Training Update: June 2nd

After a day off Wednesday, the Timbers trained at THPRD in Beaverton on Thursday and will do so again on Friday before heading to Los Angeles for their match against Chivas USA.

Updates

• Futty Danso will not be heading back home to The Gambia for the national team’s friendly match next week. “They wanted him for like a week or ten days for an international friendly,” said Spencer. “Obviously FIFA rules say that you only have to release [a player] for so many days, so we spoke to him and I think he realizes that he’s doing well here at the moment and I don’t think he wants to upset his chances of playing. If he gives somebody a chance to come in and perform and they play really well and the team wins, it’s very difficult to change. So I think he wants to stay and play.”
• Ryan Pore was absent from training as his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child on Thursday. It’s not yet known if he will make the trip to Southern California. “I left that door open to him,” said Spencer. “I said to Ryan, ‘Come in to practice if you want to. Come to the game if you want to. If you want to stay with your newborn baby and your wife, that’s more important than the game itself.’”

Injuries

• Peter Lowry was the only unexpected player missing from training. I was told he aggravated his hamstring and was doing therapy back at JELD-WEN.
• Darlington Nagbe participated in the full training session but Spencer wouldn’t comment on whether he or Sal Zizzo would be in the starting lineup. “[Darlington's health] has been good,” said Spencer. “It’s a process where we need to keep rehabbing and try to get his abductor muscles stronger and his core stronger so that he doesn’t break down again. In the finishing and some of the stuff we did today he looked—he always looks electrifying with the ball at his feet—he looked fantastic. We’re just trying to be careful with him.”