February 5, 2024 – 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 2024 MLS Season.
Rounding out Timbers Head Coach Phil Neville’s staff, the club has signed Assistant Coach Dave van den Bergh and transitioned Shannon Murray from Timbers2 head coach to first team assistant coach. The club has already started its process to resolve the T2 head coaching vacancy.
Assistant coaches Liam Ridgewell and Guillermo “Memo” Valencia will return to the club. The Timbers have also added Head Athletic Trainer Paul Lombardo, Director of Scouting Nacho Leblic and Head Video Analyst Connor Ceballos.
“We are delighted to keep Liam and Memo as a part of our coaching staff, and we are excited to announce the addition of Dave and Shannon to the group. Liam and Memo have each played an important role vital to the club’s success, and they have continued to demonstrate their loyalty and passion for the club,” said Timbers General Manager Ned Grabavoy. “Dave brings the coaching staff a wealth of experience with his time in the sport, and we see him being a key asset within our group. Shannon has remained committed to learn and develop during his time with the club, and he is more than prepared to take on a role in supporting our first team.”
Van den Bergh, 47, brings 13 years of coaching experience with the New England Revolution and the U.S. U-15, U-19 and U-20 Men’s National Teams. Van den Bergh started his coaching career as a U-20 USMNT assistant (2010-2016) before being named head coach of the U-15 squad (2016-18) and head coach of the U-19 team (2019). He joined the New England Revolution in 2019 and helped the team earn the MLS Shield during the 2021 season, tallying a league-record 73 points in one season (22-7-5).
The Amsterdam, Netherlands, native began his playing career with Dutch side Ajax in 1995, winning a league title and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in 1996. The former midfielder went on to play for Spain’s Rayo Vallecano (1997-2000), helping them earn their first UEFA Cup qualification before joining Dutch side FC Utrecht (2000-06). With FC Utrecht, Van den Bergh registered 29 goals, helping the team to earn five straight UEFA Cup appearances, the Dutch Cup (2003) and the Dutch Super Cup (2004).
In 2006, Van den Bergh joined MLS side Kansas City Wizards and went on to play for the New York Red Bulls (2007-2008) and…
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