BEAVERTON, Ore. – As David Guzmán stepped onto the Providence Park pitch in a decisive CONCACAF Champions League match last October, the Costa Rican midfielder could hardly have imagined that fewer than six months later he would march out onto that same field – only this time he'd be wearing green and gold.
Yet that's exactly what Guzmán has now done, having signed with the Portland Timbers in December after leaving his former club, Costa Rican powerhouse Deportivo Saprissa. The midfielder has already made four appearances for his new club in the team’s preseason schedule including playing in the team's final 30 minutes Sunday evening against Real Salt Lake.
“I think this is a great institution here in Portland,” Guzmán said through an interpreter after a recent training session. “I had a chance to play against them here in Portland and...in Costa Rica, so I obviously know a little bit about them.”
Rewind the tape and watch the Timbers' two matches against Saprissa and it's easy to see why the skilled and versatile Guzmán first caught the eyes of Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson and head coach Caleb Porter.
At both the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá and at Providence Park, Guzmán played a vital role in central midfield, linking Saprissa's defense to the midfield and forwards and distributing the ball all over the pitch with clean, incisive passing.
Those performances, along with a great deal of additional scouting, are part of what the Timbers centered on as they looked to acquire Guzmán. Having been with the team throughout the club’s first stage of preseason in Tucson, Portland has been very pleased with what they’ve seen in the 26 year-old.
“We said all offseason that we were going to sign a No. 6,” said Porter after training last week. “Guzmán is exactly as we thought he’d be…You know what you get so there’s no surprise and you’re seeing exactly what we thought we’d get out of him as a true 6."
According to Guzmán, he's already begun forming a critical working relationship with new teammate Diego Chara both on and off the field.
“He's a terrific human being,” Guzmán said of the fellow midfielder. “He's taken me under his arm. He's been really helpful to me and my family and I can actually say now that he's part of the family.”
Guzmán certainly knows a thing or two himself about forming familial bonds with a club. After debuting with the Saprissa first team in 2009, the midfielder went on to appear in over 170 matches for the Costa Rican giant, winning five titles with Saprissa while anchoring one of the best defensive units in Central American soccer.
But Major League Soccer provides a new test for a player for who remains undaunted by the challenge and has already set his sights for his new club.
“I'm really looking forward to playing with this team and contributing,” he said.
“My goal is to win a title.”
