Two players hoping to make a significant step forward in their young careers have joined the Timbers after Portland last week made a pair of moves to improve its depth. Jack Barmby and Darren Mattocks each spoke on Wednesday about why coming to Portland is a good move.
Barmby, 21, comes to the Timbers on loan from England’s Leicester City. He arrived in Portland on Tuesday. He said that the opportunity to come to Portland “came out of the blue” and the deal happened quickly once he spoke with Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson.
“The first step for me is to get in the team because obviously the team are doing quite well right now, winning the championship,” Barmby said.
Barmby provides needed depth on the left side as an attacker or as a left back, Timbers coach Caleb Porter said.
Barmby said he hopes to bring excitement to the field wherever he plays.
“I like to take people on. I like to cross it,” he said, adding that he hopes to contribute both goals and assists and “if I’m playing left back (provide) good defending and attacking.”
Mattocks, 25, had several good seasons in Vancouver, but was odd-man out when the Whitecaps acquired forwards Blas Perez and Masato Kudo in the offseason. The Timbers sent allocation money and an international roster spot to Vancouver on Monday for Mattocks. He said Portland is a good fit because he has friends on the team from his college days (Darlington Nagbe, Zarek Valentin) and from the Jamaican national team (Jermaine Taylor, Alvas Powell).
“I feel like I’ve been here a couple of years already,” Mattocks said.
Porter said acquiring Barmby and Mattocks addresses a depth issue that concerned the coach at the start of the season.
“For me (Mattocks) is an exciting player. He can play anywhere in the front three and gives us more depth,” said Porter, who watched Mattocks score 39 goals in 47 games over two seasons at Akron.
Mattocks, who started only nine times last season for the Whitecaps, said he knows he will need to be patient in Portland.
“Hopefully when my time comes make the most out of every opportunity,” Mattocks said.
Ridgewell out four to eight weeks — Porter confirmed Wednesday that defender Liam Ridgewell will be sidelined at least four weeks and perhaps as many as eight weeks with the hamstring injury suffered in training last Friday.
