The Portland Timbers celebrate with a couple of slabs from Timber Joey (Getty Images)
If Toronto FC has gotten off to one of the worst starts in MLS history, Sporting KC has gotten off to one of the best. Actually, the second best. However, after being lucky enough to get both Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy at home, this week they've found the going a little tougher battling Western Conference foes on the road. They were severely tested by the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier this week, and Saturday night they finally met their match against a desperate but organized Portland Timbers squad.
Honestly, there's not a ton to talk about in this one. It was very scrappy. There were only 5 shots on goal for the entire match, and three of them were by Sporting. CJ Sapong dribbled a shot wide early, and Kei Kamara forced a save out of Troy Perkins on 9 minutes.
The defining moment of the match came in the 41st minute, and this week, the breaks did not go Sporting's way. Portland's Kris Boyd floated a cross in toward the back post, looking for Jorge Perlaza. The Timbers' man really didn't have much of a chance to get to it, but KC's Chance Meyers rose up and put a head to it. Unfortunately for Sporting, instead of clearing it, he lofted it into the back of his own net to give Portland the 1-0 lead going into half time. It would prove to be the only goal of the game.
Kansas City came out hot in the second half. After all, Portland has been known to give up second half goals this year. However, the Timbers survived in this one. The closest Sporting got came late on when a Graham Zusi free kick got loose in the box, but Portland desperately cleared it to save their much needed 3 points.
Unfortunately for Portland the result didn't move them off of the bottom of the Western Conference table, as they sit on 7 points. KC gets a long week off now, and I'm sure they'll have plenty to contemplate after this west coast trip. We can now stop using the "undefeated" line.
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