PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today announced the appointment of Larry Sunderland as Timbers Youth Technical Director. Per league and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sunderland joins the Timbers from the Chicago Fire, where he served since 2007 as academy director of player development and academy director.
Sunderland, 51, will take the lead in helping develop curriculum guidelines, monitoring Timbers Academy player and staff development, coaching and oversight of all soccer-specific aspects of the Timbers Academy and player development system.
“The Timbers Academy has to be a focal point of the club and the expectation is to develop homegrown players that can help the first team,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager of the Timbers.