The 2023 MLS SuperDraft happened on Wednesday (never you mind that it’s still 2022) and the Portland Timbers held five picks in the latest edition of the league’s annual college draft. They selected four players to join their ranks for preseason, each having hopes of showing enough to earn a contract with the first team or with Timbers 2 in MLS NEXT Pro.
With their first pick at number 15 in the first round, the Timbers selected Noel Caliskan out of Loyola Marymount University. The 22-year-old midfielder was one of the highest rated midfielders in the WCC conference in 2022, where as a junior he was named WCC Player of the Year and WCC Midfielder of the Year.