Former Inter Miami manager Phil Neville was named the Portland Timbers’ new head coach on Monday, as the team seeks to return to the top tier of Major League Soccer.
Neville, a former Manchester United and England defender, takes over for Gio Savarese, who was fired by the club in August after six seasons.
Neville, 46, was fired by Miami in June, when the club was at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, just before Lionel Messi arrived.
“I am massively excited about the challenge ahead, and from the very first moment I met the staff I knew it was the right opportunity for me, the right club for me and the right city for me,” Neville said in a statement.
Timbers general manager Ned Grabavoy said Neville was the “right person to lead this team forward.”
“His leadership qualities, diverse experience as a coach, and ambition to evolve made him a terrific fit here with us in Portland,” Grabavoy said.
Neville moved into coaching after a 19-year playing career spent mostly with Manchester United and Everton.
He led England’s women to the World Cup semifinals in 2019 where they lost to eventual champions the United States.
Recently he has worked in the back-room staff of the Canadian men’s national team as an assistant coach.