Sporting Kansas City played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with the Portland Timbers at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday afternoon as the side continues its preseason preparations for the 2021 MLS season. Khiry Shelton, Wilson Harris and Roger Espinoza all got on the scoresheet as Sporting moved to 1-1-1 in preseason.
Sporting KC controlled the majority of the first half, almost taking the lead through Daniel Salloi on multiple occasions, only to be denied by the crossbar and a pair of saves by Steve Clark.
Shelton gave Sporting the lead on the stroke of halftime, firing home Luis Martins’ well-shaped cross from the left wing. Shelton got in front of his marker and applied a deft finish that saw the ball fly into the top corner and give Sporting a halftime lead.
With a whole new lineup to start the second half, Sporting KC quickly doubled their lead as Felipe Hernandez’s free kick was flicked on by Matt Constant before the ball fell to Harris to smash home his fourth goal of preseason.
Four minutes later, the Timbers were gifted a route back into the game as Felipe Mora pounced on a poor back pass and despite firing wide, the referee awarded Portland a penalty for Kendall McIntosh’s contact on the Timbers striker. Portland legend Diego Valeri stepped up and converted from the spot.
Sporting reclaimed their two-goal cushion in the 64th minute, with veteran midfielder Roger Espinoza receiving a pass from Cam Duke and curling a sumptuous effort into the cop corner from the edge of the area.
Portland hit right back two minutes later as Dairon Asprilla beat Kayden Pierre to a long ball, rounded McIntosh and fired into an empty net.
With the game getting stretched late on, the Timbers found an equalizer as a free kick was sent into the Sporting area and bundled home by Bill Tuiloma after McIntosh had blocked an initial effort, with the final whistle blowing shortly after.
Sporting KC closes out their four-game slate of games in Arizona next Saturday when the side takeas on the LA Galaxy at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT with live updates available via @SKCmatchday on Twitter.
Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers
March 24, 2021 – Kino Sports Complex (Tucson, Ariz.)
Sporting Kansas City 3, Portland Timbers 3
Scoring Summary:
SKC – Khiry Shelton (Luis Martins) 44’
SKC – Wilson Harris (Unassisted) 48’
POR – Diego Valeri (Penalty Kick) 52’
SKC – Roger Espinoza (Cam Duke) 64’
POR – Dairon Asprilla (Unassisted) 66’
POR – Bill Tuiloma (Unassisted) 88’
Sporting Kansas City Lineups
First Half: Tim Melia; Jaylin Lindsey, Kaveh Rad, Andreu Fontas, Luis Martins; Ilie Sanchez, Gianluca Busio, Remi Walter; Johnny Russell, Khiry Shelton, Daniel Salloi
Second Half: Kendall McIntosh; Kayden Pierre, Matt Constant (Graham Smith 70’), Roberto Puncec, Amadou Dia (Travian Sousa 75’); Felipe Hernandez, Roger Espinoza, Cam Duke; Grayson Barber (Ozzie Cisneros 81’), Wilson Harris, Tyler Freeman
