Portland Timbers: Jeremy Ebobisse extension displays faith

The Portland Timbers have signed Jeremy Ebobisse to a multi-year contract extension. The move is a show of faith in the future of the club’s leading goalscorer from last season.

Jeremy Ebobisse’s time in Portland has been spent proving to others what he can bring to the pitch. But after being awarded a contract extension this past week, it is quite clear for all to see: The Portland Timbers understand his long-term value.

Ebobisse has spent his entire MLS career within the Portland Timbers. With 57 overall appearances and 32 starts spanning three seasons, the 23-year-old forward has been tasked with one job, to score goals, though it hasn’t always been that simple.

He was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft but faith in him from the coaching staff was not always apparent early on. It had to be earned. In his rookie season, he appeared in 14 games, of which only two were starts. He scored one goal and assisted three more in 317 minutes of play.

In 2018, playing under first-year head coach Giovanni Savarese, he found himself on the bench, and eventually sent on loan to the Timber’s USL affiliate, Timbers 2. It seemed as though his career was stalling. But roster moves by the Timbers and a newly found motivation drove his success while with T2.

He would return to the first team and become a critical piece to Portland’s 2018 MLS Cup playoffs run, starting all six of the club’s playoff games and solidifying his role as the starting number nine come the following season. Then more suggestions that Ebobisse still was not trusted.

Brian Fernandez was brought in on a record transfer fee from Liga MX side Necaxa. Fernandez earned his Designated Player contract, scoring eleven goals in his 19 games played. We all know what happened next in the Fernandez story in Portland, but while he fulfilled his role as a goalscoring striker, Ebobisse didn’t let up. He had his best season in three years alongside the Argentinian DP, with 11 goals and one assist in 25 starts and helped lead the Timbers to a playoff berth after a rocky start to the season.

After an early exit from the playoffs in a first-round loss to Real Salt Lake and with Fernandez off the team, it looked like Ebobisse’s time to shine had finally arrived. And then, typically, another offseason full of competition.

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The winter transfer window saw the Portland Timbers fill two open DP positions with two attacking players. Yimmi Chara and Jaroslaw Niezgoda were brought in on DP deals, before Portland would then add Felipe Mora from UNAM Pumas on a loan with an option to buy. But with a now crowded attack, Ebobisse looks at his current place on the roster as just another challenge to overcome in his young professional career.

And he shouldn’t be worried. In fact, he should up for a new challenge in a new role, as head coach Savarese spoke on his play with Mora in the attack in recent preseason matches and his flexibility on the wing and as a center-forward.

The new contract is simply an illustration of that. ‘We have a great deal of confidence in Jeremy as a person and a player, and we are thrilled to have him re-sign the with Timbers and reward him for his dedication, professionalism and hard work,’ said general manager Gavin Wilkinson. There is competition for places and respect, but that is nothing new for Ebobisse and he has thrived in those situations before.

The new contract is a big step forward for a talented young player. The Timbers have finally shown a level of commitment towards their young star, something that he has desperately deserved. And so, in 2020, he might finally flourish.