The day’s training session at Providence Park was over. All of the Timbers’ players had gone inside and deserted the field, except for one. In an empty stadium, against the backdrop of dark green seats and a cloudless blue sky, Foster Langsdorf showed no signs of retreating.



The young homegrown prospect had lugged a board onto the field so he could pass the ball to himself, turn, dribble and shoot. He did this over and over, until all 25 balls he placed in the middle of the field had been shot. Then, he rounded them all up and did the same drill again.



After Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese finished an interview with a local TV station, he joined Langsdorf outside the 18-yard box. The sounds of construction for Providence Park’s upcoming expansion drowned out Savarese’s voice from afar, but his animated gesticulating made it clear what he was telling Langsdorf: do this when you receive the ball, you want to aim here, a goalkeeper will do this,...