MLS Moves: HG Farfan, 17, signs with Timbers

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Oct 17, 2016

The Portland Timbers signed 17-year-old academy defender Marco Farfan, the  youngest player signing for the Timbers since their inaugural MLS season in 2011. Farfan, the Timbers' first academy signing, played for the U-16s and U-18s and started for T2, Portland’s USL affiliate, this season.

Farfan, who originally planned on attending the University of Portland, is the 10th player to sign with MLS straight out of high school or with remaining high school eligibility in 2016.

MLS Signings:
CLASS OF 2016
Danilo Acosta, Real Salt Lake
Marco Farfan, Portland Timbers
Mason Stajduhar, Orlando City
Ben Swanson, Columbus Crew
Auston Trusty, Philadelphia Union
CLASS OF 2017
Tyler Adams, NY Red Bulls
CLASS OF 2018
Andrew Carleton, Atlanta United
Chris Durkin, D.C. United
Christopher Goslin, Atlanta United
Paxton Pomykal, FC Dallas

"This is a seminal moment for the club," said Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. "Marco Farfan is the first Homegrown Player to come directly through our academy. This bodes well for the future of our young players and reinforces that our development pathway is on the right track. Ultimately, it will be up to Marco but he has the potential to eventually see a role in the first team and we look forward to giving him every opportunity to succeed."