By IVES GALARCEP
The Portland Timbers are thin at centerback, and they are working hard to rectify that weakness in their roster.
The Timbers have closed in on a pair of centerback targets, with sources telling SBI that the Timbers are in talks with Australian defender Michael Thwaite and Gambian-born former Norwegian national team defender Pa Modou Kah.
Sources tell SBI that Kah was Portland’s original target, but it appears that deal has soured and appears unlikely to be completed. That leaves Thwaite, a defender with Australian A-League side Perth Glory, as Portland’s lead target if the deal with Kah cannot be salvaged.
Thwaite, 29, is a 6-foot-3 central defender with 11 Australian national team caps to his name. Kah, 32, currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Wehda. Here are some highlights of Kah, who is probably best remembered for scoring this goal with Dutch side Roda JC.
The Timbers lost starter David Horst to a knee injury after parting ways with Colombian defender Hanyer Mosquera. Horst’s injury opened the door for Mamadou Danso to step in and start alongside Mikael Silvestre, but the team is looking for some more cover to work alongside young centerbacks Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Dylan Tucker-Gangnes.
What do you think of this development? Think the Timbers need another centerback, or do you think Danso has done well since joining the starting lineup?
Share your thoughts below.