Coach Caleb Porter might be leaving the University of Akron men’s soccer team to take over as coach of the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.
The Oregonian first reported Sunday night that Porter was offered the Timbers job, according to sources.
“We’re aware of the speculation,” UA spokesman Paul Warner said Monday afternoon. “There is nothing that I can confirm at this point.”
Warner proceeded to say that Porter guided the Zips team through a practice Monday morning and that he was unavailable for comment.
A voice message left on Porter’s phone went unreturned.
Porter became UA coach in 2006 after playing and coaching at Indiana University. He briefly played in MLS before injuries ended his career.
Porter has led the Zips to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past five seasons, including winning the national championship in 2010 and finishing as the runner-up in 2009.
UA started the 2012 season with a 4-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night. Porter has a record of 106-17-14 as Zips coach and helped 15 players go on to professional careers in MLS and abroad.
Porter is signed through the 2020 season with a base salary of $270,000 plus $80,000 in additional compensation.
He would have to pay a $200,000 reimbursement for breaking the contract extension he signed in 2009.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
