Former IU soccer player named MLS Timbers head coach

Late Tuesday night, speculation began to rise about the possible move of Hoosier alumnus and Akron men’s soccer Head Coach Caleb Porter to the Portland Timbers of MLS.

On Wednesday afternoon, that report was confirmed by Timbers General Manager Gavin Wilkinson.

“Caleb is ambitious and one of the most respected coaches in the nation,” Wilkinson told portlandtimbers.com. “He has consistently developed and produced talented players who have gone to excel in MLS. We feel that his mentality, personality, skill set and coaching philosophy are a tremendous fit with the culture of the Timbers organization and we’re excited to bring Caleb on as the Timbers’ head coach.”

That sentiment goes up the ladder as well. Timbers owner and President Merritt Paulson also commented on the hire in the report.

“Put simply, I believe Caleb Porter is the best young soccer coaching mind in the country,” Paulson told portlandtimbers.com. “He is the right fit for the Timbers on every level.”

Before coaching at Akron, Porter began his college soccer career at IU, where he played with current Head Coach Todd Yeagley for former Head Coach Jerry Yeagley.

The latter described Porter as a prototypical soccer coach.

“He was a competitor and a great leader,” Jerry said. “He led by example and held his teammates accountable.”

Jerry said Porter resembles a type-A personality. and fit in well with the staff he had at IU and the program he was trying to run.

“He is a very driven individual,” Jerry said. “My advice to him usually during our conversations was to be sure to keep balance. His teams reflect his personality because there’s no place for anybody who isn’t going to be an honest, hard worker.”

Playing with the Hoosiers from 1994-97, Porter lettered each year and was a three-year captain for the team.

He helped IU to two College Cup appearances and was named runner-up for the Hermann Trophy in 1997.

The San Jose Clash then drafted Porter in 1998 with the 26th overall pick.

He only played four games with the team before being signed by the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1999. After several knee injuries delayed his development, Porter decided to retire as a player on June 30, 2000.

Following his professional career, Porter returned to IU as an assistant coach for six years under Jerry Yeagley and former Head Coach Mike Frietag.

While at IU he was an assistant coach and the team went 98-25-14 and produced 10
All-Americans.

The Hoosiers also won back-to-back NCAA championships for the Hoosiers in 2003 and 2004.

Porter then took the head coaching position at Akron in 2005. Immediately, the Zips were put on the map, tallying two Mid-American Conference titles in Porter’s first two seasons.

Steve Goff, a soccer insider at the The Washington Post, said Porter passed up an opportunity to coach professionally for D.C. United in 2009.

The decision did not go unrewarded. The following year, the Zips won the NCAA championship.

While at Akron, Porter earned the highest winning percentage among active NCAA Division 1 coaches with a career coaching record of 106-17-14.

Although excited for the future, Porter issued a statement highlighting the rest of the Akron season.

“I am truly excited and honored to be provided this unique opportunity to coach the Portland Timbers, an organization that in a short time has established itself as a model franchise in Major League Soccer,” Porter told portlandtimbers.com. “I know that Merritt and Gavin are committed to long-term success for the Timbers, and come December, I will be completely focused.”

Porter said he will not comment further until after the end of the 2012 season at Akron.

Indiana will face Akron and Porter on Sept. 7 as both teams travel to South Bend for the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.