The Portland Timbers announced Monday they have terminated head coach Phil Neville’s contract by mutual agreement, with the team currently sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference as they enter the World Cup break.
The coach from England led the team to a disappointing 4-8-2 start this season and compiled a 27-31-24 overall record since taking over before the 2024 campaign.
“We are appreciative of Phil’s commitment and efforts during his time with the Portland Timbers,” said Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy in a statement. “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 team is scheduled to resume play in July with 20 matches left in the regular season.
During Neville’s inaugural season in Portland, the club set a franchise record with 65 goals scored and earned their first playoff berth since 2021. The team also qualified for the postseason last year.
“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.”
The 49-year-old Neville previously played for Manchester United (1994-2005) and Everton (2005-13) in the English Premier League, earning 59 caps for England’s national team. His coaching experience includes leading England’s women’s national team (2018-21) and Inter Miami (2021-23).
