Appears to be done deal: 🔴 ACORDADO: Santiago Moreno (21) será nuevo jugador del #PortlandTimbers y firmará hasta diciembre de 2024. #AméricaDeCali ha aceptado la oferta de 3M$ + bonos por el extremo colombiano. pic.twitter.com/agxEGAvx6m— Pipe Sierra (@PSierraR) July 21, 2021
As I wrote in the transfer thread, if Santi was going to choose MLS the Timbers are a solid outfit. I spend a lot of time in Portland and it's a great city. Awesome food and arts scene. Charmingly, the best coffee and donuts in the country. Beautiful landscapes with all kinds of climates within driving distance. Of course, most important is that it's a legit soccer town and people love the Timbers. The atmosphere in the stadium is crazy with proper energy - they have a lumberjack who chainsaws into a log for every goal they score. If Santi performs like he should be able to given the defense in the league he will be a hero in the town. Hoping he does great there and earns a nice nice to Europe soon.
The Chara bros and that Asprilla guy should be able to help him acclimate fast. It will be interesting to see if he gets called up any time soon though.
Sad was a great prospect. Mls wants too much to sell the players in their league like if they are boca or River. better than Arabia, China or Mexico. Also better than Argentina because they are actually paying a team in our league for the guy not. Hey let me borrow your star and if we sell him for 10 million we will give you 2
Given Rueda's hesitance to even sub in the few young players he did call, I don't think we're going to see Moreno on the NT for a while. Ryu mentioned the benefit of Santi playing on the same team as Yimmi Chara. However, I think he was called purely on being someone Rueda knew; doubt Rueda even looked at his recent matches for Portland. It sucks. Colombia loses kids to mediocre leagues all the time, but he was clearly a step above most prospects and even proved it regularly in Libertadores. You'd think other leagues would be interested, if not now, soon. At least he's securing his financial future. Can't be mad at the kid for that.
Promising. He's got traits right now (sudden/twitchy speed), takes guys on well with the turn - the stuff that leads to the Mané comparisons jump off the film. And he's won - despite being very young he featured (increasingly) heavily in two trophies for my beloved America, and it's translated to being effective in Conmebol tournaments too... But for me with any of these kids the question is consistency (do you beat the first man with your cross every time at will?) and volume of play (how much do you impact the game?) at higher competition- and realistically, MLS won't help us learn either of those much more than our domestic league - but hopefully he earns well, does enough to keep his hype and we can find out in Europe in a few years.
yeah I have a few specific things I look for with these "promising" players. If I don't see it then im just probably not going to buy into it
fast, agile, good with his feet. Has a soft shot, and gets knocked easy. take it from a non bias Deportivo Cali guy
Wow. MLS clubs really getting behind strategy of signing youth stars from South America... https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-...-argentinian-star/PV32NIZZ2ZCKTNXU2AX6IC7RRQ/
Why? If Currency strength and financial solvency makes MLS competitive with Arg and Brasil as the sell on league to Europe, we'll get to watch these guys in person... I wouldn't mind that, though of course, that's a big if. In truth if the MLS/Liga MX merger ever happens as speculated prior to Covid, I think it would inevitably become a power league given the access to Latin talent and financial resources theyd have. Again - IF.
Santiago Moreno is ready to make his way to Portland soon! #RCTID pic.twitter.com/P6nN4xdILZ— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) August 9, 2021 In the shirt...
Man. I don't know if any of you are up but the Portland - Seattle derby is on and WHAT an atmosphere. You'd think you'd this was the old firm or superclassico - three or four Colombians on the pitch too. Excited for Santi to play one of these!
Yea I went to a Seattle Sounders game when Montero was there with my dad. It was awesome felt like watching a game in Europe… also I didn’t feel like I would get murdered like at a Nacional game .
MLS is making huge leaps in talent right now (esp as the Argentine currency is struggling), but the atmosphere in most of its stadiums is already there and I'd argue is as good as most European and SA leagues - safe, (covid permitting) well attended, and with active loud dynamic fan bases - even here at RBA it's so fun to go to the park. We just need the quality on the pitch to catch up and if top prospects keep coming here that will happen over time, especially if the Liga MX merger happens... then the combined league will compete with any in the hemisphere and TV deals will enable even stronger/more competitive play.
SANTIAGO MORENO IS IN PORTLAND. I REPEAT, HE IS IN PORTLAND. https://t.co/vWSOxJxlII— TotalTimbers (@totaltimbers) August 16, 2021
I remember when I was working in Boston we would get free tickets to the New England Revolution and no one would want them haha. (My main reason other than quality of the league at the time was Gillette is in the middle of no where and only 1 way in and out.) I might have taken it one or two times because Toja was playing or could see Juan Pablo Angel or maybe it was Henry. I forget.
Do the Revs have a soccer specific stadium now? The experience at Red Bull Arena is awesome and night and day vs. when they played at the Meadowlands. Honestly - stadium is just as packed (though much smaller) and loud as I remember Pascual Guerrero being as a kid. And you don't have the fence either.
I moved back to CT. So haven’t been. I don’t think so. So the stadium was always empty or seemed so. even living in Boston it was quicker to go to the meadowlands than to Gillette.
Still some other major changes to add to make the MLS make that jump: 1 - Calendar/Schedule is completely misaligned with most of the top world league play. This will likely not change as it would mean having to compete even more so with baseball/basketball/football/hockey for TV $$ 2 - Competition schedule outside of Concachampions. They need to play in bigger stages (Copa Libertadores/Copa Sud) 3 - The growth of any league still has to happen somewhat organically. The fans, the club and the sport will always want to support the local hero. So yes, you can and need to sprinkle on top talent but your main budget is going to have to be sustained with the non-franchise talent that can eventually be sold for a much a higher $$. Since there are lots more non-franchise players to choose from then you increase your odds of hitting gold. With all this being said, most of the talent in sports come from urban areas and let's face it, kids trying out for that golden ticket. That golden ticket winner will still turn to the sport that will yield him the best chance to make the most $$. And soccer, even at D1 level, is not well funded as are the other major NCAA sports. Don't see this path changing for several more generations.
It also more than likely will never change because no one really wants to play from November-March in Minnesota, Colorado, Chicago, Ohio, Massachusetts, Seattle, etc.