Documented exclusions
Near misses
These 28 players get raised often but fall outside the criteria — usually because their European football was second-tier, outside the big five, or because they never actually made a league appearance.
The Aston Villa trap. The 1975–77 Timbers were run by former Villa
manager Vic Crowe and stocked with Villa players, but Villa spent most of 1970–75 in the
Second and Third Divisions. So Villa alumni such as Neil Rioch and Mick Hoban do not qualify,
while Peter Withe, Terry Donovan, Willie Anderson and Jim Cumbes do.
| Player | Reason | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob RensenbrinkNASL 1975–1982 | Never played in a Big Five league | A Netherlands legend with DWS, Club Brugge, Anderlecht and Feyenoord. His Toulouse spell in 1981 produced no French league appearances, and Toulouse were then in Division 2. | worldfootball – Rob Rensenbrink |
| Pat McMahonNASL 1975–1982 | Scotland and English lower divisions only | Celtic in Scotland plus Aston Villa while they were a Second and Third Division club. | Wikipedia – Pat McMahon |
| Mick HobanNASL 1975–1982 | Second tier or lower | Part of the Vic Crowe Aston Villa pipeline, but Villa were outside the top flight for most of 1970–75. | Wikipedia – Category screen |
| Neil RiochNASL 1975–1982 | Second tier or lower | Aston Villa in the Second and Third Divisions. | Wikipedia – Category screen |
| Brent GouletPortland revival 1985–1990 | German football below the Bundesliga | Bonner SC, Tennis Borussia Berlin, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and Wuppertaler SV — 2. Bundesliga level and lower. | Wikipedia – Brent Goulet |
| Ian JoyA-League / USL 2001–2010 | Second tier only | FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga and Hamburger SV II. | Wikipedia – Ian Joy |
| Matt TaylorA-League / USL 2001–2010 | Second tier only | German football at 2. Bundesliga level only. | Wikipedia – Matt Taylor |
| Brent SanchoA-League / USL 2001–2010 | Non-qualifying leagues | Scottish Premier League with Dundee and English lower divisions with Gillingham. | Wikipedia – Brent Sancho |
| Steve PurdyA-League / USL 2001–2010 | Second tier only | 1860 München in the German second tier. | Wikipedia – Steve Purdy |
| Kerrea GilbertMLS 2011–present | Never appeared for Portland | Two Premier League appearances for Arsenal, but his Timbers visa was denied and he never played a match. | Wikipedia – Kerrea Gilbert |
| Andy PoloMLS 2011–present | No league appearances at the Big Five club | On Inter Milan's books but never played a Serie A match. | Wikipedia – Andy Polo |
| Eddie JohnsonMLS 2011–present | No league appearances at the Big Five club | At Manchester United from 2003 to 2006 without a Premier League appearance. | Wikipedia – Eddie Johnson |
| Jack BarmbyMLS 2011–present | No league appearances at the Big Five club | Manchester United and Leicester City academies with no Premier League appearances. | Wikipedia – Jack Barmby |
| Donovan RickettsMLS 2011–present | No league appearances at the Big Five club | On Bolton's books with no Premier League appearances. | Wikipedia – Donovan Ricketts |
| Kris BoydMLS 2011–present | Second tier and Scotland only | Scottish Premiership plus English Championship football. | Wikipedia – Kris Boyd |
| Kenny CooperMLS 2011–present | Second tier only | 2. Bundesliga football in Germany. | Wikipedia – Kenny Cooper |
| Renzo ZambranoMLS 2011–present | Second tier only | Spanish Segunda División only. | Wikipedia – Renzo Zambrano |
| Bryan AcostaMLS 2011–present | Second tier only | Spanish Segunda División only. | Wikipedia – Bryan Acosta |
| Felipe CarballoMLS 2011–present | Reserve side only | Sevilla Atlético rather than the Sevilla first team. | Wikipedia – Felipe Carballo |
| Mason ToyeMLS 2011–present | Third tier only | 3. Liga football in Germany. | Wikipedia – Mason Toye |
| AntonyMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Primeira Liga in Portugal with no Brazilian Série A appearances. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| EvanderMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Denmark and Brazil. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Adam KwaraseyMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Scandinavian football only. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Jarosław NiezgodaMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Polish Ekstraklasa. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Miguel AraujoMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Eredivisie in the Netherlands. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Cole BassettMLS 2011–present | Non-qualifying leagues | Eredivisie in the Netherlands. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Darlington NagbeMLS 2011–present | No European club career | Timbers academy product whose senior career has been entirely in MLS. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |
| Jeremy EbobisseMLS 2011–present | No European club career | MLS-only senior career. | Wikipedia – All-time Portland Timbers roster |