'We've nailed our flag to the mast': The Timbers are who they are heading into Seattle

Phil Neville on the Sounders and what he learned from Sven-Göran Eriksson.

BEAVERTON — Portland midfielder Evander is having one of the best offensive seasons in Timbers history, with the 26-year-old Brazilian often crediting the jump in his quality of play to the trust manager Phil Neville has in him.

“The freedom Phil allows me to move with around the pitch makes things so much easier,” Evander said Tuesday after training, three days after his goal and two assists increased his team lead in goal contributions to 27 on the season. 

It’s the type of freedom one would expect from a coach such as Neville, one who often pulls from his 18 years of experience playing in the Premier League. Now, Neville had some strict managers himself, but he also had ones that opened his mind to a different style of football, such as the demeanor of Sven-Göran Eriksson, a mainstay in European soccer who passed away earlier this week at the age of 76. 

Eriksson served as England’s men’s team national manager from 2001 through 2006. 

“When Sven came into the England team, he brought a style that I had never really experienced before and that was a real calmness,” Neville said. “It was one of his former players that said it the other day, but his favorite two words were ‘Well done.’ You’d win a big game, you’d win in Germany 5-1, a big game in the Euros, and he’d come in and it was just, ‘Well done.’” 

Neville recalled a time when he asked his manager about adding some McDonald’s to the next day’s menu after a win. 

“He said, ‘Phillip, how old are you?’ I said 26. ‘And you’re asking me what to eat? I trust you,’” Neville said. “There was just a different style to his management. There was a calmness and he was in control of every emotion. He trusted his players implicitly.” 

Here in Portland, Neville is trying to do the same — though Portland’s roller-coaster of a defense has tested some of his ability to keep such tranquility.