Mikaël Silvestre, the French defender who spent the majority of the pre-season with the Timbers already, has been signed by Portland according to owner Merritt Paulson and Silvestre himself. The Timbers will be required to compensate Seattle Sounders, just as they did last season with Houston Dynamo in the Kris Boyd deal, as the Sounders held a Discovery Claim on his rights. Silvestre will rejoin the club in Portland in the near future, presumably once his visa paperwork is complete. SkySports is reporting that Silvestre’s contract is a two-year deal.