Ray Saari

Ray Saari joins Portland Hearts of Pine after serving as Technical Director for El Paso Locomotive FC of the USL Championship. Saari joined El Paso’s technical staff in 2023, first serving as the club’s Individual Development Plan Coach and later as an Assistant Coach before being named Technical Director in November 2024. In that role, he helped lead player identification, recruitment and roster planning as Locomotive climbed from the bottom of the Western Conference in 2024 to a playoff berth and fourth-place finish in 2025.

Before moving into the sporting side of the game, Saari spent eight seasons as a professional player, including time with Seattle Sounders FC 2, Sacramento Republic FC and OKC Energy FC. He played collegiately at the University of Tulsa, where he appeared in 69 matches, recorded 12 goals and 12 assists, and earned All-Region and American Athletic Conference honors. He later returned to Tulsa as an assistant coach before beginning his tenure with El Paso.

At Hearts, Saari will lead the club’s long-term sporting strategy, including roster construction, recruitment, player development and long-term club building.

“Creating a winning culture is about the standards you set every day. It’s about bringing in players and staff who are competitive, who hold themselves and each other accountable and who understand that success is built through the work you put in consistently.”