Yesterday could have been a momentous day for the Portland Fire.

Minutes after announcing the hiring of the expansion franchise’s first ever head coach, the team pulled the announcement off social media.

Building off of our report that the Fire posted – and swiftly removed – an announcement of new head coach Alex Sarama, FrontOfficeSports.com’s Annie Costabile reported yesterday that “while no contract has been finalized, Sarama is expected to be announced as the Fire’s coach”. 

That report is slightly at odds with OregonLive.com, where columnist Bill Oram wrote yesterday evening that “a team spokesperson for the Fire acknowledged the post had been sent in error, but insisted the team has not hired a head coach and do not have a signed contract”. 

While the details surrounding Sarama’s announcement are up for debate, no one can deny Sarama’s merits for the job: he is a prodigy – he started coaching when he was only 14 years old – and he has personal ties to both Portland Fire general manager Vanja Černivec and basketball in Portland (as a former assistant for the Blazers’ G-League affiliate Rip City Remix).

The likeliest scenario, in my opinion, is that an over-eager Fire public relations staffer jumped the gun. Fire Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications Kimberly Veale joined the front office at the start of September, and Fire Social Media Manager Marlena Rodriguez’ hire was announced at the same time. While both are experienced in the finer nuances of hiring announcements, they’re likely still figuring out a media strategy that aligns with ownership, ahead of the franchise’s expansion season. In short, mistakes might happen.

When a contract is finalized, expect the team to make a formal announcement of Sarama’s hire, cementing Sarama’s historic achievement as the team’s first head coach.