Going into the offseason, one of the goals for the Portland Timbers was to shore up the back line. One of the areas of struggle for Portland all of last season was the constant concession of goals late in games. They gave up 15 goals in the final 15 minutes during the course of 2020. There were other areas that could use work, but the Timbers knew the defense was where to start.
They made a few moves here and there solidify the back line. They brought in Claudio Bravo from Club Atletico Banfield back in December, and they also re-signed Larrys Mabiala to solidify the center back position.