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Gavin Wilkinson, Mike Golub fired by Portland Thorns, Timbers in wake of U.S. Soccer report - OregonLive

Gavin Wilkinson, Mike Golub fired by Portland Thorns, Timbers in wake of U.S. Soccer report - OregonLive

Gavin Wilkinson, Mike Golub fired by Portland Thorns, Timbers in wake of U.S. Soccer report - OregonLive
Oct 05, 2022 1 min, 47 secs

Gavin Wilkinson: Portland Timbers and Thorns executive.

Gavin Wilkinson, longtime general manager and president of soccer for the Portland Timbers and Thorns, and longtime president of business Mike Golub were fired Wednesday, two days after the U.S.

In a release announcing the firings Wednesday morning, the Timbers and Thorns — referred to as PTFC — said that general counsel Heather Davis has been named interim president of the teams’ parent company, Peregrine Sports, and would oversee business operations for both clubs.

Soccer investigation exposed, among other things, that Wilkinson and Paulson enabled and vouched for former coach Paul Riley, who was accused by multiple players of sexual misconduct, even though they quietly fired him from his job with the Thorns in 2015.

Wilkinson, 48, joined the Timbers organization in 2001 as a player when it competed in the USL, and later coached the club from 2007 to 2010.

When Portland joined Major League Soccer in 2011, Wilkinson took over as the club’s general manager and he served in that role and/or as president of soccer until his dismissal Wednesday.

Also, in 2012, Wilkinson filled in as interim head coach of the Timbers after drawing fan criticism for the team’s poor performance.

He continued to work for the Timbers in his full capacity, however, and — after an an internal investigation by the Thorns cleared him of wrongdoing in 2022 — he was reinstated by the Thorns and served as president of soccer for both clubs.

He founded the Eastside Timbers FC youth soccer club in 2001 and has worked with the club in various leadership capacities since.

Wilkinson’s impact on the organization from a soccer perspective — top to bottom, from the youth level to the personnel of the first team — was immense and successful, but his final years at the helm were rife with off-field controversy.

Soccer found that Wilkinson blamed Shim for “putting Riley in a bad position” and told another NWSL club that he would “hire him in a heartbeat,” among other issues with his involvement.

Fans this week turned to social media to voice their displeasure, calling for Wilkinson and Golub to be fire, and for Paulson to sell the Timbers and Thorns.

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