Overview
- The Timbers announced the hire on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, signing Cifuentes to a three-year contract that runs through the 2028-29 MLS season.
- The coach will not take immediate charge because his U.S. visa must be approved and Jack Cassidy will remain interim head coach for upcoming matches.
- Cifuentes, 44, brings more than two decades of coaching across Spain, Scandinavia and England, most recently managing Leicester City and previously guiding Queens Park Rangers to safety.
- Portland sits 11th in the MLS Western Conference and is three points outside the playoff cut after a 5-1 win over Seattle, with the hire presented as a push to define the team’s identity and reach the postseason.
- Owner Merritt Paulson called the search the club’s most exhaustive and general manager Ned Grabavoy said Cifuentes fits Portland’s long-term vision, so the immediate things to watch are visa approval, his arrival and any tactical changes that affect player roles and results.