Portland Timbers sign Colombian striker

The 19-year-old will join Portland as the club’s young Designated Player.

Valencia joins Portland from Colombian side Independiente Santa Fe.

“We are excited about acquiring our first young Designated Player,” said Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson.

“Jose is a very gifted player who possesses great athleticism and maturity on the field for a player of his age. He is an imposing player on the field, has a tremendous upside and we look forward to watching his continued development in MLS,” Wilkinson added.

“Jose is a young player we’ve been monitoring for the last 12 months. It is nice to finally say he’s a Timbers player,” said head coach John Spencer.

“He is powerful and quick and should be a nice complement to the attacking players we have with the club already.”