It's not unusual for MLS managers to have connections to multiple teams in the league, but there is something a little different about Giovanni Savarese's visit to Red Bull Arena this weekend.
The Portland Timbers head coach, fresh off his first game at the helm of his new side last week, will be returning to the New York area, where he has spent a considerable amount of his career, including the then-MetroStars' first three seasons as a player.
Savarese spoke about the homecoming, and while he's not making a big deal of the occasion, he's looking forward to getting back to the region where he played college soccer, played as a pro, and coached.
“At that time [in 1996], the league that was starting with nice crowds, also playing in Giants Stadium,” Savarese told Timbers.com's Richard Farley this week. “Then to transition to when Red Bull took over, that even I remember we were participating in an event for the first match, they invited all the ex-MetroStars players and all the Cosmos players, both integrating into the Red Bulls’ new era.”
“I’ve been in New York for a long time, so it’s always great to be able to go back to New York, to see so many people that I know, to see family, of course,” he continued. “I’m also going to a stadium, a club that I know very well. I played for the MetroStars. I worked for both the MetroStars and Red Bulls. It’s always good to be able to go back to New York.”
You can read more about Savarese's New York roots at Timbers.com. The Timbers face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (7 pm ET | MLS Live).
