Key Takeaways and Recap from the Annual Member Fan Forum
Team leadership took questions from season ticket holder attendees.
The Portland Timbers organization gave season ticket holders a glimpse of what’s to come during the regular season with a Q&A featuring General Manager Ned Grabavoy, CEO Heather Davis, Head Coach Phil Neville, and new signing Kamal Miller among the team’s regular media day proceedings.
Questions were varied, and while much of what was said was reinforcing what we already knew, some new developments and clarifications were given concerning everything from the content of prematch emails, to the possibility of grass pitches, and the extent of owner Merritt Paulson’s involvement in the club.
Unpacking what each speaker said in this hour long event gives supporters a lot to be optimistic about as the season kicks off on Saturday.
Ned Grabavoy:
General Manager Ned Grabavoy was probably the most anticipated speaker given the massive transfer rumors circulating, and while he didn’t give specifics, he gave fans a few things to be excited about.
Grabavoy got the event started speaking about what was on most people’s minds: the massive designated player signing that’s been building hype for the past couple of weeks. Grabavoy understandably didn’t name names, nor did he give any specifics as to where the player is from or the position besides mentioning the “top part of the roster”, hinting at an attacker which we already knew. He notably put emphasis on some of the injured players like Eryk Williamson and David Ayala, but ended his segment saying “we've made some solid editions, and we’ll make one more big one”. Grabavoy had also spoke about his focus on bringing in bonafide MLS talent this off season, exceeding expectations with not only signing one in Kamal Miller but another in Maxime Crepeau.
The second question asked was about the focus of the team given the amount of competitions being played within the season between the MLS itself, Leagues Cup, and the US Open Cup. Grabavoy had understandably laid his importance on the regular season, which after not even making the playoffs the last two seasons made sense.
Jumping off of the Open Cup, the first question from the audience was about the competition and the importance of it given that the Timbers have never brought it home in their 49 year history. Grabavoy touched upon the history of the Cup and the prestige of winning it, which he had done as a member of the LA Galaxy, but deferred any action to the MLS and USSF discussing the travel implications of playing the three competitions simultaneously. He concluded on the importance of and goal of winning trophies, saying it could come with any competition.
The gravitas of Inter Miami’s Suarez, Busquets and Messi was brought up next to Grabavoy, and when asked how a “small” market like Portland was going to compete with that level of play, Grabavoy said that “Portland was one of the most relevant places you can play”, saying that the club needs a focus and alignment of acquisitions to meet and exceed expectations within the league and also from the fans, who unlike other MLS fanbases put pressure on to win games and compete. Grabavoy also touched on the disappointment of the last two seasons and the “bad taste in the mouth”, saying that the organization didn’t reach their benchmark goal of at least making the playoffs last season and that the main focus of discussions internally is on how to get back to that standard of excellence the organization is accustomed to.
Following up on this, Grabavoy was asked about the development of the academy and Timbers 2, and he put a spotlight on the success of academy players of the past while discussing the current state of MLS Next Pro saying that it provides a new stage of development being “a development league” rather than a “true reserve team” giving players opportunities and a pathway to be signed to the first team. He also said that academy development is team by team, and he predicts seeing more academy players mingling within the first team due to the effects of Next Pro and academy development.
Phil Neville:
Head coach Phil Neville’s questions touched upon his coaching and tactical philosophy, as well as the differences between his current team and past versions.
The first question focused on how his style of play would differ from previous iterations of the team, and his main focus was to “dominate the ball” and “dominate games”. He had also mentioned the history and tendency of the Timbers to have rough starts in the past, last year being example, and he emphasized the importance of starting strong and keeping the momentum throughout the season.
Throughout the program, a theme from Neville was his attitude of keeping the foot on the pedal. One fan mentioned that the last manager Giovanni Savarese had a habit of “parking the bus” when up two or three goals and not being aggressive in attacking after taking a lead. When the fan asked if Neville would go for goal “four, five and six”, Neville replied “one thousand percent”.
Neville’s questions had also highlighted his coaching philosophies and some of the tactical styles he favors. When asked about his coaching, and how his experiences as a player at top clubs like Manchester United and Everton came into play, Neville drew upon the “structure and discipline” that he learned in his playing days translates that to his coaching style, and used Diego Chara as an example of those themes in action saying he’s the first one on the pitch and still “plays like he’s 19”. When his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager of all time was brought up, he said “there’s not a magical formula” to his methods and brought it back to the structure and discipline he spoke about previously.
Transitioning to his tactical identity, Neville spoke about building from the backline, and highlighted the signings of goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau, James Pantemis, Trey Muse as well as Kamal Miller as the foundation of his philosophy, explaining that the ability to control a game comes from the backline. He touched upon his idea of “tactical fluidity” which he explained was prevalent in the modern game and being able to change systems within a match.
Neville then spoke about the importance of possession, and how a player like Evander has the ability to dictate a game. He had previously scouted Evander during his tenure at Inter Miami, and was familiar with what the midfielder could do along with what his potential could bring.
When the injury of Claudio Bravo and the depth at left back was brought up, Neville emphasized Bravo’s importance while highlighting the impact of Eric Miller during preseason as well as the dedication and improvement of Antony.
Finally, the impact of the referee strikes was brought up to Neville, mentioning the implementation of new rules and the rising standard of officiating in MLS, but said in the long run that it’s business as usual for the club and that there’s no real changes that are made to cater to different referees or officiating styles.
Heather Davis
The CEO had the bulk of the more controversial questions from fans.
Davis began her first question simply talking about what’s new at Providence Park, listing things like the new Pub Beer patio and ADA accommodations made to the stadium. Davis was notably asked twice about the lighting situation at Providence Park, being met with boos when no changes were set to be made making the pitch itself more visible.
The second question pressed to Davis asked about the possibility and timeline of a grass field coming to Providence Park, and listed off some of the logistical challenges of having a grass pitch. Some of the main issues included the Thorns using the stadium for practice and environmental challenges, with Davis ultimately concluding that the team will take another look at the project once the Thorns find a new home to train.
Davis’s next question then moved to the situation with owner Merritt Paulson, asking about how involved he is since transitioning duties to Davis as CEO. Davis responded that while he built a championship team in 2015, and that Paulson has input in the current state of the team, he isn’t involved in the day to day operations of the club.
On the topic of the sale of the Thorns, Davis reiterated the continued partnership between the Timbers and Thorns which included running Thorns matches at Providence Park, community engagement such as Stand Together week, as well as announcing a come back to the Thorns vs. Timbers exhibition match which aims to raise funds for the Nature Conservancy.
Newly elected 107st president Dominique Whittaker asked the next question of Davis, inquiring about the importance of fans that had left amidst the controversy of 2021, and what the front office would say about the 107st and if the group only means marketing to the ones in charge. Davis responded by highlighting her origins growing up in the Portland area and how important the partnership between the organization and the 107st is to bring energy and enthusiasm to the club as a whole.
The final question asked of Davis was on the lack of streams during preseason, with Davis saying that the Coachella Invitational was a “last minute stream option” and that it’s the expectation next season to have preseason streams.
Kamal Miller
New center-back signing Kamal Miller had the most minimal of questions asked of him, and many of his answers were repeats of previous interviews, like in his Talk Timbers interview I covered here.
He mainly covered how comfortable he feels in Portland, as well as his long time relationships with fellow Canadian national team members James Pantemis, Maxime Crepeau, and Zac McGraw. He also mentioned the relationship he’s building with assistant coach and former Timber Liam Ridgewell, who played the same position and emerged as a mentor to Miller.
Overall, Miller’s introduction served as a nice introduction to the fanbase and he’s a great spokesperson for the club.
Conclusion:
A front office that has open communication with fans and their community is never a bad thing, and events like this that allow an open dialogue between fans and the organization helps build trust between parties that needs to be fostered, especially in recent years.
While not a lot of new information in particular was said, the event gave fans a lot to be excited and optimistic about with the regular season right around the corner.
The Timbers play their first game of the regular season at Providence Park Saturday, February 24th at 7:30pm