PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers have exercised the purchase option on defender Alvas Powell from Jamaican club Portmore United, signing the Jamaica National Team defender to a new, long-term contract, it was announced today. Powell was originally acquired by the Timbers on loan from Portmore United on June 28, 2013. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Powell, 20, is coming off an MLS-career-high 15 appearances (11 starts) during the 2014 season. The Jamaican international registered the first two goals of his MLS career in back-to-back games for the Timbers against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Aug. 30 and the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 7, while also helping the team finish the season with a 304-minute streak without conceding a goal. Powell has made 20 appearances for the Timbers since originally joining the club on loan midway through the 2013 MLS season, and is the youngest player in Timbers MLS history to start and play in a match on Aug. 3, 2013, against Whitecaps FC at 19-years, 16-days old.
Named the Timbers Up-and-Coming Player in consecutive seasons, Powell has emerged as an important part of the Jamaica National Team, earning 18 caps for the Reggae Boyz since making his senior international debut on Dec. 10, 2012. Recently, Powell made four appearances and helped guide Jamaica to the 2014 Caribbean Cup title – the country’s first Caribbean Cup championship since 2010 – while earning a spot on the tournament’s Best XI list.
Powell will occupy an international slot on the Timbers’ roster.
Alvas Powell
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165
Born: July 18, 1994, in Danvers Pen, Jamaica
Last Club: Portmore United FC (Jamaica)
College: n/a
Citizenship: Jamaica
Acquired: Contract purchased from Portmore United on Dec. 8, 2014, and signed to a new, multiyear contract. Originally acquired on loan from Portmore United on June 28, 2013.
