There Is No Need To Be Upset

It’s December 11, 2021. A man is inside Providence Park, and he’s in a place where he shouldn’t be: the North End. One week ago, he stood behind the drums in section 106 and boldly made a prediction to the only drummer who would listen to him (Benson Drapiza): Santiago Moreno is going to score a goal tonight. 

This was a bold prediction, because the 21-year-old Colombian who arrived in August from America de Cali had yet to score a goal for his new club. Sure, he tallied his first assist in Portland’s 6-1 beatdown of this same Real Salt Lake side that they were about to face, but a first goal seemed unlikely. However, this man was adamant. He’d fully bought into the belief that Moreno was going to be the next great Timber, and he wasn’t afraid to call his shot ahead of the biggest game of the season.  

After Felipe Mora’s early goal gave the Timbers the lead in the Western Conference Final, it was pretty clear that Portland needed a second goal. And in the 61st minute, magic struck. 

Dario Zuparic’s perfectly weighted chipped pass was easily controlled by Moreno just past the center line. One touch off his chest, and one with his right foot to send him speeding towards goal. The entire sequence was completed in five touches. With the fifth one, Moreno sent a rocket of a shot towards the near post. Unfortunately, his aim was too good, and he ended up hitting the post. But that ball cannoned straight out and hit RSL goalkeeper David Ochoa in the back, which caused it to bounce uncontested into the South End net. The stadium went ballistic. The man who made the pre-game prediction (whose voice was already completely dead) screamed “THAT’S MY BOY” in repeated succession, despite the goal-scorer being a year younger than the man with the sudden gift of prophecy. By what rights could this fan call that player a boy with only a one-year age difference? At that moment, anyone involved with the Portland Timbers knew what had happened: a star was born. It didn’t take a genius to recognize the pure aura that filled Providence Park on that night as the young Colombian removed his shirt and flexed towards the traveling RSL fans in the away end, who were terrified of the sudden partial nudity in front of them.

We’ll get back to December 11, 2021 in a little bit. But Santiago Moreno took a penalty kick in that game, and took the throw-in and provided a pass to Yimmi Chara that ended up turning into Felipe Mora’s immaculate equalizer. As that ball hit the back of the net, a crowd of green shirts ran to the southeast corner flag with the goalscorer. Well, all except for one.

Can you really blame him? He’s 21 years old and just contributed to one of the most clutch moments in MLS history. While most players had the presence of mind to run to that corner flag, the youngest one on the pitch simply collapsed. The moment was too overwhelming. In this moment, he became everyone in the seats, who were also losing control of everything both mentally and physically. Some jumped, some fell, some stood in pure shock and awe. But everyone lost control of their vocal cords. The roar that filled Providence Park during that moment might never be heard again. What was Moreno thinking on the ground with that deafening roar filling his ears? 

In 2022, Moreno took a full-time starting role and finished with 7g/6a in all 34 league games. The most memorable of which was a stoppage-time equalizer in Columbus assisted by Bill Tuiloma’s face. You could add a brace against Houston with a goal scored with each leg, or the second goal of Portland’s 3-0 victory in Seattle from the penalty spot with the entire away end chanting “OHHH, SANTI MOREENOOO” down at him from the nosebleeds of Lumen. This was the year that began the transformation from a talented youngster into a true star and a building block. And then 2023 happened.

During the 2023 offseason, Moreno earned his only two caps for the Colombian national team. He was one of the team’s only healthy starting-level attackers for the first few months of the season, and was having a downturn from his encouraging 2022. That didn’t stop him from continuing to produce spectacular moments, even though they were few-and-far-between. But the most spectacular wouldn’t have been possible without the Colombian. With the Timbers down 1-0 against the Seattle Sounders, Moreno’s chipped pass to Dairon Asprilla turned into one of the most memorable moments in Timbers history. Did Moreno accidentally put the ball behind Asprilla and force him to bike it? Of course not. Statistically, that ball had a better chance of going into the net if Moreno put it behind one of his best friends. But the rest of 2023 was rocky, and Moreno’s July trade request sent everyone into a frenzy. An apology helped ease the waters, and the young Colombian made a serious effort to earn the respect of his teammates back. The arrival of several members of his family (most notably his mother) picked up his spirits as well, and he finished the season in good form. 

2024 was the most statistically impressive season that Moreno ever had with the Timbers. 6g/10a in 32 games is nothing to sneeze at. Acting as a secondary playmaker on Evander’s right, the 24-year-old Colombian was starting to prove that 2023 was a setback. One of those six goals was a 73rd-minute equalizer against Minnesota, struck from outside the box with his left foot. True “big dog” moments like that were a rarity from Moreno, but it was a taste of how good he could become with a little more consistency. Right after that ball hit the back of the net, he was replaced by Asprilla, who was playing his final game in Portland. The two friends shared an embrace before Moreno headed to the bench. He had 2g/3a in the next four league games, but contributed 0g/2a in the final 10 games of the season (only missing the Seattle game due to injury). 

But context needs to be added here. One year after that trade request, the ever-active Moreno took to TikTok in the team hotel in Colorado.

Not everyone here is fluent in Spanish, but the caption is pretty easy to understand. In the middle of a playoff run, Moreno openly pined to go to a team in Brazil. “When a team from Brazil is interested in me, I’m gone.” 

Can it be a prophecy if you directly influence the outcome of it? Isn’t the whole point of prophecy about fate, where an outcome is inevitable due to uncontrollable factors? In this case, Moreno’s caption is a clear statement of intent. Actually, strike that. It was a blatant red flag.

As the season ended and the focus turned to another player who wanted to leave, I began the offseason by championing the idea of a Moreno sale. Portland had rejected (unserious) offers from other clubs before, and other MLS clubs began lining up at the door when the cash trade rule went into effect. Bids of $5M were rejected, and Moreno remained a Timber in 2025. 

Inconsistent brilliance was the story of Moreno’s tenure prior to the start of 2025. The best hope for Portland this season was for Moreno to finally become the star that he was promised to be. Unfortunately, he began the season with an injury, and missed the first two games. Upon his return to the lineup, Portland’s attack was improved but Moreno became an enigma. He was helping and hindering the Timbers’ offense in equal measure. For every excellent through ball or clever dribble, he would misplace an easy pass or get dispossessed. And still, the brilliance shone through on occasion. Against SKC, he scored a spectacular bicycle kick and immediately ran to his mother in the stands for a hug. It was the day before Mother’s Day, after all. Six days later, he scored an equalizer against Seattle. Almost on cue, like 6 days prior, the North End burst into song, quickly followed by the entire stadium: “OHHHHHHH SANTI MOREEENOOOOOOO.” It was his last goal as a Portland Timber.

One week after that serenade, Moreno was yanked at halftime in Orlando after being a liability on the pitch. Two weeks later, he provided the game-winning assist against St. Louis from a corner kick. That game led into an international break, and he arrived back late from Colombia. This led to a benching for the next game against Toronto, which the team lost 3-0. Two assists followed in the next two games (New England and St. Louis), and they would prove to be his last two MLS goal contributions. A putrid outing against RSL followed (where he completed 19/41 passes for an abysmal 46.3% ratio) before the final two MLS games before Leagues Cup were played. Against Atletico San Luis, he came off the bench and tallied two assists. The first was a perfect cross for Kevin Kelsy. However, the second was an example of what Moreno always could be. He positioned himself perfectly to win the ball and quickly passed it to Felipe Mora, whose effort bounced off the crossbar and over the line. His last goal contribution, and it came in the last game he played in Portland.

Everyone knows what happened next. He was rested for the following game against Queretaro before traveling with the team to Texas for their Texan two-step against Club America and Dallas. Prior to the Club America game, with a bid from Fluminense rejected one week prior, Moreno mutinied. He fled back to Colombia, and the team carried on without him. Meanwhile, the fanbase was apoplectic. Many people wished the worst for him going forward with his time in a Timbers jersey all but over. I simply called him a coward for abandoning his teammates ahead of such a crucial game. The damage was done, and two days later Portland and Fluminense finally came to an agreement on a $6M deal with a sell-on clause. It’s official: Santiago Moreno is no longer a Portland Timber.

A player who fans adored despite some obvious flaws went from an unquestioned favorite to a hated villain. And it never needed to end like this. If this deal was announced right after the Queretaro game, there would be Timbers fans lining up to buy Fluminense jerseys (probably from DHGate, if we’re being honest with ourselves) with Moreno’s name and number on the back. Instead, Moreno’s exit is accompanied by a Portland salute from the fanbase that once sang his name into the rafters of Providence Park. That salute is a middle finger, and it’s often directed at referees, opposing players, and as a quick-trigger reaction to any minor annoyance. Now Moreno’s name is synonymous with it. 

Is he good enough to play in Brazil? That’s not the problem of anyone in Portland anymore. Moreno’s consistency screamed MLS lifer even though other high-profile South American teams could’ve convinced themselves that they could fix him. Because that’s all everyone can say about him. The Timbers couldn’t stop telling themselves that they could fix him despite his numerous missteps over the years. They saw the occasional magic he could produce and kept waiting for him to put it all together. He leaves Portland as an unfinished product, with a much tougher league (and much more unforgiving fanbase) awaiting him.

Moreno’s entire legacy is complicated, and let’s start with the one on the field. At 25 years old, he never put his potentially devastating skillset all together. He wasn’t at the level of a DP, but he wasn’t at replacement-level either. Making him ride the bench would be a tough call given how good he could be on any given day. But that’s what made him so frustrating. Any given day didn’t measure consistency, it only appeared when Santiago became Santi. As those “Santi” moments continued to be few and far between, it became clear that he simply wasn’t as good as he should be. That’s a tragic area for a player to occupy. 

Part of the tragedy is his contribution to so many memorable moments in a Timbers uniform. In his first home start against the San Jose Earthquakes, he overhit a pass intended for Asprilla that should have resulted in an easy claim for JT Marcinkowski. But Asprilla’s pressure caused Marcinkowski to spill it, and the Colombian cult hero got on his bike and scored an iconic bicycle kick from outside the box. Moreno’s contribution to that play isn’t remembered by everyone, especially because of the raw awesomeness of Asprilla’s goal. But it was an error from Moreno that allowed it to happen. 

With all the flashes from Moreno over the years, these contributions often provided the bright spots in some dreadful (relatively speaking, teams like DC United operate on a different scale) seasons for Portland. But Moreno’s inconsistency also heavily contributed to those poor seasons, because a consistent Moreno would’ve been a serious help to the fringe playoff teams of the early 2020s. That’s where his legacy on the pitch lies; his inconsistency. 

His immediate off-the-field legacy is his own behavior, which routinely drew the ire of Timbers fans, teammates, and the front office but were quickly forgiven after various apologies and a slight return to form. It could be argued that Timbers fans, teammates, and the front office were too quick to forgive the mercurial winger, but no one could let go of 2021 and 2022. That feeling that everyone had when we were certain that Moreno would be the next Timbers star. We kept convincing ourselves of it as he kept contributing to memorable moments and went on streaks of good form. It led to excuses when his play would inevitably dip. Moreno’s immediate off-field legacy is a learning experience. For the fans: it’s a reminder that when a player shows you who they are, believe them. 

The long-term impact of Moreno’s legacy on the front office won’t be visible for a while. However, getting $6M (which was the price they were after all along) for a player who was talented but never consistently good is an excellent bit of business. One question still remains: will other future Timbers look at Moreno’s stunt and decide to pull it themselves since it worked out for the player? Each transfer always follows a case-by-case basis, and in this case it benefitted both the player and the front office. I don’t think anything can be taken away from this specific instance, but it is something to keep an eye on. 

Part of Moreno’s off-field legacy has already been realized. The Colombian was the first U22 Initiative player brought to the club, and the Timbers haven’t stopped using that roster mechanism to bring young foreign talent to Portland. He was the catalyst that allowed players like David Ayala, Juan Mosquera, Antony, and Kevin Kelsy to come to Portland with a method in place to allow them to adapt and earn significant playing time. I’ve stated before that Portland’s group of U22s is vastly underrated by the larger MLS media ecosystem, and it’s been the main driver behind their success this year. Even the players who weren’t brought to Portland using this mechanism (like Finn Surman and Jimer Fory) had their paths to the Rose City paved by Moreno. Because of that transfer of a young winger from America de Cali to Portland, the Timbers built a tried-and-true method to acquire young talent from outside the United States. For a team that hasn’t made the best use of its academy over the years, it’s an incredible achievement. Especially given how low the league-wide hit rate on foreign U22s is. 

Portland paid approximately $3M for Moreno back in 2021, and they will bank approximately $2.7M in profit for him five years later. That’s good business. Moreno’s sale immediately became Portland’s record international departure. If you told the front office in 2021 that the young Colombian winger they signed would become their most expensive foreign sale, they would have gladly taken it. The U22 Initiative, in this case, became a monetary success.

The next part of this transfer revolves around his replacement. With an open U22 spot, will the Timbers continue traveling down the road that Moreno paved? Or will they opt to change their roster model and sign a 3rd DP? Ned Grabavoy now has a ton of options at his disposal, and the Timbers got an influx of cash to make more moves happen.

To close this out, we need to return to December 11, 2021. After Moreno scored his first goal one week prior, the man who predicted the miraculous strike traveled to the stadium with a printed sign. One of his friends took a popular meme template and put Santiago Moreno’s face on it. Ahead of the biggest home game in club history, the man proudly carried his sign (the first one he had ever made (with a little help from his girlfriend, of course)) into Providence Park. 

This meme, unwittingly created and popularized by a fringe group of Timbers fans, became a prophecy. It came true on a night in early August four-and-a-half years later. Santiago Moreno, now an inconsistent player with off-field baggage, was sold to a club that he desperately wanted to join for a fee that the front office desperately wanted. For everyone involved, there is no need to be upset.

It’s a rare situation where everyone wins, even though Moreno’s goodwill in Portland has completely faded. However, it didn’t need to end like this. He was Portland's young star, thrilling fans with his play on the field and the dances he'd do when he (or a teammate, usually Mosquera) scored. For a team that produces very few academy graduates that make it to the first team (congratulations to Marco Farfan on your transfer to Tigres, everyone is rooting for you) Moreno became the youngster that everyone rooted for. He routinely got a loud cheer when his name was announced during player introductions. He got a chant when very few Timbers have ever gotten a specified player chant. But in the end, all the love from Portland fans meant nothing to him. Neither did the respect of his teammates, or the front office that did everything in their power to keep him happy while balancing his wants with the needs of the club. No one except the player wanted this exact outcome.

Now that the dust has cleared and the situation is (relatively) finalized, the prophetic sign from a game that took place in another era has a tangible message in tandem with the ironic one. As the sun rises on another Timbers matchday, their sudden catastrophe has been solved with ruthless efficiency. There is no need to be upset.