The Portland Timbers are strongly considering a current MLS assistant coach as their head coach when the team joins Major League Soccer in 2011.

met with owner Merritt Paulson and others on the Timbers' staff within the past few days in Portland.

"This team, which I can't name for obvious reasons, contacted me and said they'd love for me to come in," Spencer told The Houston Chronicle. "Everything went fantastically well."

The Timbers declined to comment. Efforts to reach Spencer through the Dynamo were unsuccessful.

Spencer, 39, has been an assistant coach with the Dynamo for the past four seasons, since the franchise entered the league in 2006 as the relocated San Jose Earthquakes. The Dynamo won the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007, its first two seasons in existence. Even should the Timbers hire Spencer, it is expected he would remain with the Dynamo through the 2010 season.

An indication of the strong interest between the Timbers and Spencer is that the assistant coach declined to interview for the head coaching job at D.C. United of MLS. Spencer scheduled an interview with the Timbers about two weeks ago, before D.C. United offered an interview.

"If the D.C. job came up and it was the only job this year, I would definitely have gone and spoken to them, but I had already spoken to another team," Spencer told the Chronicle.

Spencer played for the Colorado Rapids of MLS. Spencer led the Rapids with 14 goals and 33 points and was a finalist for league most valuable player in 2003. He scored in six consecutive games that season, one game short of tying an MLS record.

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Spencer played professionally with such teams as Glasgow Rangers

and Queens Park Rangers

in Scotland and Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea and Everton in England. He scored 43 goals in 96 appearances with Chelsea from 1992 to 1996. He spent two seasons with Queens Park Rangers, scoring 24 goals in 53 appearances.

The Timbers are expected to announce their selection of coach in the summer or early fall in 2010.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold