PORTLAND TIMBERS vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY
PROVIDENCE PARK | Portland, Oregon
August 7, 2016 | Week 22 | MLS Game #226
4 pm ET (ESPN, MLS LIVE)
The Portland Timbers and Sporting Kansas City meet on the back end of their home-and-home series when the Western Conference foes face off Sunday afternoon at Providence Park before an ESPN audience. Sporting took a 1-0 win last weekend at Children's Mercy Park, their second win in a row, sending Portland to a second consecutive defeat after a nine-game undefeated run. The moved SKC into a tie for fourth place in the West, four points above the red line, while the Timbers are a point out of the playoff positions in seventh place in the conference.
- The teams are meeting on the back end of their home-and-home series, both league meetings between the teams this season. Jacob Peterson scored the game’s lone goal to give Sporting the win on Sunday afternoon at Children’s Mercy Park.
- It was a second straight defeat for the Timbers, marking their first consecutive losses since they dropped three in a row from May 7 to May 15.
- Sporting have won two games in a row, both by shutout; they have now won their last five consecutive matches at Children’s Mercy Park.
- The win was No. 100 for Sporting manager Peter Vermes, becoming the eighth head coach in MLS history to reach the 100-win mark. Vermes is the fifth to reach 100 wins with a single team.
- The road team has won four of the eight meetings all-time in the series. Sporting have come away with points on four of their five visits to Providence Park, including three victories. The Timbers have come away with points on each of their last two visits to Sporting Park.
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. AR1 (bench): Apolinar Mariscal; AR2 (opposite): Kathryn Nesbitt; 4th: Baboucarr Jallow
MLS Career: 217 games; FC/gm: 24.9; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 74; pens: 77
SUSPENDED: KC: Jimmy Medranda (caution accumulation; through Aug. 7)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Alvas Powell -- KC: Roger Espinoza
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: KC: Matt Besler, Dom Dwyer, Lawrence Olum Ö POR: Fanendo Adi, Diego Chara
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 6 goals - Sporting KC 5 wins, 10 goals -- Ties 2
AT PORTLAND (5 meetings): Timbers 1 win, 2 goals -- Sporting KC 3 wins, 4 goals -- Ties 1
- Coaches record: Caleb Porter vs. KC: P6 W1 L3 D2 -- Peter Vermes vs. POR: P9 W5 L2 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
7/31: KC 1, POR 0 (Peterson 50)
- The game's lone goal came in the 50th minute, via a free kick from the left flank. Benny Feilhaber whipped the ball in where Jacob Peterson flicked it home with a header from the heart of the area.
- Alec Kann stepped in between the posts and recorded one save for the shutout, saved in stoppage time when Jack McInerney fired a curling effort on frame, the ball smashing off the crossbar.
- SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-1-2-3): Alec Kann - Saad Abdul-Salaam, Lawrence Olum, Ike Opara (Chance Myers 90), Jimmy Medranda - Soni Mustivar - Benny Feilhaber, Roger Espinoza - Connor Hallisey (Kevin Ellis 90), Dom Dwyer, Jacob Peterson (Cameron Porter 71).
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-2-3-1): Jake Gleeson - Alvas Powell (Jack Barmby 86), Jermaine Taylor, Amobi Okugo, Zarek Valentin (Vytas Andriuskevicius 69) - Diego Chara, Ben Zemanski (Jack McInerney 75) - Lucas Melano, Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe - Fanendo Adi.
