This is an option that’s been used repeatedly over the last three seasons, ever since moves that injected large amounts of Allocation Money into the Portland Timbers’ portfolio allowed the squad to become a primary focus. We saw it when Jorge Villafaña returned to the team from Santos Laguna in 2018, displacing the incumbent, Zarek Valentin, at left back. And we saw it this winter, when forwards Jarek Niezgoda and Felipe Mora were brought in to compete with Jeremy Ebobisse.
But adding players like Claudio Bravo -- the Argentine left back who became the newest Timber on Thursday -- isn’t just about adding a new option.