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Spain's Cifuentes Replaces England's Neville as Portland Timbers Coach
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

Spain's Cifuentes Replaces England's Neville as Portland Timbers Coach

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Spanish coach Martí Cifuentes has been appointed the new head coach of MLS team Portland Timbers.
  • Cifuentes replaces Phil Neville, who was dismissed earlier in the season.
  • The team currently sits 11th in the Western Conference, outside of playoff positions.

The Portland Timbers have appointed Spanish coach Martí Cifuentes as their new head coach, bringing him in mid-season to replace the dismissed Phil Neville. Cifuentes expressed his long-held ambition to manage in Major League Soccer (MLS).

"I have always followed MLS and had the ambition to experience this league for a long time," Cifuentes stated in a club release. "Having the opportunity to do so at a club like Portland, with incredible fans and an exciting group of players, is special." He added, "We want to build a team with a clear identity, great ambition, and a true sense of belonging; a team that represents this city and makes our fans proud."

I have always followed MLS and had the ambition to experience this league for a long time. Having the opportunity to do so at a club like Portland, with incredible fans and an exciting group of players, is special.

— Martí CifuentesExpressing his enthusiasm for joining the MLS and the Portland Timbers.

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson described the search for a new coach as the "most detailed and exhaustive search for a coach in the club's history." He praised Cifuentes as a "young, analytical leader with an intellectual curiosity for his profession unlike any I have seen in a coach."

We want to build a team with a clear identity, great ambition, and a true sense of belonging; a team that represents this city and makes our fans proud.

— Martí CifuentesOutlining his vision for the team's future.

Cifuentes, 44, arrives in Portland after a recent stint coaching Leicester City in the English Football League Championship. His coaching career includes previous roles with Queens Park Rangers, as well as managing clubs in Scandinavia like Sandefjord (Norway), Aalborg BK (Denmark), and Hammarby IF (Sweden). He also coached Rubí, Sant Andreu, and L'Hospitalet in Spain.

The Catalan coach takes over a Timbers team struggling in 11th place in the MLS Western Conference. With 17 points from 15 matches, the club is currently outside the playoff picture.

Cifuentes is a young, analytical leader with an intellectual curiosity for his profession unlike any I have seen in a coach.

— Merritt PaulsonDescribing the qualities that led to his hiring.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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