The Portland Timbers fired their head coach Giovanni Savarese. The move came on Monday night, shortly after Timbers suffered an embarrassing 0-5 loss to the Houston Dynamo.
The Timbers announced they will turn to assistant Miles Joseph to guide the team on an interim basis until the rest of the 2023 campaign before conducting a search for Savarese’s permanent replacement.
The Timbers have struggled so far in the 2023 MLS season, managing only six wins in their 24 games. They currently find themselves at No. 12 in Western Conference with 26 points and are in danger of missing out on the MLS Cup playoffs for the second straight year.
Giovanni Savarese took over the Timbers in 2017 and gave the soccer fans in Portland quite a lot of good moments. The highlight came in 2021 when he led the team to an MLS Cup finals appearance, which they lost to New York City FC on penalties. Savarese, who was a Venezuelan international during his playing career, also coached New York Cosmos in North American Soccer League.
“Gio has been an exceptional coach for the Timbers and a joy to work with,” said Timbers’ owner Merritt Paulson said in a statement. “He has achieved some fabulous results during his tenure with the club, including two MLS Cup appearances and the MLS is Back championship. I want to thank Gio for all that he has given us. He will be missed.”
