Veteran MLS midfielder/defender Lawrence Olum, now entering his 12th season as a professional, first joined the Portland Timbers in 2007 and spent two years with the club, then in the USL. While much has changed since then, both with the Timbers and in Olum's own career, some things remain the same.
“The club had a lot of culture already [when I arrived in 2007],” Olum said. “It was probably the most watched team in USL back then. So I could tell for sure that they already had a lot of things going on.”
After a standout college career at Missouri Baptist University, Olum was discovered by then-Timbers head coach, now general manager president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson at a USL Player Showcase.