Two MLS Coaches on the Hot Seat
The 2025 MLS season is just getting underway, but some coaches are already feeling the heat after a worrying start. Among them, Caleb Porter (New England Revolution) and Phil Neville (Portland Timbers) are the most at risk, with numbers reflecting the crisis their teams are facing.
Porter's situation at New England Revolution is particularly dire. According to Goal.com, the team has recorded 14 wins, 27 losses, and 6 draws since the start of 2024 and currently sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with just one point from four matches and no goals scored. Porter's poor relationship with management and players, coupled with his history of conflicts with the press, has tarnished his image.
"We have good players and we can score goals. My job is to find solutions so they can succeed," Porter acknowledged in a recent conference.
Meanwhile, Phil Neville has failed to steer Portland Timbers in the right direction since his arrival in November 2023. The humiliating elimination in last season's wildcard game, where his team fell 5-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps, set the tone for a project that never took off. In 2025, the Timbers have secured one win in four matches, and that sole joy came with a last-minute free-kick goal against a weak Austin FC.
"We need to be more consistent across all lines, it's key to improving," Neville stated after the latest defeat.
As the pressure mounts on these two clubs, other coaches might also be in trouble. Peter Vermes at Sporting Kansas City just managed his first point after a streak of 10 consecutive losses, and although the management has backed him, the team has yet to respond. In Houston Dynamo, Ben Olsen also finds himself in a tough spot, with three losses in four matches and a squad weakened by the departure of key players like Panamanian Adalberto Carrasquilla and Mexican Héctor Herrera.
Facundo Trotta Arrieta
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