"Five Things" is a season-long series presented by the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine Center that highlights the top storylines and players to watch ahead of each match. To visit the series archive, click here.
On the heels of an impressive 2-0 road win over FC Dallas on Saturday, Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City (11-4-4, 37 points) will continue their busy stretch of seven matches in 22 days by taking the field Wednesday night against the Portland Timbers (7-9-2, 23 points) at Children's Mercy Park.
Tickets for the Western Conference clash are available at SeatGeek.com and the first 5,000 fans through the stadium gates will receive a commemorative felt pennant courtesy of match sponsor Academy Sports + Outdoors. Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, BallySports.com and the Bally Sports app will show three hours of live coverage starting at 7 p.m. CT, while the Sporting KC app will provide additional in-game updates and exclusive offers. Listeners can also catch the action live locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM, with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately following on 810 WHB.
Without further ado, we examine five major storylines surrounding the matchup in the space below.
1. The Race for First
Arguably no MLS club has shown more consistency over the last three months than Sporting. Manager Peter Vermes' men are 9-2-3 since May 16 and currently occupy first place in the West, one point above Seattle Sounders FC and two above the LA Galaxy.
With matches coming thick and fast—Sporting, Seattle and LA are all slated to play twice this week—the Western Conference race is already reaching a fever pitch. Sporting have finished atop the West in two of the previous three seasons and are no strangers to contending at the top of the division, but in a league characterized by parity, no games will be easy.
2. Dynamic Duo
Sporting have enjoyed an excellent 2021 campaign thanks in large part to the productivity of forwards Daniel Salloi and Alan Pulido, both of whom scored in Saturday's defeat of FC Dallas. Salloi, an MLS All-Star, has been nothing short of phenomenal as one of the league's most prolific attackers. His 17 combined goals (11) and assists (six) are tied for most in MLS—the clearest indication of his irresistible form—and with a goal or an assist in five straight games, Salloi is showing no signs of slowing down.
Pulido, meanwhile, landed a spot on the MLS Team of the Week bench after scoring and assisting in Saturday's victory. With eight goals and two helpers in 10 starts this year, the 30-year-old striker leads MLS with 0.97 combined goals and assists per 90 minutes since the start of 2020.
3. Tight at the Back
Sporting rank second in MLS with 35 goals and 1.84 goals per match, and although their prolific attack has earned deserved plaudits, the backline is quietly strengthening. Goalkeeper Tim Melia has collected two straight clean sheets in MLS play, with the likes of center back Andreu Fontas and outside backs Luis Martins and Graham Zusi keeping the opponent at bay. Fontas has been particularly excellent over the course of 2021, piecing together his best MLS season as the league's far-and-away passing leader.
4. Chopped Timbers
Led by fourth-year head coach Giovanni Savarese, Portland enter Wednesday looking to recover from a woeful 6-2 home loss to archrivals Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday night. The Timbers have conceded 35 goals on the season, second most in MLS, and the club has taken just four points from the last five matches. Savarese's men have also labored away from home, going 1-6-1 on the road with eight goals scored and 20 allowed.
Portland nevertheless remains a dangerous outfit with game-changers like Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco pulling midfield strings. Forwards Felipe Mora (six goals, three assists) and Dairon Asprilla (four goals, two assists) have also make notable impacts up front.
5. Happy Birthday, Graham Zusi
Zusi, a club legend and one of Kansas City's most accomplished players ever, will celebrate his 35th birthday on Wednesday by becoming the all-time leader in most regular season appearances among one-club players in MLS history. Wednesday’s match will feature three of the top six players in that category, including the top three active players.Â
1. Graham Zusi (KC) 306
1. Cobi Jones (LA) 306
3. C.J. Brown (CHI) 296
4. Diego Chara (POR) 295
5. Logan Pause (CHI) 286
6. Roger Espinoza (KC) 273*Â
*Active players
