The Portland Timbers are busy making moves. After signing Sebastian Blanco to a Designated Player deal to join with compatriot Diego Valeri, the pair have been the central force in the Timbers attack.
As is the case in the roster-defined Major League Soccer, the formation of those three DP slots is the central decision that defines the team, and for the Portland Timbers, it has revolved around Blanco and Valeri.
However, this offseason, not only did the Timbers terminate the contract of third DP Brian Fernandez due to ‘failure to comply with the league’s substance abuse and behavioural health (SABH) program’, per Paul Tenorio; they also restructured Valeri’s contract, buying him down with Target Allocation Money such that he also no longer takes up a precious DP slot.