When the Portland Timbers acquired Jeff Attinella just over 21 months ago, few remembered the lofty status he had accumulated during his career in college. Nobody thought about the promise with which Real Salt Lake brought him to Utah in 2011, and few saw that, after six professional seasons, he might be ready for more than a backup goalkeeper’s role.
Attinella, however, had known for some time that he was ready to start. It’s the role he originally saw himself on track for eight years ago, as he finished his college career – one he quickly learned, as a 22-year-old, he’d need more time to grow into.