—by Chris Rifer

As has become tradition here at The Morrison Report, with the Timbers 2013 campaign in the books, it’s time to talk who from the Timbers will be in green come March and who will be plying his trade elsewhere.  In the past, this has been a fun – albeit humbling – experience for The Morrison Report, as I labeled Rodney Wallace and Futty “Imminently Former Timbers” in 2012, and openly called for trading Jack Jewsbury in 2011.

But if 2013 has taught us anything, it’s that past embarrassments are not necessarily destined to repetition.  In that spirit, each of the Timbers are categorized below by Gavin Wilkinson’s reaction to receiving a call inquiring about the player’s services.[1]

“[Lingering silence]”

Will Johnson, Diego Chara, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe – These four guys – the core of the Timbers best-in-MLS midfield – aren’t going anywhere.  There are 18 teams in MLS that would tear their arms off trying to get these guys on their roster, but it’s simply not happening.  The only guy on the list that seems likely to look to take his career elsewhere in the foreseeable future in Nagbe, but, as Wilkinson alluded to on ExtraTime Radio on November 21,[2] his desire for U.S. citizenship and USMNT eligibility will keep Nagbe stateside, and accordingly Timberside, until at least the fall of 2015.

“I’m not hanging up, but that’s probably only because I’m stuck with Caleb on an airplane to Buenos Aires and he won’t shut up about being the dominant passenger[3] on this plane.” 

Kalif Alhassan – Unlike this time last year, there are likely a fair number of suitors for Kalif.  Also unlike last year, it’s hard to see the Timbers parting ways with him.  Kalif showed real signs of development in 2013, improving his defense, schematic understanding, and finishing to the point where he was the first player off the bench for MLS's deepest midfield.[4]  If the Timbers were to ever get an offer they couldn’t refuse for Nagbe, Valeri, or Wallace a couple years down the road, it’s easy to imagine them being willing to pull the trigger because the have a ready-made replacement in Alhassan. Until then, he’s a very capable, versatile first man off the bench.

Michael Harrington – While Jack Jewsbury may have been the key cog in beating Seattle in the playoffs, Harrington was Portland’s most consistent defender in 2013.  Given the dearth of decent left backs in the league – and the world, for that matter – the Timbers won’t be parting with Michael on his current form.

Alvas Powell – The Timbers didn’t bring Powell in for 2013.  As he showed, he’s a little bit of a project at right back, but the potential is there in spades.  No way the Timbers bail on Alvas now.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste – He fell out of favor at the end of the season, but that had more to do with Porter wanting to get more experience on the field in the run up to the postseason than any indictment of AJB’s overall performance.  He’s the clear-cut centerback of the future, and is just a few poor defensive decisions away from bring the clear-cut centerback of the now.  AJB definitely has some maturing to do, but he’s going to do it in Timbers green.

Maxi Urruti – The Timbers really didn’t scratch the surface with Urruti this year.  He came into the team at a tough time of year to get acclimated, so the jury on Maxi should stay out until we see what he has to offer in 2014.

Jose Valencia – The flashes from Valencia are becoming more and more common as he matures as a striker.  Incidentally, his best performance on 2013 was one of the Timbers’ worst – the road draw at Chivas in which he displayed significant prowess as a holdup threat.  If that can become a consistent part of his game to go along with his athletic aptitude, he will be a very, very good forward in this league.

Donovan Ricketts – His performance in 2013 would justify Ricketts being in the first category, but the reality of age and the necessity of finding an heir to his throne at some point make him not as untouchable as the midfield core.

Rodney Wallace – Wallace has tremendous value for the Timbers but, realistically, not as much for just about anybody else around the league.  Rodney fits perfectly with the rest of Porter’s selections in the middle, as he provides spacing with his effectiveness out wide and gives the Timbers a direct threat in a unit that has a habit of getting a little fancy at times.

“I’m alittlebit[5] surprised to hear from you.  To be honest, I don’t think we’ll be interested, but I’ll hear you out.”

Futty – Most of the time, he’s a solid MLS centerback.  Occasionally he’s a trainwreck.  Futty’s role in the Timbers is well-defined, however.  He’s a veteran calming presence in the locker room that can give you some solid minutes at the back if need be.  There’s a good chance Futty finishes his career in Portland, which is more than fine by me. 

David Horst – A lost year in 2013 means Horst has virtually no value on the market.  The Timbers are well aware of what he can be when healthy, however, which makes him well worth hanging onto for 2014.

Jack Jewsbury – He’s at the point of his career when you smell the proverbial milk carton whenever you think about building a starting eleven with him involved, but he’s not showing signs of serious decline any time soon.  Indeed, Jack played his best soccer at the end of the year, something you wouldn’t expect from a player about to turn sour.

Pa Modou Kah – I’ve never been fully committed to the Kah bandwagon, but at this point it’s hard to draw up a starting center back tandem on opening day in 2014 that doesn’t include Kah.  He’s under contract for at least another year, and it’s hard to imagine his value is greater anywhere than it is in Portland. 

Milos Kocic – At this point, it’s hard to say what Kocic’s standing in the team is.  He was fine, if not perfect, in the few performances he put in for Portland when Ricketts was away on international duty.  So while it’s still far from clear that he’s Ricketts’s successor, he’s young and his contract price is very right.

Michael Nanchoff – It’s hard to see Nanchoff breaking into the lineup barring a rash of injuries, but his value next year will be in early U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League rounds.  If he can perform to the level he did in his USOC and Reserve League appearances in 2013, he could be a big boost to the club in both competitions.

Ben Zemanski – Every team needs a Ben Zemanski.  He can play multiple positions, give you solid minutes as a late-game defensive substitute, and cover the central midfield when somebody goes down with injury or suspension.  While Ben Zemanskis are relatively fungible, I think Porter is pretty happy with his Ben Zemanski.

Ryan Miller – At this point, he’s a little bit of damaged goods having suffered a pretty serious stress fracture, so the Timbers are unlikely to get many inquiries.  But Miller is a solid reserve fullback at a salary level commensurate with such a role.

Steven Evans – While he never broke in with the first team, it’s clear Caleb Porter likes Steven Evans quite a bit.  While I’m far from optimistic that he’ll ever break in as an MLS rotation player, he did have some nice showings in the reserves.  And at a minimum salary, Evans is essentially off-book in any event.

“I’m glad you called.  What was that?  Do I like allocation money?  That’s like asking me if Lucy Lawless is my actress.[6]”

Ryan Johnson – Being a Ryan Johnson fan, this comes with a little bit of a heavy heart.  But with Johnson rumored to either be out of contract or on a club option, it’s hard to see the Timbers bringing Ryan back unless they can secure him for a surprisingly low number.  It’s clear that Porter doesn’t see him as the solution at number nine, and it’s hard to imagine the Timbers being able to bring him back for less than starter wages.

Frederic Piquionne – Also rumored to be on a club option, this is absolutely no impeachment of Piquionne’s performance as a Timber – which well exceeded my expectations.  Rather, it’s about the fact that his reported 10-day ankle knock turned into an eight-week ordeal that apparently never entirely resolved.  Simply put, knocks happen.  And questions about whether Piquionne can bounce back from them at this point in his career make it hard to see how Portland can carry him and his salary in 2014.

Sal Zizzo – Struggled to find his way into the midfield in Porter’s system, as he really is a true winger that likes to get down the line using his pace and whip a ball into the box.  And he’s really not a good enough defender to be a viable option at right back.  While I think Sal has a place in the league, I think it’s unlikely that place is with the Timbers.

“Well, I suppose if things fall into place, we’d keep him on for another year.”

Mikael Silvestre – Mikael is under contract for another year, but considering he is 36 years old and coming off a major knee injury, it’s far from certain he’ll return to form.  The Timbers will take a look at him in camp, but if he doesn’t look like he’ll be able to replicate his pre-injury form, the Timbers may choose to use their annual amnesty rights on his contract.

Brent Richards – So long as he’s on his Home Grown Player contract, there’s no real reason for the Timbers not to bring him back and at least see how he looks given an opportunity post-injury.  2013 was a big year for Brent, though, making his knee injury the most personally unfortunate of any in 2013.[7]

Dylan Tucker-Gangnes – Another guy who had a big year cut short by injuries.  Given the Timbers’ history with concussions, however, there’s a little more question about whether they’ll retain DTG.  He showed some promise in his cameos early on, however, so he may be worth seeing through to health.

Jake Gleeson – As the year went along, it became clear that Kocic was the backup and Gleeson a relatively distant third.  Given that Gleeson comes with a bigger salary cap hit than Kocic and Gleeson’s slow development over the course of the last couple years, the Timbers may be looking elsewhere for Ricketts understudies.

Rauwshan McKenzie – Isn’t a bad squad player as a centerback, but never got close to breaking in at a position that was the Timbers’ most break-inable.  He’ll only be back in 2014 if the Timbers have a spare roster spot and he doesn’t make a dent in the salary cap.  Also, his name is still hard to spell correctly.

“We already loaned him out.”

Sebastian Rincon – Twitter indications are that Seba may have been loaned out for some period of time.  If true, the loan may actually be good news for Seba, as, still only 19 years old, the Timbers may be taking a long-term approach to Rincon’s development.

“Who?”

Brad Ring – A future answer to one of Mike Donovan’s Timbers trivia questions.

Onward, Rose City!