It’s official. The Portland Timbers scooped up 19-year-old right back Juan David Mosquera from Independiente Medellín.
It will be a little longer before Mosquera actually lands at PDX – the 3,900 mile journey is a big one. So in the meantime, here are three reasons why we can’t wait for his plane to touch down:
1. Mosquera is a game-ready pro.
He’s young, but Mosquera already has 45 professional games in the din of Medellín’s Estadio Atanasio Girardot. Holding the backline in front of demanding (and tifo-loving) fans has been his entire career so far.
Every spot on the Timbers starting line-up is competitive and, yes, international jumps to new leagues can take time, but we expect Mosquera to make a strong case for himself as soon as he puts on a training jersey.
2. Mosquera brings power and dynamism to the defense.
Mosquera’s keywords are power, dynamism, and balance. At 5’9”, he’s not the tallest Timber but he’s no sapling, either. His power and grit make him an imposing adversary in 1v1 situations. That strength is balanced by his dynamism and an ability to move the ball forward quickly and break through lines.
The Timbers backline just got more imposing.
3. Colombian connections
The Chara brothers. Dairon Asprilla. Santiago Moreno. And now Mosquera.
We officially have a Colombian quintet in Portland and we think that’s pretty great. Moreno and Mosquera have even more in common than their nationality: not only are they both U22 Initiative signings, they also both hail from music-rich Calí – known, among other things, for its salsa dancing.
We don’t know much about Mosquera’s skills yet but if they’re anything like Santi’s, we’re hoping for a dance-off.
