Portland trades $100,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers have acquired Canadian international defender Joel Waterman from Chicago Fire FC, the club announced today. In exchange, the club has traded $100,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM) and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance metrics and roster-based criteria are met. Waterman is set to join the Timbers through 2027 with an option for 2028.
"We are pleased with the addition of Joel to our group and look forward to welcoming him to Portland,” said Timbers General Manager Ned Grabavoy. “Joel has amassed a wealth of experience across his time in MLS, and will help raise the level of our defensive group going forward.”
Waterman, 30, joins Portland in the midst of his eighth season in MLS, most recently spending the 2025 and 2026 MLS seasons with Chicago Fire FC. During his season-and-a-half with the Fire, the 30-year-old registered 21 appearances (17 starts) while providing two goals. Prior to his time in Chicago, Waterman played six seasons with CF Montréal (2020-25) where he made 130 league appearances (125 starts) and recorded four goals and 12 assists.
A native of British Columbia, Canada, Waterman represents the Canadian national team and has earned 17 senior caps. Notably, he was a member of Team Canada at both the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
Before playing professionally, Waterman played five collegiate seasons at Trinity Western University (2014-19) in his hometown of Langley, BC, making 55 appearances and tallying six goals. He then began his professional career playing for the Kitsap Pumas (2016) of the National Premier Soccer League, TSS Rovers (2017) of the BC Premier League, Calgary Foothills FC (2018) of the Alberta Premier League and Cavalry FC (2018) of the Canadian Premier League, amassing 61 total appearances across all clubs and a goal before joining MLS.
Transaction: Portland Timbers acquire defender Joel Waterman from Chicago Fire FC in exchange for $100,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM) and up to $100,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance metrics and roster-based criteria are met. Waterman signs with Portland through 2027 with an option for 2028.
Joel Waterman
Full name: Joel Robert Waterman
Jersey number: 2
Position: Defender
Height: 6-1
Date of Birth: January 24, 1996
Age: 30
Birthplace: Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Last Club: Chicago Fire FC
Portland Timbers 2026 Roster (as of Sept. 3)
Goalkeepers (3): Trey Muse, James Pantemis, Hunter Sulte
Defenders (12): Alex Bonetig, Brandon Bye, Jimer Fory, Sawyer Jura, Ronald Hernández, Zac McGraw, Eric Miller, Kamal Miller, Juan Mosquera, Ian Smith, Finn Surman, Joel Waterman
Midfielders (6): Cole Bassett, José Caicedo, Diego Chara, David Da Costa, Omir Fernandez, Joao Ortiz
Forwards (6): Antony, Alexander Aravena, Gage Guerra, Vincent Janssen, Ariel Lassiter, Kristoffer Velde
