Joel Waterman
ratings updated 7 Sept 2026
Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Portland Timbers.
Also this season
Earlier this season at CF Montreal — Canadian Championship: 2 apps, 1g 0a, 180 min
Earlier this season at CF Montreal — Leagues Cup: 3 apps, 0g 0a, 166 min
The headline Season rating covers his time at Portland Timbers; availability counts only fixtures while in this squad.
Performance data · by competition
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Major League Soccerat Chicago Fire | 10 | 0 | 0 | 643 | 6.75 |
Scout report
J. Waterman is a 30-year-old central defender at Portland Timbers, rated 20.3 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 469th of 525 on scout potential in the Major League Soccer. An experienced operator, he has been a rotation option this season (36.8% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 2.91 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Waterman.
Judged on this season alone, Waterman graded 10 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 126th of 127 of the 127 centre-backs in the Major League Soccer, on 3 clean sheets and 2.909 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 18 → 10). Over the 7 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 20, 109th of 127 of the 127 centre-backs in the Major League Soccer. At 30 Waterman is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 1.9 reflects that trajectory.
Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
Output in context · Portland Timbers finished 11th of 15 · a lower-table side
2.91 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — moderate defensive volume, with 3 clean sheets across 16 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (11th of 15) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 1 goal and 0 assists — a useful bonus from the back.
Watch points
- Game time. Only 36.8% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
- Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.
Outlook
With a Rating of 20.3, Waterman carries the 109th-highest potential of the centre-backs in the Major League Soccer of 127, and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Portland Timbers finished 11th of 15) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as moderate defensive volume (2.91 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Experienced and reliable, but the value curve is easing (1× now → 0.7× projected in three years).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
Season statistics
Bars = where he ranks among centre-backs in the Major League Soccer with 600+ minutes this season.
Shooting
Passing
Possession
Defending
Yellow/red cards
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
