SPORTS
January 7, 2019
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 7
Asians in American sports w Asian Americans in world sports
Young Samoan Tuiloma provides defensive strength for Timbers
By Mike Street
DEFENSIVE DEPTH. Bill Tuiloma signed with
the Portland Timbers in 2017. He began the 2018
season on the Timbers bench under new head coach
Giovanni Savarese, but soon found himself in the
starting lineup. (AR Photo/Jan Landis)
Special to The Asian Reporter
L
ast season, New Zealand’s Bill Poni
Tuiloma came to the Portland
Timbers hoping to make his mark
in Major League Soccer (MLS). That might
sound cocky from a 22-year old rookie, but
Tuiloma is a highly regarded defender who
has already made history in the top
division in France.
Born in New Zealand to Samoan
parents, Tuiloma started playing soccer at
age three and grew into an exceptional
young talent. He left home to join a new
Asia Pacific Football Academy, later
becoming captain of New Zealand’s
under-20 squad. His talent caught the eye
of the LA Galaxy, who signed him to their
youth squad in 2013, where the team won
the Generation Adidas Cup, the elite youth
tournament put on by MLS.
But the Galaxy didn’t have an inter-
national slot to sign him, so Tuiloma tried
his luck in England, where he made the
Queens Park Rangers but couldn’t secure
a work permit. Though disappointing, this
near-miss opened the door for a much
bigger opportunity: playing for Olympique
de Marseille, one of the top clubs in
France’s Ligue 1.
A Queens Park player who had been on
loan to Olympique referred Tuiloma there,
where he received a historic four-year deal
as the first Kiwi to play for France’s first
division. Unfortunately, that exciting
beginning never translated to regular time
with the first club.
Tuiloma made just two appearances
with Marseille’s first team in four years,
mostly playing for their reserve squad,
with whom he scored once in 22
appearances. Despite this lack of exposure
to top-flight talent, he continued to develop
internationally, amassing 23 caps for the
national team, including appearances in
all three Confederations Cup matches for
the Kiwis as well as the 2016 OFC Nations
Cup.
These successes made him well-known
in New Zealand, the birthplace of Timbers
general manager Gavin Wilkinson, who
signed him to the Timbers in 2017. Much
like he did in Marseille, Tuiloma spent his
first Portland season with the second-tier
T2 squad, eventually becoming the team
captain and scoring three times in 11
starts.
Tuiloma began the 2018 season on the
Timbers bench under new head coach
Giovanni Savarese, but he soon found
himself in the starting lineup. After
Portland
began
the
season
0-2,
surrendering six goals, Savarese benched
center fullback and team captain Liam
Ridgewell, replacing him with Tuiloma.
Putting the young Kiwi in such an
essential defensive position would have
seemed unthinkable for a player of lesser
caliber, but Tuiloma’s experience in
Europe gave him an edge. In addition to
his talent, Savarese cited Tuiloma’s
confidence and locker-room presence as
the reason for the change.
Tuiloma didn’t take long to validate his
coach’s confidence in his new role, helping
the Timbers earn their first point of the
season in his very first game, a 1-1 draw.
His efforts in the match, which included
one interception, nine clearances, and two
ball recoveries, earned him MLS Team of
the Week honors.
This started a string of four straight
starts by Tuiloma, during which he scored
his first career MLS goal against Orlando
on April 8. A set-piece assist from Diego
Valeri showed Tuiloma’s leaping ability as
he surged above a row of defenders to win
the ball and send it into the net.
But just as he seemed ready to establish
himself with the first team, Tuiloma
sprained his right knee, leading to a rehab
assignment with the T2 squad. When he
returned, he could not find a regular
starting spot on the defense, with several
regulars returning to the team and
fullback Larrys Mabiala emerging as an
impact player.
Still, Tuiloma started all three of
Portland’s U.S. Open Cup matches, made
a handful of appearances for the first team,
and started three matches for T2. But his
most pivotal appearances came during the
playoffs.
After defeating the Houston Dynamo in
a two-game series then winning a
knockout-round match 2-1 against FC
Dallas, the Timbers faced Portland’s rival
the Seattle Sounders in the Western
Conference semifinal series. In the
opening leg, the first of a two-game series,
Mabiala was disqualified, having earned a
red card in the previous game. Tuiloma
filled in for Mabiala, making his very first
MLS playoff start in a crucial match.
Despite conceding an early goal,
Portland surged back to win, 2-1, and
Tuiloma glowed about the victory.
“It felt great,” he said after the match. “It
was a big win from the team … Playing
Seattle at home, in the playoffs, is a big
game for us. I kept calm and played my
game. Having the players beside me and
the trust they had in me just made it a lot
Yusei Kikuchi finalizes $56M, 4-year
contract with the Seattle Mariners
By Tim Booth
AP Sports Writer
EATTLE — Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi
has finalized a four-year contract with the Seattle
Mariners that guarantees $56 million and includes
club options that could make it worth $109 million over
seven seasons.
Seattle announced the agreement just ahead of the
deadline for the 27-year-old to sign with a major league
club.
He receives a $6-million signing bonus and salaries of
$8 million this year, $14 million in 2020, and $15 million
in 2021. The agreement includes a $13-million player
option for 2022, and Seattle has options worth $16.5
million annually for 2022-2025.
Seattle has until the third day after the 2021 World
Series to exercise all four team options. If the Mariners
decline, Kikuchi has until the fifth day after the 2021
World Series to exercise his player option.
“Yusei’s combination of character, talent, experience,
and relative age made him a primary target in our
roster-building plans,” Seattle general manager Jerry
Dipoto said. “He is an exciting young pitcher with the
ability to impact the Mariners, both in the present and
future.”
Kikuchi was posted by the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions
on December 4. Under the rules in the November 2017
posting agreement, he had until Wednesday, January 2 to
S
SEATTLE SIGNING. Seattle Mariners pitcher Yusei Kikuchi smiles
and shows off his new jersey following a news conference after his sign-
ing with the team in Seattle. Kikuchi is the latest Japanese star to decide
on calling Seattle home in the majors. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
sign with a major league team.
Seattle owes Seibu $10,275,000 as a posting fee: 20
percent of the first $25 million in guaranteed money, 17.5
Continued on page 13
easier.”
Mabiala returned for Portland’s next
match against Seattle in the Emerald City,
a series-clinching victory that ended only
after a penalty-kick shootout.
In the conference finals that followed,
Portland faced Sporting Kansas City and
relied on Tuiloma when Mabiala went
down early to an ankle injury and the
young Samoan again stepped in for him.
The two teams fought to a 0-0 tie, setting
up a challenging away game for Portland.
Portland faced long odds: Kansas City
were the top seed in the west, had won 11
of 18 matches at home this season, and
were 6-1 in the playoffs on their current
home pitch, Children’s Mercy Park.
Tuiloma again started for Mabiala and
helped the team with 10 area clearances,
though he could have done even better,
having failed to stop the crosses on Kansas
City’s two goals. Portland, however, scored
three times, including a long-distance shot
from Sebastian Blanco that earned him
the Play of the Year award by his
teammates, and Portland advanced to the
MLS Cup Final.
Portland earned its trip to the final with
gritty away performances in Houston,
Seattle, and Kansas City, but they could
not overcome the deficit in talent against
the home team, Atlanta United, who
prevailed in a lopsided 2-0 match. At least
Tuiloma was not to blame for the loss, as
Mabiala returned from his ankle injury,
and the New Zealand fullback stayed on
the bench.
But the future is bright for both the
Timbers and Tuiloma. First-year coach
Savarese left his stamp on the team, which
exceeded expectations by reaching the
MLS Cup Final, and they will be bringing
back their core talent next season.
Tuiloma also established himself as a
starter in MLS, and the team has exercised
its 2019 option on his contract, allowing
him to build on his strong 2018 MLS debut.
Given his confidence and experience, we
can all look forward to this young player
continuing to grow into his talent and
establishing himself as an Asian athlete to
watch.