Giovanni Savarese (born July 14, 1971) is a Venezuelan

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and former player, who is the head coach for the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

Club career

Professional Breakthrough

Savarese made his professional debut at 15, with Venezuelan club

Deportivo Italia Petare Fútbol Club (until summer 2010 called Deportivo Italia Fútbol Club and known as Deportivo Petare Fútbol Club until summer 2015) is a Venezuelan football club based in Caracas. Formed in 1948 as "Deportivo Italia F.C.", the club after ...

during the 1986–87 season. He remained with the club through the 1988–89 season, scoring six goals that year.

Move to the United States

In 1990, Savarese moved to the United States to play

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Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

Brooklyn, while joining the storied amateur club Greek-American Atlas of the

Cosmopolitan Soccer League The Cosmopolitan Soccer League is a regional soccer league consisting of semi-pro and amateur teams based in and around New York City. Established in 1923, it is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States and has contributed greatly ...

during the long collegiate off-season. He became one of the top scorers in school history with LIU, scoring 50 goals for the Blackbirds in his career. After college, Savarese signed with the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Hofst ...

of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

along with future

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

stars

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and

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, winning the league championship in 1995, a season in which he was also named league MVP.

MetroStars

Drafted by the

New York/New Jersey MetroStars New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in the 9th round of the

MLS Inaugural Player Draft The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players to the league's ten inaugural teams. The Inaugural Player Draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996 after each team was allocated four marq ...

, Savarese scored the first goal in club history in its inaugural match against the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

on 13 April 1996. Savarese proved a prolific scorer during the 1996 season, scoring the next seven goals for the MetroStars and cementing his place in the team sheet. Savarese spent three seasons with the MetroStars, setting the long-standing club record for career goals in league play at 41, as well as the club scoring record across all competitions at 44. His record for league goals was broken in 2009 by

Juan Pablo Angel ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

. Savarese became a fan favorite, despite coming off the bench for long stretches of time. He was traded to the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

before the 1999 season and scored 10 goals for the Revs that year.

Additional Clubs

Departing MLS to sign for

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club

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

in early 2000, Savarese spent his first stint in Europe loaned to

Serie C The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

club Viterbese for half a season, without being recalled to the Italian top division. He returned to MLS later in 2000 as a mid-season signing for the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

, but failed to score in four appearances that year. His luck improved after returning to Europe with

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club Swansea City in the English

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, tallying 14 goals across all competitions. Savarese briefly transferred to

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

before returning to his native

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and signing for his boyhood club

, then renamed Deportivo Italchacao. After becoming an assistant coach at St. John's University, Savarese trialed with the MetroStars in 2003, but could not earn a place on the team. Following a sojourn back to Italy with

Sassari Torres Torres is an Italian football club based in the city of Sassari. It plays in Serie C, the third division of the Italian football league system. Re-founded in 2017, the club is the continuation of the Società per l'Educazione Fisica Torres, bor ...

, he ended his playing career back in New York with the Rough Riders, then part of the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

Managerial career

MetroStars/Red Bulls

Savarese re-joined the MetroStars organization in 2005 as head of the club's successful youth development program, maintaining his role with through the

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

ownership transition before a philosophical conflict with the new management heralded his firing in March 2007.

New York Cosmos

In August 2010, Savarese joined the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

as Cosmos Academy director, with a focus on developing youth talent in New York in preparation for the club's return to professional competition. The Cosmos announced the promotion of Savarese to head coach on 19 November 2012. He quickly signed Long Island native

Carlos Mendes Carlos Mendes (born December 25, 1980) is an American soccer manager and former player currently serving as head coach of the United States Merchant Marine Academy women's soccer program. He holds American and Portuguese nationality, due to lin ...

as the modern club's first player in preparation for the team's debut in the NASL's 2013 Fall season. On 3 August 2013, the Cosmos defeated the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

2–1 in the team's first professional match. During the 2013 season, Savarese led the Cosmos to an undefeated record at home (W-D-L: 5–2–0) and winners of the 2013 NASL Fall Season title with an overall record of 31 points from 14 games (W-D-L: 9–4–1). The Cosmos would cap the season with an appearance in the 2013 championship match, where they defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks 1–0. In 2014, Savarese managed the Cosmos to second place in the Spring season, finishing behind

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by just 1 point. The Cosmos also took part in the U.S. Open Cup with Savarese leading the team to a convincing 3–0 fourth-round win over the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

in New York City's first-ever professional soccer derby on 14 June. The Cosmos would fall to eventual runners-up, the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

on 24 June in a 2–1 overtime defeat at PPL Park. After the end of the 2014 season, Savarese was offered the chance to interview for the vacant

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

head coaching position. He declined, preferring to stay with the Cosmos. In 2015, Savarese led the Cosmos to an undefeated Spring, earning the title for the first half of the season. The team also defeated

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

in the US Open Cup in the first meeting between the two clubs. The Cosmos defeated the Ottawa Fury 3–2 in the 2015 NASL Championship Final to win their second league title since returning to professional competition. The Cosmos were runners-up in the 2016 Spring season, but rallied to claim the Fall title by ten points, and with it the combined season table. Savarese's club defeated

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

on penalty kicks in the 2016 NASL Championship Final, despite scheduling conflicts which forced the club to host the match at

Belson Stadium Belson Stadium is a 2,168-seat soccer-specific stadium located at Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike in Queens, New York City, on the campus of St. John's University. It is the home of the St. John's Red Storm men's and women's soccer teams. T ...

in front of just 2,150 fans. Following the 2016 season, Savarese emerged as a finalist for the head coaching job with MLS expansion club

Minnesota United FC Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Socc ...

. Talks with the new franchise fell apart when the Cosmos insisted on a transfer fee for releasing Savarese from the remainder of his contract, and the position went to

Adrian Heath Adrian Paul Heath (born 11 January 1961) is an English football manager and former player. He currently serves as head coach of Major League Soccer club Minnesota United FC. As a player, he is best known for his six seasons at Everton, where h ...

instead. After the 2016 season ended, the Cosmos nearly folded, terminating all player contracts. Savarese took it upon himself to leverage his network of contacts to find new teams for his former players. When the Cosmos were sold to a new investor, ensuring their survival, Savarese turned to re-signing many of the players who had been let go. Following the tumultuous off-season, the

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season proved the roughest yet for Savarese and the Cosmos as they struggled through the regular season and lost in the opening round of the U.S. Open Cup to NPSL club

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. Despite draws in 9 of 16 Fall season matches, the Cosmos qualified for the playoff and upset the top-seeded

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

away on penalty kicks. The Cosmos season ended in a 2–0 loss to

San Francisco Deltas The San Francisco Deltas were an American professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 2016, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2017. The franchise played its home games at Ke ...

in the playoff final. On December 13, 2017, the Cosmos announced that Savarese would leave the club "to pursue other coaching opportunities".

Portland Timbers

On December 18, 2017, Savarese was announced as the head coach of the Portland Timbers, the third head coach in their MLS history.

International career

Savarese earned 30 caps for

, scoring 10 goals – including 3 in World Cup qualifiers. His most notable goal was against Argentina in 1996.

Broadcasting

Giovanni Savarese worked as a soccer analyst for

ESPN International ESPN International is a family of sportscasting and production networks around the world. It was begun in 1989, is operated by ESPN Inc. and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Operating regions Latin America Spanish-speaking countries * E ...

and ESPN Deportes.

Managerial statistics

Honors

Player

*MLS All-Star: 1996 *U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame: 2007

Head coach

;New York Cosmos *

NASL Championship NASL or Nasl may refer to: * Nasl, Iran (disambiguation) * ''NASL Soccer'', a 1980 early sports videogame * National Association for the Support of Long Term Care, a US national trade association * Nessus Attack Scripting Language * North American ...

s (3):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

**Runner-Up (1):

* NASL Regular Season Titles (3): 2013 Fall, 2015 Spring, 2016 Fall ;Portland Timbers *

MLS is Back Tournament The MLS is Back Tournament took place during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 26 Major League Soccer teams, 24 participated in the tour ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

References

External links

*
New York Cosmos profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savarese, Giovanni 1970 births Living people A.C. Perugia Calcio players U.S. Viterbese 1908 players Association football forwards Caracas FC players Deportivo Italia players Deportivo Táchira F.C. players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Wales Expatriate soccer players in the United States Greek American AA players LIU Sharks men's soccer players Long Island Rough Riders players Major League Soccer All-Stars Major League Soccer players Millwall F.C. players New England Revolution players New York Red Bulls players North American Soccer League coaches Portland Timbers (MLS) coaches San Jose Earthquakes players Footballers from Caracas Swansea City A.F.C. players USISL players Venezuela international footballers Venezuelan expatriate footballers Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in England Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in Wales Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in the United States Venezuelan footballers Venezuelan people of Italian descent S.E.F. Torres 1903 players Venezuelan football managers