A familiar face for Portland Timbers fans will be in the studio this weekend analyzing the MLS conference finals.
Former Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese will provide Spanish-language analysis for Apple’s studio coverage of the conference semis on MLS Season Pass. Saturday marks Savarese’s return to the public eye after being fired by the Timbers in August after nearly six seasons, and as the 52-year-old Venezuelan national continues to pursue other opportunities in coaching.
Savarese previously worked for ESPN as an analyst, so broadcasting is a familiar space for him. He will appear on the pregame and postgame shows, MLS La Previa & El Resumen, with host Tony Cherchi and Miguel Gallardo.
“It’s definitely fun to go back into doing these games, especially with some of the same people that I worked with at ESPN,” Savarese told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a phone conversation Thursday night. “It will be great to be in the studio with some people that I know from before. Diego Valeri will be doing one of the games as well. I was glad to be invited to join them and give my opinion on these two conference finals, which will be very good games.”
Savarese has been in Europe for the better part of the last two months, he said, talking to fellow coaches and people around the sport while also spending time with family and friends. His favorite city and typical home base is Florence, Italy, which he visited nearly every offseason while coaching the Timbers. Savarese even attended a few UEFA Champions League matches this year, too.
Those who know Savarese well are keenly aware of his authentic passion for MLS, and that other teams’ games were constantly playing on the TV in his home when he wasn’t at Providence Park or the Timbers’ training facility. That remained the case even when Savarese was in Europe this year, he said.
“You know me, I watch every game,” Savarese said with a laugh. “I have been watching everything. It’s been interesting, this new format. It’s been interesting seeing some of these teams remain consistent like Columbus, Cincinnati, the strongest teams ending up making it to the final stages of the competition. Then you have other teams like Sporting Kansas City who got in good form at the right moment. It’s been a very interesting playoffs.”
Savarese’s travels also gave him an opportunity to see how MLS — particularly in the era of the Apple TV deal and Lionel Messi-mania — is being viewed abroad.
“Being overseas and talking to many people, the fact they are able to see it overseas without TV and being able to connect with it in English and Spanish has been very good,” Savarese said. “More people are interested in watching the league with Messi, and with the league getting better and stronger. This is phenomenal for MLS to connect with a larger group of people in the United States, North America and around the world.
“People who are fans of the league, people who are interested in following specific players like Messi and others, and people who are watching games because of scouting. Players in MLS that they are looking for. What I have seen in Europe is people who are interested in asking questions about players who are in MLS, and watching games because of that.”
Savarese declined to comment on the Timbers, who made a late-season run under interim boss Miles Joseph but failed to reach the postseason for the second consecutive year. Amid controversy, the Timbers hired former Inter Miami boss Phil Neville as the club’s new head coach, with Savarese’s former assistants Joseph, Liam Ridgewell and Guillermo “Memo” Valencia remaining on staff.
Savarese won’t be the only person with Timbers connections working for Apple this weekend: Diego Valeri and Jake Zivin will both be in the booth for Cincinnati-Columbus, working on the Spanish- and English-language broadcasts, respectively.
“For me, it’s going to be fun to participate and be in the studio after a few years that I haven’t done it,” Savarese said. “It’ll be great to reconnect with folks, see Diego Valeri doing this game, and being in New York as well. I’m glad to be watching these two games, and I hope we get two great matches to talk about.”
The MLS Eastern Conference final between Cincinnati and Columbus kicks off at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday, with the Western Conference final between LAFC and Houston kicking off at 6:30 p.m. PT. Both matches are only available to stream with MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or online at tv.apple.com.
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