Portland Timbers striker Brian Fernandez has returned to Portland and has been cleared to resume workouts after voluntarily entering Major League Soccer’s Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program (SABH) in October.

At the direction of the SABH doctors, Fernandez is now working out individually at Portland’s practice facility, but is not participating in practice sessions with the rest of the team. The Timbers have continued to train as team since being eliminated from the MLS Cup Playoffs on Oct. 19. The group will remain together in Portland for another week or two before the players depart for the offseason.

“He is back in Portland and he is at the training facility,” said Gavin Wilkinson, president of soccer and general manager for the Timbers. “We are currently following the direction of, and he is following the direction of the training program in the SABH policy. Outside of that, we’re not allowed to comment. So, with that one, all I would say is we’re hopeful that everything gets back on track.”

Wilkinson also said Tuesday that Fernandez remains under contract with the club, confirming that the Timbers signed the 25-year-old striker to a multi-year deal when they acquired him from Liga MX side Necaxa for a club-record transfer fee in May.

While Fernandez remains under contract with the Timbers, it is possible that Portland could now recoup a portion of the transfer fee that it paid to acquire Fernandez from Necaxa, due to stipulations in the transfer fee agreement.

Fernandez previously tested positive for cocaine while playing for Argentine club Racing in 2015. He went on to fail a second drug test and was issued a suspension that kept keep him away from the field for a year and a half. The suspension came at a time when Fernandez was dealing with some difficult personal issues away from the field.

The Timbers were aware of the previous suspension before signing Fernandez and tried to do their due diligence before inking him to a contract. Portland’s transfer agreement with Necaxa included provisions based on Portland’s extended research on Fernandez and the Argentine striker’s past.

Fernandez took MLS by storm in his first month and a half in MLS, scoring five goals in his first six appearances for the club. He finished the 2019 regular season with 11 goals in 16 regular season starts (19 appearances). He scored another four goals in U.S. Open Cup play.

But Fernandez scored just once in his last seven appearances for the Timbers in the regular season as his playing time was limited due to what the club initially called a stomach virus. It now seems more than likely that the drop in form and the absences were connected to Fernandez’s issues off the field. There were rumblings that Fernandez was exhibiting erratic behavior and had missed training sessions.

Fernandez did not play in Portland’s regular season finale against the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 6 while serving a red card suspension. He then missed Portland’s lone playoff game after entering the SABH Program.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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