The three MLS teams that contend annually for the Cascadia Cup share a few defining characteristics.
Consider the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For one, each club boasts a passionate and supportive fanbase. Portland has sold out 91 straight matches and held a city parade to commemorate the Timbers’ 2015 MLS Cup triumph. Seattle has topped MLS attendance by a significant margin in all seven years of the club’s existence. Vancouver averaged more than 20,000 fans in four of the last five seasons.
This partially explains why each club is so tough to beat in its own house. A glance at their respective home records during the regular season says it all.
<strong>Club</strong> |
<strong>All-time home record</strong> |
Portland Timbers |
41-16-29 |
Seattle Sounders FC |
68-25-23 |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
41-22-23 |
<strong>150-63-75</strong> |
Do the math, and visiting teams emerge with a road win against Cascadia foes less than 22 percent of the time.
That brings us to Sporting Kansas City, who opened the 2016 season on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field thanks to a 30-pass sequence that culminated in a 30-yard strike from debutant Nuno Andre Coelho.
In addition to notching their first victory at Seattle since 2009, Peter Vermes’ men went into the history books as the first MLS team to go unbeaten in five straight regular season road games against Cascadia foes.
Even more impressive? Kansas City has earned a shutout in every match during the streak. Tip of the hat to a backline led by captain Matt Besler (he's the only defender to appear in all five games) and goalkeeper Tim Melia, who was forced to make two superb saves in Sunday's contest.
SPORTING KC'S FIVE-GAME UNBEATEN RUN IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Details</strong> |
at Seattle |
5/23/15 |
T 0-0 |
Sounders limited to one shot on goal |
at Vancouver |
7/12/15 |
W 1-0 |
Tim Melia makes six saves;<br>
Soni Mustivar makes Opta-record 20 interceptions |
at Portland |
9/9/15 |
T 0-0 |
Tim Melia ties a career-high with seven saves |
at Portland |
10/3/15 |
W 1-0 |
Krisztian Nemeth scores MLS Goal of the Year |
at Seattle |
3/6/15 |
W 1-0 |
Nuno Andre Coelho scores in his MLS debut |
Sporting KC has a penchant for resolute road performances — their 29 away wins since 2012 are eight more than any other team — and the club’s current shutout streak in the hostile venues of the Pacific Northwest is a testament to that.
If there’s a statistical cherry to garnish the unprecedented feat, it’s this…
Up next for Sporting KC? Saturday’s 2016 home opener at Children’s Mercy Park against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Throw home games into the mix, and Vermes’ side is 5-0-3 against Cascadia clubs since the start of 2015 with seven (yes, seven) shutouts. It’s also worth mentioning that no American MLS club has more regular season wins against Canadian opposition than Sporting KC’s 23 (23-8-8 overall). The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and a limited number of tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com.
