PORTLAND — When the Portland Timbers open their 50th season, one of the club’s most impactful players will celebrate his own milestone.

Midfielder Diego Chara could make his 400th career MLS appearance with the Timbers today when they host Vancouver.

“I think most players, you spend between three and five years with a team, so for me this is going to be really special,” said the 38-year-old Colombian who first played for Portland in 2011, the team’s inaugural Major League Soccer season.

Chara already set the MLS record for matches played with a single club last season when he surpassed Chris Wondolowski’s record of 376, set with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Embarking on his 15th season with the Timbers, Chara is a fixture in Portland, known for his broad smile and a vast collection of yellow cards. He holds the ongoing league record for most fouls with 894 in 399 matches.

Chara will be the fourth active player to have appeared in 400 games, joining Columbus’ Darlington Nagbe (415), Seattle’s Stefan Frei (407) and Toronto’s Sean Johnson (400). Only 13 players in MLS history have reached the milestone.

During his time with the team, the Timbers have won the 2015 MLS championship, three Western Conference titles and the MLS is Back tournament in 2020. They’ve been MLS Cup runners up twice, in 2018 and 2021.