KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Portland Timbers advanced to the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the second consecutive year with a 3-1 win against Sporting Kansas City before 11,138 fans at Sporting Park on Tuesday night.
With the win, Portland advances to take on Seattle Sounders FC in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, July 9, at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.; kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Midfielder Gastón Fernández registered a brace in a second consecutive U.S. Open Cup match for the Timbers, opening the scoring in the 30th minute with a low shot from the middle of the penalty box following a deflected pass from midfielder Kalif Alhassan. Fernández, who leads all Timbers players with 10 goals in all competitions this season, netted his second goal of the match in the 68th minute. Putting the Timbers ahead by three goals, Fernández was in the right place, depositing a rebound off forward Maximiliano Urruti’s initial effort into an open goal.
Midfielder Will Johnson netted a goal in the 57th minute, converting a penalty kick after midfielder Steve Zakuani dribbled through the Sporting Kansas City defense and into the penalty box when defender Aurelien Colin committed a foul.
Sporting Kansas City, the defending MLS Cup champions, pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute as forward Soony Saad converted a penalty kick following an unfortunate handball on defender Danny O’Rourke in the box.
Goalkeeper Andrew Weber made five saves, including three in the first half, and Portland earned its third straight victory over Sporting Kansas City in all competitions, dating back to April 21, 2012.
Next Game
Facing a very quick turnaround, the Timbers resume Major League Soccer regular-season action on Friday, playing host to Sporting Kansas City at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific). Friday’s match, presented by CenturyLink, will feature a live television broadcast on KPTV FOX 12 with a local radio broadcast on 750 The Game.
Portland Timbers at Sporting Kansas City (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
June 24, 2014 – Sporting Park (Kansas City, Kan.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Timbers 1 2 3
Sporting Kansas City 0 1 1
Scoring Summary
POR: Fernández, 30
POR: Johnson (penalty kick), 57
POR: Fernández, 68
SKC: Saad (penalty kick), 73
Misconduct Summary
SKC: Colin (Caution), 59
POR: Alhassan (Caution), 85
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Weber, D Peay, D O’Rourke, D Paparatto (McKenzie, 29), D Villafaña, M Johnson ©, M Fernández (Adi, 82), M Jewsbury, F Alhassan, F Urruti, F Zakuani (Harrington, 64)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, M Fochive, M Long, M Nanchoff
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Urruti, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Fernández, Urruti, 2); FOULS: 17 (Three players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 5
SKC: GK Gruenebaum, D Ellis, D Colin, D Palmer-Brown, D Sinovic, M Olum, M Nagamura (Martinez, 84), M Dovale, F Zizzo (Peterson, 60), F Dwyer (Sapong, 71), F Saad
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kronberg, D Juliao, M Medranda, F Bieler
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Saad, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Saad, 3); FOULS: 14 (Dwyer, 4); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 3
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant Referees: Frank Anderson, Mark Boyko
4th Official: Hilario Grajeda
Attendance: 11,138
Time of Game: 1:59
Weather:Partly Cloudy, 79 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
