Miami's loss is Portland's gain as the Timbers cruise to first place in MLS West
When Inter Miami announced the signing of Lionel Messi last summer, there was a smaller, second update embedded in the madness. With Messi's arrival, Miami's English coach Phil Neville would be stepping down.
Tata Martino, an Argentine coach with MLS and European pedigree, wound up taking Neville's place, and he's done an admirable job in his first months in charge.
But Neville refuses to be forgotten. He's since moved to the Pacific Northwest to lead the Portland Timbers — and his influence is reviving the historic club after several seasons of underperformance.
Portland finished in tenth place in the West last season, just shy of the wildcard playoff slots, and never looked capable of ascending any higher. Neville's first job as head coach was to rebuild Portland's tired squad, and he did so with an eye for making upgrades all across the field.
First up: A new goalkeeper. French captain Hugo Lloris's unexpected arrival at LAFC meant MLS Cup-winning goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau would soon be available, and several MLS clubs entered the race to sign him. Portland prevailed, and it did so because Neville and Crepeau had worked together years prior on the Canadian National Team.
Neville leveraged that same Canadian connection to bring in center back Kamal Miller shortly thereafter. From there, Neville focused on cutting rather than adding, shipping out expensive, underperforming players in favor of local academy graduates.
Portland still has 1-2 Designated Player spots available for new signings in 2024; it's got the money, the mechanics and the impetus to bring big names to the PNW.
As great as that is, Neville and Portland may not need those big names. The Timbers cruised to a 4-1 victory over much-hyped Colorado on the opening day of the season.
"We're almost resetting the culture in a way," Neville said after the match. "I felt tonight there was a different feeling to the whole stadium. It was almost like there was a reset. There was a freshness.
"This is a new era."
Portland's renaissance could not have come at a better time. The Western Conference is closer than it's ever been, with everyone from LAFC (last season's Western winners) to Colorado (last season's Western losers) inching toward parity over the winter break.
While the Eastern Conference shows clear divisions between contenders and pretenders, the West is one big question mark for fans and pundits alike. Anyone could take it. But Portland kicked off its season looking imperious ... and that could spell danger for the rest of the West.
"I want the whole stadium full," he said. "I want the whole stadium going away from these football games thinking 'you know what, this is really exciting.'"
More must-reads: