PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Timbers are in advanced talks to hire Phil Neville as the team's new head coach, according to reports from The Athletic and The Oregonian.
"The deal is not totally done or signed yet, with final details still to be sorted out, but Neville is expected to be named coach," according to the report from Athletic reporters Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio.
Neville, 46, will replace longtime coach Giovanni Savarese, who was fired in August after six seasons with the club. Miles Joseph, who served as interim coach after Saverese was fired, is in talks with the Timbers to remain on the staff. The Athletic reported that Jason Kreis is also in talks to come with Neville as an assistant coach.
Neville is coming to Portland after he was let go by his former club, Inter Miami, after two-plus seasons. He went 31-41-11 with Inter Miami. The Athletic reported he coached Inter Miami during a "roster rebuild through sanctions [for violations prior to Neville's arrival] and budget restrictions." He was also the head coach for England's women's national team. The Athletic reports he was a candidate for "several other MLS clubs' head-coaching vacancies this year."
In 2018, shortly after he was hired to coach the England women's national team, the Washington Post reported that Neville deleted his Twitter account and apologized for a series of sexist and misogynistic tweets he made in 2011 and 2012. "I would like to clarify that they were not and are not a true and genuine reflection of either my character or beliefs," he said.
Among the tweets he came under fire for was one that said, "Relax, I'm back chilled- just battered the wife!!! Feel better now!" In another, he wrote, when asked why women weren't watching cricket on television, he said he thought they'd be "busy preparing breakfast/getting kids ready/making beds." In a third, he tweeted that women "always wanted equality until comes to paying the bills #hypocrites".
Timbers Army voiced its displeasure with the potential move in a social media post Friday afternoon, asking the team to reconsider the hire and reevaluate other candidates.
"The Portland Timbers are currently rebuilding a team on the pitch in addition to their ongoing efforts to rebuild trust with their fans and the community," the group said in its social media post. "We are deeply disappointed that the club has reportedly settled on a finalist for head coach who has a history of sexist public statements that run counter to our ethos as a club, city and supporters' group, and who also lacks a proven track record as a manager. We urge the Timbers to reconsider this hire and reevaluate other candidates before finalizing a contract."
Multiple scandals have rocked the Timbers and Thorns in recent years. One year ago, Merritt Paulson removed himself as CEO of the club after an independent investigation found widespread, systematic misconduct and abusive behavior in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). U.S. Soccer commissioned the investigation after former NWSL and Portland Thorns players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim came forward in 2021 with harassment and sexual coercion allegations dating back a decade involving former coach Paul Riley. He was one of multiple coaches cited in the reports. Riley, who denied the allegations, was permanently banned by the NWSL. In the wake of the investigation, the Timbers and Thorns fired president of soccer Gavin Wilkinson and president of business Mike Golub.
Ryan Clarke of The Oregonian reported that Neville's "combative press conference with a local reporter in Miami raised some eyebrows as well."
Prior to coaching, Neville played more than 500 Premier League games with Manchester United and Everton.
