PORTLAND — The celebration was emphatic as it was original.
Foster Langsdorf put a fitting cap on his home debut by scoring the insurance goal in the 68th minute of Timbers USL affiliate T2’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday night at University of Portland’s Merlo Field.
The Timbers rookie followed up his header goal by sprinting to the right corner flag and sliding on both knees into a gaggle of teammates — a celebration he offered at Stanford, where he was the Pac-12’s all-time leading goal-scorer.
He was greeted in the corner by more teammates as the Vancouver native and Mountain View graduate screamed out rap lyrics he had stuck in his head. Then, still one the ground, he realized how tired he was.
“I was saying, ‘I don’t want to get up,’ it’s been a long day for me,” Langsdorf said.
Langsdorf, who became the Timbers’ second homegrown signing in January, participated in the full practice Wednesday morning, which made him think he wasn’t starting. But when he saw the starting board in the Timbers locker room, and his initials, “F-L,” he scratched his head.
“I thought, ‘It’s either sink or swim now,’ ” Langsdorf said, laughing.
He wound up playing 85 minutes alongside some Timbers first team players such as Dairon Asprilla, Jack Barmby and Jeremy Ebobisse.
As for the goal, a far post header off a cross from Terrell Lowe, it was followed by elation chock-full of meaning for Langsdorf, who logged his first start and second goal in front of family and friends, many of whom are seeing him play for the Timbers for the first time.
The icing on the cake? Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper Nico Corti, who he scored on, was his teammate for four seasons at Stanford.
The two won three national championships together. They were texting with a Stanford assistant coach before the game, and when asked who he wanted to win, the coach said Corti.
“We (trash)-talk each other all the time,” Langsdorf said with a grin, but noted that he would keep the banter to a minimum since the teams play again.
Although playing for a familiar audience included a few playful heckles, Langsdorf didn’t feel nervous.
He’d played at UP many times before, including in college, when the home crowd hurled taunts in his direction. This time, with vocal Timbers supporters in tow, he embraced the friendly cheers.
“This is a familiar environment,” Langsdorf said. “It was a lot of fun, man, I love playing at home.”
Langsdorf is one of six Timbers first team players currently on loan to T2. He’s played with the USL affiliate entirely to start the season, but practices with the first team.
Training with Major League Soccer All-Stars such as Diego Valeri and various other recognizable standouts is a weird feeling for Langsdorf. But it’s one he’s getting used to.
He is unsure of when he could make his Major League Soccer debut, but Wednesday’s performance on that stage certainly plays to his favor.
It drew praise from T2 head coach Cameron Knowles.
“His recognition to get into the box and his desire to get on the end of that (goal) is the reason he scores the goal,” Knowles said. “He’s an extremely hard-working and honest player and he finds himself in those positions. It was well-done.”
All in all, it’s been a happy homecoming for Langsdorf up to this point. He’s even living back at home in Vancouver, and still getting adjusted to his new life in the pros.
“It’s hard to go to sleep sometimes because I get so excited to think I get to play with Valeri, and Adi tomorrow, but I won’t be a fan, I’ll be actually playing with them,” Langsdorf said. “I don’t want that feeling, that excitement to go away.”
