UPDATE (February 3, 1:05 p.m. ET): The Timbers officially announced the signing on Wednesday and loaned Mexican defender Josecarlos Van Rankin for a year with the option of a permanent transfer from Liga MX team CD Guadalajara.
“Josecarlos is an experienced player whose flexibility to play numerous positions will help us not only in MLS but also in the Concacaf Champions League,” said Timbers General Manager and President of Football Gavin Wilkinson in a club statement. “Winning a proven player with his loan qualities is a great acquisition with an advantageous upper limit and offers an expanded scouting opportunity with the possibility of permanently transferring him in the future.”
✍️ Done ✍️ Deal ✍️
Jose Van Rankin has signed a one year loan with the option to exercise a permanent transfer from @ Chivas. #RCTID
– Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) February 3, 2021
ORIGINAL (January 29th): The Portland Timbers are finalizing the signing of Mexico international Josecarlos Van Rankin on loan from Chivas Guadalajara, the sources told MLSsoccer.com.
The deal is in its final stages and includes an option to purchase Portland at the end of the loan for over $ 1 million.
Van Rankin, 27, had spent his entire career in his homeland and made his debut for the Mexican national team in 2018. He was loaned to Santos Laguna in 2020, where he made 25 appearances in all competitions and scored twice. He broke through with Pumas and played 173 times at the club before joining Chivas in 2018.
The full-back is a natural right-back, but can also play on the left. Van Rankin is hailed as a good 1v1 defender with fast pace and excellent crossbreeding skills.
Van Rankin would join Pablo Bonilla as the club’s only natural right-back. Portland stays high in the Venezuelan youth international who made 10 MLS starts in 2020.
Van Rankin’s ability to fill both full-back positions is attractive to the club as new signing Claudio Bravo is expected to be called up from Argentina to the Olympics if the tournament continues as planned.
Portland has done quite a bit of maneuvering along its backline this off-season.
Bravo has already officially signed that he will be the club’s first left-back, while Jorge Villafana, Marco Farfan and Julio Cascante left via trades. Meanwhile, strong center-back Larrys Mabiala signed a new deal to extend his stay at the club.
