The night was presided by former Portland Timbers star Diego Valeri’s induction into the ring of honor. The first modern day player to enter the stadium star ring in decades. In a very emotional two part ceremony, the stadium was full of forms of affection to the Argentine play maker. Diego Valeri, nicknamed “Maestro”, made his debut in Portland, in what was then called Jeld-Wen Field, modern day Providence Park, 10 years ago, as a very little known player that somewhat fell into then President of Football, Gavin Wilkinson, and turned to be his best signing in his Portland career.
Valeri, was part of that very special team of 2015 that went all the way to the last match of MLS season, to Columbus, Ohio, and beat the Columbus Crew, 2-1, and brought MLS Cup to Portland in the Timbers’ biggest triumph on the franchise’s entire history. That final played on December 6th, 2015, saw Valeri score one of the fastest opening goals in MLS history, after rushing a cold Columbus goal keeper, Steve Clark, and open the avenue to bring the cup home.
Ironically, the moving chairs game of MLS would find Steve Clark, joining the Timbers years later, but also then coach of the 2015 Timbers, Caleb Porter, would become the Crew’s chief until last year. Most notoriously, the Timbers star from that championship 2015 team, Darlington Nagbe, would settle in Columbus after a few years in Atlanta, and was back yesterday, as the captain of the visiting team, in a match riddled with history, facing former championship rivals.
Nagbe, emotively exchanged jerseys with Sebastián Blanco, at the end of the game, past team mates in Portland in 2017. The Argentinian midfielder, Sebastian Blanco, had scored the match wining goal, and Nagbe had came to pay respects to his former champion ship team mates still on the team, Dairon Asprilla, Diego Chara, veterans of that glorious night in the freezing Columbus.
But last night, it was all about the Maestro, or “Troesma” as some others called him. Valeri, had signed the previous day a one-day contract to officially retire a Timber, prior to his Ring of Honor induction, he had trained with the team, and had a chance to talk to the staff, player, press, and other familiar faces from his playing days. The writer of these lines, for instance, had his moment, “You miss it!” I asked, Diego nodded in admittance.
Saturday, Diego had emotive words for the fans and signed hundreds of scarves, jerseys, match tickets with his name and portrait, and all kinds of mementos, and made an epic run to the 107 platform occupied by the Timbers Army, who had some other gifts and songs to sing with him.
An appropriate homage to who might have been the club’s biggest and brightest star in its 48 years of history, Diego still sits up in the top spot of statistics with a 100 goals to his name, with as many assists. He is also a former MVP of MLS, and earned his name in the list of the league’s most influential players.
