COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew today announced that it has parted ways with Head Coach Caleb Porter. In four seasons with the Crew (2019-2022), Porter recorded a 45-43-37 regular-season record and helped the Club secure an MLS Cup (2020) and the Campeones Cup (2021). A search for the next head coach of the Crew has officially begun.
“This is not a decision we took lightly, and I need to first and foremost thank Caleb for his tireless efforts for the Crew during his four seasons with the Club. He joined the club ahead of 2019 and provided steady leadership at a critical moment of historic transition for the Crew. Caleb will forever be a part of Black & Gold history as the second star above our crest from 2020 is a testament to his contributions and what we were able to bring home during a special year,” said Crew President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko.
Continued Bezbatchenko: “We assessed the 2022 season as a whole and it’s clear that we fell short in our collective goals. Namely, our goal is to consistently contend for championships. This starts with making the playoffs and then securing a home match as a top-four team in the conference. We all share in the responsibility of the results and unmet objectives this season, including myself. As part of our evaluation, we believe that we have a talented core of our roster in place and felt we needed to make a change this offseason as we position ourselves for success in 2023 and beyond.”
“We would like to thank Caleb for his commitment and his leadership of our team. He holds a special place in our club’s history,” said Crew Investor-Operators Dee and Jimmy Haslam and Dr. Pete Edwards. “We will forever be grateful for his hard work and guidance in perhaps the most unique circumstances while capturing the 2020 MLS Cup. We wish Caleb and his family only the best moving forward."
As part of the announcement, Bezbatchenko confirmed that assistant coaches Pablo Moreira, Tim Hanley, Eric Quill and Blair Gavin would not be returning to the Black & Gold in 2023. Gavin’s departure for a new coaching position was previously announced and Hanley’s contract is up at the end of 2022.
Club off-season roster decisions will be decided in the coming weeks as part of a November 14 deadline and the official League off-season roster mechanism schedule can be found here.
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