MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2015
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Sporting Park (Kansas City, Kan.)
Forecast: Clear, 73 degrees
Referee: Silviu Petrescu
Assistant Referees: Daniel Belleau, Andrew Bigelow Fourth Official: Fotis Bazakos
Local TV: ROOT SPORTS
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst), Samantha Yarock (reporter)
English Radio: 750 The Game (KXTG 750AM, 102.9FM) Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Adin Brown (analyst)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 1150AM, 93.5FM
Talent: Josue del Castillo (play-by-play), Ozkar Ramos (analyst)
MATCH PREVIEW
Following a 2-2 draw against defending MLS Cup-champion LA Galaxy, the Timbers hit the road for the first time in the 2015 season presented by Simple to take on Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (Pacific). The Timbers enter Saturday’s match undefeated in their last 10 games (5-0-5) against Western Conference opponents since Aug. 30, 2014. Portland is 2-1-0 against Sporting KC in all competitions at Sporting Park, including a 3-1 victory last year in the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition and a 3-2 win during the 2013 season. Sporting KC enter Saturday’s match following a 3-1 road loss to FC Dallas on March 14 at the Toyota Stadium. Midfielder Roger Espinoza recorded the team’s only tally off a Graham Zusi corner kick in the 44th minute.
LAST MATCH RECAP
The Timbers and defending MLS Cup-champion LA Galaxy each tallied a goal in the final minutes of last Sunday’s nationally televised match, playing to a 2-2 draw in front of a sold-out crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park. Forward Fanendo Adi tallied his fifth career brace for the Timbers, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 90th minute for Portland. Adi also scored in the 31st minute. The Galaxy pulled out a draw on forward Alan Gordon’s header off a corner kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Forward Gyasi Zardes also netted a goal for the Galaxy in the 65th minute.
LAST TIME VS. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Resuming Major League Soccer regular-season play following a two-week break for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Timbers dominated possession and absorbed a season-high 23 fouls, but could not overcome an early deficit in a 1-0 loss against Sporting Kansas City in front of sold-out crowd of 20,814 at Providence Park on June 27. Defender Lawrence Olum tallied the game-winning goal in the 24th minute off assists from Kevin Ellis and Seth Sinovic.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Saturday’s match marks the sixth all-time regular-season meeting between Portland and Sporting Kansas City in the regular season since 2011. Portland has registered a 2-3-0 overall record against Sporting KC, including a mark of 1-1-0 in regular-season road games at Sporting Park. Including all competitions, Saturday’s match will be the seventh all-time meeting and the fourth match at Sporting Park. The Timbers have logged a 2-1-0 all-time record at the venue in all competitions, including a 3-1 win the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Portland hasn’t lost at Sporting Kansas City since their first meeting at Sporting Park, a 3-1 setback on Aug. 17, 2011. In six previous meetings in all competitions, there have been no draws between the two clubs. Goal scoring has come largely in the first half of the five regular-season matches between Portland and Sporting Kansas City, with 11 of the 14 combined goals coming in the opening 45 minutes.
SCOUTING SPORTING KC
Sporting Kansas City enters Saturday’s match following a 3-1 road loss to FC Dallas on March 14 at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Midfielder Roger Espinoza recorded the team’s only tally off a Graham Zusi corner kick in the 44th minute. Espinoza returned to Sporting KC this season after spending the past two years playing in England with Wigan Athletic. Sporting KC also added veteran goalkeeper Luis Marin to the lineup. The 31-year-old has started both regular-season games for Sporting KC in 2015 after a 12-year professional career in his native Chile. The 2013 MLS Cup champions, Sporting KC moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference ahead of the 2015 season after MLS added two expansion teams, Orlando City SC and New York City FC, to the Eastern Conference. Also making the move to the Western Conference was the Houston Dynamo. Head coach Peter Vermes’ side returns forward Dom Dwyer, who netted 22 goals in 2014, as well as experienced U.S. Men’s National Team defender Matt Besler.
DIFFICULT OPENING SCHEDULE
The Timbers have started out the 2015 season with a difficult slate of matches, squaring off against MLS Cup-winning sides in Real Salt Lake (0-0 draw on March 7) and the LA Galaxy (2-2 draw on March 15). On Saturday, Portland faces yet another MLS Cup-winner in Sporting Kansas City. Sporting KC lifted the league’s title in 2013 and joins the Western Conference in 2015. Portland’s first three opponents have combined for a 94-59-51 regular-season record (.585 winning pct.) and two MLS Cup titles in the last two seasons.
ROAD SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2013 MLS season, Portland has recorded the highest road goal differential of any club (plus-6), including a plus-3 road goal differential in 2014, which tied for the best mark in the league. The Timbers also have registered the fewest losses away from home with a 10-10-14 road record since 2013. Portland’s seven road wins in 2014 ranked third overall in MLS last year. Scoring away from home has posed no problem either, as the Timbers have finished with the second-most away goals in MLS in both 2013 (25) and 2014 (27).
FEWEST LOSSES
In the last two-plus seasons, Portland has lost just 14 times in 70 league matches (26-14-30 overall). That is the fewest amount of defeats in that span and also ranks as the fewest losses over two seasons since MLS expanded to 34 games prior to the 2011 season. The Timbers lost just five matches in 2013, which tied for the fewest losses in a 34-game schedule in MLS history.
AT SPORTING PARK
The Timbers have had a good run of form lately at Sporting Park, the home of Saturday’s opponent Sporting Kansas City. Saturday’s match marks the fourth all-time meeting between the two clubs in all competitions at Sporting Park and the Timbers enter the match with a 2-1-0 record at the venue, including consecutive wins with a 3-1 triumph on June 24, 2014, in U.S. Open Cup play and a 3-2 win in league play on April 27, 2013. Portland hasn’t lost at Sporting Park since a 3-1 setback on Aug. 17, 2011.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Midfielder Diego Chara will earn his milestone 120th career MLS appearance should he play on Saturday against Sporting Kansas City. Chara currently ranks tied for ninth all-time across all eras in Timbers appearances with NASL Timbers defender Graham Day and is five appearances shy of tying current Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson (124) for eighth place on the list.
Midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe will make his milestone 130th career MLS appearance for the Timbers should he see action on Saturday. The Timbers MLS career-leader in games played, Nagbe is quickly moving closer to a spot in the top five all-time across all eras in appearances for Portland. USL Timbers midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (2002-06) is currently occupying fifth place with 132 career appearances.
Midfielder Jack Jewsbury’s next goal will be the 25th of his MLS career. Jewsbury, who has made 305 career regular-season MLS appearances since 2003, last scored on Oct. 21, 2012, in a 1-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC - clinching the 2012 Cascadia Cup for the Timbers.
Midfielder/forward Rodney Wallace will make his milestone 130th career MLS appearance should he see action on Saturday. Wallace began his MLS career in 2009 with D.C. United and enters Saturday’s match with 90 career MLS appearances for the Timbers since 2011. Wallace is also nearing the 10,000 minutes-played mark in his MLS career. The Costa Rica international comes into Saturday with 9,588 minutes played and needs just 412 minutes to reach the mark.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe was named to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week following an impressive performance against the defending MLS Cup-champion LA Galaxy on March 15 at Providence Park. Nagbe arguably should have been credited with two assists in the match, but did not earn a second assist on Portland’s opening goal when his clever back-heel flick opened acres of space for midfielder/forward Rodney Wallace to thread a through ball up to forward Fanendo Adi for the opening goal. Nagbe tallied an assist on Adi’s second goal of the match in the 90th minute, settling a long ball from defender Liam Ridgewell at the edge of the penalty box, holding off a defender and poking a pass to Adi for the goal. With a brace against the Galaxy, Adi was an MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honorable mention pick.
SCORING IN PAIRS
Forward Fanendo Adi has scored 11 goals in 26 career regular-season appearances for the Timbers since joining the team in May 2014. Of Adi’s 11 goals, 10 have come as a result of a two-goal performance. Adi has registered five career braces, including two goals against the LA Galaxy on March 15.
UNBEATEN STREAK AGAINST THE WEST
The Timbers enter Saturday’s march undefeated in their last 10 consecutive games (5-0-5) against Western Conference opponents since Aug. 30, 2014. Portland has scored 20 goals in those 10 matches. Sporting KC joins the Western Conference in 2015 following the addition of Orlando City SC and New York City FC to MLS.
BROTHERS IN MLS
Timbers rookie midfielder Nick Besler and Sporting Kansas City 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. Nick Besler, Portland’s No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, was an unused sub on March 7.
