The Portland Timbers are finalizing a deal to acquire Paraguayan right back Jorge Moreira on a season-long loan from Argentine club River Plate, sources told MLSsoccer.com on Friday.
The sources said that the Timbers will use Targeted Allocation Money to complete the deal and that the club will have an option to buy Moreira from River when his loan expires at the end of 2019.
Moreira, who turned 29 on Feb. 1, has been with River Plate since July 2016. He's appeared in 58 games across all competitions in his time with the club, though he’s only played in nine matches – eight in league play, one in the 2018 Club World Cup – since he suffered a knee injury in October 2017 that kept him out for 10 months.
Moreira has 17 career caps with the Paraguay national team. He last appeared for his country in October 2017 in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela, shortly before he suffered his knee injury. He was first called to the full national team in 2010 by former Atlanta United head coach Tata Martino. Prior to joining River Plate, Moreira spent eight years playing in his native Paraguay, where he won five league titles with Club Libertad.
The Timbers will open the MLS regular season on March 2 at the Colorado Rapids.
