Portland Timbers legend Diego Chara returns for 2025
TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Extension The Portland Timbers have signed midfielder Diego Chara to a contract extension through 2025 with an option for 2026, the club announced Wednesday.
ACQUIRED: Signed as the Timbers' first Designated Player in its Major League Soccer history on April 13, 2011. On October 30, the Timebrs and Chara agreed on an extension keeping the club Legend in Portland through 2025 with a club option for 2026.
2024: Tallied his first goal contribution of the season, an assist, on June 29 vs. Minnesota... Set a new MLS record for most games played (377) and games started (370) for one club in league history on April 27 against LAFC... Made his 376th league appearance against Columbus on April 20, tying Chris Wondolowski for most games played with one club in MLS history... Started in the Timbers opener vs. Colorado on Feb. 24.
2023: Tallied his fourth assist on July 1 at MN... Registered his third assist of the year on June 21 against Chicago... Tallied second assist of the season on June 11 against Dallas... Became the first field player in MLS to reach 350 starts with one club and ninth overall with his start against FC Dallas on June 11... Also made his 400th appearance across all competitions for Portland in the match... Tallied his first assist of the season on April 1 at Dallas... Has played every minute this season.
2021: Scored his first goal of the season vs. RSL on Sept. 25... First Timbers player to reach 300 appearances on Sept. 10 vs. VAN... Played 90 minutes against Seattle on Aug. 29... Logged 90 minutes and an assist on Aug. 21 at ATX... Started his seventh consecutive match against SJ Earthquakes on Aug. 4... Started and played 90 minutes against Kansas City... Started, logging 90 minutes against Seattle on May 9... Started and played 90 minutes against Club América in the second leg of the SCCL quarterfinal on May 5... Started and played 90 minutes against Club América in the first leg of the SCCL quarterfinal on April 28... Started and played 90 minutes against Houston on April 24... Started, playing 90 minutes against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on April 18 .. Started and played 90 minutes against C.D. Marathón in the second leg of the SCCL Round of 16 on April 13... Started and played 90 minutes against C.D. Marathón in the first leg of the SCCL Round of 16 on April 6.
2020: Registered a career-high six assists and added one goal in 20 games played (20 starts) during the 2020 MLS regular season... Across all competitions in 2020, tallied one goal and six assists in 25 appearances (25 starts)... Started and tallied an assist against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 7... Started and played 90 minutes against Vancouver on Sept. 27... Started and played 90 minutes against Seattle on Sept. 23... Tallied two assists against San Jose on Sept. 19... Started and played 90 minutes against Seattle on Sept. 6... Started and tallied his first goal of the campaign against RSL on Aug. 29... Started and played 90 minutes against Seattle on Aug. 23... Started and played 90 minutes in the MIB Tournament Final against Orlando on Aug. 11... Started and played 90 minutes against Philadelphia on Aug. 5... Started and captained the Timbers in his 300th appearance across all competitions against NYCFC on Aug. 1... Started and was captain against LAFC on July 23... Started and played 90 minutes against the LA Galaxy on July 13... Started and played 90 minutes against Minnesota on March 1.
2019: Recorded 90 minutes of play in a 2-1 playoff loss at Real Salt Lake on October 19… Started his 33rd match across competitions in a 3-1 home win against the San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 6… Recorded his 28th league start in a 2-2 road draw against Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 29… Started, playing 90 minutes in a 2-2 home draw against New England Revolution on Sept. 25… Played 90 minutes in a 0-0 home draw against Minnesota United FC on Sept. 22… Made his 25th league start of 2019 in a 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sept. 18... Started in a 1-0 home loss against D.C. United on Sept. 15… Started and played 90 minutes in a 2-1 home win against Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 7, earning MLS Player of Week honors for Week 27... Made his 23rd start of the season in a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Aug. 31... Recorded his 21st league start in a 2-1 home loss against Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 23… Started and played 90 minutes in a 2-0 home loss against Atlanta United FC on Aug. 18… Made his 23rd start across all competitions in a 3-2 home win against Chicago Fire on Aug. 14… Made his 18th league start in a 3-1 home win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Aug. 10… Recorded 90 minutes of play in a 2-1 road loss against Minnesota United FC in the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Aug. 7... Made his 250th league appearance in a 1-0 road loss to Minnesota United FC on Aug. 4... Started and played 45 minutes in the MLS All-Star’s 3-0 loss to Atlético Madrid on July 31 in the 2019 MLS All-Star Game... Recorded 90 minutes of play in a 2-1 away win against Seattle Sounders FC on July 21... Started and played 90 minutes in a 1-1 home draw against Orlando City FC on July 18... Recorded 90 minutes of play in a 2-2 home draw against the Colorado Rapids on July 13... Played 90 minutes in a 1-0 away win in the quarterfinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Los Angeles FC on July 10... Made an appearance off the bench in a 1-0 away win against New York City FC on July 7... Started and played 90 minutes in a 1-0 home win against FC Dallas on June 30… Was named to the 26-man roster for the 2019 MLS All-Star Game... Started, playing 90 minutes in a 4-0 home win against the Houston Dynamo on June 22... Played 90 minutes in a 4-0 home win over the LA Galaxy in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 19... Recorded 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 12... Started and played 90 minutes in a 3-2 home loss against LAFC on June 1… Recorded his second assist of the season in a 3-1 away win against the Philadelphia Union on May 25… Recorded 90 minutes in a 1-0 away loss at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 10… Played 90 minutes in a 2-1 away win against Real Salt Lake on May 4… Recorded 90 minutes in a 2-1 away win at Toronto FC on April 27… Logged 90 minutes in a 3-1 win at Columbus Crew SC on April 20... Started and logged 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss at FC Dallas on April 13, registering one assist… Played 90 minutes in a 3-0 loss against the San Jose Earthquakes on April 6... Started, playing in his 250th MLS match (regular season and playoffs) for Portland in a 2-1 loss at LA Galaxy... Started and played 72 minutes, before receiving two yellow cards and a subsequent ejection in a 4-1 loss against Los Angeles FC on March 10... Started his ninth consecutive season with the Timbers, becoming the first player in club history across all eras to play more than eight seasons with Portland... Made his first appearance of the season, playing 90 minutes in a 3-3 draw against the Colorado Rapids on March 2.
2018: Started in his second MLS Cup for Portland on Dec. 8, playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss against Atlanta United FC… Recorded his second career postseason assist in a 3-2 win against Sporting Kansas City in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship on Nov. 29... Made his fourth appearance in the 2018 MLS playoffs, playing 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw against Sporting Kansas City on Nov. 25... Started, playing 120 minutes in a 4-2 playoff win in penalty kicks against Seattle Sounders FC on Nov. 8... Started, logging 90 minutes in a 2-1 playoff win against Seattle Sounders FC on Nov. 4... Played 90 minutes in a playoff knockout 2-1 win at FC Dallas... Scored his second goal of the season in a 3-0 win against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 21... Made his 24th start of the season, playing 90 minutes in a 0-0 draw against FC Dallas on Sept. 29... Made his 23rd start of 2018, playing 90 minutes in a 3-2 win over Columbus Crew SC on Sept. 19... Started in the Timbers’ 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 8... Started, logging his first goal of 2018 in a 2-0 win against Toronto FC on Aug. 29... Played 90 minutes in a 3-2 loss against LAFC in the Open Cup on July 18... Recorded his 14th start in a 0-0 draw against LAFC on July 15... Made a second consecutive start in the U.S. Open Cup, playing 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over the Galaxy on June 15... Recorded an assist in a 2-0 win over San Jose in the U.S. Open Cup on June 6... Made his club-leading 215th appearance in a 1-1 draw against the Galaxy on June 4... Made his 205th start in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on March 24.
2017: Made 29 regular-season appearances (29 starts), tallying one goal and three assists... Played 44 minutes before suffering an injury in a 0-0 draw against Houston in the Western Conference Semifinals... Played 90 minutes for a third straight game in the team’s 4-0 win against D.C. United on Oct. 15... Made his 200th MLS appearances in a 1-1 draw against Seattle on Aug. 27... Recorded an assist for a second straight game (8/12-18) in a 2-0 win against the Red Bulls on Aug. 18... Played 90 minutes for a third straight game (7/23-8/6) in a 3-1 win against the Galaxy on Aug. 6... Played 90 minutes for a third straight game in the team’s 2-1 loss against Colorado on June 17... Recorded 90 minutes for 11 straight games to start the season in the team’s 1-1 draw against Atlanta United on May 14... Registered six tackles in the team’s 2-2 draw against Dallas on April 29... Won six duels in the team’s 2-1 win against Vancouver on April 22... Played 90 minutes for the third straight game in the team’s 4-2 win against Houston on March 18... Scored his first regular-season goal since Oct. 18, 2015, in a 1-0 win against LA on March 12... Started and played 90 minutes in the team’s 5-1 win against Minnesota United FC on March 3.
2016: Appeared in 30 regular-season matches (30 starts)... Recorded his 175th career start on Oct. 16 against the Colorado Rapids... Named to the MLS Team of the Week for Week 1 and Week 5... Logged 90 minutes for 18 regular-season matches (March 6-July 10)... Recorded his first assist of the season in a 4-2 win against Seattle on Aug. 28.
2015: Started and played four matches of the MLS Cup Playoffs... Played 90 minutes in a 2-1 win over Columbus Crew SC in MLS Cup on Dec. 6... Logged 90 minutes in each of the Western Conference Championship matches against FC Dallas (Nov. 22 and Nov. 29)... Tallied a goal in a 2-0 win against Vancouver in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals on Nov. 8... Was named Supporters' Player of the Year following the Oct. 25 match against Colorado... Logged his first-ever goal off a header in a 5-2 win against the LA Galaxy on Oct. 18, earning MLS Team of the Week honors for Week 33... Started and played 90 minutes in five consecutive matches (Sept. 20-Oct. 14)... Missed matches against Seattle on Aug. 30 and Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 9 due to a red card on Aug. 21... Tallied an assist on the team's second goal in a 2-0 win against New England on June 6... Scored a goal in a 3-1 win against FC Dallas on April 4, his fifth career MLS goal with Portland... Made his first start of the 2015 season on March 15, playing 90 minutes against the LA Galaxy.
2014: Tallied two goals and a career-high five assists in 31 appearances (31 starts) during the 2014 season... Became the first Timbers MLS player to surpass 10,000 minutes played on Sept. 27... Was ejected in the 99th minute of a 3-1 loss at Seattle in the U.S. Open Cup on July 9... Made his 100th MLS appearance, playing 90 minutes in a 3-1 road win over Real Salt Lake June 7... Underwent successful surgery to stabilize fractured third metacarpal sustained May 11 against LA Galaxy... Became the club's MLS career leader in minutes played on April 12 against Chivas USA... Scored two goals, his first-career MLS brace, on his 28th birthday in a 4-4 draw against Sounders FC on April 5 at Providence Park... His first goal in the ninth minute was his first since Sept. 16, 2011, and his second goal in the 55th minute was nominated for MLS Goal of the Week for Week 5... Selected to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 5... Made the 90th start of his MLS career March 29 at FC Dallas... Played in his 90th match for the club March 22 at Colorado, becoming just the third Timbers MLS player to reach the milestone.
2013: Started all four of the club's matches in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs, playing all 360 minutes and recording one assist... Assisted on the go-ahead goal by Ryan Johnson in the 15th minute of a 2-1 road win against Seattle Sounders FC in Leg 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Nov. 2... Started all 31 of his appearances during the regular season, playing the full 90 in all but two of those matches... Played the full 90 in 18 straight matches March 9-July 13... Ranked among team leaders with two game-winning assists during the regular season... Was one of six Portland players on the fan ballot for the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game... With his performance in a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC on Oct. 13 at JELD-WEN Field, was nominated for FutbolMLS.com's Latino de la Jornada and was named honorable mention on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 33... Was also an honorable mention on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 30 for his performance in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 20 at JELD-WEN Field... Made his 80th MLS start for the club Sept. 14 at Chivas USA, becoming one of just three Timbers MLS players to start 80 league matches for the club... Selected to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 16 following his performance in the club's 1-0 win over FC Dallas on June 15... Received honorable mention on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for Week 12 for his performance in a 2-2 road draw May 18 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC… Recorded the game-winning assist on April 27 in a 3-2 win against Sporting Kansas City, slipping a through ball to Rodney Wallace at the top of the box for the go-ahead goal... Registered his second assist of the season on the first of two Ryan Johnson goals (55th minute) in a 2-0 win over Houston on April 6 at JELD-WEN Field... Was named FutbolMLS.com's Latino de la Jornada (Latino Player of the Week) for Week 6... Became just the third Timbers MLS player to appear in 60 matches with the club on March 30 at Colorado... Assisted on Ryan Johnson’s 80th-minute goal against Montreal on March 9, recording his fifth-career MLS assist... Against Montreal, became the second player in the club's MLS history to pass the 5,000 minutes played milestone.
2012: Started all 28 of his regular-season appearances and logged an MLS-career high 2,473 minutes in his second season in Portland... At season’s end, was named the Players’ Player of the Year and the Supporters’ Player of the Year... Chosen as one of 32 finalists for FutbolMLS.com’s 2012 Latino del Año... Played the full 90 in all but three of his appearances during the season... Ranked second among league leaders with 72 fouls committed, setting the Timbers’ MLS club mark for fouls in a single season... Wore the captain’s armband during a 2-1 victory over Chicago May 20... Owns the Timbers’ MLS record for consecutive starts by a field player, starting 27 straight matches from Aug. 14, 2011 to June 30, 2012... Earned honorable mention on the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week for his efforts in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on Aug. 5... Played in his 50th match for the club on Aug. 19 at New York, becoming just the fourth player in the Timbers’ MLS history to reach the milestone... Missed three matches after sustaining an adductor strain Sept. 15 against Seattle Sounders FC.
2011: Became the first Designated Player in Timbers MLS history, signing April 13... Made his club debut April 23 at LA Galaxy, coming on as a second-half sub... Started his next 27 appearances... Recorded his first MLS goal in a 2-1 win over Cascadia-rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC, scoring the quickest goal in Timbers MLS history in just the second minute of play... Finished fourth on the team in points (8) and fifth in minutes logged (2,401)... Recorded the game-winning assist in the first MLS match at BC Place, setting up Kenny Cooper’s goal to beat Whitecaps FC 1-0 on Oct. 2... Prior to joining the Timbers, scored two goals in nine games for Colombia first-division club Deportes Tolima during the 2011 Apertura season... Played in seven matches in 2011 Copa Libertadores play, recording an assist in a 2-0 win over Brazilian power Corinthians.
CAREER: Transferred to Deportes Tolima in 2010 and helped orchestrate one of the most prolific offenses in the Liga Postobón (Colombia’s first division) that season, as Tolima scored a league-best 88 goals... Played in a team-high 42 matches for Tolima, aiding in a first-place overall finish for the club with a combined 25-10-11 record, which subsequently qualified the club for the 2011 Copa Libertadores... Started six games in the 2010 Copa Sudamericana, as Tolima reached the quarterfinal before falling on penalty kicks to Argentina’s Independiente.Started his professional career at the age of 17 with Deportes Quindío in 2004 and appeared in 206 league matches over eight seasons in Colombia’s first division, playing for Quindío (2004-08), América de Cali (2009) and Tolima (2010-11)... Played in at least 30 matches in five of his seven seasons in the Liga Postobón... Paced América de Cali in both games and minutes played during a standout season in 2009, while guiding an offense that scored 44 total goals in 36 games... Appeared in 30 games during his final season with Quindío in 2008, in which he aided in a postseason appearance for the club... Has competed in two of South America’s top tournaments in the Copa Libertadores – in 2009 with América de Cali and 2011 with Tolima – and the Copa Sudamericana.
HONORS: MLS is Back Tournament in 2020... MLS is Back Tournament Best XI in 2020... MLS All-Star in 2019 with Portland... 2021 and 2018 Western Conference champion... 2015 MLS Cup champion.
INTERNATIONAL: Was recalled by the Colombian National Team for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bolivia on Oct. 11, 2011, and played the final 21 minutes as a sub in a 2-1 win... Made his senior international debut for the Colombian National Team on Nov. 17, 2010, starting a friendly against Peru in Bogotá, Colombia.