The Portland Timbers head on the road for the first time in 2015, when they take on Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park on Saturday night (5:30pm PT, ROOT SPORTS). New to the Western Conference this season, SKC is coming off a 3-1 loss at FC Dallas and will be taking on the Timbers as a Conference opponent for the first time. Let's dive into five numbers in the latest Quick Strikes by Simple:
3 The last two times Portland has played at Sporting Park, the Timbers have walked away with victories, scoring three goals in each match. Gaston Fernandez scored twice in Portland's U.S. Open Cup victory in 2014, while the Timbers earned a 3-2 victory on April 27, 2013.
+6 Since the start of the 2013 season, the Timbers have been one of the best road teams in MLS. In fact, Portland has the highest road goal difference of any club over that time with a GD of +6 and have the fewest losses away from home with just 10. They are one of just two MLS clubs to have a positive goal differential in that span.
15Liam Ridgewell, who has started 17 consecutive matches for Portland, leads the club with 15 clearances in the first two matches of the season.
17 Timbers rookie Nick Besler and SKC captain Matt Besler are the 17th set of brothers to play in MLS in the league's history. The Beslers join the likes of DaMarcus and Jamar Beasley, Alexi and Greg Lalas, and Chris and Stephen Wondolowski, among others.
195Jack Jewsbury spent eight seasons and 195 games with Kansas City before being traded to the Timbers in 2011, just prior to Portland's inaugural MLS season. Since arriving in the Rose City, Jewsbury, who is a native of Joplin, Mo., has played 110 matches for the Timbers. All told, Jewsbury among the two dozen players to have played over 300 matches in MLS.
