Portland Timbers Part Ways with Head Coach Phil Neville

The Portland Timbers have mutually parted ways with head coach Phil Neville as the club finds itself in 13th place in the Western Conference heading into the World Cup break.

The England native led the Timbers to a record of 4-8-2 this season, amassing a total of 27 wins, 31 losses, and 24 draws since joining the team before the 2024 season.

“We are appreciative of Phil’s commitment and efforts during his time with the Portland Timbers,” said Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy in a release. “… This offseason we had pointed discussions about the areas we needed to build on and improve. Ultimately, we have not seen the progress we’ve needed to, and, most importantly, results have fallen well short of expectations.”

The Timbers are set to resume play in July, with 20 games remaining in the regular season.

In his first season with Portland, Neville guided the Timbers to a club-record 65 goals and led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The team also reached the playoffs last season.

“To my staff, thank you for your incredible loyalty and hard work,” Neville stated in a release. “And to the most incredible bunch of players: thank you for the effort, the good times, the good results, the bad results, and all the laughs we shared together. I realize we are in a results business, and the results haven’t been to the expectation of this football club.”

Neville, 49, previously played for Manchester United from 1994 to 2005 and Everton from 2005 to 2013 in the English Premier League. He also represented England’s national team in 59 matches and served as head coach for England’s women’s national team from 2018 to 2021, as well as Inter Miami from 2021 to 2023.