PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers U-23s announced today the addition of five more players to their roster for the 2012 Premier Development League season. Returning for another season with the Timbers U-23s are midfielders Steven Evans and Roberto Farfan, forward Erik Hurtado and goalkeeper Keegan Rogers, while goalkeeper Spencer Richey enters his first season with the team in 2012.
Evans and Farfan enter their fourth season with the Timbers U-23s in 2012. Hurtado and Rogers both return for a second season. Richey adds international experience as a previous member of the U.S. U-17 and U-20 national teams.
Evans (Troutdale, Ore.) first joined the Timbers U-23s in 2009 during the team’s inaugural PDL season. In total, he has played in 22 games and scored four goals, and was a member of the Timbers U-23s PDL championship-winning team in 2010. Evans, 20, had a standout sophomore season at the University of Portland in 2011, leading the Pilots in scoring with six goals and five assists. He’s a two-time All-West Coast Conference honoree and was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2010.
Farfan (Portland, Ore.) has been a member of the Timbers U-23s since 2009. He has played in 31 total games for the Timbers U-23s, contributing four goals and four assists during the team’s championship-winning campaign. Farfan, 21, finished his junior season at Oregon State University in 2011 with four goals and two assists and was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. In just two seasons with the Beavers, Farfan has become the school’s active leader in career points (20) on seven goals and six assists. He played his freshman season at UNLV.
Hurtado (Beaverton, Ore.) was one of the Timbers U-23s’ leading scorers in 2011, sharing the team lead in goals scored with eight. Last season, he was named the PDL Player of the Week in Week 12. Hurtado, 21, has been a standout for Santa Clara University in each of his first three collegiate seasons. As a junior in 2011, he led the WCC in scoring with 19 points on six goals and seven assists. In his collegiate career, Hurtado has recorded 18 goals in 57 games for the Broncos. He has accumulated numerous accolades, including NSCAA All-Far West Region second-team honors in 2011 and All-WCC selections three straight seasons, including first-team honors in 2010 and 2011.
Richey (Seattle, Wash.) had a stellar sophomore season at the University of Washington in 2011, earning All-Pac-12 second-team honors with nine shutouts and a 0.75 goals-against average in 18 games. Richey, 19, had a breakout season as a freshman in 2010, starting 10 games and posting a 6-4-0 record and a 0.87 goal-against average. He was a member of the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., from 2008-09 and was with the U.S. U-17 National Team during the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Richey was also a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team player pool from 2009-10. He has two seasons of PDL experience, playing for the Tacoma Tide from 2010-11.
Rogers (Troutdale, Ore.) played his first PDL season with the Timbers U-23s in 2011, making three appearances. He plays collegiately at Western Washington University, where he became the starting goalkeeper as a freshman in 2011. Rogers, 18, earned All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honorable mention last season, compiling 52 saves and a 1.52 goals-against average, which both ranked third among conference goalkeepers. He played prep soccer at Portland Christian High School, where he posted a 54-10-7 record during his career and led the school to four consecutive league titles and a state championship.
The Timbers U-23s open the 2012 PDL campaign Friday, May 11, when the play host to the Fraser Valley Mariners at JELD-WEN Field at 7 p.m.
