PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers announced today that the club has named Ned Grabavoy its director of scouting and recruitment. Grabavoy, one of just 39 players in league history to play 300 or more regular-season games in MLS, joins Portland’s technical staff after a distinguished 13-year playing career that included two MLS Cup championships and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title.
"We have placed a great emphasis on further developing our player scouting efforts within the club, and the addition of Ned Grabavoy as the director of scouting and recruitment, and the considerable league experience he brings to the position, is another important step in that evolution,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager and president of soccer for the Timbers.
In his role on the Timbers’ technical staff, Grabavoy will oversee the identification and evaluation of prospective professional and collegiate players, managing a team of scouts for early identification and recruitment. Additionally, Grabavoy will collaborate with the Timbers’ technical staff to further develop target markets for recruiting players – both domestically and internationally – for each level within the club’s developmental pyramid.
"We are pleased to have Ned on board to assist our technical staff in the identification of potential players,” said Caleb Porter, head coach of the Timbers. “His vast MLS experience in winning clubs will be extremely valuable as we continue to refine our scouting infrastructure and processes."
Grabavoy, who joined the Timbers as the first MLS free-agent player signing in team history ahead of the 2016 MLS campaign, recently concluded his 13-year playing career in the league, announcing his retirement as a player on Oct. 18, 2016. In his final season, Grabavoy recorded 22 appearances (5 starts) with the Timbers, extending his career tally to 301 league appearances (225 starts) with six different MLS clubs.
