Portland Timbers defender Marco Farfan, the club's first Homegrown signing developed through their academy, is set to graduate from Centennial High School in Gresham, Ore. today. In a special profile in a recent Oregonian article by Jamie Goldberg, Farfan, his family, his teachers and his head coach Caleb Porter talk about his journey and the great deal of work and balance it has taken from Farfan to make it all work.
"Sometimes I forget that he's going to school on top of the soccer and having to commute back and forth and compartmentalize everything," Porter told The Oregonian. "That's not easy. It shows his maturity. He has a great head on his shoulders and that's a big reason why he is able to do what he's doing."
Farfan, who played last season with T2–the club's developmental USL team–before signing a first team contract last fall is planning on continuing his collegiate studies online via Southern New Hampshire University, MLS' official education partner.
Read more about Farfan's soccer and school journey in the whole feature here.
"It took me about a month to get used to it, but now I'm just focused on working hard, so I can get better down the road," Farfan told The Oregonian. "I'm 18 right now, but that's not going to last forever. I have to have the right mindset that I can go out there every day and compete."
