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Caleb Porter is making the jump to the professional ranks, but not until December.
Porter was named the new coach of the Portland Timbers Wednesday, where he will take over full-time duties from interim coach and general manager Gavin Wilkinson, who took over for the ousted John Spencer. Porter will assume the Timbers' post following the conclusion of the 2012 NCAA men's soccer season, and he will be formally introduced at a press conference in December.
Porter, who guided the Akron Zips (ranked No. 1 in SBI's College Soccer poll) to a national championship in 2010, will look to exit the college game on top again before taking over for a franchise whose rabid fanbase is starved for a perennial winner, much like Akron has become under Porter's watch.
"Put simply, I believe Caleb Porter is the best young soccer coaching mind in the country," Timbers owner and president Merritt Paulson said. "He is the right fit for the Timbers on every level. We went through an exhaustive and thorough search over the last couple months where we spoke with some truly excellent candidates, but Caleb quickly emerged as the consensus target. We look forward to 2013 and beyond with Caleb at our helm.”
For the 37-year-old Porter, a former standout at Indiana University and draft pick of the San Jose Clash in his playing days, the move comes five months after he was unable to guide the U.S. Under-23 men's national team to Olympic qualification. He will be reunited in Portland with former Akron standout Darlington Nagbe while inheriting a team that sits on the bottom of the Western Conference with a 6-13-6 record a year after coming close to making the playoffs in its expansion season.
“I know that Merritt and Gavin are committed to long-term success for the Timbers and, come December, I will be completely focused and driven to continue building a professional club in which the Timbers supporters, city and organization will be proud of," Porter said. "In the meantime, out of respect to the Akron program, I will not be commenting further on this matter until after the conclusion of the 2012 college season.”
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What do you think of this development? Do you think this is the right hire for the Timbers? How do you see Porter faring as a coach in MLS?
Share your thoughts below.
Their was no experiment team for Mexico, stop being stupid, they got beat and lost. Every player on that Mexican roster was on the Olympic squad. The US roster was not the same, players were not released and injuries happen
I think if you go to my posts on the other, pre-official thread I said “we’ll see” or words to that effect. That I am not a believer doesn’t mean he will fail.
I just think he’s not all that special from what I can objectively see. One NCAA title does not even set him apart from many in the college ranks. His sole US performance was of not qualifying.
Gyau had unusual speed and they were playing a 433, which rewards wing speed and crossing.
I thought the main focus of discussion was Porter not the more successful Rongen, and you completely duck the defensive discussion I made other than to say it’s perfectly OK to pick Akron players because they were in demand.
My thing is, go look at how much Sarkodie, Opara, Villafana, and Kitchen have played this season. Only Kitchen is a starter. Two of those four were Akronians, and the defense was the weak point of the team. I think he totally overrated his defense, never considered moving players around, and basically looked like a roll-out-the-ball coach to me. I think you or I could throw darts at a board and do just as well picking his offense, and we might have anticipated the defense would be shoddy, I know I did.
The criticism is widespread enough of his work where you can drop the blinders argument. When he does something exceptional I’ll treat him exceptionally. All I see is someone who corralled a bunch of U20s and did well by the recruiting. Similar recruiting blips made the guy at UCLA the flavor of the month, and he couldn’t win with Feilhaber and Zizzo. Porter certainly didn’t win every year….
Going to be increasingly difficult in future to get top young players to waste their time in college soccer.
Jeld-wen is built for Yallop/Kinner-ball, not Porter’s 4-3-3.
Isn’t Vancouver’s coach Scottish? Just sayin…
hahaha what about the ex pros that coach college?
I just tend to believe that pro MLS players will be the coaches of the future here in the US. College coaches not so much.
You are clearly fired up about this hiring of Porter and will reject any comment otherwise.
First, how is my comment about Rongen a cheap shot? The fact is that over many years, his youth teams did qualify, any you pointed out that he did not at one occassion. He has also been criticized for his lack of use of many players – and causing some players (Subotic) not to choose to play for the USMNT.
RE: Sigi and Columbus, my apologies. My recollection is that Sigi was passed over for a head coaching position for a few years in the MLS – and finally got the LA job. I said Columbus, I was wrong, you caught me.
Yes, I would pick Adu on a U-23 level; and I don’t think most people would excoriate me for doing so. Diskerud and Bunbury are now professionals, so I am not sure that this is an undefendable position.
In regard to starting croonies: every coach likes his players. The Akron players he picked were generally All-America NCAA players, who have been drafted into the MLS.
I think you are going a bit overboard here. Time will tell if Porter works or not.
All due respect but it’s kind of like assuming we’ll win over Mexico’s full team because we beat their experimental team in Azteca. It’s good psychology to push that win but it was a friendly against an experimental U23. When everyone showed up to play he managed to beat Cuba. He tied Canada and lost to ES. AT HOME. Color me underwhelmed.
Funny you mention Sigi being hired at Columbus. Well, at that point he’d won league titles, USOC, and a rare CONCACAF title with LA; made the knockout rounds of the U20 worlds twice with the USA, and won 3 NCAA titles. More like Arena than Porter, thanks for making my point for me. He then won the Crew’s only title ever. I only wonder why the same hasn’t come to pass in Seattle, but they’ve been competitive (maybe the turf?).
All due respect to your Rongen cheap shot but he generally made his world tournaments. 2011 was a rare exception where he happened to catch the host team in the knockout stage.
Rongen actually used Gyau at U20.
I don’t know how one can defend players like Diskerud, Adu, Bunbury, and such ahead of Gyau, particularly in a 433. Plus I’m convinced he and other surplus middies would have been superior to the employed defenders as converted backs.
I just have little confidence in a coach who starts cronies in back in a weak backline that was so obviously of a different level than the pro-class attack. Like putting a Ferrari engine into a VW Bug chassis. The team concept was flawed and it was his show.
Of particular complaint to me is that he had one job to formulate this yeam, and he seemed surprised players ended up unavailable. You don’t think Klinsi thinks two steps ahead on callups?
Yes, money and job security. Or if he just passionately loves developing players over coaching professionals.
running a coaching clinic with Peter Nowak on how to get closer to your players.
What next? –England is going to be ranked No. 1!
As far as coaching prospects go, where is Preki these days?
Yes, and when/if he does coach there he will have the full national team at his disposal, including EUROPEAN based players. Not out of form MLSers/LigaMX(less so out of form, Joe Corona was awesome during the tournament) for 3 games. Look everyone can agree he messed up when they did not make it to the Olympics but top options were not there. I also believe I said at some point. Klinnsmann sees his style as the way forward for American soccer. Clearly there will be bumps like U23 failure along the way. I am honestly not too concerned and believe he will do well in Portland. When you say I sound like an idiot but don’t provide a reason as to why then how will I correct myself moving forward?
Sigi
Lolla made the NCAA tournament while he was at Akron, but never made it as far as Porter’s teams.
Porter has clearly improved on Lolla’s spade work at Akron. But that doesn’t mean that Porter is a bad coach or shouldn’t be going to Portland.
Lolla has been around for a number of years. Why hasn’t he gotten a call up to help the Nat’s when Porter has?
I think that losing in the U-23’s tourney did Caleb Porter a lot of good. Though he has a great soccer mind, he realized he has much to learn and he wasn’t going to learn it at Akron.
He is taking “the plunge” into the professional ranks and I think that is a great move for him – if he wants to develop.
For him, maybe the only reason to stay at the college level would be for job security?
Successful college coaching is all about RECRUITING.
See: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and every other sport out there.
How many of those college coaches go on to have success at the MLS level? More in soccer than in the others (Arena, Bradley, etc.), but maybe that’s because they came in to MLS at a time when there were like a dozen teams and most made the playoffs and they could LEARN how to succeed in MLS in a relatively low pressure environment (at least compared to guys like Pitino)… will Porter succeed? Who knows. Maybe. He is a smart guy. But success at the college level is almost meaningless at the pro level.
For how long was he a part of the U-23 set up to let Gyau rot? Not long enough to blame him for Gyau sitting on the bench – like every other U23 coach (cough cough, Rongen).
Porter took Akron from nothing and made them a year in year out competitor. How long is enough for you? Does he have to coach for 20+ years like Sigi did at UCLA? Even then, Sigi had detractors when the Crew hired him. Sigi has done okay, I think
+1
Maybe have the US youth team he is coaching NOT qualify for a major international tournament?
Worked for Porter.
He probably can’t engage in nepotism like Porter did with his Akron cronies (guys like Sarkodie and Valentin LOL), but maybe he can call in youngsters that he knows from his NYRB days….
Yes we all heard of Akron. Kenny Lolla did a fabulous job with that team and is a guy who US Soccer needs to have involved with their youth teams at some level.
And Jon Spencer to take over the Zips..deal done
Hey Caleb, in a year and a half when you haven’t turned this cluster into a playoff team, they will fire you midseason.
Did anyone ever hear of Akron as a college program before Porter arrived? Since then, Akron has continued to be among the best programs. He made it to back to back national championship games.
Porter played college ball at IU (go Hoosiers) under the great Jerry Yeagley. He played a couple years in the MLS, I believe.
He coaches, as much as he can, a great style of possession passing, rather than a defense oriented, physical play that dominates the college game. That is part of the reason Klinsman picked him to try to qualify the U23’s. Recall that he did not have many chances to work with the U23’s except for the immediate build up to the qualifiers.
CD United has pursued him in the past, as have other MLS clubs. I think Portland is getting a great young coach.
The Mexican team got dominated, comparing those players, don’t forget to add the three over age players USA would have used. As far as Mexico experimenting, stop there, many of those players from the friendly was on the Olympic squad. They got out played with the true Olympic roster, not the roster that was took.
I 1000000 per cent agree. Klinsmann all but forced him into the profressional ranks.
He did win the title. The 2010 National Championship.
What does Ritchie Williams have to do to get a head coaching job in MLS?
MEX (vs. US, friendly): 1-Liborio Sanchez, 2-Israel Jimenez, 4-Nestor Araujo, 5-Darvin Chávez, 6-Ricardo Bocanegra (17-Javier Aquino, 46), 7-Javier Cortés, 9-Jeronimo Amione (19-Alan Pulido, 64), 10-Marco Fabian, 14-Jorge Enriquez (8-David Cabrera, 78), 16-Miguel Ponce (18-Hector Herrera, 46), 21-Ricardo Mier (capt.)
Subs not used: 11-Nestor Calderon, 12-Antonio Rodriguez, 13-Diego Reyes, 15-Jair Barraza, 20-Hugo Rodriguez
MEX (vs. Brazil, Olympic final):
1 GK CORONA J (C); 2 DF JIMENEZ I; 3 DF SALCIDO C; 4 DF MIER H; 5 DF CHAVEZ D; 6 MF HERRERA H; 8 FW FABIAN M; 9 FW PERALTA O; 11 MF AQUINO J; 13 DF REYES D; 14 MF ENRIQUEZ J.
Subs:
7 MF CORTES J; 10 FW DOS SANTOS G; 12 FW JIMENEZ R; 15 DF VIDRIO N; 16 MF PONCE M; 17 DF ARAUJO N; 18 GK RODRIGUEZ J.
For comparison’s sake. IMO one way for a coach to mess themselves up is to not recognize when the opposition was experimental or undermanned, false sense of security. In retrospect it appears we took the game very seriously and Mexico less so. Perhaps we should have had more real games related to camp, not just friendlies with minor league franchises?
Also, elevating friendlies over qualifying is like elevating preseason over regular season.
So, basically what you’re saying is if I give him a Mourinho-styled, “The “Number” One” nickname…you will NOT be supportive of that.
I hear that but then he had no apparent ability to see the defense for what it is, and adjust within his player pool, while people like Gyau often rotted.
Also, the higher he moves up the ladder — someone was suggesting Nats which I find incredible — the more he has to be able to adjust tactics and play with the hand he might be dealt. The difference between, say, Arena, and many other coaches, is he could be handed that awful LA team in March, be a laughing stock for a few weeks, keep making changes, and voila, playoff-competitive by mid-summer.
Porter did not win long enough or often enough at Akron — nor did it translate into something at U23 — where I’m sold he’s “got it.”
Excited and optimistic here. Of course, I’ve been looking forward to next season since June.
I think it was Bradley
Cautiously optimistic. I think it’s a homerun or a strikeout, no middle ground.
you sound like an idiot
sucks
Considering how Sarkodie has translated to the pro level, that is more of an indictment of the NT pipeline than a fair defense of the player. Why is this shoddy defender with poor distribution getting elevated? Every time he plays for the Dynamo he stinks, and I wanted for an athletic defender to succeed here (because our backline is too slow and technical). I just didn’t know their names would be Taylor and Creavalle instead.
Really? The U23s is closer to USMNT in terms of what he has to deal with, than is Portland. Portland might have CBA rules, MLS rules, etc., but with the U23s he can pick his team and he showed up with an awful defense, had no ability to adjust it.
He has to win titles at other places than Akron — not just compete but win — before we can even start talking Nats.
Like giving your kid straight out of driver’s ed the wheel and sending him out for the Indy 500 race. Sheesh.
He’s a young coach, I love the way the U-23 team played. Don’t forget the team that played in the Mexican friendly, was not the same team for the qualifiers. Injuries and clubs not releasing their players, so give him a break.
Normally, I’m not one for complaint (I think this is my first on this site), but, out of curiosity, will you continue to remind us that you ranked Akron #1 on your SBI College Poll in every single blog post until he moves to Portland?
It’s a little self-aggrandizing and just an annoying repetitive reminder for something that matters very little in the grand scheme of things. If he wins the title, feel free to call him a title-winner from here to eternity, but to say he’s ranked #1 on some previous post that you wrote (in every single post) can be a bit annoying. That’s all.
By that criteria, too bad the remaining 18 or so coaches in MLS aren’t also named Caleb Porter.
Maybe then, Canadian clubs would amount to something in this league.
+1 (and not Canadian, too f-ing funny!)
Vancouver is really, really happy about this hire considering Porter’s track history of being outcoached by Canadians.
Pretty much every US coach at all the younger levels played Sarkodie too. And Klinsmann has played Bunbury at the senior level
??
SAdly for him he wont be able to play bums like Sarkodie and Bunbury over better players this time.
Bro will coach the Nats at some point. Klinnsmann will groom him for it.
How do Timbers fans feel about this hire?