Timbers announce roster status ahead of 2024 MLS season
Portland currently has 21 players under contract
ACQUIRED: On February 2, 2017 on a full transfer from Argentina's Primera Division San Lorenzo de Almagro. On Feb. 11, 2022, Blanco agreed to an extension keeping him at the club through the 2023 season.
2023: Tallied first assist of the season on Aug. 26 against Vancouver... Scored his first goal of the 2023 campaign against Columbus on July 15...Made his regular season debut on May 20 against MIN...Started both Open Cup matches, scoring one goal against RSL on May 10.
2022: Hit 10,000 career minutes played with Portland on April 16 vs. HOU...Recorded two braces in the season (SKC May 14, MIN July 31)...Tallied his 50th career assist vs. TOR on Aug. 13.
2021: Scored a brace in a 3-1 victory against RSL on Nov. 3... Recorded two assists vs. RSL on Sept. 25... Scored a goal and tallied an assist against Colorado on Sept. 15... Scored against Seattle on Aug. 29... Made his first start of the season and scored his first goal of the year on Aug. 15... Came off the bench, tallying the game-winning assist on Aug. 7 against RSL... Recorded a season high 30 minutes off the bench on July 30 at LA Galaxy... Coming off the bench, recorded first assist of the season against LAFC on July 21... Logged nine minutes off the bench against FC Dallas on July 17... Recorded 17 minutes off the bench against the Dynamo on June 23... Made season debut, logging 10 minutes off the bench against Kansas City on June 19.
2020: Made nine appearances (8 starts) and tallied two goals and five assists during the 2020 MLS regular season... Across all competitions in 2020, tallied four goals and seven assists in 13 games played (11 starts)... Came off the bench to tally an assist against the LA Galaxy on Sept. 2... Started, tallying a goal and an assist against RSL on Aug. 29... Started and played 89 minutes in the MIB Tournament Final against Orlando on Aug. 11... Started, tallying the game-winning goal against Philadelphia on Aug. 5... Started, tallying a goal and an assist against NYCFC on Aug. 1... Registered an assist against LAFC on July 23... Tallied an assist against LAFC on July 23, logging 90 minute the Houston Dynamo on July 18... Tallied the game-winning goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy on July 13.
2019: Delivered his first-ever postseason assist in a 2-1 playoff loss at Real Salt Lake on October 19… Scored his sixth goal of the season in a 3-1 home win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 6… Scored his fifth goal of 2019 in MLS play in a 2-2 road draw against Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 29… Delivered his 12th assist of the season across competitions in a 2-2 home draw against New England Revolution on Sept. 25… Was credited with six chances created in a 0-0 home draw against Minnesota United FC on Sept. 22… Made his second substitute appearance of 2019 in a 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 18... Made his 24th start of the season in a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Aug. 31... Started and played 90 minutes in a 2-1 home loss against Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 23… Made his 100th career appearance for the Timbers across all competitions in a 2-0 home loss against Atlanta United FC on Aug. 18… Recorded his 21st league start in a 3-2 home win against Chicago Fire on Aug. 14… Tallied his fourth goal and added his 10th assist of the 2019 campaign in a 3-1 home win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Aug. 10… Was credited with six chances created in a 2-1 road loss against Minnesota United FC in the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Aug. 7... Started and played 90 minutes in a 1-0 road loss to Minnesota United FC on Aug. 3... Registered his ninth assist of 2019 in a 4-0 win against the LA Galaxy on July 27... Delivered his eighth assist of the season in a 2-1 away win against Seattle Sounders FC on July 21... Started and played 90 minutes in a 1-1 home draw against Orlando City FC on July 18... Recorded 90 minutes of play in a 2-2 home draw against the Colorado Rapids on July 13... Played 89 minutes in a 1-0 away win in the quarterfinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Los Angeles FC on June 19... Scored his third goal in MLS this season and his fourth goal in all competitions in a 1-0 away win against New York City FC on July 7... Delivered his seventh assist of the season in a 1-0 home win against FC Dallas on June 30… Scored one goal in a 4-0 home win over the LA Galaxy in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 19... Recorded an assist in a 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 12... Logged 90 minutes of play in a 3-2 home loss against LAFC on June 1… Recorded his sixth assist of the season in a 3-1 away win against the Philadelphia Union on May 25… Delivered his fifth assist of the season in a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on May 15… Recorded 90 minutes in a 1-0 away loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 10… Scored his 20th career goal with Portland in a 2-1 away win against Real Salt Lake on May 4… Logged an assist in a 2-1 away win at Toronto FC on April 27… Recorded two assists in a 3-1 away win over Columbus Crew SC on April 20... Played 90 minutes and logged one assist in a 2-1 loss at FC Dallas on April 13… Made his first appearance of the season, playing 90 minutes and scoring his first goal of the season in a 3-3 draw against the Colorado Rapids on March 2.
2018: Made his MLS Cup debut on Dec. 8, playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss against Atlanta United FC… Scored his third goal of the 2018 postseason in a 3-2 win against Sporting Kansas City in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship on Nov. 29... Started, playing 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw against Sporting Kansas City on Nov. 25... Became the first Timbers player to score multiple playoff goals against Seattle Sounders FC, after scoring one goal in a 4-2 playoff win in penalty kicks on Nov. 8... Tallied his first career playoff goal in a 2-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Nov. 4... Featured 90 minutes in a 2-1 away win at FC Dallas on Oct. 31... Made a substitute appearance in a 2-1 loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Oct. 28... Delivered his 10th goal and 11th assist of the season in a 3-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 21... Was named MLS Player of Week for Week 32 after recording a brace and an assist in a 4-1 win on the road against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 6, increasing his season total to nine goals and 10 assists in MLS play... Started, tallying his ninth assist of 2018 in a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew SC on Sept. 19... Started, tallying two assists in a 2-0 win against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 8, earning the MLS Player of the Week award for Week 28... Started and registered his sixth assist of 2018 in a 2-0 win against Toronto FC on Aug. 29... Started and played 77 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 26... Tallied his fifth assist in a 4-1 loss against D.C. United on Aug. 15... Scored his sixth goal in a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo on July 28... Played 70 minutes in a 3-2 loss against LAFC in the Open Cup on July 18... Recorded his fourth assist in a 2-1 win over San Jose on July 7... Scored his sixth goal across all competitions in a 1-0 U.S. Open Cup win over the Galaxy on June 15... Tallied two assists for the first time in an MLS match in a 3-2 win over Colorado on May 26... Scored the game-winning goal (5) in a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC on May 13... Scored his second goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on March 24... Scored his first goal of the season in a 2-1 loss against the Galaxy on March 4.
2017: Made a team-high 33 appearances (32 starts), notching eight goals and eight assists... Recorded his eighth assist in a 2-1 win against Whitecaps FC on Oct. 22, while notching his team-leading 33rd appearance... Scored his first MLS brace in the team’s 4-0 win against D.C. United on Oct. 15... Scored his sixth goal of the season against San Jose on Sept. 30... Logged his seventh assist of the season in a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 23... Recorded his sixth assist in a 3-1 win against the Galaxy on Aug. 6... Scored for a second straight game, recording his fifth goal in 2017 in a 2-2 draw against Houston on July 29... Tallied the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win against Vancouver to notch his fourth career MLS goal, while also recording his fifth league assist... Scored his third MLS goal in a 2-2 draw against Chicago on July 5... Notched his fourth assist in a 1-1 draw against Sporting KC on July 1... Scored his second goal of the season in the team’s 2-1 loss against Colorado on June 17... Tallied his third MLS assist in the team’s 2-0 win against FC Dallas on June 10... Started for a fourth consecutive game, playing 90 minutes in the team’s match against Montreal on May 20... Scored his first MLS goal in the team’s 2-2 draw against Dallas on April 29... Notched his second assist of the season against Crew SC on March 25... Recorded his first MLS assist in the team’s 5-1 win against Minnesota on March 3.
CAREER: Made 11 appearances (10 starts) for San Lorenzo in the 2016-17 Argentine Primera División, compiling three goals and six assists in 853 minutes played... He also started for San Lorenzo in a 4-0 win over Boca Juniors in the 2015 Supercopa Argentina Final on Feb. 10, 2016... Joined the Timbers after making over 200 appearances in the Argentine Primera División, recording 19 goals and 27 assists in 138 appearances across all competitions with Club Atlético Lanús (2006-11) and tallying 12 goals and 14 assists in 84 appearances across all competitions for San Lorenzo (2015-17)... Prior to joining the Argentine Primera División, he recorded 14 goals and 10 assists in 96 appearances with former Ukrainian Premier League side FC Metalist Kharkiv (2011-14), while also spending time with English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion (2014-15)... Coming up through the development system of Lanús, he helped lead the club to its first Primera División title in 2007.
INTERNATIONAL: Has two caps with the Argentina National Team, making his debut with Argentina on May 20, 2009, in a 3-1 win over Panama. Blanco scored his first goal for the national team in a 4-0 win over Haiti on May 5, 2010.
HONORS: MLS is Back Player of the Tournament in 2020... MLS is Back Tournament Best XI in 2020... MLS is Back Tournament winner in 2020... Supercopa Argentina with San Lorenzo in 2015... Apertura with San Lorenzo in 2007.
PERSONAL: A native of Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, has known Diego Valeri since they were teenagers as they both played for the same youth academy in Argentina.