Bill Poni Tuiloma is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.

Born in Beach Haven, New Zealand, Tuiloma is of Samoan descent. He attended Birkenhead College and Lincoln High School. He was part of the first intake of players to be invited to the Asia Pacific Football Academy which worked with Chelsea FC.

Tuiloma has represented New Zealand internationally since 2013, and was the first New Zealander to play in Ligue 1, the highest division of French football.

“We feel very excited that Bill will continue as part of the Portland Timbers family,” Savarese said of his newly inked player. “He is a defender with a lot of quality who can be versatile. He has worked hard to be an important player and still has the potential to grow.”

His passing percentage was up by over four percent from 2018 to 2019, completing 83.3 percent of his attempts on the season. The number of passes he attempted per 90 minutes climbed by 15 percent, from 33.6 to 38.8. Tuiloma had similar increases for passes that led to shots on goal, per 90 minutes (up 52 percent, to 0.23); shots (up 30 percent, to 1.4); successful dribbles (up 14 percent, to 0.35); tackles (up 97 percent, 1.5); blocked shots (up 26 percent, 1.2); and aerial duels won (up 28 percent. 3.1). Not every measure showed progress, and even some of these measures may lack significance, but in addition to his increased playing time, Tuiloma’s performance across a number of areas showed there may be more growth to come.