A former Portland Timbers youth soccer coach who once held authority over hundreds of young players across the Pacific Northwest stood before a Washington County judge on Monday and denied raping a 15-year-old girl. Eihab Sayed Daoud, 45, entered a not-guilty plea to all eight counts in his grand jury indictment, which includes rape, luring a minor, and online sexual corruption of a child.
The plea marks the first courtroom response from Daoud since a Washington County grand jury indicted him on June 26, 2025, according to KPTV. Daoud is accused of sexually abusing the 15-year-old girl on April 12, 2025, per the indictment, and of trying to contact her again less than two weeks after the alleged abuse. Investigators say he also communicated with a law enforcement officer who was posing online as the 15-year-old, which forms the basis of the luring and online corruption counts.
Daoud spent 10 years embedded in Oregon's youth soccer pipeline, holding a U.S. Soccer Federation “B” License and serving as an Olympic Development Program staff coach, according to Timbers ODP records. He also served as Regional Training Center Director for the Portland Timbers youth system and as former Director of Coaching at Washington Timbers. In 2024, per the KPTV report, he worked with the Timbers coaching staff, served as a staff coach for the FC Portland youth club, and acted as a state educational instructor for the Oregon Youth Soccer Association.
A Decade of Influence Across Regional Soccer
Daoud's reach extended well beyond a single club. In 2016, the Oregon Youth Soccer Association appointed him West Metro Grassroots Coordinator, putting him in charge of coaching education and standards across clubs throughout the Portland metro area, according to a 2016 Oregon Youth Soccer Association annual report. He also served as an international advisor and coordinator for the Future Stars Football Academy in Juba, South Sudan, where he worked to connect international youth players with American college soccer programs, according to the academy's own staff listing.
The investigation that led to Daoud's indictment began after disclosures surfaced during post-divorce custody proceedings. Court documents show Daoud's ex-wife alleges he sexually abused a teenage girl in their home, and she filed those allegations in Washington County court records. The Oregon Department of Human Services sent her a letter alerting her to the alleged abuse at their home, per that agency's letter. Daoud and his ex-wife have been divorced since January 2025.
Court documents also indicate that Daoud's daughters, who were 7 and 2 years old at the time, were present during visitation at the home when the alleged abuse occurred. The Oregon Department of Human Services and Beaverton police opened their investigation into the abuse claim on June 12, 2025, according to the KPTV report.
How the Undercover Sting Fits the Charges
The luring and online corruption counts stem from a separate track of the investigation: an undercover operation in which a law enforcement officer posed as the 15-year-old girl. Under Oregon law, that tactic carries specific legal weight. Oregon Revised Statute 167.057 classifies luring a minor as a Class C felony, and ORS 163.434 explicitly states that communicating with an undercover officer posing as a minor is not a valid legal defense, according to a summary published by Oregon Crimes.
The rape charge carries the heaviest potential consequence. Rape in the First Degree under Oregon Revised Statute 163.375 is a Class A felony subject to the state's Ballot Measure 11, which imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 100 months in prison upon conviction, according to the Office of Justice Programs. Measure 11 offenses do not allow for reduced sentences or early release for good behavior, meaning a conviction would leave a judge no discretion to impose a lighter term.
Because the underlying allegations first came to light through family court disclosures made years after the alleged conduct, questions of timing also matter legally. Oregon Revised Statute 131.125 allows prosecution of felony child sexual abuse anytime before a victim turns 30, or within 12 years of a report to law enforcement or child welfare officials, according to a summary from the Oregon State Legislature. That statute is part of why disclosures surfacing in a custody dispute long after an alleged incident can still result in criminal charges.
Coaching Credentials Now Under Scrutiny
Daoud's felony charges also carry consequences within organized soccer itself. Under federal rules established by the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act and protocols maintained by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, credentialed coaches charged with felony sexual abuse or misconduct involving minors face mandatory temporary or permanent bans from all U.S. Soccer-sanctioned activities. SafeSport maintains a national database tracking coaches who have been suspended or disqualified, though it remains an open question whether Daoud's name has been formally entered following his indictment.
The case remains a developing story, and it is not yet clear when Daoud's next court date will be scheduled following Monday's plea. Investigators have not indicated whether additional victims or witnesses have come forward since the indictment was handed up in June 2025.
