The Portland Timbers and Phil Neville have parted company by mutual consent.Neville, 49, was hired as head coach in November 2023 and led the team to the MLS Cup playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the team, though this season the Timbers have won just four of their 14 games and are 13th in the Western Conference. His final game in charge was a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.“In my nearly two decades of owning and operating the Portland Timbers, there are very few people I have enjoyed working with more than Phil Neville,” Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said. “Phil has outstanding leadership qualities and a boundless sense of positivity even in the face of adversity. I cannot thank Phil enough for his tireless dedication to this club and the Portland community, which he and his family truly embraced.”Portland will not play again until July 16 as MLS breaks for the World Cup. The team announced that “any interim coaching decisions will be made in concert with the timing of the head coach hire.”
Neville said in a statement on the club’s website: “I’d like to thank Merritt Paulson, Ned Grabavoy, and the entire Portland family for their unwavering support in giving me the job and standing behind me. To my staff, thank you for your incredible loyalty and hard work. 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. To the Timbers Army — you are the reason I felt inspired to try and bring success to this club. Keep getting behind the players and the club in this wonderful city. I will miss you all.”Fans make their feelings known on May 23 (Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)‘The time had come for a change’Analysis by Tom BogertThe Portland Timbers and Phil Neville retain the utmost mutual respect for each other, but the time had come for a change. The Timbers feel there is still a lot to play for with 20 games left in the season and will use the nearly two-month break in action for the World Cup to undergo a coaching search.For now, as the staff and players disperse with time off, no decisions are made on members of the coaching staff. Portland begins a coaching search in which they aim to cast a wide net of options, both domestically and abroad, and utilize data-driven research to identify possible candidates.Portland would like to have a permanent head coach in place before their next game on July 16, but aren’t locking themselves into a hard deadline.The club has a bit of flexibility in the summer transfer window as well, namely a U-22 initiative slot. Departures are possible as well.Portland became the sixth team in MLS to make a coaching change this season. This is after around a third of the league entered 2026 with a new coach.The Timbers won’t be the last to make a coaching change this year either. For all the critiques about a so-called lack of pressure in MLS due to no relegation, the leash on coaching runway continues to get shorter.May 25, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
