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Portland Timbers Part Ways With Phil Neville After Poor Start to 2026 Season

Club officials said stalled progress and poor results prompted the split, scheduling a coach search during the MLS World Cup pause.

Portland Timbers v Sporting Kansas City
May 23, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville walks off the pitch after the Timbers 3-1 loss to San Jose Earthquakes at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
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Phil Neville has left his role as coach of Portland Timbers

Overview

  • The Timbers announced on Monday that they and head coach Phil Neville had mutually parted ways after two-plus seasons with the club.
  • General manager Ned Grabavoy said the team had not made the progress expected and that results this season had fallen well short of the club’s standards.
  • Portland slipped to a 4-8-2 record and 13th in the MLS Western Conference, and Neville’s final match was a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.
  • No interim or permanent replacement has been named because MLS is on a World Cup break, and the Timbers plan to continue the coaching search while play is paused before a July return.
  • Neville led Portland to a club-record 65 goals and back-to-back playoff berths in 2024 and 2025, and his exit raises questions about team direction, fan morale and his future job prospects after earlier spells with Inter Miami and England’s women’s team.