Portland Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson admits he is thrilled to see the club flourishing so much in 2013.
The Timbers currently sit second overall on the MLS table on 33 points from 19 matches which is one point behind what they recorded for the entire 2012 campaign.
During that season, the third-year MLS club sacked head coach John Spencer with Wilkinson taking the role as interim coach prior to Caleb Porter's appointment ahead of this year.
After some inner turmoil and subpar results, the Timbers are now looking like the belong in North America's top flight and Wilkinson is delighted.
"I've been around the sport long enough to know everyone is entitled to an opinion," he told the Portland Tribune.
"I'm delighted that the organization has turned a corner and is heading in the right direction. To appreciate those times, you've got to go through some tough times. It's just the nature of life, I guess.
"I don't do my job to keep the masses happy. I do it to help the organization be successful. We have a tremendous fan base, they're entitled to their opinion, and I appreciate their opinion."
He added: "Caleb and I took a lot of time toward the end of last year in developing a road map for the club - the culture, the philosophy, the principles of how he wanted to see the team play.
"You can have players who have the ability. A lot of it comes down to how do you get the most out of them on a day-to-day basis. That's where Caleb has done a tremendous job."
