Phil Neville has left his role as head coach of Portland Timbers by mutual consent following a poor start to the MLS season, the club announced on Monday.
The former England and Manchester United star, 49, had been in charge at Portland for three seasons but leaves with the club sitting 13th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference, having won just four of their 14 matches this campaign.
The club’s general manager Ned Grabovoy said the results had fallen well short of what was expected and that the progress needed had simply not been made. Owner Merritt Paulson paid tribute to Neville personally, describing him as one of the most enjoyable people he had worked with in nearly two decades of running the club, and praising his leadership and positivity.
Neville himself acknowledged the decision, saying he understood that football was a results-driven business and that the results had not met the club’s standards.
Before joining Portland, Neville had spent two years in charge of Inter Miami, where he was sacked in June 2023 with the club bottom of the league. He took the Portland job six months later and guided them to the play-offs in each of his first two seasons, though they were knocked out in the first round on both occasions.
His departure comes during the league’s mid-season break for the World Cup, which gets under way in just over two weeks across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Portland’s next match after the break is away at Seattle on 17th July.
