Photo by Patricia Giobetti/ISIphotos.com
By JOSE M. ROMERO
There's something sort of peaceful and calm in Jorge Perlaza's voice, the sound of a man who's pretty happy with his life these days.
The 26-year-old forward from Colombia has made himself a home in Portland. He's a crowd favorite among a fan base that was already nuts about soccer and readily embraces its players; he's the second-highest goal scorer on a team with real playoff aspirations in MLS and he's earning his keep and more, being one of only two Timbers to have played in every league match.
As the weather has warmed up into a Northwest summer, Perlaza is playing his best.
"I've gotten used to living here," the former striker for Colombian side Deportes Tolima said recently. "The days are beautiful."
"We're really happy to be here together again," Perlaza said. "They love the city. For me it's important to have them with me because we're able to share experiences together."
Any conversation about soccer with Perlaza, who has six goals and two assists this season, leads to a discussion about comparing Colombia's top pro league and MLS. Perlaza, who admitted that at first he didn't realize how competitive MLS is, says he benefits from having played in both leagues because the distinct difference in styles makes him a better player.
"There (in Colombia) they play faster, more technical football. Here you have to be more athletic," Perlaza said. "You have to be in better shape to play in the U.S."
The fans are different, too. Perlaza has been impressed to see Timbers fans pack Jeld-Wen Field game after game, calling them "spectacular," whereas in Colombia "they just pick the more important games."
Perlaza has continued to practice and play without injury -- the only major knock of his career was a knee issue that required arthroscopic surgery in 2002 -- and is grateful for preseason training, which he said was key to his good form.
He's also glad to have countrymen in the league, even on the same team. Perlaza consulted with Sounders FC defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado when deciding whether to come to MLS.
"It's good knowing they're here," Perlaza said. "They've done such great work and opened the doors for more of us to come here."
Midfielder Diego Chara was Perlaza's teammate at Tolima, and the pair are reunited in Portland. Perlaza calls Chara a "brother to me," and wanted to do all he could to help the team sign Chara and help him once he arrived in the Rose City.
"I had to be a big help," Perlaza said. "I've known him since we were 12."
Away from soccer there is family time and English language classes. Perlaza and Chara go to the home of a woman in the area to be tutored in English and Perlaza says he understands a lot more than when he first arrived.
Perlaza grew up idolizing the great players of the Colombian national team of the 1990s -- the likes of Asprilla, Valderrama, Higuita and Rincon, among others.
"That was the best team ever for us," Perlaza said. "They were heroes for us and we always looked up to them. I hope we get to that level again."
At present, the Timbers seek to get to their own high level as a first-year club -- the playoffs. Perlaza says coach John Spencer's style has been instrumental and that the team keeps getting better. He's also proud of his ceremonial slabs of wood for goals scored at home this season.
"I have a couple in the house and the other at the stadium," he said. "They're mounted with the inscription on the wall."
