Bill Tuiloma has traveled across the world to pursue his soccer career.

The 23-year-old started his career in New Zealand before moving on to French club Marseille and ultimately landing with the Portland Timbers in 2017. At each stop, Tuiloma has had to fight for every chance on the field.

Last season, he made the most of his opportunities, proving that he could be a reliable option on the backline in what was the most successful season of his young career. He made 13 appearances (seven starts) and netted one goal for the Timbers in 2018.

But his performance last season won’t guarantee him playing time this year. Tuiloma will have to compete for every minute on the field this season, just as he has always had to do.

“I know there’s going to be competition every day,” Tuiloma said. “You have to work hard and be at your best level in each training session.”

The Timbers will have competition for playing time at every position on the field this year, but no positional battle will be as fierce as the one at center back.

After saying goodbye to longtime center back Liam Ridgewell in the offseason, the Timbers signed veteran defender Claude Dielna, 31, to a one-year contract to add depth and competition at the position. Dielna made 26 starts (28 appearances) over a year and a half with the New England Revolution before joining the Timbers. He previously played in over 160 matches for six different teams across Europe.

With the addition of Dielna, Portland has four capable center backs vying for position in Dielna, Tuiloma, Larrys Mabiala and Julio Cascante.

“The four of them are competing to try to make sure they stay steady,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. “I think it’s four quality players that are going to be chasing every practice for that spot."

Mabiala, 31, made 31 starts as he anchored the backline in 2018. He is likely to slot into a starting role again this season. Dielna certainly has the experience to win the starting spot alongside Mabiala, but the club thinks highly of Tuiloma and Cascante as well, and both players will be given the opportunity to earn minutes. The Timbers specifically made the decision to sign Dielna to only a one-year contact as to not block opportunities for Tuiloma and Cascante in the long-term.

“He’s someone who had experience in the league, somebody that knows the league, somebody that’s on a one-year contract,” said Timbers General Manager and President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson about Dielna. “The signing puts us in a position where we’re not putting a stop to Cascante or Tuiloma and their development and their opportunity to get minutes.”

Both Tuiloma and Cascante had strong moments for the Timbers in 2018. While Cascante, 25, struggled with consistency and made several notable mistakes on defense last season, he still appeared in 21 games (18 starts) and had some strong outings during the year.

While the addition of Dielna could make minutes harder to come by this year, Cascante said that the intense competition is serving as motivation. He said that the center backs have been pushing each other each day in preseason so far.

“We have a new center back," Cascante said. "It’s good because that competition makes you work hard, play better and think about that space in the 11. I think it’s going to be good.”

While the four center backs will be vying for position every day in training, they will also have the opportunity to learn from each other on the pitch. Tuiloma said that working alongside seasoned veterans, like Mabiala and Dielna, would be beneficial for him as he continues to grow and develop as a player.

Tuiloma said he knows he can turn to Mabiala and Dielna for advice on how to approach different situations in the game, even if he is also directly competing with them for playing time.

“It’s a competition, but I’m still young and I’ve got a lot more to learn in my game,” Tuiloma said. “It’s good to have these players. I have to be prepared for whenever I have a chance to go in and show them what I got.”

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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