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MLS Portland Timbers

Timbers Announce Coaching and Soccer Operations Staff Ahead of 2025 MLS Season

February 20, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Portland Timbers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers today announced the full coaching and soccer operations staff ahead of the 2025 MLS season. The club added Mental Performance Coach Lacey Henderson and Player Care Manager Nate Cahoone.

"The additions of both Lacey and Nate show growth and evolution at the club. Prioritizing player care and wellness was a goal of ours this offseason, and we are thrilled to welcome both to an already strong and experienced MLS staff," said Timbers General Manager Ned Grabavoy.

Head Coach Phil Neville returns for his second year with the Timbers and eighth year as a head coach in MLS and at the international level. In his first year with the club, Neville led Portland to its first MLS playoff appearance since 2021, finishing the season with a 12-11-11 record and 9-3-5 when playing at Providence Park. The Timbers finished the season as the club with the fourth-most goals scored with 65, the most goals scored in a single season in club history. Notably, Neville claimed his first Cascadia Cup, helping the Timbers earn the cup for the fourth time in club history (2024, 2022, 2017, 2012). Against Portland's Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the club scored the most goals with eight and kept their undefeated streak when playing at Lumen Field (5-0-5) dating back to 2017.

Timbers Assistant Coaches Dave van den Bergh, Shannon Murray, Liam Ridgewell, Guillermo "Memo" Valencia and Head Video Analyst Connor Ceballos are set to return to the club. Van den Bergh and Ceballos will enter their second season with the club, while Murray and Valencia return for their eighth season since joining the Timbers staff in 2018. Ridgewell, who played five seasons in Green and Gold, enters his third season as an assistant coach for Portland.

"We have an outstanding staff at the moment and I'm really excited to continue the growth that I've seen in the last year with our staff," said Timbers Head Coach Phil Neville. "The addition of Lacey and Nate add more quality to the staff with mental health and player care to give our athletes the best possible care. There's much more to an athlete than just goes on inside the pitch, and it's all encompassing their performance model."

Joining the club's performance staff this year, Henderson will work with the players and staff as the team's Mental Performance Coach. Henderson, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, was hired by the club after running her own private practice out of Denver, Colorado. Previously, she competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A nine-time U.S. National champion and a world record holder in pole vault, Henderson earned eighth place in the Women's Long Jump competition as well as 10th place in Women's 100m while representing the United States in track and field.

Timbers Head of Health and Performance Nick Milonas, Director of Sports Medicine Matthew Weston, Head Athletic Trainer Paul Lombardo, Associate Head Athletic Trainer Taichi Kitagawa, Assistant Athletic Trainer Aldair Rodriguez, Performance Specialist Charles Burdick, Sports Scientist Hayden Maliska and Sports Dietitian Emily Smith will remain as part of the Timbers health and performance staff. Additionally, Team Chef Rich Meyer and Assistant Team Chef Clayton Bradley remain with the club for their sixth and second year.

Under Grabavoy and overseeing the department for the Timbers, Timbers2 and Timbers Academy, Assistant General Manager Nick Mansueto, Technical Director Jack Dodd and Director of Scouting Nacho Leblic return to the front office staff. Director of Equipment Operations Sam Younie returns to the club for his 16th year with Manager of Equipment Operations Cale Powers, who returns with the club after joining in 2017. Joining Senior Manager of First Team Administration Gabriel Jaimes is Cahoone, who comes to Portland after spending three seasons with USL side Hartford Athletic. A master's degree graduate in Athletic Administration from Ohio University, Cahoone served as Director of Soccer Operations at Connecticut's Hartford Athletic.

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