BEAVERTON, Ore. – Giovanni Savarese had left the western field at the adidas Timbers Training Center, walked across the eight feet of pavement that separates the complex’s two fields, and began watching the Portland Timbers’ United Soccer League team, Timbers 2. A chest-high black fence separated a line of onlookers from head coach Cameron Knowles’ charge, whose session was transitioning from drills and small-sided games to tactical work. For Savarese, the August afternoon gave him a chance to check-in on the next level of his depth chart.
The team he runs on a day-to-day basis, the organization’s Major League Soccer team, had finished their day’s session, with his squad left to the team’s athletic trainers for final stretches.