Amobi Okugo tries to put roots down in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. - Here are two things about Amobi Okugo that you might not realize: It's been less than two years since the Union traded him away, and he's still just 25 years old.

The former stat might surprise folks who've lost count of the number of teams Okugo has played for since leaving Philadelphia (it's four, to be precise). The latter stat might surprise folks who remember any of his 11 appearances for the Union in 2010, the team's inaugural season.

Yes, that was six years ago. Seems like... well, maybe it's not actually that long a time, but by Major League Soccer standards it sure is.

I was out on the west coast for a bit recently. During a stop in Portland, I got spend some time chatting with the former Union, Orlando City, Sporting Kansas City and New York Red Bulls II midfielder-turned-defender-turned-midfielder-turned... well, you get the idea.

Do you feel more settled in Portland than your previous stops since leaving Philadelphia?

So far, it's been going well. We're in the playoff push, we've got CONCACAF [Champions League games]. I came in late to the season [in mid-May, to be precise], but the guys have been so welcoming, and I feel at home here for now. So it's been good.

Did the fact that your former Union teammate Jack McInerney was already in Portland help you settle in here?

Yeah. Jack, Zarek [Valentin], [Darlington] Nagbe. Who else did I know? Quite a few players here. So that helped. [Chris] Konopka is here now. Adi being a Nigerian as well. It's been good, that group of guys that I can really hang out with - not only on the field, but off the field as well.

I was going to say, life off the field in this city must be pretty fun.

Yeah. Portland's a great city. Great food. It's close to Sacramento, where I'm from.

Does your family come up often?

Yeah. My brother who is closest in age to me, he's already been up here three times. My youngest siblings have been here for weeks at a time. Just waiting for the parents to come. They'll probably try to come closer to playoff time.

What's this locker room and organization like? Everyone knows what the city's soccer culture is like, but how is it to be part of the team?

This locker room is really good. It has a great mixture of veterans and internationals, and everyone gets along. You don't really have any cliques. That's really good for the chemistry of the locker room. The history of the city is amazing. You saw it this weekend [when the Timbers hosted perennial rival Seattle] - people were camping out for a Sunday game on Thursday night*. It's amazing. And the fans will wait two hours after the game to say hello. Stuff like that. It's a great atmosphere.

[* - Because the Timbers Army section is general admission, some diehard fans camp overnight outside Providence Park to get dibs on the best seats.]

Guys like Darlington and Zarek who went to Akron have known Timbers coach Caleb Porter for a long time, but you know him somewhat too from playing for him when he was the U.S. men's under-23 team head coach. What's he like?

He's a great coach. Very detail-oriented, and he knows what he's talking about when it comes to tactics and stuff like that. I just try to learn from his lessons as much as possible.

I have to ask you what seems to be the eternal question that has loomed over you for your entire pro career. Porter has played you as a defender. In the past, you were most successful as a midfielder. Are you okay now with being on the back line?

Ha. Yeah. To be honest, as long as you're on the field, if you're trying to make an impact - whether it's center back, center mid, right back, left back, forward, even if I have to pitch in at goalie - you've just got to do what you've got to do to get on the field. And for me, it's been centerback here. I know [Porter] likes me as a center mid and center back. Whenever he puts me in, at whatever position, I'll be happy to play.