Jeremy Ebobisse had made three appearances before: a May debut against San Jose; a one-minute spell at Colorado that June; then another run-out against Real Salt Lake in July. By the time his name finally appeared in a starting XI, Ebobisse had logged only 26 MLS minutes as a Portland Timbers player. A winter spent with the United States’ Under-20 national team meant his first-team MLS career got off to a slow start.
With July 23, 2017’s derby in Vancouver, Ebobisse accelerated his timeline. Pressed into action in a team hamstrung by injury, the fourth-overall pick in that past winter’s MLS SuperDraft recorded the first goal and assist of his MLS career, leading Portland to a 2-1 win over rival Whitecaps FC.
Though he’s since produced more standout performances, it’s no surprise Ebobisse has selected that game for this week’s PTFC: From the Archives, presented by KeyBank, replay broadcast.
“It was really exciting,” Ebobisse said at the time, when asked about his first Timbers score. His first-half goal made him the third-youngest scorer in the team’s MLS history (20 years, 159 days).
“The game kind of slowed down in that moment,” he remembered, “and I didn’t really know what was going on. Normally, I’m pretty confident, but I completely blanked and didn’t know what to do ... It was pretty surreal.”
Since that day, Ebobisse has added another 13 regular-season goals to his account, leading the Timbers in goals during the 2019 season (11) after starting an MLS Cup final the year before. This winter, the now-23-year-old signed a multi-year contract extension with Portland, solidifying his place among the Timbers’ core.
Nearly three years after his debut, Ebobisse’s afternoon in Vancouver still resonates as one of his most memorable performances, providing a first glimpse of somebody who would become a fan favorite.
Tune in on Sunday, May 3, at 3pm PT to watch this game on FOX 12 Oregon KPTV and on Timbers.com.
