Timbers’ David Da Costa is taking the next step to stardom in Portland

BEAVERTON — It wasn’t the best atmosphere for a primary English interview.

I met with David Da Costa after Timbers coaching final Tuesday, simply hours earlier than the group jumped on a airplane certain for Salt Lake Metropolis and an eventual 0-0 draw. Da Costa is Portland’s first-year designated participant — a 24-year-old from Portugal, introduced in because the membership’s counter to the departure of the dynamic Evander.

He speaks fluent Portuguese, French and Spanish, and his English has been bettering since he first arrived right here in February and instructed media, “I understand a little English,” earlier than largely counting on a Spanish-speaking translator for the final three months. He’s scored two objectives, assisted on 4 extra and, whereas not as prolific because the participant he changed, has been a key cog on each side of the ball for a Portland group that sits 10 factors forward of final 12 months’s squad by way of 13 video games.

“His work rate is unreal,” assistant coach Dave van den Bergh instructed me. “We knew that he liked to press because he loved to run forward and press high, but his work rate behind the ball and back working is unbelievable.”

Da Costa is soft-spoken and his coaches describe his persona as “cheeky.” And whereas he doesn’t appear to view himself because the star of the Portland Timbers, he’s a participant who’s sensible about his place.

The Timbers paid $6 million to RC Lens in February for Da Costa to be a giant a part of the membership’s future. He’s signed to a four-year deal, and despite the fact that he’s a really completely different participant, he’ll all the time carry the label of being the one introduced in to exchange Evander.

There’s a narrative to be instructed there. And for the primary time in Portland, he insisted on telling it in English.

And whereas there could have been a security web – a translator – obtainable in case something was misplaced, Da Costa barely wanted it, as he fastidiously and exactly talked about transferring from Portugal to France as a nine-year-old, taking part in 13 years within the RC Lens system and eventually deciding it was time for a change.

He was assured – even when Phil Neville cracked open a second-story window on the Timbers Coaching Facility and yelled “Rapido!” to remind the midfielder that that they had a airplane to catch.

With a large smile, eyes that mild up when he speaks, diamond earrings and a bucket of expertise, Da Costa has every part to be the face of the Portland franchise. And a part of that, like Diego Chara and Diego Valeri earlier than him, comes with with the ability to talk his story.

“This is a big step for him,” a Portland official instructed me.

Da Costa is conversant in huge steps.

On the pitch, he advances the ball with fast, elongated strides that belie his 5-foot-6 body. However he may pull the ball again in when area disappears, together with his knees firing vertically like pistons to navigate out of tight spots. Regardless of being from Almada, a metropolis in Portugal south of Lisbon separated by the Tagus River, Da Costa prefers the play of Lionel Messi to countryman Cristiano Ronaldo.

He likes the creativity of his new league mate.

“I see Messi and it’s crazy,” Da Costa mentioned. “Ronaldo, too, but they’re different players. Messi can score goals and Messi controls the game with his left foot. He’s amazing.”

Da Costa is right-footed, however it was together with his left foot that he chipped a cross as much as Santiago Moreno two weeks in the past to help on Portland’s finest aim of the season.

I requested Van den Bergh if that was troublesome to tug off.

“With your left foot when you’re a right-footed player? Maybe,” he mentioned. “But he’s a DP. We expect him to make those types of passes.”

Da Costa has had that form of technical capability since he began taking part in competitively in France. Whereas Da Costa grew up in Portugal, his father lived away within the nation working as a mason.

“When I was nine years old, I remember I said to my mom, ‘Let’s move to France,’” mentioned Da Costa, who’s the fifth of six siblings. “And it’s good because I signed my first professional contract in France, and now I speak French better than Portuguese.”

Da Costa’s rise after the household settled in Northern France got here rapidly. Becoming a member of organized soccer for the primary time, Da Costa flourished — regardless of saying he “always was the smallest on the pitch.”

“He messed up players who were three years older than him. He was very small, very slim, but he could dribble past everyone,” recalled Benjamin Bella, Da Costa’s first coach at SC Houplines, to French journal So Foot in 2023. “During tournaments, coaches from other teams came to see me and told me that David’s presence was not normal. I had to show his license to prove that he was not older than the others. He was technically superior.”

Da Costa’s technical capability bought him seen by RC Lens, which added Da Costa to its academy program on the U12 degree. In 2013, Da Costa was a part of a Lens group that represented France on the Danone Nations Cup, the place Lens was topped world champions with a win over Brazil in penalties at Wembley Stadium.

Da Costa was awarded his championship medal on the rostrum by French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and remembers joking that he was by no means going to clean his hair once more after “Zizou” touched his head.

Subsequent got here regular development as much as Lens’ U14, U17 and U19 groups earlier than signing his first skilled contract with the membership in January of 2019 as an 18-year-old.

“I’m very happy. It’s a big first step,” Da Costa mentioned then. “The club saw the qualities in me.”

Da Costa did his finest to arrange for Portland. As soon as discussions started between the participant and the 2 golf equipment final winter, Da Costa mentioned he watched quite a lot of movie on the Timbers, talked to gamers and spent a good period of time on Instagram attempting to find out about his potential new dwelling.

He admitted he was a bit of nervous for the transfer.

“I was with one club my entire career — 12 years with my last club,” Da Costa mentioned. “It’s a new city. New country. The MLS is different.

“But I thought it was time for me to move. I’m 24 years old. I need to experience another club with other players.”

Da Costa’s time as a professional with Lens had its ups and downs. He made his debut with the Ligue 1 first group in November of 2020, scored his first aim towards Saint-Étienne in March of 2021 and was a daily fixture of supervisor Franck Haise’s lineup throughout 2022-23 — a 12 months the place Lens completed second to qualify for the Champions League.

The setbacks started in 2023-24, when a sequence of shoulder and leg accidents restricted his availability and consistency. With Lens including depth, and the departure of Haise — a coach who had championed Da Costa since his time with the reserve group — Da Costa made appearances in simply 11 of Lens’ first 18 matches of 2024-25, falling out of favor together with his solely membership, simply as Portland got here to grips with its departing star.

13 video games into his MLS profession, Da Costa mentioned nothing has topped the sensation of stepping onto the Windfall Park pitch within the forty fifth minute of Portland’s season-opener towards Vancouver.

His switch had simply been finalized days earlier, and far of his first week in Portland was spent ready to study if his inexperienced card could be accredited in time for the opener.

He bought the go simply earlier than the sport, beginning the match on the bench earlier than coming in to start the second half.

Whereas the Timbers’ supporters had been already subjected to rain, a two-goal deficit and a crimson card, they rose when Da Costa took the pitch — then continued to cheer each time he touched the ball.

“That was a very special moment for me,” Da Costa mentioned.

Making his first begin per week later towards Austin, it was Da Costa’s free kick within the 89th minute that discovered its method into the again of the online, giving Portland a 1-0 lead and Da Costa his first aim in additional than a 12 months. In celebration, Da Costa ran towards the Timbers’ supporters and danced as his new coach, Phil Neville, pumped his fist on the sideline.

It was a notable second for Da Costa — a giant aim in a giant win for a membership that had been reeling from a 4-1 loss to Vancouver only a week earlier. And it was a notable second for the Timbers, who didn’t want Da Costa to exchange Evander, however wanted him to point out potential in sure areas required of high quality designated gamers: management, manufacturing and wow issue.

“He never was a leader on any team, so this is all new to him, which is fine,” Van den Bergh mentioned. “He’s a young player. It’s his first time abroad. He’s always lived at home, and so that comes with challenges. But he’s picked it up. He’s slowly but surely establishing himself as one of the leaders in the locker room and on the field. That takes time. But he’s everything and more than we hoped for when we signed him. He’s done really well for us.”

In Cincinnati, Evander has been spectacular. Coming off his third-place end within the 2024 MVP race, the midfielder has scored seven objectives with two assists in 11 matches. With deft passes and curling drives, his sport has produced sufficient highlights to make an outsider marvel how a membership might depart with such a expertise.

But, even with Da Costa sitting on two objectives, the Timbers are unquestionably higher. Sure, they bolstered their backline and midfield with additions within the offseason, however there’s been one thing about exchanging the flashiness of Evander for the hustle of Da Costa that has unlocked the movement of a roster that options 5 gamers with a number of objectives this season.

“Evander is a very good player,” Da Costa mentioned. “But now it’s a new story, new players and I’m trying to do my job to help the team with their objective.

“I don’t feel pressure.”

I closed by asking Da Costa if there was something individuals wanted to learn about him that I did not cowl in our dialog. He paused for a few seconds.

“I’m funny,” he mentioned with a straight face. And since that is his story, we’ll let him finish it there.

This text initially appeared on The I-5 Corridor.

— Tyson Alger