After going on trial with Portland Hearts of Pine, Diego Letayf Escutia has signed with the club.
Tyson Foster from United in Green was kind enough to chat about the former Vermont Green FC player and what he can bring to Portland.
TBM: What is your reaction to Diego joining Portland's squad?
TF: When I see moves like this I think to myself "this is exactly how playing in USL2 can put you in the shop window". Diego came in to Vermont Green's Championship season at a time when they desperately needed a steadying presence in their back line and he filled that role incredibly well.
TBM: What stands out about Diego as a player?
TF: Letayf is something of a tweener position-wise. He's big for a midfielder but a little undersized for a CB even though he plays both positions well. He's not against making a crunching slide tackle but is also more than happy to use his awareness and positioning to intercept balls and close down passing lanes. He can hold his own in the air but doesn't have that same reach as some of the bigger center backs he played against.
TBM: It seems like Diego could feature in the midfield. How do you feel he will perform there.
TF: He can hold the base of a midfield triangle or be that traditional "last man back" really well. He has very good passing range and rarely makes a poorly judged pass under pressure. He probably won't be bombing forward in attacks but can recycle possession and be a good multi-role player able to fill holes anywhere in the back of the field. I'm pretty sure he got some minutes at fullback so keep an eye out for that if needed in a pinch.
