Diego Valeri, the Portland Timbers' all-time leader in both goals and assists, started from the bench against Real Salt Lake in Round One of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.
Valeri, who missed the final two games of the regular season with a calf injury, had been declared fit by coach Giovanni Savarese earlier this week but failed to make the starting lineup.
“He’s training fully,” Savarese said Wednesday, via The Oregonian. “He will be available for this weekend.”
However, following the Timbers' season-ending 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, Savarese noted that the Argentine's recent injury — as well as a a desire to go with the same XI that secured Portland a playoff spot on Decision Day presented by AT&T on Oct. 6 — played a role in his choice to bring Valeri on as a 63rd-minute substitute rather than start him from the opening whistle:
Valeri finished the 2019 regular season, his seventh with the club, with eight goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances. With Valeri on the bench, Portland started with an attacking trio of Sebastian Blanco, Jeremy Ebobisse and Dairon Asprilla. Blanco and Asprilla combined for a Portland equalizer two minutes into the second half, but the Timbers were ultimately undone by a Jefferson Savarino goal in the 87th minute.
