The Portland Timbers have offered their head coaching job to University of Akron coach Caleb Porter, according to sources.



If he is hired, Porter would replace John Spencer, who was fired July 9 after one and half seasons in Portland. General manager Gavin Wilkinson is currently the interim coach for the Timbers.



The Timbers declined to comment.



Porter has been coach of the Zips since 2006 and was the college coach of current Portland player Darlington Nagbe. Akron, with Nagbe on the team, won a national title in 2010.



Along with Nagbe, Porter has coached numerous other players before they competed in Major League Soccer. Porter was the college coach of, among others, Seattle midfielder Steve Zakuani, Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury, D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen and Vancouver forward Darren Mattocks.



Nagbe was the first of two consecutive second overall picks out of Akron. Vancouver used the second overall pick to select Mattocks in the 2012 draft. Seattle used the first overall pick to select Zakuani in the 2009 draft and Bunbury was the fourth overall selection (Kansas City) in the 2010 draft.



Porter was the head coach of the United States U-23 Men's National Team, a squad that failed to qualify for the recently concluded Summer Olympics in London. The U.S. team lost 2-0 to Canada and then finished in a 3-3 draw with El Salvador and was eliminated in March 2012.



-- Geoffrey C. Arnold; follow him on Twitter.

