Soon after the Portland Timbers selected Jeremy Ebobisse with the No. 4 pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Zarek Valentin pulled a team staffer aside and requested the locker next to the young rookie’s.

A seasoned veteran, Valentin hoped he could help ease the 19-year-old Ebobisse’s transition to MLS.

But Valentin quickly realized that he wasn’t dealing with a stereotypical teenager. Off the field, Ebobisse surprised Valentin by talking earnestly about complex political issues and asking for book recommendations. On the field, Ebobisse patiently put in the hard work, even as he struggled to earn playing time over his first year and a half in Portland.

That patience finally started paying dividends last September.

After tallying one goal and three assists in 317 minutes during his rookie season, Ebobisse played just eight minutes over the first 26 games of 2018. But the forward made the most of a surprise start against the Colorado Rapids in September, netting a goal in the 2-0 win. He went on to start all six of Portland’s playoff games, recording a goal and an assist as the Timbers made a run to the MLS Cup final. The breakout performance earned Ebobisse, now 21, his first call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team this month.

“To do everything right and not be rewarded, but still have that patience, so that when his moment came in the playoffs, he contributes, is really a testament to the kid that he is,” Valentin said. “When I met his family, it made sense because they were exactly the same way. He’s wise beyond his years.”

NOT JUST A HOBBY

Ebobisse was just 12 when he announced to his family that he was going to be a professional soccer player.

His father was skeptical of his son’s audacious dream. Alain Ebobisse had grown up playing soccer in his home country of Cameroon and had shared his passion for the game with his two sons. The family would often gather around the television in their Bethesda, Maryland home to watch soccer on Saturday mornings. At 3, Jeremy was already hanging out on the sideline of his older brother’s soccer games with a ball at his feet. At 7, he was playing against boys a year older.

But soccer was supposed to be a hobby.

Alain and his wife, Liza, a native of Madagascar, had met at an engineering school in France. Alain had gone on to earn an MBA in Switzerland. His education had opened doors, ultimately giving him the opportunity to join the World Bank Group and bring his family to the United States.

At home, the family would listen to NPR or French news broadcasts and spend dinners switching between light conversations about sports or food to delving deep into challenging discussions about politics and current affairs. Alain and Liza always wanted their sons to be curious and engaged in the conversations.

Jeremy’s older brother, Patrick, went on to attend Williams College, the top liberal arts school in the nation, prioritizing education while continuing his soccer career at the NCAA Division III level. Alain expected Jeremy to follow a similar path.

“We were definitely an education-first family for large portions of my childhood,” Ebobisse said. “But then slowly, as I started to play in more competitive tournaments and I started to be evaluated by scouts for professional teams overseas, it started to open different doors.”

By the time he was 15, Ebobisse had developed into a prolific goal scorer for the Bethesda Soccer Club, a top youth program in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Soon after, he accepted an invitation to train with the academy program at English Premier League club Fulham.

Alain made the trip to England to tour the Fulham facilities and watch his son play. There, he saw Ebobisse score against Chelsea’s academy team. Alain realized in that moment that his son could compete at the highest level. Ultimately, visa issues prevented Ebobisse from staying with Fulham, but Alain was sold.

“I believe that either you do something fully or you don’t do it at all,” Alain said. “I realized that he had to decide to either pursue the studies fully or pursue soccer fully. At this level, where everyone is so good, you have to be fully there if you want to have a chance.”

JUMPING TO MLS, SPEAKING OUT

With his family’s encouragement, Ebobisse threw himself entirely into soccer.

After high school, he moved on to Duke University, a top Division I program with a strong academic reputation. But he had no intention of staying long enough to earn his degree. He told the coaching staff that he would leave if he had the chance to turn pro. After just two seasons at Duke, Ebobisse was offered the opportunity to sign a contract with Major League Soccer ahead of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He didn’t hesitate.

“The decision to leave school early was a no-brainer,” Ebobisse said. “I was always looking to leave as soon as I felt I was ready.”

But Ebobisse’s early departure from Duke didn’t stop him from staying deeply engaged with current affairs and societal issues. During his two years in MLS, Ebobisse has become well-known for his willingness to speak out through social media about a range of issues around politics and social justice.

That activism has been driven by his experiences and socially conscious upbringing.

Throughout his childhood, he watched his father work on projects to help those less fortunate around the world, first at the World Bank and then as the CEO of Africa50, an infrastructure fund that focuses on high-impact projects within Africa. Liza also made a point of showing her two boys her home country of Madagascar. She had come from a middle-class upbringing, but poverty within the country was rampant and she wanted her children to understand how privileged they were to have been raised in the United States.

“When we went back to our country, I always showed my kids how lucky they were to be able to have good education, not to have to worry about food on the table, to be able to play soccer, which is very expensive here,” Liza said. “He picked up those causes.”

Over time, Ebobisse took an interest in the issues around racial inequality and criminal justice reform. He found himself deeply affected by the national controversy surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012. He felt that it could have been him, or any other young African American, in Martin’s shoes. Race again pushed to the forefront of Ebobisse’s mind at Duke after a noose was shockingly found hanging in the main quad.

Those moments had a strong impact on Ebobisse. By the time he signed with the Timbers in 2017, he had become passionate about speaking out. While some rookies would have been happy to fly under the radar, Ebobisse wanted to use his platform to shine a light on injustice and spark a constructive dialogue.

“I was given a lot of opportunities growing up that a lot of people don’t have,” Ebobisse said. “If I can shed light on some of the disadvantages other people have in order to help their situation, then I’ll do that, and I’ll continue to do that as long as I’m playing and beyond.”

“NOTHING GREAT COMES EASILY”

Introspective and thoughtful off the field, Ebobisse has always been humble and self-reflective on the pitch.

Those qualities have helped him become an unselfish and hard-working forward who doesn’t always need to score to have an impact on the game. He proved last season that he could be highly effective at holding up the ball, linking up with teammates and creating space for others in the attack.

But the self-critical Ebobisse has also beaten himself up internally at times after a bad game or training session.

After a disappointing freshman year at Duke, when he was benched toward the end of the season, Ebobisse started to question whether he could make it as a pro soccer player. Over winter break, Patrick was quick to remind his brother of all the success that he had enjoyed in his young soccer career. Alain and Liza were there as well to offer their son some wise words.

“Nothing great comes easily, and this is what I always tell Jeremy,” Alain said. “Even if you’re at the top at some point, things will be tough. Great champions are measured by their ability to withstand the difficult times and then come back.”

It’s a sentiment that Ebobisse has taken to heart over the years as he has continued to fight for his dream.

During his first year with the Timbers, Ebobisse spent time on loan with Portland’s lower division club, T2, as he struggled to beat out veteran forwards Fanendo Adi and Darren Mattocks for a spot in the 18. When Mattocks left the club following the 2017 season, the Timbers immediately signed striker Samuel Armenteros. Once again, Ebobisse entered the season as the third forward on the depth chart.

Even though the lack of playing time was admittedly frustrating, Ebobisse tried to build off the lessons that he had learned after his freshman year at Duke. He vowed to stay level-headed and remain focused on competing in training each day.

When his opportunity finally came last September, he was poised and ready.

In the 45th minute of a regular season match against Colorado, Ebobisse slid into a pass from Sebastian Blanco and scored to help lead Portland to victory. He continued to make his mark in the postseason. In the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals against the Seattle Sounders, Ebobisse made a beautiful run to get in behind the defense before chipping the ball into the net.

“He was always working hard,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese recalled. “He always wanted to improve and show that he could step in and be more influential in the team. He had that work ethic from the beginning, even in the moments that were difficult. He never gave up and he was rewarded at the end.”

JOURNEY JUST BEGINNING

Four months after breaking into the Timbers’ starting lineup, Ebobisse reached another milestone in his career Sunday as he earned his first cap for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Unexpectedly employed as a left winger, Ebobisse started and played 66 minutes as the U.S. opened its 2019 campaign with a 3-0 win over Panama in Glendale, Arizona.

As he walked to the bench after being subbed out, Ebobisse allowed a huge smile to momentarily cross his face.

His family savored the moment from afar.

“Just having my family by my side through everything has kept me humble,” Ebobisse said. “I want to make them as proud as they can be of me. I feel that every day that I step on the field, I’m just representing them as much as I’m representing myself.”

Despite his recent success, Ebobisse knows his journey has just begun.

The Timbers could be on the verge of spending a record amount of money to acquire a new designated player in the attack. Timbers General Manager and President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson said that the club is hoping to sign a player who can step into multiple positions across the front line, as to not block Ebobisse’s progress. But the competition for playing time will be fierce if Portland brings in a pricey new forward, and Ebobisse will have to continue to fight for his opportunities.

“Any time you get a taste of something, whether it’s first team football with the Timbers or with the national team, it just makes you want more,” Ebobisse said. “You’re never satisfied. This past year, finally stepping into a bigger role, it just makes me even hungrier for this season.”

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg