It was evident from the moment Alvas Powell came to the Portland Timbers on loan from Jamaican side Portmore United in late June of the 2013 season just how athletic the then 19-year-old right back was.
But it was in a late-August match on the road against the Seattle Sounders when Powell really showed his eye-popping talent, racing up and down the CenturyLink Field pitch, canceling out the Rave Green’s potent attack and causing all kinds of problems getting forward. Unfortunately for Portland, in that same game he also showed just how raw he was, finding himself at times out of position defensively in a 1-0 Timbers loss.
That was just his fourth, and last, start of the season as veteran Jack Jewsbury re-established himself as the starter for the Timbers’ run to the Western Conference Championship.
That was more than a year ago.
Today, Powell has refined his game, adding maturity and defensive awareness to the size (6-foot-1) and speed that made him a Jamaican track and field prospect as a boy. It has not only made him Portland’s right back of the future but also a key piece in the Timbers’ core as they gun for a spot among the MLS elite.
“I’m really happy to have reached this far,” Powell told MLSsoccer.com in a phone conversation from his family home in the small town of Danvers Pen, Jamaica, shortly after the Timbers purchased his rights from Portmore, locking him into a long-term deal. “That means I’m doing something right. I’m really happy with everything that’s going on.”
Powell came into this past season still with something to prove, making three sporadic starts early in the year and spending time with USL PRO affiliate Sacramento Republic. But on Aug. 30, with the Timbers defense having surrendered four goals to the Sounders in their previous game, Powell grabbled hold of a spot in the XI and didn’t let go, making eight starts to close out the year. In those games, Portland went 4-1-3 with Powell recording the first two goals and assists of his MLS career.
Meanwhile, Powell has quickly become a mainstay with his country’s national team, recently starting all four games in Jamaica’s run to the Caribbean Cup championship this fall.
“In his evolution as a player, it took time, but I think we handled it the right way in finding ways to get him games, slowly bled him into the team, and I think you saw him thrive with what he did last season,” Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said. “You saw that he was a pretty positive young player and how he was developed, and he’s one who we feel can be one of the better right backs in this league.”
It’s all heady stuff for a 20-year-old from a humble farming community, one of seven siblings – six of them sisters. Growing up initially as a sprinter – a sport Powell admits is even bigger than soccer in his home country – he made the switch to the beautiful game in middle school. He was soon noticed by the Jamaican national team and moved his way up the youth ranks starting with the U-17s and then captaining the U-20s to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in 2013.
He said he has evolved into something more than just a fast athlete thanks to his year of development in Portland.
“First when I went to the Portland Timbers it was a learning process for me, you know, and I was working hard,” he said. “So moving to the Portland Timbers in 2013 helped me a lot to come back to Jamaica and play for my country. It helped me a lot. I improved.”
Powell said he hopes to continue his improvement on the defensive end and in his technical ability, but he also realizes what earned him a ticket to the Rose City – being yet another weapon in Porter’s high-pressure attack. Being the most athletic player on the field certainly doesn’t hurt in either aspect.
“I know in myself that I can do more for myself and my teammates,” he said. “I know that I can give more and have a much better season than this last season.”
Powell’s purchase from Portmore is rumored to be the largest sum for a Jamaican player to MLS, quite the investment in someone who has appeared in just 20 games over the course of 1 ½ seasons. But Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson said Powell is worth the time and money.
“We were willing to invest a lot of time and effort into his continued development, and last year you saw a little bit of a roller coaster with his performances and maturity and increased performances and the quality of performances at the end of the year,” Wilkinson said. “Hopefully his development continues.”
Powell’s multi-year deal with Portland also has greater meaning than merely a professional accomplishment; it also allows him to better care for his family back in Jamaica. It’s a responsibility that has required maturity beyond his 20 years.
“This means a lot to me; this means a lot to me and my family,” Powell said. “This is what I always wanted, to sign a professional contract to help my family. So this means a lot to me, and I can’t really find the words to tell you how happy this made me when my agent called me and told me that the Portland Timbers had signed me.”
