PORTLAND — The Portland Timbers fired coach Giovanni Savarese on Monday, parting ways with the winningest coach in franchise history a day after a shutout loss to the Houston Dynamo.
Savarese was named Portland’s coach before the 2018 MLS season and went on to lead the Timbers to the MLS Cup finals in 2018 and 2021, two of the four times he guided the team into the postseason. The 52-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, had a record of 74-62-47 in over five seasons and was let go after a 5-0 loss to Houston as the MLS returned from a five-week break for the Leagues Cup tournament.
The team said assistant coach Miles Joseph will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season as the Timbers (6-10-8, 26 points) try to improve on their 12th-place standing in the Western Conference with 10 regular-season matches remaining.
“Gio has been an exceptional coach for the Timbers and a joy to work with,” owner Merritt Paulson said in a statement. “He has achieved some fabulous results during his tenure with the club … He will be missed.”