.jpg){kind=link}
MLS outfit Portland Timbers have dispensed with the services of head coach Phil Neville after the team’s poor start to the MLS season. The former Manchester United star had been at the club for two and a half seasons.
Timbers have made a poor start to the season
The decision has come just a few months into the new campaign in the US top-flight. However, Portland have decided to act after just four wins in their opening 14 MLS games.
BREAKING: The Portland Timbers have mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Phil Neville. pic.twitter.com/LMfUhPRiUU
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) May 25, 2026
The poor run of form has left them in 13th place in the Western Conference table. Neville was informed of the news two days after a 3-1 home defeat against the San Jose Earthquakes.
After his sacking, Neville thanked the club’s hierarchy, players and supporters in a statement, which read:
‘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.’
Neville had a mixed record in Portland
Phil Neville joined the Portland Timbers as head coach ahead of the 2024 season. He has had a mixed record in the position, recording 27 wins, 31 draws and suffering 24 defeats in his reign as Timbers boss.
The Timbers were not Neville’s first stop in the MLS, as he previously managed Inter Miami, where he enjoyed a slightly better record.
Neville was under pressure to produce results with the Timbers, as his predecessor Giovanni Savarese had enjoyed a strong run, guiding the team to the MLS play-offs in four of his five seasons in charge.
The Timbers have decided not to name an interim replacement for Neville, as the MLS is currently on a break due to this summer’s World Cup, which starts in a few weeks’ time, with the USA hosting alongside neighbours Canada and Mexico.