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Report: Porter offered Timbers coaching job

CalebPorter (ISIPhotos.com)

The Portland Timbers aren't wasting time when it comes trying to find the head coach that will guide the team into the next era.

The Oregonian is reporting that the Timbers have offered their coaching job to University of Akron head coach and former U.S. Under-23 head coach Caleb Porter.

The job offer isn't the first time an MLS club has offered Porter a head coaching position. D.C. United offered Porter the job before the 2010 season, but Porter turned it down and eventually signed a long-term contract with Akron, the No. 1 ranked team in the latest SBI College Top 25.

Porter, 37, helped guide Akron to the 2011 NCAA title, and his program has produced several top young pro players in recent years, such as Teal Bunbury, Steve Zakuani, Darlington Nagbe, Perry Kitchen and Zarek Valentin to naame a few.

His coaching reputation took a hit after the U.S. Under-23s failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, but Portland's interest in his services make it clear that the failure to qualify for the Olympics has not diminished Porter's reputation as one of the most talented young coaching talents in American soccer.

What do you think of this development? Think Porter would be a good hire in Portland? Who would you like to see land the job?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I should add that I recently (yesterday) ran a regression analysis across Division I Men’s Soccer for predicting offensive and defensive output for the coming season. There were only three statistically significant variables: the performance in the prior two years, and the recruiting class from FOUR years ago (i.e. who are seniors?). This is because it’s fairly rare for players to leave early from the college game in its current state.

    His recruiting class in 2011 was still disgusting, but an exodus of talent early gave them a brief departure from the top of the sport. This is something endemic to college sports…

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  2. He lost eight players to the draft and still had a team stacked with talent… with a one season interlude they are the best team in college soccer again. You shouldn’t understate the talent he’s attracting to Akron. He couldn’t swap teams with West Virginia and have them anywhere near the same caliber as he does his own team, and it’s not a systemic thing at all.

    I don’t mean to downplay his coaching ability, but it’s so, so much more than that at the college level.

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  3. He coached other International youth teams and did not bomb. That Olympic qualifying team did not play the way Porters teams play so I dont know what was up. Maybe Klinsmann insisted they play his style.

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  4. While he is an astute recruiter, you can NOT pin his success on recruiting. Several of his key players in that 2010 championship team were local boys. He lost eight players to the draft after that season and the very next year he was still able to assemble a team that played great soccer and made a deep run in the tournament even though every top recruit in the country had already committed to other programs. His coaching is the reason for his success, sometimes it really is just that simple.

    As far as the U23 Olympic debacle, all I can say is that team was not playing the way Caleb Porter teams play, they attempted to play the way Jurgen Klinsmann teams attempt to play.

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  5. What a loser, Santos won at home against Seattle, like the USMNT, MLS clubs struggle in Mexico. Also go look what Seattle did at home, you see what I mean. While also taken in account seattle is in Pre-season and Santos in the middle of their season. Seattle version of fat bastard was a college coach first, so was all american coaches.

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  6. Gavin Wilkinson will not bring in a real coach because if he did he would be fired because he would be found out as being a IMPOSTER. So he picks the young college guy he can control.

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  7. Santos trashed MLS teams 6-1 and 6-0 stop drinking the Kool-Aid man and at least be honest as its concrete facts. Bottom line is Caleb Porter is a hack loser that is not good and even worse Gavin Wilkinson is a pathetic insecure arrogant prick. They are perfect for each other. Seattle will be laughing for years!

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  8. he had three games with an injured team, and the last was simply due to a monumental GK error. I was disappointed as well but I’m not ready to label him as a failure

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  9. You are an idiot go back to RSL and Monterrey, they lost 1-0 in the finals. Also MLS teams have struggled in mexico, this is not new, because till this month, the USMNT haven’t did to well. However at home MLS teams have did well against Mexican teams. Also when MLS is in its pre-season, Mexican teams are in their season. Also as far as league one, go look what Cameroon did for stoke, with one practice.

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  10. Yeah dude the MLS is getting better losing 6-1 to Mexican clubs in the Concacaf final. Are you serious man, MLS is barely League One in England.

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  11. It was minimal. You’re just not too smart if you think otherwise man. Not insulting your intelligence, but seriously man look at the roster compared with the group from the FIFA date U23 match vs Mexico.

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  12. I agree. Folks just look at the failure to qualify and assume that he did a terrible job. That game against Mexico was amazing. I never saw a US team dominate possession against Mexico the way this team did.

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  13. The real question is: will he stick to the 4-3-3 in lieu of winning if he goes to Portland Or will at least pretend to act like a coach

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  14. Pitch size mabey, but not turf.

    JELD-WEN Field’s FieldTurf surface earns second FIFA 2-Star certification. Playing surface one of only four in North America to receive re-tested FIFA 2-Star rating.

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  15. He should just live in Mansfield between Akron and Columbus and coach both the Zips and the Crew. Too bad Cleveland doesn’t have a team. Funny it’s such a football state and the Zips and Crew are the teams who have won nationally in the last 10 or so years.

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