Liam Ridgewell on Friday trained for the first time with the Portland Timbers, but the former Premier League defender will not play on Sunday when the Timbers take on the Sounders at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
“We need to take the next week to assess him physically,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “It wouldn’t be fair to him to throw him in a match until he is ready physically and mentally and we get him acclimated. So don’t expect to see him Sunday — although we wish he would be available Sunday.”
The Timbers certainly could use another body on the back line. Injuries are expected to keep Pa Modou Kah and possibly Norberto Paparatto out of Sunday’s match. Kah did not train on Friday.
Ridgewell said he is looking forward to the next chapter in his career.
“Hopefully I can bring a bit of experience and hopefully I can help that back line,” Ridgewell said. “I’m not coming here to take people’s positions. I’m coming here to help people and try to slot myself in and make sure we keep a clean sheet in a lot of the games.”
After leading MLS with 17 shutouts in 2013, the Timbers have posted only one in their first 18 matches this season. They hope the 6-foot-2 Ridgewell can bring stability to a back line that has featured a revolving door at center back because of injuries and sub-par play.
When the Timbers signed him on June 25, Ridgewell became only the third defender in Major League Soccer history to be signed as a designated player, which means he can be paid more than the amount he counts against the MLS salary cap.
Portland now has the maximum three designated players, with Diego Valeri and Fanendo Adi also on multi-year DP contracts. Ridgewell arrived in Portland this week after completing the international transfer process.
Ridgewell, who turns 30 on July 21, played for more than a decade in Britain’s Premier League. Last season he made 33 starts for West Bromwich Albion but was a free agent before signing with Portland.
“A new experience, a new challenge for me in my football career, one that I’m ready to relish,” Ridgewell said. “It was a big decision coming from London, but one that I’m going to throw myself right into.”
Ridgewell said he had vacationed in America, but his first visit to Portland came when he attended a recent Timbers match at Providence Park prior to signing.
“It was fantastic. To listen to the fans and to see them, it was a big thing,” Ridgewell said, describing the atmosphere as like a Premier League match.”
