PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers announced today that the club has added three players from its T2 program to its MLS roster ahead of the upcoming campaign, signing winger Victor Arboleda, defender Rennico Clarke and goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh. The club also announced today that it has re-signed winger Jack Barmby.
With the addition of Arboleda, Clarke and McIntosh, the Timbers have signed four players from their T2 roster for the 2017 season. The trio join defender Marco Farfan, who signed with the Timbers as a Homegrown Player from T2 and the Timbers Academy program in October as the club’s youngest MLS player-signing at 17 years of age.
“We are pleased to announce today the signing of three quality young players who have had the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities with T2, and the re-signing of another young player in Jack Barmby, who had a promising first season with the Timbers in 2016,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager and president of soccer for the Timbers. “With a growing number of players signed from our USL club, we believe developing through our T2 program is a very effective way to get young players ready for first-team football, and we are very encouraged by the progress we are seeing in this area in a relatively short period of time.”
Clarke, 21, first joined the Timbers organization with T2 for their inaugural USL season in 2015, while both Arboleda, 20, and McIntosh, 22, made their debuts with T2 during the 2016 season.
"We are excited about the potential of this young crop of players that have come up through our system,” said Caleb Porter, head coach of the Timbers. “We believe in our developmental pathway and by performing well with T2 they have earned this opportunity to take the next step in our club. Being even closer to the first team will allow them to continue growing and hopefully lead into meaningful first-team minutes in the near future."
Barmby, 22, enters his second season with the Timbers after originally joining the club on loan from English Premier League club Leicester City on March 9, 2016.
"Overall we felt Jack had a positive first season with our club, especially considering his age and potential upside,” Porter said. “We look forward to having him back and seeing even more progress and impact this season."
Barmby recorded a goal and an assist in 24 appearances (5 starts) across all competitions in his first season with the Timbers in 2016. During the regular season, Barmby appeared in 19 games (2 starts) and tallied one goal in 381 minutes played. He made three appearances (1 start) and recorded an assist during CONCACAF Champions League play and made two starts during 2016 U.S. Open Cup action. Additionally, Barmby made one start for T2, playing 45 minutes in a 1-1 draw against San Antonio FC on June 11, 2016.
Joining T2 from Colombia Primera Division side Deportivo Cali in March 2016, the 20-year-old Arboleda recorded four goals and two assists in 25 games played (20 starts) with T2 in 2016, tallying the third-most points (10) on the team. Prior to signing with T2, Arboleda scored two goals in eight appearances with Deportivo Cali, while also earning caps at the U-15 and U-17 levels for the Colombian National Team.
In two seasons with T2 (2015-16), Clarke has appeared in 29 games (28 starts), recording two goals. Last season, Clarke appeared in 14 games (14 starts) with T2 after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the 2015 USL campaign, anchoring the backline while tallying two goals in his second season with the club. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Clarke featured for the Jamaica U-20 National Team at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championships, while also earning three caps for Jamaica’s U-21 side at the 22nd-annual Central America and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico in 2014.
McIntosh signs with the Timbers after playing in 18 games (18 starts) with T2 in 2016. Recording a 1.17 goals against average, McIntosh tallied eight wins in goal for T2, including a team-high four shutouts. McIntosh signed with T2 after playing at Santa Clara University from 2012-15, where he helped guide the Broncos to a West Coast Conference (WCC) Championship during his senior season in 2015. Additionally, McIntosh has earned caps with the U.S. U-17 and U-20 Men’s National Teams.
Transaction: Portland Timbers sign winger Victor Arboleda, defender Rennico Clarke and goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh; re-sign winger Jack Barmby
Victor Arboleda
Position: Winger
Pronunciation: Victor AR-bo-lay-da
Height: 5-7
Weight: 145
Born: Jan. 1, 1997, in El Cerrito, Colombia
Last Club: T2
College: n/a
Citizenship: Colombia
Acquired: Signed on Jan. 12, 2017
Jack Barmby
Position: Winger
Height: 5-10
Weight: 165
Born: Nov. 14, 1994, in Harlow, Essex, England
Last Club: Portland Timbers
College: n/a
Citizenship: England
Acquired: Re-signed on Jan. 12, 2017
Rennico Clarke
Position: Defender
Pronunciation: ren-nick-CO Clark
Height: 6-4
Weight: 195
Born: Aug. 27, 1995, in Kingston, Jamaica
Last Club: T2
College: n/a
Citizenship: Jamaica
Acquired: Signed on Jan. 12, 2017
Kendall McIntosh
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Born: Jan. 24, 1994, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Last Club: T2
College: Santa Clara University
Citizenship: United States of America
Acquired: Signed on Jan. 12, 2017
