PORTLAND, Ore. – T2 today announced that the club has acquired forward Brayan Hurtado on loan from Liga Venezolana side Mineros de Guayana and midfielder Cristian Ojeda on loan from Superliga Argentina side Club Atlético Talleres, both with purchase options. Additionally, the club has signed forward Ryan Sierakowski, midfielder Zach Kobayashi and defender Nathan Smith for the 2019 USL Championship season.
Hurtado, 19, joins Portland on loan after playing the previous four seasons (2016-19) with Liga Venezolana side Mineros de Guayana, where he made 70 appearances (53 starts) and tallied 17 goals across all competitions. A native of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, Hurtado made 25 appearances (18 starts) for Mineros during the 2018 Liga Venezolana campaign, ranking third on the team with five goals scored, and making two appearances (1 start) in 2018 Copa Sudamericana play. Hurtado posted career-highs in 2017, making 33 appearances (31 starts) and ranking second on the team with nine goals as a 17-year-old. Additionally, Hurtado helped Mineros claim the 2017 Copa de Venezuela, tallying three goals in six appearances (2 starts) during the competition. At the international level, Hurtado has made 10 appearances for the U-20 Venezuelan National Team.
Ojeda, 20, joins T2 on loan for the 2019 season from Superliga Argentina side Club Atlético Talleres. A native of Posadas, Argentina, Ojeda made five appearances (4 starts) for Talleres during the 2017-18 Superliga Argentina season, logging 249 minutes. Ojeda made his professional debut for Talleres on Jan. 26, 2018, starting and playing 73 minutes in a 2-0 win over San Lorenzo. During the current 2018-19 Superliga Argentina campaign, Ojeda made one appearance as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Vélez Sarsfield on Sept. 22, 2018. At the international level, Ojeda was called up by the U-20 Argentinian National Team that played a pair of friendlies against Spain and Italy in 2018.
Kobayashi, 21, played the 2017 USL regular season with Orange County SC, where he made 17 appearances (12 starts), playing 949 minutes and tallying four goals and one assist. Prior to joining Orange County SC, the Dove Canyon, Calif., native was involved at the youth level with Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb and Swiss side FC Basel.
A four-year starter for Michigan State University, Sierakowski, 21, was drafted by the Portland Timbers in the first round (No. 23 overall) of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. He appeared in 82 matches (82 starts) during his college career for the Spartans, recording 33 goals and 16 assists during that period. At Michigan State, Sierakowski received All-Big Ten first-team honors as a sophomore in 2016, finishing second in scoring in the conference with nine goals and ranking first on the team with five assists. The Barrington, Ill., native was twice named to the All-Big Ten second team (2017, 2018) and was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team in 2015.
Smith, 24, returns to Portland after a 2018 USL regular-season campaign where he featured in 19 matches (17 starts), tallying one assist in helping T2 qualify for their first playoff appearance. Signed by the LA Galaxy as a Homegrown Player on March 2, 2017, Smith made 12 appearances (9 starts) for the Galaxy prior to joining T2. Smith also made nine appearances (8 starts) for the Galaxy’s USL affiliate LA Galaxy II in 2017, while playing in 25 matches (21 starts) during the 2016 USL regular season. At the international level, Smith competed for the U.S. National Team at the U-17 level, including playing at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
