BEAVERTON, Ore. – Zarek Valentin came into Portland Timbers’ training camp this winter fighting for a job, a status which makes Saturday’s first even more remarkable. Come the final whistle at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Valentin had completed the 90 minutes as an unused sub, the first time this season the 27-year-old fullback had failed to appear in a Timbers’ MLS match.
“I think my legs needed it, to be completely honest,” Valentin said on Tuesday at the adidas Timbers Training Center in Beaverton, Oregon. “I feel a lot better, now, personally, in terms of just my legs and fatigue.