Club Roots is an ongoing series that examines the people, philosophies, and pathways that have shaped the Portland Timbers player development pipeline.
In part 1, we spoke with Portland Timbers Technical Director, Jack Dodd. He spoke about the principles that define the club's development and aligning those principles across all levels of the organization. In part 2, we spoke with Timbers Academy Head Coaches Darren Back and Fernando Pessoa. They spoke about laying the foundation for the next generation of Timbers players and preparing those players for the next phases of their careers as players. In part 3, we spoke with Timbers2 Head Coach (and current interim first team coach) Jack Cassidy. Jack has the unique role of leading Timbers2, which serves as the developmental bridge between the academy and first team. Part 4 brings us to Timbers' homegrown product, Sawyer Jura.
Sawyer is one of a few recent examples of people who have played at all levels of the Timbers organization. The Timbers defender signed a first-team contract, which sees him with the top of the organization through the end of the 2027 season.
Enjoy Stumptown Footy's conversation with Sawyer Jura!
STF: Do you remember the moment you found out that you had been invited into the Timbers Academy? What were those thoughts and feelings?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, I was pretty young, I want to say 10, I started training with the Academy, maybe an age group up, and I would just come once a week, driving over from Vancouver (WA). I was training with the Washington Timbers fully at the time, and the club had told me that I would be joining the team next year if I wanted to, and then eventually we ended up having tryouts, but I kind of already had my spot, which was pretty nice.
STF: When you first joined the Timbers academy, what did you think you needed to improve most to eventually become a professional player?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, I think the biggest thing has always been the way you can manage all the challenges and adversity you face, which was kind of the hardest thing for me, and always being able to control the controllables. A lot of stuff didn't go my way at first, I had a lot of ups and downs within the teams, at some point I wasn't even starting, and then next year I was in the national team, so there's a lot of different times, and I think the most consistent thing would definitely be just learning to manage what I can control and leaving what I couldn't.
STF: Looking back on your academy years, what part of your game developed the most, and what do you credit for that growth?
Sawyer Jura: I want to say my attacking ability. Honestly, I'd like to credit the coaches for giving me the freedom and the trust to go express myself in the attack, and it's also kind of been natural. When I was younger, I would always play up in attack, and then I ended up getting moved to fullback, but even in my role within the team, I would always be focused on attacking and making the biggest difference in the final third.
STF: How did your time with Timbers2 challenge you in ways that academy football couldn't?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, when I made my (professional) debut, I was 15 or 16, you're playing against men, and I remember the first game I had started was actually against Ali Ahmed. He played at Vancouver (Whitcaps) at the time, and he was playing down on the second team, and that was kind of the biggest thing you're playing against players who are bigger, faster, stronger, rather than being physically the exact same as everyone else, or better than, so that was kind of the biggest difference, that at first the speed of play is also like a little bit of an adjustment, but I think it came to me pretty quick, which is good. Obviously, there's the up and down period when you first join, but from then on, once I got settled in and got consistent games, it came pretty quickly.
STF: What was the biggest difference between competing in MLS NEXT Pro and training with the first team?
Sawyer Jura: I would like to think it's definitely the quality. Obviously the players you're around, and just the technical execution in the games is significantly higher quality, and I think that's definitely the biggest difference. When I made my debut in Dallas, that was what I had noticed the most, like the game didn't really feel too much faster, but it was definitely just that the quality of every action is more critical.
STF: The Timbers pathway includes the academy, Timbers2, and the first team. How did each stage prepare you for the next one?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, I kind of go back to the piece of controlling the controllable. It's like when I was younger, at one point, my U-17 year, I wasn't starting within the team, my first U-17 years, so I was 16 at the time, and honestly, that was kind of hard for me. Like, I finished the year not in the squad and left out of the group training with T2 and there's like nine guys in my age group who were training with T2 over the summer, and I was like, not one of them. So I was like, dang, this is kind of a point for me that was kind of like, 'okay, this has to be like next year or bust, essentially', and then over the summer I got called into a national team camp randomly, so maybe some scout had seen me somewhere. And from then on, like, kind of like opportunities started to come, and then once I got into the national team, that like projected my career, and then I got in with T2. It was up and down again, like in and out of the team, and then obviously we're here now. So I think just being able to like manage what you can, and like there's so much, so many uncontrollables that you can't control. Yeah, and honestly, that's kind of been the biggest thing for me.
STF: Every player's journey is shaped by people along the way. Who are some of the coaches or staff members within the Timbers organization who have left the biggest mark on your development?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, I think I had Fernando Pessoa for maybe like five years in the academy. It's funny because I had him when I joined when I was training with the team before I was in the academy, he was my coach for the GA Cup at U-12, and then we had him like U-13, U-14, U-15, and then he moved up again, and so I had him for probably like five years. I would give him the most credit for sure, to be honest, and then I would like to add the technical staff of Ian Russi and Ethan Konoza. Those guys have been unbelievable, and they're now with the second team, and they've kind of moved up with me as well, so those three in particular have helped me along,
STF: When you look at your journey from the academy to Timbers2 to the first team, what are you most proud of, and what are you still working to improve?
Sawyer Jura: Yeah, I think I'm most proud of overcoming the adversity. Like sometimes people from the outside see the pathway, and they think it's pretty like simple and straightforward, but like I've been torn down a lot, and being able to come up from that has been definitely the biggest thing. And now I think the biggest thing is just like, you know, being able to gain consistency, like earn my spot, and then like obviously once you get minutes, can you perform in those minutes and then keep that spot? So that's kind of what it is for now, just being able to stay as consistent as possible and just focus on what I can, and then, like, eventually the opportunity will come, and just being able to be ready and take it.
