The San Jose Earthquakes have appointed Gavin Wilkinson, the former president of soccer for the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns, as a consultant for roster management until the season concludes, as confirmed by the MLS club to ESPN.
Wilkinson will collaborate with Quakes head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena in managing the team’s roster.
Since the passing of head sporting strategist Vassili Cremanzidis in February, the Quakes have sought to fill the void in their front office. Wilkinson is expected to assume some of the duties previously held by Cremanzidis.
At 52 years old, Wilkinson played a key role in leading the Timbers to victory in the 2015 MLS Cup and helped guide the Thorns to multiple NWSL Shields and Championships since their establishment in 2013. However, his later years with the organizations were marred by controversy, and he has remained mostly out of the spotlight since being fired by the Thorns/Timbers in October 2022.
In January 2024, Wilkinson was briefly appointed as sporting director for Sporting Kansas City, but the club and Wilkinson parted ways only a week later due to fan backlash related to his previous tenure in Portland.
“Gavin is serving as a consultant for roster management until the end of the year,” the San Jose organization stated. “We will conduct a search for a general manager to assist Bruce Arena after the season.”
Wilkinson’s departure from Portland followed the release of the Yates Report, which disclosed serious issues of verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse by several NWSL coaches.
Though Wilkinson was not personally sanctioned due to the report, it revealed that he had given a positive job reference to former Thorns manager Paul Riley, who has been accused of sexual coercion involving Thorns players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly. This recommendation was made despite the Thorns firing Riley for cause in 2015 following a complaint from Shim.
At the time of Riley’s dismissal, Wilkinson characterized it as a decision related to the team’s poor performance in the 2015 season and Riley’s desire to relocate to the East Coast.
Regarding the job reference, the Yates report noted, “Wilkinson informed the Flash that Riley was ‘put in a bad position by the player’ and remarked that he would ‘hire [Riley] in a heartbeat.'”
Riley was subsequently employed by the Flash and continued with the organization after it was moved and renamed the North Carolina Courage. He was fired from the Courage when allegations of abuse were brought to light following an investigative report in September 2021.
In the wake of these allegations, Wilkinson was placed on paid leave from the Thorns, but was reinstated in January 2022 after an internal review found no wrongdoing. This outcome led to a boycott of stadium concessions and merchandise by some fans of the Timbers and Thorns.
Wilkinson was also implicated in controversies surrounding an allegation of domestic violence against then-Timbers midfielder Andy Polo in May 2021. The incident was not reported to MLS, as required by league regulations.
Despite the allegations, Wilkinson extended Polo’s contract six months after the incident; Polo was later released in February 2022 once the allegations became known. A league investigation concluded that Wilkinson and the Timbers were unaware of the reporting requirement, which still resulted in a $25,000 fine for the club. Alarcón later won a civil suit against Polo, being awarded $600,000.
Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Wilkinson’s playing career spanned Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Ireland, culminating with his time at the Timbers from 2001 to 2006. He later served as the club’s coach and general manager from 2007 to 2010 during its time in the USL and continued as the GM when the team joined MLS in 2011. Internationally, Wilkinson earned 38 caps for New Zealand.