Ahead of Sporting KC's trip to Portland this weekend, SportingKC.com caught up with FourFourTwo's Richard Farley, to preview #PORvSKC. Live coverage of Sunday's match starts at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN, 99.3 FM, and La Grande 1340 AM.
What are your thoughts on Sporting KC’s current form?
The home versus road problem is worrisome, but overall, I’ve been very impressed. Ending New York City FC’s winning streak, putting up a 19-1 shots edge on Seattle, holding Portland’s talent in check? These are ‘as you draw it up’ results. They certainly hint at this team’s potential.
Portland opened Champions League play on Wednesday. How could that midweek match affect Sunday’s match?
I’m honestly not sure. The team heavily rotated, so fatigue shouldn’t be a major concern, but the middling performance makes three games in a row where the Timbers have failed to play up to expectations. Teams with the Timbers’ pedigree tend to use that as motivation, at some point. The question is whether that point will be Sunday.
There’s been a total of three goals scored (all by Sporting KC and each were in 1-0 victories) in the last five regular season meetings between these two sides. Are you expecting another low scoring match on Sunday?
I am. Sporting KC’s allowing the fewest shots in the league and just came off a shutout of Portland on Sunday. On the other hand, Sporting KC has been shut out six times in 11 games on the road this year.
Each team has reason for hope, though. Portland is playing at home, and with the exception of Darren Mattocks’ absence, the team’s attack is fully healthy. As for Sporting KC, it’ll could face a severely hamstrung defense. The Timbers have made three key signings at the back recently, but they’re also without three major contributors.
Which players or match-ups will you be focused on for Sunday’s match?
With Portland’s issues in central defense, Dom Dwyer looks particularly scary. Given his work rate, strength, goal production, Dwyer’s such a unique challenge, and even when healthy, the Timbers’ defense as been mistake-prone. Will a central pairing of, say, Amobi Okugo and Jermaine Taylor be able to hold up for 90 minutes? That might depend on how much Diego Chara and Darlington Nagbe can retain the ball.
As for the Timbers, any game plan for them has to revolve around Diego Valeri. He’s probably the best No. 10 in the league, and as we’ve seen in recent weeks, the Portland attack has trouble when he’s not dominating. Sporting KC and the Galaxy stymied him over the last two weeks, but before that, Valeri was the best player on the field for Portland versus Seattle.
Overall, what are your thoughts on the match and how you expect it to play out?
Portland and Sporting KC seem to be developing a distinct history. Rivalry would be too much, but the matchup sure is creating some memories. There’s not only last year’s playoff meeting, which went to 11 rounds of penalty kicks, but also the meeting in early October, when a great Krisztian Nemeth goal took three points late at Providence Park. Portland was also the team that ended Sporting KC’s seven-match winning streak to start the 2012 season – another 1-0 at Providence Park.
I expect a similar match. Particularly with an early-afternoon start, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another fast-paced, contentious, hopefully memorable 1-0.
What are your thoughts on the Western Conference this season and looking ahead to the final months of the regular season?
It’s an amazing league. I refer to the West as a league because it is on another level than the East right now. The competition that’s internal to that conference has fueled so much.
Dallas has become one of the most respected organizations in the league, but we’ll have to see how it adjusts without Fabian Castillo (loaned to Turkey mid-week). Colorado’s the surprise team, but one everybody would prefer to face come November. The Galaxy has the names and the history, but you can’t dismiss the notion old legs will wilt come fall.
Given their talent, you can’t overlook Vancouver and Real Salt Lake, but Sunday’s teams look like the wild cards. Sporting KC’s climbing the standings and has an MLS Cup-winning core. Likewise, Portland is the defending champ and has the talent to beat anybody.
I’m looking forward to these final months. Particularly with the MLS schedule giving us intra-conference play to the wire, we’re going to learn a lot.
