Sporting Kansas City at Portland Timbers
Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Providence Park | Portland, Oregon
Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs
Western Conference Championship Leg One
Broadcast Schedule:
English TV | FS1
Spanish TV | FOX Deportes
English Radio | Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio | ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM
Mobile | FOX Sports GO, Sporting KC Uphoria
Uphoria App | By The Numbers | Five Things to Know
Videos | Game Notes | Media Guide | MatchCenter
The Western Conference Championship of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs will begin Sunday when top-seeded Sporting Kansas City visits the No. 5 seed Portland Timbers at Providence Park in Portland.
The first leg of the two-game, aggregate-goal series will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT, airing live nationally on FS1 and FOX Deportes with local radio broadcasts on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish). The match will also stream live on FOX Sports GO, while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide additional in-game updates.
Supporters of all ages are invited to the official watch party for Sunday’s showdown at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District. Beginning at 6 p.m. CT, No Other Pub will offer an all-you-can-eat buffet with bottomless domestic draft beers as well as a long list of drink specials headlined by $6 Till Vodka cocktails. No Other Pub will also administer numerous prize giveaways for Sporting KC merchandise.
Led by Manager Peter Vermes, Sporting KC ousted Real Salt Lake in a thrilling conference semifinal series earlier this month. After earning a 1-1 road result in the first leg, Sporting KC won a 4-2 thriller on Nov. 11 in the first playoff game held at Children’s Mercy Park since 2013. Diego Rubio scored early, Ilie Sanchez converted a penalty kick and Daniel Salloi bagged a brace, bringing his goal total to a team-best 15 on the season in all competitions. Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez notably became the second player in club history to record two assists in a playoff game and leads MLS with three assists during the 2018 postseason.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Giovanni Savarese, Portland also edged a fierce rival at the conference semifinal stage. Four days after claiming a 2-1 road win over FC Dallas in the Knockout Round, the Timbers sunk Seattle Sounders FC by the same scoreline on Nov. 4 at Providence Park. The Sounders bounced back with a 2-1 home victory of their own in the second leg to force 30 minutes of extra time, where Portland’s Dairon Asprilla and Seattle’s Nicolas Lodeiro traded dramatic goals. With the series tied at 4-4 on aggregate, Portland prevailed 4-2 in a penalty shootout to eliminate the two-time defending Western Conference champions.
Both sides enter the weekend high on momentum, having found their form at the most opportune time. Sporting KC are 10-2-3 since the start of August with 31 goals scored and just 13 conceded. Vermes’ men set single-season club records for goals, assists, goal differential and shots en route to 18 wins and 62 points, both their second-best totals ever. The likes of Salloi, Rubio and Johnny Russell have spearheaded a prolific attack, while backline veterans Matt Besler, Ike Opara, Seth Sinovic and Graham Zusi have held down the league’s third-best scoring defense.
Portland endured a turbulent month of August with four straight losses, but have rallied to go 7-4-2 since then. The Timbers have been particularly strong at home, where they are 14-2-4 at this season in all competitions with a 0.70 goals against average. Arguably no one has been more responsible for the resurgence than influential Argentine playmakers Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco. Valeri, the 2017 MLS MVP, has 12 goals and 14 assists—including two each in the playoffs. Blanco has tallied six goals in his last seven matches, having scored six in his first 27 games of 2018.
Sporting KC forward Diego Rubio will serve a one-game suspension for caution accumulation this weekend, having picked up a yellow card in both legs of the conference semifinals. The Chilean was influential when Sporting KC and Portland most recently met on Aug. 18 at Children’s Mercy Park, scoring twice in the first half before Russell struck late to round out at 3-0 win.
In the last 10 regular season meetings between the clubs, Sporting KC are 5-1-4 with a remarkable eight shutouts. Vermes’ side has been particularly resolute at Providence Park, where they are 4-2-2 all-time and own clean sheets if five of their last six visits. Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia has also relished the fixture, owning a 0.17 goals against average and a 95.8 save percentage in six outings versus Portland.
The lone previous playoff meeting between the clubs took place on Oct. 29, 2015, at Providence Park. In one of the wildest postseason matches in MLS history, the Timbers edged Sporting KC in an 11-round penalty shootout following a tense 2-2 draw in the single-elimination Knockout Round. Portland went on to claim the MLS Cup over a month later.
MLS Cup winners in 2000 and 2013, Sporting KC have won three of their seven conference championship series all-time. Portland, crowned league champions in 2015, are making their third appearance in the conference finals.
The decisive second leg will take place Thursday at Children’s Mercy Park, airing live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m. CT. A limited number of tickets for Sporting KC’s final home game of 2018 remain available via SeatGeek.com. The Western Conference champion will then travel to face either the New York Red Bulls or Atlanta United FC in MLS Cup 2018 on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.
