Diego Chara deliberately stood next to Costa Rican midfielder David Guzman during a practice at the Portland Timbers training facility last week, serving as a translator every time coach Caleb Porter yelled out commands to the group. Before yet another training, Chara chose to pass the ball back and forth with 20-year-old Victor Arboleda, speaking decisively in Spanish as he gave the up-and-coming Colombian winger some pointers.

Chara knows first-hand what it is like to transition to a new country and culture. And after six seasons in Portland, the 30-year-old Colombian midfielder believes that it's now his duty to share his experience with his fellow Spanish-speaking teammates and help in any way he can to aid their transition to Portland.

"I try to teach them about my experience," Chara said. "I try to help them with some movements on the field. I explain what the coach wants from them. For me, it's important because when I was here my first year, there were people that helped me. I think this is now my role in the team."

Since arriving in Portland from Colombia in 2011, Chara has become an indispensable piece of Portland's lineup. He has made 177 starts for the Timbers with seven goals and 14 assists. Most recently, he scored the game-winning goal against the LA Galaxy off a brilliant counter attack last Sunday, running the full length of the field and sending a pinpoint header off a long ball from Sebastian Blanco to Diego Valeri before collecting a pass back from Valeri for a tap-in. His true impact hasn't always shown up on the score sheet as well. His work rate, fearlessness and ability to win tackles has led MLS players to rank him as one of the most underrated players in the league.

As he has grown into a core piece of the Timbers roster, Chara has also quietly developed into a key leader within the team and a vital mentor to his fellow Spanish-speaking teammates.

"He's a terrific human being," said Guzman through an interpreter. "He has been really helpful to me and my family. I can really say now that he's a part of my family."

When Guzman, 27, arrived in Portland from Costa Rica earlier this year, Chara quickly made an effort to introduce himself and offer the new defensive midfielder any support that he could. Chara, who now speaks conversational English, but didn't speak a word of the language when he arrived in Portland in 2011, has been mindful to sit next to Guzman in every team meeting and stay near him when possible during trainings to act as a translator. The two players are also roommates on road trips.

Off the field, Chara has tried to help Guzman adjust to his new city, taking the Costa Rican and his family on tours of Portland and out to dinners. The developing friendship between the two defensive midfielders has enabled them to quickly gain important chemistry on the field as well.

"Chara has kind of taken Guzman under his wing," Porter said. "Obviously, they can relate to each other in a lot of ways culturally, so that has really helped as well in his transition and that partnership and the chemistry between the two of them."

Chara has also been critical in helping to aid the development of some of the younger players on the roster. He has specifically spent time working with Arboleda, consistently going out of his way to offer the rookie and his fellow countryman advice and support.

"He has been a very important person for me," said Arboleda through an interpreter. "He helps me out during practice, just letting me know what I need to do and then he gives me advice on what I need to work on, what I can improve on in my game... When he has family gatherings, he invites me to come over because he doesn't want me to spend too much time alone. He's just been a terrific support system for me all around."

Porter has taken notice of Chara's growing leadership role within the club.

Earlier this year, Porter made the decision to put together a leadership council to empower his senior players to be better leaders on and off the field as the Timbers work to meld together an international team with players from 11 different countries. Chara is one of five players - along with Liam Ridgewell, Fanendo Adi, Darlington Nagbe and Valeri - who sit on the leadership council and meet with Porter once a week.

"They're an extension of me on the pitch and in the locker room and I've tried to give them that empowerment to step up," Porter said. "I'm seeing that this year with a lot of guys and it has really been rewarding to see a guy like Chara take on a greater leadership role. I'm going to continue to rely on those guys to be strong influences."

The influence that Chara has already had on his teammates is striking.

Both Chara and Valeri have consistently made sincere efforts to support their incoming Latin American teammates. Along with Guzman and Arboleda, Sebastian Blanco, Dairon Asprilla and Roy Miller have all talked about the central role that Chara has played in helping to aid their transitions.

"He's lived through these types of experiences himself and he knows what it's like to be alone in a new place," said Arboleda through an interpreter. "He just does it out of the goodness of his heart."

Up Next: The Timbers (2-0-0, 6 points) will host the Houston Dynamo (2-0-0, 6 points) at Providence Park Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg