella, Kendall, and in-laws, Wayne and Rosemary Curtiss. The books are already available online and will be sold at Safeway locations throughout the Portland area later this year. Knowing the massive role that sports played in his own childhood, Attinella is hopeful that the books will resonate with other children that are passionate about sports.

And of course, he has read every book to Remy, who likes to point and laugh as she sits in her dad's lap.

"She's still at this stage where I think if there's a pop-up animal or something, the books will be a little bit more engaging," Attinella said. "But I've read her all my books and she definitely likes pointing and trying to rip the pages. So, at least that's a good start."

Remy was born in Salt Lake City in 2016 when Attinella was still a goalkeeper for Real Salt Lake. But she spent just a few months in Utah before her dad was taken by Minnesota United in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft and immediately traded to the Timbers. Suddenly, Attinella and Kendall found themselves packing up their apartment and getting set to move as they were caring for a newborn.

Over the last year, Kendall has consistently brought Remy to Providence Park to watch Attinella compete. Remy can often be seen with pink headphones and a matching bow.

At first, Kendall and Remy were just watching Attinella sit on the bench. But over the last year, the 29-year-old has gone from backup to starter for the first time in his career. After missing time with an injury earlier this season, Attinella has started the last seven games for the Timbers, earning four clean sheets, which ties his career-high for shutouts in a season.

"It's really cool," Kendall said. "I took her down to the sideline while we were waiting for the last few minutes of extra time at the last game and pointed and said, 'There's daddy.' She definitely homed in on him. She knew he was on the field."

Along with taking her to Timbers games and passing along his favorite sports memories, Attinella wants Remy to grow up watching the Portland Thorns so she can see women competing at the highest level as well.

Whether she takes to sports, like her dad, or finds a different passion of her own, Attinella can't wait to see the person that his daughter becomes. But he also knows that the memories of reading his books to her and walking around Providence Park with Remy cradled in his arms will be something that he continues to cherish long after he stops playing.

"When she's older and when I'm done playing and retired, we can look back at it and at how I was cool at one point in my life to her," Attinella said. "It's a memory that for me will be unforgettable and hopefully when she's older she will be able to remember it as a great memory as well."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg