Welcome to Rose City Ian Smith

Well, done, Ian Smith. The club announced that their first-round pick made an impact on the club, per manager Phil Neville. The Timbers’ first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in the MLS SuperDraft 2025 is set to join the Timbers through the 2025 season with three club options years through 2028.

“Ian is a player we targeted prior to the MLS SuperDraft with the belief that he had the ability and potential to compete at a first team level immediately,” said Timbers General Manager Ned Grabavoy. “We’ve been impressed with him throughout our preseason, and his performance warrants this opportunity at an MLS level. This is an exciting moment for Ian as he signs his first professional contract, and we look forward to seeing his progression as a Portland Timbers player.”

Smith, 22, returns to Portland after spending the 2024 summer training with Timbers2. In his time with the University of Denver, the defender started in all 61 appearances during his four-year collegiate career (2021-24), tallying six goals and 21 assists for the Pioneers. And being the captain for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, helping Denver to the 2024 College Cup in the last campaign for the first time since 2016, registering two goals and 10 assists in 21 appearances. With his six assists, he was ranked seventh most in the country last year and third most in Denver’s history. The Littleton, Colorado native ranked 57^th in the 2024 Top Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Top 100 list and was a two-time Summit League First Tema selection (2023, 2024) for the Pioneers.

“Ian came to preseason because we knew we wanted to see him with the first team. He has been outstanding and adds great qualities to our roster. We had no hesitation in giving him a first-team deal – it is incredibly deserved,” said Head Coach Phil Neville

Source: Portland Timbers Communications