TUCSON, Arizona - By the summer of 2016, Gbenga Arokoyo no longer felt safe playing professional soccer in Turkey.

He had joined Turkish club Gaziantepspor back in 2014 and quickly found his groove on the field. But over the next two years, the country had become destabilized by the region's mayhem and turmoil. The nearby civil war in Syria, a chilling wave of terrorist attacks and random bomb blasts in city squares and public places had everyone on edge. Arokoyo had started to feel nervous going out near his home in Gaziantep. And after a devastating and deadly failed coup rocked the country last summer, he knew he had to leave.

The Portland Timbers came calling at just the right moment.

"I came here by God's grace," Arokoyo said.

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As a child growing up in Kabba, Nigeria, Arokoyo dreamed of one day becoming a doctor. But his parents didn't have the financial means to help him earn a medical degree. So, the gifted athlete decided to pursue soccer instead.

At 16, Arokoyo joined the Kwara Football Academy, one of the best soccer academies in Nigeria. Two years later, he signed his first professional contract to play for Kwara United in the Nigeria Premier League. He soon earned a call-up to the Nigeria U-20 National Team and was part of the squad that won the 2011 U-20 African Youth Championship.

After his eye-opening performances with the Nigeria U-20 National Team, the physical and talented center back began to receive offers from clubs abroad. In 2012, Arokoyo made the decision to sign with Swedish club Mjallby AIF, hoping that he could take his game to the next level in Europe.

"I got several offers to play abroad, but I chose to play in Sweden," Arokoyo said. "I saw it as a chance to learn and develop."

Arokoyo spent three years in Sweden, making 56 appearances for Mjallby AIF in Sweden's top division.

But in 2014, he once again felt like it was time to move to the next level. He signed with Gaziantepspor and left for Turkey, hoping that he would be challenged as a defender in a new league and country.

"I enjoyed every moment in Turkey until I didn't feel safe anymore," Arokoyo said.

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The Timbers had first started tracking Arokoyo back when he was competing for Mjallby AIF in Sweden. They were excited by his strong and physical presence on the field and the impressive maturity and experience that the then-20-year-old defender demonstrated for someone of his young age.

And by the summer of 2016, it was clear that the Timbers needed to sign a center back.

The club had struggled on defense throughout the season and, to make matters worse, veteran center back Nat Borchers had gone down with a season-ending Achilles injury in late July, leaving a massive void and lack of stability on the backline.

The Timbers made the decision to sign English defender Steven Taylor to replace Borchers in the short-term, but the club also wanted to be prepared for the future and they believed Arokoyo could be a long-term answer.

When the Timbers offered Arokoyo a chance to escape the turmoil in Turkey and start fresh in Portland, he jumped at it. With the Timbers, he saw a chance to start a new chapter in his career.

"When I got the offer to come here, I didn't think twice because I believe this is a team that has a goal, that has a passion to be successful," Arokoyo said. "I saw it as a good opportunity to come to another country, to come to the U.S. and show what I can do best."

* * *

On Thursday morning, five months after making his way safely out of Turkey, Arokoyo stood on a training field in the sunny Sonoran Desert air of Tucson, Arizona intently listening to Timbers coach Caleb Porter give his team instructions ahead of preseason training.

After suffering an injury shortly after arriving in Portland and making just one cameo appearance for the Timbers last season, Arokoyo, now 24, enters 2017 as the favorite to earn the starting role at center back alongside Liam Ridgewell.

"We feel like he's strong, he's physical, he's a ball winner and he's a good pairing next to Ridgewell," Porter said. "He should be in the prime of his career and he has played at a high enough level where he should be able to step in and win the job. But he has to earn it."

Arokoyo, at least, feels like he's where he belongs. With a clear head and a fresh start, he is ready to give everything he has on the field for the Timbers.

"I feel good and I'm happy right now," Arokoyo said. "I just have to keep working."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg