When Jeremy Ebobisse earned his first cap with the U.S. Men’s National Team in January it wasn’t in his natural position at center forward. Instead, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter started Ebobisse as a left winger, a position that the Portland Timbers forward had yet to play at the professional level.

But while it may have surprised some fans and analysts to see Ebobisse on the wing, it didn’t come as a shock to Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese.

Savarese remembered watching Ebobisse play in a wide position at times with the U.S U-20 Men’s National Team and knew from training that the young striker was willing to step into any role on the front line.

“He’s a smart player, he’s a quality player,” Savarese said. “He can definitely play in that wide position. He can play on top as a lone forward, he can play as one of two forwards, he can play on the right side or the left side. He’s a player that can give us different things.”

Ebobisse, 22, began the 2019 season as Portland’s starting No. 9 center forward after breaking into the lineup at the same position late last year.

But when the Timbers signed Argentine striker Brian Fernandez in May, it looked as if Ebobisse might be relegated to the bench. Instead, Savarese began to experiment with using Ebobisse in a wide position, on either the left or right wing. While Ebobisse’s skillset makes him more naturally suited to play as a center forward, he has quickly adjusted to his new role on the wing and has continued to play a key role for the Timbers in the attack.

Ebobisse, who has scored seven goals this season, has tallied three goals and one assist in 11 regular season appearances (six starts) since moving to a wide position in May. He also scored the game-winning goal to lead the Timbers to a 1-0 win over Supporters’ Shield-leading LAFC in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup in July. He is the only Timber that has appeared in all 22 regular season games for the club this season.

“The hardest part was definitely the relationship with the outside back, knowing when to stay wide and let him use the inside space or when to come inside and let him overlap,” said Ebobisse about adjusting to his new position. “Then, also just being in the right attacking spaces, trying to get good crosses into the box for service to (Diego) Valeri, (Fernandez) and late runners coming in and then chipping in with goals as well when I can.”

While Ebobisse is still growing as a player in his new position, he said that his background as a No. 9 has enabled him to give the Timbers a different look on the wing. From a wide position, he can still be a target for the club in the attack and can still make key runs into the box.

“I’ve transitioned almost to a target in a more wide area for the team where I’m linking up the play there and helping advance the ball in the attack,” Ebobisse said. “Then, obviously, I like to try to get in the box as well and try to get on the end of crosses and help myself and others get on the scoresheet.”

With the Timbers navigating a compacted schedule of five games in 15 days to open the month of August, Savarese decided to start Marvin Loria over Ebobisse in Minnesota Sunday, ensuring that Ebobosse would be well-rested for Wednesday’s rematch against Minnesota in the semifinals of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

But Ebobisse still found a way to give the Timbers a boost in the attack when he came on for the last 20 minutes of Sunday’s game, helping to both create chances and open up more space for Fernandez as the club desperately tried to find a late goal. The goal never came as Portland fell 1-0 to Minnesota following a controversial penalty kick in stoppage time.

“As individuals, it’s about being ready when your number is called,” Ebobisse said." I know I’ve been involved the last several games with the team, but there’s going to be other guys that are going to have to step in as well. It’s about being ready for my opportunity and being ready in different positions as well."

Fernandez has scored eight goals in 11 appearances since joining the Timbers in May, but hasn’t been able to get on the scoresheet in either of the last two games. With defenses beginning to adjust to Fernandez, MLS analyst Matt Doyle believes that the Timbers should move Ebobisse, whose hold-up play can be an asset to the team, back to the No. 9 role and use Fernandez in a wide position, a role that the Argentine has played throughout his career. It is certainly an intriguing option for a Portland team that wants to remain unpredictable in the attack.

But it also wouldn’t be a surprise for Savarese to continue to use Fernandez in the No. 9 role. Portland has netted 21 goals as a team in the 11 games where Fernandez has started as a center forward for the club this season.

Either way, Savarese has the flexibility to stick with his current attacking set-up or make changes moving forward because he knows he has a forward in Ebobisse that can slot into any role along the front line.

“Any player that is willing to play more than one position, that is there for the team, that is always ready to learn something more in how he can contribute to the team, those are the most important players,” Savarese said.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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