Following a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat in their previous encounter, the Portland Timbers head to Children's Mercy Park on Sunday to battle Sporting Kansas City for the second time on the current MLS campaign.
Last weekend SKC were outclassed by St Louis City, falling 4-0, while the Timbers came away empty-handed at home to Minnesota United, losing 1-0.
Match preview
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For a while, things seemed to be turning around for Peter Vermes and his Kansas City side, but last weekend, they learned a lesson on what happens when you are slow out of the gate, falling behind 2-0 after 25 minutes and failing to respond with a goal for an eighth time in 2023.
Beginning on Sunday, there will be ample opportunity for them to rise up the Western Conference standings, currently second from the bottom with 10 points and with six of their subsequent eight domestic affairs taking place at Children's Mercy Park.
Traditionally, this team have shown more quality at the beginning of a match, scoring six of their league-low nine regular-season goals before the 32nd minute, while their two goals in the final 45 minutes is five fewer than any other MLS side.
Vermes has tinkered with the lineup plenty of times this season with varying results, employing 29 different players in their league encounters so far, more than any side in this competition.
When this team are at their best in the final third, they have proven to be a handful, going a perfect 3-0-0 when netting multiple times in a domestic fixture this season.
It's been over a decade since they suffered a defeat to the Timbers in a regular-season home game, pulling off a convincing 4-1 win against them at Children's Mercy Park last year.
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The Timbers begin a stretch which will see them play three of their subsequent four MLS encounters on the road, where they have only claimed one victory on the current campaign.
Numerous times through the years Portland have failed to remain focused until the final whistle, conceding 12 result-changing goals in second-half stoppage time since the start of 2020, including last weekend versus Minnesota when a 95th-minute strike from Bongokuhle Hlongwane sent them to defeat.
While that stat has to be a concern for Giovanni Savarese, this team have also netted their share of late goals, with seven beyond the 75th minute this season (fourth in MLS), and they have also outperformed their expected goals in this competition (18 scored from 14.5 expected).
The margins between victory and defeat can be razor-thin, and the Timbers know that better than most, with five of their six losses coming by a single goal.
To this point of the campaign, Portland have been among the most aggressive sides when out of possession, doing plenty to disrupt their opponents' transitions, namely by fouling, committing the fourth-most domestically per game (13.8).
Portland have only suffered one defeat this year when scoring first and conversely only captured one match when conceding the opener, while they are winless when trailing at the interval.
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Team News
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Kansas City are still missing Khiry Shelton, who has an adductor strain, Willy Agada remains out with a tibia stress fracture, Kayden Pierre is dealing with a sore hamstring, Kortne Ford continues to recover from Achilles surgery and Tim Melia will not be available because of a quad injury.
Daniel Salloi has four career goals versus the Timbers, Erik Thommy has a goal and two assists in his last four games, while Dany Rosero has featured in every minute for them since making his debut in a 3-0 victory over Minnesota earlier this month.
Shelton needs one more start to reach 100 in the regular season, Gadi Kinda can pick up his 50th career regular season cap on Sunday and Roger Espinoza has a chance to surpass Matt Besler for the second-most regular season starts in club history this weekend, currently sitting on 285.
Portland were without Pablo Bonilla last weekend because of a right hamstring strain, Eryk Williamson is dealing with a right knee injury, while David Ayala and Felipe Mora have left knee injuries.
Sebastian Blanco has scored five times in his career versus SKC, notching the only goal in their previous visit to Kansas City, while Juan Mosquera had the lone strike in their regular-season opener against them in late February when David Bingham made four stops to preserve a clean sheet in a 1-0 triumph.
Zac McGraw leads the league regarding clearances (84), Jaroslaw Niezgoda is first in MLS for appearances as a substitute (10), while Santiago Moreno is tied for first in the league when it comes to game-winning assists (three).
Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
McIntosh; Zusi, Rosero, Fontas, Leibold; Walter, Thommy, Kinda; Russell, Pulido, Salloi
Portland Timbers possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Mosquera, Zuparic, McGraw, Bravo; Paredes, D. Chara; Moreno, Evander, Asprilla; Boli
We say: Sporting Kansas City 2-1 Portland Timbers
Despite their previous defeat, SKC have improved in almost every department this month, while the Timbers have consistently shot themselves in the foot on the road, so we expect the home team to bounce back on Sunday.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
