Sporting Kansas City 3, Portland Timbers 0
Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City
For the Portland Timbers sudden revival in this campaign and staging a perfect run. Especially being one of its highlights its defensive game getting a boost and highly praised by many in league circles.
Those lauds to a troublesome area for the Portland squad in 2016 and 2017 campaigns, as many experts seeing the improvements this squad shown for their amazing and stingy display in every match that led them to a perfect record of fifteen matches without losing a match.
All of a sudden, the defensive game of Portland is crumbling and showing off signs of fatigue and lacking communication as in today’s match when Gio made the unthinkable of substituting Larry’s Mabiala for Bill Pony Tuiloma in the 45’ minute.
Suddenly the Portland squad is giving its foes many spaces to allow them to display their game they are the most comfortable with and with Wednesday loss to DCU and today turn for SKC, so far in two matches the timbers defense has yield to seven goals.
For the Portland Timbers whenever they play Sporting Kansas City, these matches consider like an all-around challenge, by the way the Midwest crew plays against them with a defensive press and not allowing the Pacific Northwest squad to display an efficient offensive game.
Today was not an exception, despite Portland early dominance in the early minutes; suddenly the old Wizards turn the game in their favor in the first half and putting a total dominance in the Portland squad just allowing them a shoot on goal versus eleven from them.
Despite the locals dominance in the 12 minute Timbers Samuel Armenteros managed to send a shoot to a near score but the posts denying him in what could been a Timbers goal in the 12 ‘ minute.
From the beginning, Sporting Kansas City started showing many intents to the posts defended successfully by Jeff Attinella in this match delivered with seven whooping saves despite allowing three goals.
With early SKC arrivals in the first half with Gerso Fernandez in the fourth minute and later in the 19’, Diego Rubio, Graham Zuzi and Daniel Salloi, sowing the intents for the home side of opening the score but denied vehemently to their disbelief by the Timbers goalkeeper.
Still we were to see the likes of SKC forward Diego Rubio who delivered his first goals in the 28’ and later in the 37’, as his opening goal with assistance from Roger Espinoza leaving the Portland defense baffled. As in the second goal from Diego Rubio with assistances from Daniel Salloi and Matt Besler for the Chilean to extend his squad, lead to two goals and delivering with a double.
Despite the Portland Timbers David Guzman making a shoot in the early minutes of the second half, the game was always one sided to SKC favor and in the ending minutes Johnny Russell in the 89’ minute seal the deal for his Wizards.
As manager, Giovanni Savarese stated in his post-match interview in KPDX Radio AM 750, of him taking the responsibility of this disastrous road stand. Stating that every match is a learning experience and coming back to Portland things will be a little different.
As one, of his major challenges will be to return to his whole starting eleven the confidence lost and that has driven it to three consecutive losses, adding to improving his defensive game and looking for a prompt recovery in his players physical and mental states.
As their next match comes in the always-contested Cascadia Derby against a hot streaking Seattle Sounders that delivered a 5-0 rout over the LA Galaxy, and now to prepare ahead of this match at home where the PTFC is one tough foe.
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