Recent Portland Timbers signing Steven Taylor could finally make his MLS debut against the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on Sunday (6:30 p.m. PT; FS1/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360AM).
The 30-year-old Englishman and longtime Newcastle United defender has been steadily working his way to match fitness over the last few weeks after signing with Portland on Aug. 1 and is expected to be available for selection.
He spent 13 years with the Magpies and logged over 190 English Premier League appearances.
“[Taylor] is certainly fit enough to play 90 [minutes], but is he ready, completely sharp enough, exactly where we want him to be? No doubt he’ll get better over time,” Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said on Tuesday. “So, we have to decide do we stick with Jermaine [Taylor] and [Liam Ridgewell] or do we put Steven Taylor in?”
Taylor was brought on after Timbers defender Nat Borchers suffered a season-ending rupture to his Achilles tendon in July.
Timbers defender Zarek Valentin (bone bruise), midfielder Ben Zemanski (groin) and forward Darren Mattocks (hamstring) are still working their way back from injuries and will be unavailable for Sunday’s match against the Sounders.
