Timbers Closing in on Mora

Portland are keen to have Mora in their ranks on a permanent basis

"Timbers!" Image: (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) by prentz

(SALEM, Ore.) - March sees the return of MLS soccer and, after an unplanned break to the fixtures in 2020, clubs will be hoping that the schedule runs without interruption this year. Franchises are already planning for the new campaign and one side looking to carry on with sound early business is Portland Timbers.

Having already added the young Argentinian defender Claudio Bravo to the squad, coach Giovanni Savarese is anxious to do more business with Chilean striker Felipe Mora the name in the frame.

Loan Star

Mora is no stranger to Timbers’ fans having already played a part in the 2020 MLS campaign. The attacker joined on loan from Mexican outfit UNAM last season and he played his part as Savarese’s side claimed the one-off MLS is back tournament.

Having notched a respectable seven goals during his time at Providence Park, Portland are keen to have Mora in their ranks on a permanent basis and negotiations are continuing at the time of writing.

Agonizing Exit

Timbers may have won the MLS is Back trophy but that will be seen as little more than a consolation prize in terms of their overall season. Having finished in third place in the Western Conference, the side lost out in an agonizing penalty shootout as they reached the first round of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, that third place offers the side a slot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League and it means that they are highly fancied for an improvement next season.

Early market prices from the bookmakers linked to legalbetting.com show that Portland Timbers are among the short odds options to win the MLS Cup in 2021. LegalBetting is the place to check out sportsbooks that are available to bettors based in Oregon and they will continue to update those odds as the season approaches.

Anyone looking to take a bet on the new campaign can follow the outright winner updates closely but, have the Timbers gained an early advantage due to their forays into the transfer markets?

Missing Link

Goals win games and this is one of the reasons why Portland Timbers will be keen to secure the services of Felipe Mora on a permanent basis.

His return of seven strikes in 19 matches from 2020 is a reasonable record and, as a regular starter and a confirmed part of the Portland roster, he can surely only improve on those stats.

Mora is still just 27 years of age and can therefore be considered as coming into his prime as a footballer. Over the course of his career with clubs such as UNAM, Universidad de Chile, Cruz Azul and Audax Italiano, that ratio of a goal in less than three games has been maintained and that’s the minimum that will be expected of the player next season.

Up front, Mora can form a productive partnership with the Polish striker Jarosław Niezgoda who has a similar scoring ratio to the Chilean. Elsewhere within the Timbers’ roster, the coach is likely to feature Jeremy Obobisse who has been with Portland since 2017. He’s still only 23 but is something of a veteran within the squad having already played at Providence Park for four seasons.

Timbers Jigsaw Coming Together

Forwards grab all the headlines but the signing of Claudio Bravo may well prove to be the most shrewd piece of business carried out by the Timbers in this close season.

The 23-year old left back comes highly rated and, having already represented Argentina at Under 23 level, he’s expected to have a big international future ahead of him.

For now, Portland’s task is to get the signing of Felipe Mora over the line but, when the deal is done, the Timbers may continue to look for new additions as they aim for a successful campaign when MLS returns in March.

Source: Salem-News.com Special Features Dept.