Portland Timbers coach John Spencer is delighted with their capture of former Portsmouth midfielder Frank Songo'o.

Spencer expects Songo'o to lift the intensity within the squad.

"When you bring in good players, (the players) already on the team should rise to the challenge and get better," Spencer said. "The ones that don't rise to the challenge, then you learn a lot about their character. You really see the true character of a player when they have competition for that spot."

Songo'o said he's not worried about the growing hype surrounding his arrival.

"There's no extra pressure," Songo'o told oregonlive.com. "I just have to play soccer the best that I know."