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Who Are the Best Portland Timbers Soccer Players of All Time?

The Portland Timbers were originally founded as a club in 1970 but later joined the MLS in 2011. The Timbers won the MLS Cup in 2015 and the MLS is Back Championship in 2020. Listed below are some of the greatest players in Portland’s history and their accomplishments with the club.

Top 10 Best Portland Timbers Players of All Time

Diego Váleri
Diego Chará
Fanendo Adi
Sebastián Blanco
Darlington Nagbe
Dairon Asprilla
Larrys Mabiala
Rodney Wallace
Adam Kwarasey
Jorge Villafaña

1. Diego Váleri

2017 MLS MVP
2015 MLS champion
2020 MLS is Back champion

Diego Váleri played professionally in Argentina, Portugal, and Spain before joining the Portland Timbers for the 2013 season. Váleri is an MLS MVP winner and has the most goals and assists all time for the club. The attacking midfielder scored ten goals and added eight assists during his first season in Portland. Váleri improved on his 2013 campaign and had eleven goals and ten assists in 2014. He won the first MLS Cup in the history of the club in 2015. Váleri scored 14 goals and added six assists while leading the MLS in crosses during the next season.

The Argentinian won the 2017 MLS MVP and led the league with 30 goal contributions. Váleri had 21 and 16 goal contributions during the following two seasons respectively. The midfielder won the 2020 MLS is Back Championship with the Timbers. Váleri retired after the 2021 season. The midfielder appeared in 309 matches across all competitions and had 100 goals and 78 assists during his tenure with the club. Váleri has the second-most games played and the most goals and assists in the history of the Timbers.

2. Diego Chará

2015 MLS champion
2020 MLS is the Back champion
Most games in Timber’s history

Diego Chará joined the Portland Timbers in 2011 after previously playing in Columbia. Chará is the longest-tenured player in the club’s history and has won multiple trophies with the club. The midfielder had six goal contributions in his first season with the Timbers and he also led the MLS in fouls committed. Chará led the league in fouls two other times during his career. He once again had two goals and four assists in 2014. The midfielder helped Portland win its first MLS Cup in the following year while netting two goals.

Between 2012 and 2017, Chará started every league game that he appeared in for the club. The Colombian player had five goal contributions in 2020 while also helping the Timbers take home the 2020 MLS is Back Championship. The midfielder is the current captain of the squad and remains an important player for the club in 2023. Chará’s 404 matches and 121 bookings for Portland are more than any player for the club in its history.

3. Fanendo Adi

2015 MLS champion
Second-most goals in Timbers history
Two-time leading goal scorer for the Timbers

Fanendo Adi started playing professionally in Nigeria at 18 and joined the Portland Timbers in 2014 after playing throughout the world. Adi is one of the best goal-scorers in the history of the club and is also an MLS champion. The center-forward scored nine goals and had four assists in his first year with the Timbers. Adi led the club in goals for 2015 and 2016 as he netted 16 goals in both seasons. The forward also won the MLS Cup with Portland in 2015. Adi had double-digit goals for the third straight year in 2017 as he scoring ten goals.

The Nigerian player had five goal contributions in 2018 which was his final season with the club. He retired after the 2021 campaign. Adi scored 60 goals during his tenure with the Timbers which is the second-most by a player in the club’s history.

4. Sebastián Blanco

2020 MLS is the Back champion
Second-most assists in Timbers history
Third-most goals in Timbers history

Sebastián Blanco played in Latin America and England before joining the Portland Timbers for the 2017 season. Blanco is one of the best offensive players in the club’s history as he is in the top three for goals and assists all-time for the club. The attacking midfielder had eight goals and four assists in 33 appearances with the club in 2017. Blacno’s best offensive campaign in Portland came in 2018 when he had ten goals and eight assists. He had 16 goal contributions in the following season, marking the third consecutive season with double-digit goal contributions with the Timbers.

The Argentinian player won the MLS is Back Championship in 2020 with the club. After only having nine appearances in 2020, Blanco had 13 goal contributions in 2021 and followed that with 14 goal contributions in 2022. The midfielder is still with the club for the 2023 season. Blanco has 50 goals and 45 assists during his 188 appearances for the club. He places third in goals for the Timbers and second for assists for Portland.

5. Darlington Nagbe

2015 MLS champion
Third-most games in Timbers history
Tied for third-most assists in Timbers history

Darlington Nagbe was the second overall pick of the 2011 MLS Draft by the Portland Timbers and he was the first draft pick by the club in the league. Nagbe played seven seasons for the club and is in the top five for goals, assists, and games for the club. The central midfielder had five goal contributions during his first season in Portland at 20 years old. He scored six goals in 2012 while appearing in 33 matches.

Nagbe’s best offensive year with the Timbers came in 2013 when he had nine goals and three assists. The midfielder had 17 goal contributions over the following two seasons. He also won the 2015 MLS Cup with the club. Nagbe’s final season with Portland was in 2016 as he had two goals and three assists. The midfielder appeared in 239 matches for the Timbers which is the third-most by a player for the club. Nagbe’s 31 goals are the fifth-most by a player for Portland and his 24 assists are tied for the third-most by a player in the club’s history.

6. Dairon Asprilla

2015 MLS champion
Fourth-most goals in Timber history
Fourth-most games in Timber history

Darion Asprilla joined the Portland Timbers in 2015 after coming to the United States from Colombia. Asprilla is an MLS Cup winner and a longtime player for the club. The right winger won his lone trophy with the Timbers in his first season with the club. Asprilla made his first real impact for Portland in 2017 as he had two goals and four assists. The Colombian player found it difficult to earn consistent playing time with the club as he bounced between the main team and the reserves for a few years. Asprilla never looked back in 2019 as he scored two goals in 13 appearances for the club. The winger appeared in 34 matches in 2021 and he scored ten goals and added three assists.

Asprilla once again had ten goals in the following year and remains with the Timbers for the 2023 campaign. He has appeared in 200 matches for the club which is the fourth-most by a player in Portland’s history. Asprilla’s 35 goals are also the fourth-most in the history of the Timbers.

7. Larrys Mabiala

2020 MLS is the Back champion
Seventh-most games in Timbers history
Top three in interceptions and clearances in MLS in 2018

Larrys Mabiala played in France and Turkey before joining the Portland Timbers in 2017. Mabiala is one of the best defenders in the club’s history and has enjoyed a long career in Portland. The center-back appeared in 13 games after arriving at the club midway through the season in 2017. Mabiala had five goals and one assist in the following year while also finishing third in the MLS for clearances and interceptions. He also appeared in 31 matches during that MLS campaign. Malabia scored two goals in 2019. The defender won the 2020 MLS is Back Championship with Portland.

Mabiala had one goal contribution in each of the following three seasons while appearing in 64 matches, and he remains with the Timbers in 2023. The defender has eleven goals and three assists for the club. Mabiala has appeared in 169 matches across all competitions during his tenure with the club which is the seventh-most by a player in the history of the Timbers.

8. Rodney Wallace

2015 MLS champion
Fifth-most assists in Timbers history
Second-best plus/minus in MLS in 2013

Rodney Wallace was selected with the sixth pick in the 2009 MLS Draft by D.C. United but later joined the Portland Timbers in 2011. Wallace was a consistent starter during his five years with the club and helped Portland win its first MLS trophy. The midfielder appeared in 25 matches during his first year with the Timbers and contributed two goals and one assist. Wallace had his best offensive season in 2013 as he netted seven goals while adding six assists. He also had a plus/minus of 24, which was the second-best in the entire MLS that season.

Wallace had five goals and one assist in 2014 before closing out his career with Portland in 2015 with one goal and six assists. The midfielder also won the MLS Cup with the Timbers in 2015. Wallace’s 20 assists are the fifth-most by a player in club history. He also had 19 goals during his 138 matches for Portland.

9. Adam Kwarasey

2015 MLS champion
Most clean sheets in MLS in 2015
47 appearances for the Timbers

Adam Kwarasey played professionally in Norway before joining the Portland Timbers in 2015. Kwarasey did not have a long tenure with the club but was an important reason why the Timbers won its first MLS Cup in 2015. The keeper arrived in Portland as a 27-year-old on a free transfer. Kwarasey won 15 games in his first MLS season as he started 33 matches for the club. He also led the league with 13 clean sheets. That also marked the highest single-season total for the keeper during his career.

Kwarasey won the 2015 MLS Cup with the Timbers to cap off the season. The goalkeeper won two games in seven appearances in 2017 before returning to Norway. He continued his career in Norway and Denmark before eventually retiring after the 2019 campaign. Kwarasey appeared in 47 matches across all competitions during his tenure in Portland.

10. Jorge Villafaña

2015 MLS champion
2020 MLS is the Back champion
Seventh-most assist in Timbers history

Jorge Villafaña played for seven years in the MLS before joining the Portland Timbers before the 2014 campaign. Villafaña won multiple awards with the club and is one of the greatest defenders in the club’s history. The left-back had three goal contributions during his first season in Portland. Villafaña started 33 games for the club in 2015 while having one goal and four assists and finishing ninth in the MLS in minutes played. He also won the MLS Cup with the Timbers that season.

The defender played three years in Mexico before returning to Portland in 2018. Villafaña had four goal contributions in 2019 and six-goal contributions in 2020. The defender won the 2020 MLS is Back Championship with the club as well. He joined the LA Galaxy after that season and retired in 2020. He appeared in 126 matches for the club while contributing four goals and 17 assists. Villafaña ranks seventh all-time in assists for the Timbers.