MATCH INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Location: Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Forecast: Partly Cloudy, 81 degrees
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referees: Corey Rockwell, Mike Rottersman Fourth Official: Alejandro Mariscal
Local TV: KPDX FOX 12
Talent: Keith Bleyer (play-by-play), Ross Smith (analyst)
English Radio: 750 The Game (KXTG 750AM, 102.9FM)
Talent: Jake Zivin (play-by-play), Brett Jacobs (analyst)
Spanish Radio: La GranD (KGGD 93.5FM, 1150 AM)
Talent: Josue del Castillo (play-by-play), Ozkar Ramos (analyst)
MATCH PREVIEW
Portland and Sporting Kansas City meet for just the second time during the 2015 regular-season schedule in a midweek match on Wednesday at Providence Park. Both teams are coming off an idle weekend in which neither had a match. Portland is unbeaten in nine consecutive games at Providence Park and enters Wednesday’s home match tied on points (40) with Sporting Kansas City in the tight Western Conference standings. Just six points separate Portland and the first-place LA Galaxy (46pts), while the Timbers have a game in hand on the Galaxy. Sporting Kansas City has lost three straight matches, including a 5-0 loss against the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 19 and a 2-1 loss against the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 29.
LAST MATCH RECAP
Despite controlling the majority of the match and registering a 20-6 advantage in total shots, including a 6-3 edge in shots on goal, the Portland Timbers could not overcome a two-goal, first-half deficit in a 2-1 loss against Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 30 before 64,358 fans at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Trailing 2-0 at halftime, midfielder Jack Jewsbury cut the deficit in half with a goal in the 58th minute, converting a corner kick from midfielder Diego Valeri inside the goal box with a right-footed effort. The goal marked Jewsbury’s third of the season, while Valeri registered an assist in a third consecutive match.
LAST TIME VS. SPORTING KC
For the second time in three games to open the 2015 season presented by Simple, the Portland Timbers conceded just two shots on goal and registered a clean sheet, playing Western Conference foe Sporting Kansas City to a scoreless draw in front of 20,848 fans on March 21 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The shutout on the road marked Portland’s second clean sheet in its first three matches of the 2015 season and the team’s fifth in its last six regular-season games dating back to Oct. 8, 2014.
ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES
Wednesday’s match marks the seventh all-time regular-season meeting between Portland and Sporting Kansas City since 2011. Portland has registered a 2-3-1 overall record against Sporting KC, including a mark of 1-2-0 in regular- season home games at Providence Park. Including all competitions, Wednesday’s match will be the eighth all-time meeting, including a 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.
In seven previous meetings in all competitions, there has been just one draw between the two clubs. In regular-season matches, goal scoring has come largely in the first half between Portland and Sporting Kansas City, with 11 of the 14 combined goals coming in the opening 45 minutes.
SCOUTING SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Sporting Kansas City was idle last weekend and enters Wednesday’s match following a 2-1 loss against the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 29 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. Entering Wednesday’s match, Sporting KC has lost three straight matches and has compiled a 2-4-1 record in its last seven games. Head coach Peter Vermes’ side is led by midfielder Benny Feilhaber, who ranks tied for second in the league in assists (13) and has tallied eight goals in 24 appearances. Forward Dom Dwyer has registered a team-leading nine goals and two assists in 22 appearances, while goalkeeper Tim Melia has recorded 53 saves and six shutouts in 17 starts.
WINNING AT HOME
The Timbers rank among league leaders with a 7-1-5 overall record at Providence Park during the 2015 season, including a Timbers MLS-club-record-tying streak of five straight wins from May 27-July 5. Portland is unbeaten in its last nine regular-season home games since May 2. Portland has compiled one of the league’s best home records with an overall mark of 23-5-19 (.691) over the last two-plus seasons since 2013. The Timbers have lost just one home game (11-2- 7) in their last 20 at Providence Park dating back to the 2014 season.
HOME UNBEATEN STREAK
The Timbers have put together a nine-game home unbeaten streak, dating back to a draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on May 2. Portland’s home unbeaten streak is currently the longest active home unbeaten streak in MLS this season and the second-longest streak this season, behind only Sporting Kansas City’s 12-game home unbeaten streak from March 8-Aug. 15.
AGAINST THE WESTERN CONFERENCE
The Timbers have put together a 13-game home unbeaten streak against teams from the Western Conference, dating back to Sept. 7, 2014. Portland has earned a 6-0-7 overall home record against teams from the Western Conference, including a come-from-behind, 2-2 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 21.
LAST 15 GAMES
ver its last 15 matches, Portland has compiled the second-most points of any team (8-4-3, 27pts) in the league entering this week’s matches. Only the LA Galaxy (29pts) have earned more points over that span.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With seven games remaining on Portland’s regular-season schedule, the Timbers enter Wednesday’s match tied on points (40) with Sporting Kansas City in the tight Western Conference standings. No team has separated itself from the pack as just six points separated the No. 1 position (LA Galaxy, 46) from Portland in the sixth, and final, spot to the postseason from the conference. Additionally, San Jose (38pts) and Houston (35pts) are well within striking distance of reaching the MLS Cup Playoffs.
2018 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
Away on international duty, Timbers midfielder Will Johnson started and played 90 minutes, helping lead the Canada National Team to a 3-0 win against Belize on Sept. 4 at BMO Field in Toronto in the first of two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. Canada travels to face Belize on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at FFB Stadium in Belmopan.
Also in FIFA World Cup qualifying, Timbers defender Alvas Powell started and played 76 minutes for the Jamaica National Team in a 3-2 loss against Nicara- gua on Sept. 4 at Independence Stadium in Kingston. Forward Michael Seaton was an unused substitute in the match. Jamaica plays Nicaragua in the second leg on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Estadio Nacional Dennis Martínez in Managua, Nicaragua.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
With his next assist, midfielder Jack Jewsbury will move into a tie for 10th place overall on the Timbers all-time career assists chart with Timbers Ring of Honor member Jimmy Conway (1978-80). Jewsbury currently sits in 11th place with 15 assists for Portland since 2011.
With his next goal, forward Fanendo Adi will tie the Timbers MLS single-season club record for goals in a season (11), set by midfielder Diego Valeri in 2014. Adi tallied his 10th goal in a 1-0 win against Chicago on Aug. 7 at Providence Park. The single-season club record across all eras is 18 goals scored by Fadi Afash in 2002. Adi’s next goal also will be his 20th career regular-season goal for Portland.
Midfielder Diego Valeri has registered an assist in three straight matches and with an assist on Wednesday against Sporting Kansas City would tie his own Timbers MLS-club record of recording an assist in four consecutive matches. Valeri has registered an assist in four consecutive matches three times during his MLS career, most recently accomplishing the feat from Aug. 30-Sept. 20, 2014).
