Diego Valeri was born in Lanus, Argentina, which just so happens to be the club he began his professional career with. The attacking midfielder made 158 appearances during his first stint with Lanus, scoring 25 goals. He went on a few loan stints, including one to the Portland Timbers in 2013. In his debut with Portland, he scored a goal against the New York Red Bulls. It was immediately apparent that this was a player the club wanted to hold onto past his agreed loan. In August, Portland triggered Valeri's purchase clause to keep him permanently. In his first season in the Pacific Northwest, he scored 10 goals and assisted 13. This earned him the 2013 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award and his first Best XI, and also led the league in assists.
In 2014, Valeri played his first season as a fully rostered player at the club, and he did not disappoint. He nabbed his first of the year by going bar-down in a 4-4 Cascadia Cup draw with Seattle. In a matchup with the other Cascadian club in Vancouver, he dished out a hat trick of assists, including a peach of a cross. In the summer, he scored a goal in three straight games, including a screaming free kick against the Galaxy prior to the ASG. Valeri made the All-Star team, playing one half and assisting a goal in the 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich. For the second time in the season, he assisted 3 goals in a single match versus the San Jose Earthquakes. In the next game with San Jose, Valeri scored 2 of his own. Those goals put him into double-digit scoring to close the season out with 11 goals and 14 assists. He made the Best XI for the second consecutive season. The Timbers missed the playoffs by a single point, but that was not going to be the Portland standard.
The 2015 season was a whirlwind for Diego Valeri. At the very close of the 2014 campaign, Valeri suffered a torn ACL, forcing him to miss the opening 10 games of 2015. Upon his return, he scored a goal against the Montreal Impact. Soon after, he pushed through an ankle injury that forced him out of another month of action. He scored his second and final goal of the season against the Whitecaps in July with a sliding finish. Diego Valeri's worst season statically had the sweetest ending. He played 1,000 minutes less than he did in 2014, but none of that mattered once Portland qualified for the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference. Their No. 8 was at full health headed into the postseason. They squeaked past Sporting Kansas City in penalties in round one, with a Valeri assist. He assisted a goal in the second leg versus Vancouver to advance to the next round. Yellow card accumulation kept him out of the first leg against FC Dallas, but he came back to assist 2 goals in leg two, pushing the Rose City club to MLS Cup 2015. In the big game, Portland traveled to Columbus, where Valeri scored a goal and the Timbers ultimately hoisted the trophy. He slid to block the pass of Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark just 27 seconds into the game, deflecting it into the net. Valeri won the 2015 MLS Cup MVP Award.
In 2016, Valeri returned to regular season dominance, scoring 14 goals. The first of 14 did not come until a May Day tally against Toronto FC. It was well worth the wait, knuckling in a free kick from downtown Portland. In June, he put two goals past Houston. One was a lovely Paneka. In the following MLS match, he recorded a second straight brace versus their rivals in Seattle. The first was a low, powerful strike into the bottom right corner. The latter was a an unbelievable showcase of strength, and a chip to the far netting from a near impossible angle. Despite the individual success from Valeri, the Timbers were unable to qualify for the playoffs, missing out by one spot once again. He made the All-Star Team for his contributions on the year.
Diego Valeri's best season in Major League Soccer was undoubtedly the 2017 edition. Out of seemingly nowhere, he scored a whopping 21 goals from midfield, a very difficult feat. Additionally, he added 11 assists. It goes without saying that he made the Best XI and All-Star Teams once again. In the opening game of the campaign, he sent a message with a brace against Minnesota United. He scored a tough header, before putting one away from the spot. Two matches later, he did the double against Houston. His third brace of the year was against the San Jose Earthquakes. In one of the most incredible scoring runs that MLS has ever seen, Valeri scored a goal in nine consecutive matches. Most players do not even score that many goals, let alone scoring in that many games in a row. It all began with a tally versus the Dynamo. He smashed a strike off the underside of the crossbar and in. In August, he scored the lone PTFC goal in a 1-1 draw with Seattle. To cap off the immaculate run of form, he put two past Orlando City, pushing one in at the back post. This stretch was clearly on the mind of everyone when it came to MVP voting. Ultimately, Houston got its revenge on Portland for all of Valeri's abuse against them in the playoffs. For Diego Valeri though, he became the 2017 MLS MVP.
In 2018, Valeri's return saw double-digit goals and assists for the fourth time his MLS career. He kicked off another successful season with a crafty chipped goal against Chicago. In the Cascadia Cup, his trio of assists led Portland past Seattle, 3-2. His pair of helpers against San Jose the following matchday meant that he assisted 5 goals in just two matches. He made the ASG once again, playing a half versus Juventus. The Timbers moved soundly into the fifth position in the West. They had to play a knockout round game with FC Dallas, one that Valeri dominated with 2 goals and a win. He smoked another long-range free kick on Halloween. They snuck past Seattle en route to the WCF. After a scoreless first leg with Sporting Kansas City, Valeri scored another 2 goals in leg two of the contest. He ran in on the break to claim victory. This advanced Portland to MLS Cup 2018 in Atlanta. Atlanta United proved to be too tall of a task, and the Timbers fell just short of another trophy.
Diego Valeri put his focus on playmaking in 2019, assisting more goals than he ever had in a season. His 16 was second league-wide, only to Maxi Moralez. It was another solid 8-goal year as well. On opening day, he opened his account in each of those categories in a 3-3 draw with the Colorado Rapids. He did so again in a 3-1 road win over Philadelphia in June, rocketing a shot into the bottom left from outside the area. In a 4-0 beatdown of the Dynamo, Valeri contributed to every goal, with one of his own from the spot and 3 assists. Portland snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed, but fell to Real Salt Lake in the first round.
In 2020, the Portland Timbers brought home some silverware during the pandemic. He scored a goal in the opening game of the year though, prior to the shutdown of the world. In the knockout rounds of the MLS is Back Tournament, he turned one in against NYCFC. Portland made it to the final of the MiB tourney. In the final game of the bubble, the Timbers won the trophy 2-1 over Orlando with the help of a Valeri set piece assist. In a 6-1 win over San Jose, he notched another brace. The playoff run did not go so well, as they fell to Dallas in penalties straight away. It was an 8 goal and 7 assist season for him.
Diego Valeri's illustrious Portland Timbers career came to a close in 2021. He played just over 1,200 minutes in his final year. He scored on the LA Galaxy to open his account on the season, then closed it against the other Los Angeles team. His final MLS goal was the classy back post finish versus LAFC in July. The Timbers made one last run at the cup, attempting to close his career with another trophy. Valeri was used as a sub for just 42 total minutes in the postseason, including half an hour in the penalty kicks loss to NYCFC in MLS Cup 2021. Valeri returned to Lanus for 9 games before calling it quits in 2022, at the age of 36. Valeri became an ambassador for the club upon his retirement. Now, he works for Apple TV on MLS Season Pass as a Spanish language studio host. The legendary attacking midfielder amassed 86 goals and 91 assists during his time with the Timbers. Diego Valeri's incredible and consistent career of production places him in the #2 spot on the list.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2021 | POR | 1,224 | 2 | 3 |
2020 | POR | 1,628 | 8 | 7 |
2019 | POR | 2,600 | 8 | 16 |
2018 | POR | 2,747 | 10 | 12 |
2017 | POR | 2,828 | 21 | 11 |
2016 | POR | 2,634 | 14 | 7 |
2015 | POR | 1,713 | 2 | 8 |
2014 | POR | 2,763 | 11 | 14 |
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