Following the resignation of head coach Caleb Porter, the Portland Timbers have announced Giovanni Savarese as their new head coach. Porter had led the Timbers since 2013 when he took over following several years of success in the NCAA. Portland was a perennial contender under Porter, including winning MLS Cup in 2017, which made his resignation a bit of a surprise.
While losing Porter could be viewed as a negative, the Venezuelan Savarese checks all the boxes for a great replacement. After an 18-year professional playing career, Savarese headed both the New York Cosmos and New York Red Bulls academies before taking over the reboot New York Cosmos of the NASL in 2012.