PORTLAND TIMBERS vs SPORTING KANSAS CITY
JELD-WEN FIELD, Portland, Ore.
April 21, 2012 (WEEK 7, MLS Game #62)
7:30 p.m. PT (ROOT NW; KSMO)
The Portland Timbers return home looking to end their record losing streak - and stop Sporting Kansas City's record winning run - when the clubs meet Saturday evening at Jeld-Wen Field. The Timbers have lost an MLS club-record four in a row, after their 3-1 defeat at the LA Galaxy last weekend. Sporting have started the season with seven wins in seven games, beginning their Pacific Northwest road trip with a 3-1 win in Vancouver at midweek.
REFEREE: Hilario Grajeda. SAR (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Sorin Stoica
MLS Career: 62 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 14; pens: 9
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INJURY REPORT:
- PORTLAND TIMBERS - OUT: GK Joe Bendik (R knee meniscus surgery); FW Eddie Johnson (concussion); DOUBTFUL: MF Kalif Alhassan (R knee sprain); DF Futty Danso (L foot fracture); GK Jake Gleeson (R knee IT band tightness); DF David Horst (R hip surgery); MF James Marcelin (L hamstring strain); DF Rodney Wallace (L ankle sprain)
- SPORTING KANSAS CITY - OUT: GK Eric Kronberg (lower back injury); MF Julio Cesar (R hamstring strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Cyprian Hedrick (R Achilles tendinitis)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (2 meetings): Timbers 0 wins, 2 goals ... Sporting KC 2 wins, 5 goals ... Ties 0
AT PORTLAND (1 meeting): Timbers 0 wins, 1 goal ... Sporting KC 1 win, 2 goals ... Ties 0
LAST YEAR (MLS):
7/2: POR 1, KC 2 (Nagbe 45 - Sapong 15; Collin 19)
8/17: KC 3, POR 1 (Zusi 25, 40; Saad 72 - Dike 81)
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- Sporting KC won both meetings a year ago in the Timbers' first MLS campaign, winning 2-1 at Jeld-Wen Field on July 2.
- Coaches record: John Spencer vs. KC: P2 W0 L2 D0 ... Peter Vermes vs. POR: P2 W2 L0 D0
PORTLAND TIMBERS
The Portland Timbers went down to a fourth consecutive defeat, conceded a pair of late goals in a 3-1 loss to the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. The Timbers are in ninth place in the Western Conference with 4 points from 5 games.
HIGHLIGHTS: Timbers' struggles continue in loss to Galaxy
LAST MATCH
- The Timbers broke in the 23rd minute. Eric Alexander sent a through ball behind the Galaxy back line and Kris Boyd ran onto it before slotting home with a low shot from just outside the area.
- The Galaxy pulled even in the 44th minute. Streaking down the left side after receiving a through ball from Todd Dunivant, Robbie Keane rounded Eric Brunner in the corner before finding Landon Donovan, who buried a shot past Troy Perkins from inside the area.
- The home side then took the lead for good in the 83rd minute. After a flurry of pressure around the Timbers area, Juninho latched onto a half-clearance and hammered a low rocket from beyond the area.
- The Galaxy added the exclamation point in stoppage time when David Beckham added another goal to his highlight collection, bending the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out to beat Timbers goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
- Timbers head coach John Spencer made four changes to the team that fell to a 2-1 loss to Chivas USA at Jeld-Wen Field. Steve Purdy, Hanyer Mosquera and Mike Chabala all came into the back four for Lovel Palmer, Andrew Jean-Baptiste and Rodney Wallace, and Kalif Alhassan started in midfield for Franck Songo'o.
- PORTLAND TIMBERS (4-4-2): Troy Perkins - Steve Purdy, Hanyer Mosquera, Eric Brunner, Mike Chabala - Kalif Alhassan (Franck Songo'o 58), Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury (Lovel Palmer 74), Eric Alexander - Darlington Nagbe, Kris Boyd (Jorge Perlaza 81).
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SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Sporting Kansas City made it 7-for-7 to start the 2012 season, beginning their Pacific Northwest road trip with a 3-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday evening at BC Place. Sporting have 21 points from 7 matches to lead the Eastern Conference.
HIGHLIGHTS: Sporting keep rolling against 'Caps
LAST MATCH
- Sporting took the lead 24 minutes into the game. KC had maintained possession following a corner, and Graham Zusi's cross found Collin, who headed back to Roger Espinoza. The Honduran international's shot ricocheted off a defender and back into Collin's path who poked the ball across the line from close range.
- Kansas City doubled the lead in the 51st minute. Whitecaps FC center back Martin Bonjour, while defending a Matt Besler throw-in, attempted to direct the ball back to goalkeeper Joe Cannon while being pressured by Collin -- only to chest the ball into the corner of the goal.
- Fourteen minutes later Kei Kamara sealed the victory for Sporting, finishing a cross from Chance Myers. Kamara started the play by passing the ball out wide to Myers, and the fullback returned the favor for Kamara to flick home at the near post.
- The home side got a goal back in the 80th minute. A Camilo shot came back off the bar and rebounded to Sebastien Le Toux to head in from close range, as Sporting 'keeper Jimmy Nielsen was just unable to keep it from crossing the line.
- Sporting head coach Peter Vermes made one change to the team that defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0 at Livestrong Sporting Park. Paulo Nagamura came into the midfield in place of Julio Cesar.
- SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-2-3-1): Jimmy Nielsen - Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic - Paulo Nagamura (Lawrence Olum 77), Roger Espinoza - Kei Kamara, Graham Zusi, Bobby Convey (Jacob Peterson 52) - C.J. Sapong (Teal Bunbury 62).
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