As Timbers get younger, Diego Chará is still standing
The 38-year-old midfielder is beginning his 15th season with the Timbers.
BEAVERTON — Diego Chará has been to preseason training camp after good seasons.
Diego Chará has been to preseason training camp after disappointing seasons.
But Diego Chará has not been to preseason camp — at least in a very long time — without knowing how he’ll shake out in the lineup.
That, the longtime Timbers captain said, is one of the few new feelings he’s getting to experience here in Year 15 with the club.
“I think I have something left,” Chará said earlier in January. “I always try to be honest with myself and the club. If I am here it’s because I can continue playing. Obviously it’s hard at 38, but I feel the energy to continue. This year is going to be challenging for me and I think I’m prepared enough to do it.”
Chará, who came to Portland in 2011 as the franchise’s first designated player, has blossomed into one of the faces of the franchise over the years — so much so that local media spent part of Portland’s season-opening media availability asking him about the possibility of a statue outside of Providence Park in future years.
He’s been that good — and that important — to this club.
But Chará is also a realist. He knows his Portland Timbers are coming off a third consecutive season without a (real) trip to the postseason. And he also knows that recent additions to the club — such as 28-year-old Joao Ortiz from Ecuador — and a completely healthy David Ayala (22 years old) will push him for minutes.
Chará made 32 appearances (28 starts) in 2024, logging 2,431 minutes on the pitch. The Colombian native led the Timbers in completed passes (1,284) and passing accuracy (92.1%). But it was also his lowest minutes total since the pandemic, and his one assist was his lowest goal contribution total since 2016.
The Timbers want to play fast this year. Much of their roster will be youthful. Chará knows he’s fighting a battle that, someday, he’ll eventually lose. But as he readies for his 15th season with the club, he’s not ready to concede to Father Time quite yet.
“This year, having these good players in my position, I think there’s going to be a lot of competition out there,” Chará said. “It’s always been the coach’s decision. I think he’s going to see who is better day by day and at the end he’s going to make the decision.
“For me, every year is going to be harder and harder. I have to adjust myself and try to figure out how to be in shape.”
The Timbers opened up the preseason on Friday with a 2-1 scrimmage win over Orange County FC. Chará and Ortiz started in the midfield, with Cristhian Paredes taking Chará’s place in the second half. Ayala didn’t play. The Timbers used goals from Jonathan Rodriguez (‘81) and new-addition Kevin Kelsy (‘82) to secure the win.
“There’s nothing better than playing games of football to see where players are at in terms of their levels,” Portland manager Phil Neville said. “We saw that today and the conclusion is we still have a lot of work to do still.”
The Timbers will continue training in Southern California this week and play another scrimmage against LA FC on Wednesday — the team’s final tune-up before beginning the Coachella Valley Invitational on Feb. 5.
Then, it’s just a matter of weeks before season No. 15 for Chará officially begins.
“I think my legacy is remembered as a guy who came to a team to make great things happen. For me, it was difficult in the beginning. People were asking who is Diego Chará? Why is he the first DP for the Portland Timbers?” Chará said. “And years later, to see the love from the fans and everything has been an amazing journey.”
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor
I've always loved his "motor" and the way he smiles when he's called for one of many fouls. If all of our players had his tenacity and drive (Bravo does!) when be winning the cup here and there.