Portland Timbers add veteran midfielder, youthful defender

The Portland Timbers on Tuesday announced the acquisition of veteran midfielder Ned Grabavoy and young defender Zarek Valentin.
Both players can play multiple positions. They add depth to the roster for a 2016 season that will include CONCACAF Champions League games beginning in August.
Grabavoy, 32, is the first player acquired by the Timbers through the new Major League Soccer free-agency process. He has spent 12 seasons in MLS, with 159 of his 279 appearances coming with Real Salt Lake. He spent last season with New York City FC, scoring two goals and providing three assists.
Timbers coach Caleb Porter called Grabavoy “a smart and technical player that provides quality proven depth in several attacking roles.”
Grabavoy’s ability to play multiple midfield spots helps fill the spot vacated by Rodney Wallace. Wallace, a member of the Timbers since they entered MLS in 2011, has declined a contract offer from the club according to Tweets from owner Merritt Paulson on Monday.
The addition of Grabavoy marks the third time under Porter that the Timbers have added a former Real Salt Lake regular. Will Johnson, traded this offseason to Toronto, and Nat Borchers were also part of successful RSL teams under Jason Kreis.
In Valentin, 24, the Timbers add a young defender who played for Porter at Akron before being selected No. 4 in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Chivas USA. He was a teammate of Darlington Nagbe on Porter’s 2010 College Cup national championship team. He was selected by Montreal in the 2012 MLS Expansion Draft and made 15 appearances for the Impact that season.
To add Valentin, the Timbers sent a 2016 international roster slot to the Impact.
During the past three seasons, Valentin made 55 league appearances with Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt. At 6-feet tall and 180 pounds, Valentin has played both as a central defender and as a fullback.
“We are getting Zarek at an optimum time in his playing career,” Porter said. “He cut his teeth in MLS as a promising young defender and now his stint in Norway has matured his game even further. He is capable of playing any position in the back four and I expect him to earn a significant role in our squad.”
The addition of Valentin might indicate the Timbers will not re-sign Argentine central defender Norberto Paparatto. Portland through the re-entry draft acquired the rights to defender Jermaine Taylor, but the Timbers have not yet announced a deal with Taylor.
With Tuesday’s announcements, the Timbers current roster includes eight defenders (Borchers, Anthony Manning, Chris Klute, Taylor Peay, Alvas Powell, Liam Ridgewell, Andy Thoma, Valentin), nine midfielders (Dairon Asprilla, Nick Besler, Diego Chara, George Fochive, Grabavoy, Jack Jewsbury, Nagbe, Diego Valeri, Ben Zemanski), three forwards (Fanendo Adi, Lucas Melano, Michael Seaton) and two goalkeepers (Jake Gleeson, Adam Kwarasey).
The Timbers begin training for their 2016 season on Jan. 23. The MLS SuperDraft takes place at 10 a.m. Thursday. As the MLS Cup champions, the Timbers have the 20th and 40th pick in the two-round draft of college players. They are likely to look for long-term potential, players who can play for Timbers 2 in 2016.