Portland Timbers winger Dairon Asprilla smiled joyfully as he ran to the sideline to embrace his teammates in a giant hug seconds after scoring the opening goal in Columbus last Saturday. The significance of the moment was not lost on the 24-year-old.

Just nine months ago, it seemed unlikely that Asprilla would ever wear a Timbers uniform again after Portland made the decision to send him on loan due to undisclosed issues with his attitude. But the Colombian winger quickly realized he wanted to return to the Rose City and spent the offseason working to convince the Timbers that he deserved another chance.

Now, Asprilla feels like this is where he belongs and he wants to make the most of the opportunity.

"I worked really hard to try to get back here," said Asprilla through an interpreter. "Now, I'm here and I had a chance to score that goal, which was very important for my confidence. I'm very happy to be back and I want to contribute."

Asprilla originally joined the Timbers ahead of the 2015 season. He made 10 starts that year and put his mark on the 2015 MLS Cup title run with an incredible goal from distance against FC Dallas in the Western Conference championship series.

After a successful 2015 campaign, Asprilla earned his way into the starting lineup at the beginning of 2016. But he started to fall out of favor last April and questions about his future with the club began to pop up in May after he failed to crack the 18 for three-straight games, despite injuries to other wingers on Portland's roster. Timbers coach Caleb Porter indicated at the time that there had been some behind-the-scenes issues with Asprilla's attitude.

A month later, the Timbers made the decision to send Asprilla on loan with a transfer option to Colombian side Millonarios F.C.

"I think a part of it was some attitude issues, some things that might not have been taken in the right way and then me not realizing that I was really happy here," said Asprilla through an interpreter. "When I went over there (to Millonarios), I start feeling like that was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be with the Timbers."

During the offseason, Asprilla made it clear to the Timbers and their fans that he sincerely wanted to return to Portland. He even started retweeting reports discussing his interest in rejoining the Timbers.

When Porter and his staff spoke with Asprilla in the offseason, they could immediately see that his attitude and mindset had changed. After that conversation, they were convinced that it would be the right decision to bring him back to Portland.

"We thought long and hard about that decision," Porter said. "We knew from purely a soccer standpoint that he had the skillset to play in our system and make an impact, but the attitude of a player is always important. It's important that they're bought in and they want to be here."

The club's faith in Asprilla has paid off this year.

Porter said that Asprilla has been approaching trainings and games with a newfound hunger and willingness to contribute to the organization. His mentality and work ethic have also stood out.

With Darlington Nagbe away on international duty last week, the Timbers needed to make a change to the starting lineup. And Porter felt confident turning to Asprilla.

"With Asprilla, the talent has always been there, but players don't always grasp the importance of playing a role and the importance of buying into what we need to win games," Porter said. ". He's going to be a great fit for us and he's going to be a guy that contributes in this league."

While it was satisfying for Asprilla to earn a start and score a goal in Columbus last week, he knows his work is not done.

"I'm very grateful for everything (the Timbers) have done for me in getting me back here," said Asprilla through an interpreter. "Now, I'm back and there's a big mental change and I'm just looking forward to continuing to be here and helping the team."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg