Blog

To preview this weekend's match at Sporting Park, I spoke to Timbers' TV play-by-play announcer John Strong and MLSSoccer.com writer Dan Itel. 

John Strong

What differences have you seen with new manager Caleb Porter?

"It's honestly been pretty massive. He's very cautious and for good reason to not to take too much credit or phrase anything that looks like he's being critical of the previous coach. I think the biggest thing that he's done is he's installed a sense of everything that came the last two years is now irrelevant. All the struggles on the road, the bad results, whatever else, that doesn't mean anything anymore. It's about what they do going forward."

What impact have the new additions (Valeri, Will Johnson, Ryan Johnson) had on the team?

"They've all been really really big, every single new player that's been brought in. Ryan Johnson's scored goals, Will Johnson's been immense, and Valeri brings a dimension that they just haven't really had before."

What do you expect to see from Saturday's match?

"My hope for the game would be that after you get past the initial feeling out period, two teams who want to play good soccer, know how to play good soccer, and come at each other a little bit. I know both coaches would be hesitant to get into too much of a track meet but I can see it going that way for stretches because these teams are good at moving quick, counterattacking up the field. I would hope the Timbers can feed off the atmosphere the same as teams that come into JELD-WEN. They feed off the atmosphere too. I would hope the Timbers would do that in Kansas City. My hope is for a pretty attractive game and hopefully a couple goals."

"It's the only meeting this year. I think for the Timbers, go and play and get what you can. Obviously, Kansas City's going to be motivated to play well. I'm pretty optimistic this could be a awful fun game Saturday night."

Dan Itel

What changes has new manager Caleb Porter brought to the Timbers?

"He's definitely brought in an entirely new mindset. The style of play has been widely discussed as the possession, attack style. It's completely transformed not only the players that were there before under John Spencer but also the new players that he's (Porter) brought in like Ryan Johnson. He's (Johnson) been producing at a career rate. Guys like Diego Valeri, obviously he's an accomplished player, but he seems to be flourishing in just the right role. I really think what Caleb has done is he's taken the pieces that he inherited and also the pieces they brought on board and just put them in the right spots so they can succeed."

What impact has new team captain Will Johnson had on the Timbers this season?

"He's a prototypical captain. When you think of a team captain, he's the guy you want. He's fiery on the field. He's in that central midfielder role where he dictates the pace of the offense and what happens on the field."

How do you think Portland will approach Saturday's match?

"It's hard to say what he's (Porter) going to do on gameday but I would say he's not going to change much in how they play at home versus how they play on the road at a place like Kansas City. He's said all along that he feels the best defense is a controlling, pressing, possession style and that's what he's going to do. He mentioned it at San Jose. The reason why they ended up drawing that game is because they got away from attacking. Once they got a goal up they kind of sat back and let San Jose take the game to them and it cost them. He's been preaching that his week and saying we've got to stay on our front foot. We've got to take the game to our opponents. I think that's what he's going to do no matter if its at home in JELD-WELD or on the road at a tough place to play like Kansas City. That's his philosphy and I don't think he's going to waver much from that."

What do you expect for Saturday's match?

"I think it's going to be a really well played game. Two teams that are entertaining to watch. They have a lot of talent on the field. It could be a classic back and forth type match where each team is trying to impose their will on the other. That's usually the best type of soccer to watch and you could see a couple of goals here and there from both teams."

(Photo: USA Today Images)

Sporting Kansas City returns home to Sporting Park on Saturday against the Portland Timbers. Portland plays a 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on possession. The team is averaging about 500 completed passes per game and has had over 60% of possession in four of their seven matches. Portland's goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts is an MLS veteran who was 2011 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. 

New manager Caleb Porter has brought a different style to the Portland Timbers. They are generally not a counterattacking side but aiming to control matches by retaining possession and dictating the match to their opponents. Early in the season, Portland struggled defensively but has only conceded one goal in their last three matches. Offensively, Portland is tied for second most in MLS with 11 goals with Ryan Johnson and Will Johnson with three each.

Forwards

Ryan Johnson joined Portland in the offseason in a trade with Toronto FC. The Jamaican international has three goals and one assists through seven matches. He'll be the center forward and typically is joined by Darlington Nagbe up top. Rodney Wallace has started as the other forward on the left side for the last three matches. Nagbe is a very talented player who won the 2011 AT&T MLS Goal of the Year for his strike against Sporting KC at JELD-WEN Field. Johnson and Wallace provide more of a physical presence while Nagbe is more a technically gifted player. Tactically, Johnson will play centrally with Nagbe and Wallace on the wings.

Midfielders

The midfield is one of Portland's strength with Will Johnson, Diego Chara, and Diego Valeri. Johnson is a regular for the Canadian National Team and was named the team captain in preseason. Johnson is typically plays more of a defensive role but can be a threat offensively, especially on free kicks. Valeri's a Designated Player that brings creativity and attacking presence to the Timbers. He'll generally float around the midfield and look to push forward in the attack. Chara has played 28 matches in his first two seasons with Portland and another talented South American in the middle of the pitch. 

Defenders

The Portland backline includes two familiar faces, Michael Harrington and Jack Jewsbury, along with Mikael Silvestre and Mamadou Danso. The backline hasn't changed in the last two matches and likely won't on Saturday. David Horst started two matches in central defense earlier in the season but is unavailable due to an injury. Similar to Sporting KC, both outside backs will look to get forward and make overlapping runs. Silvestre is the most experienced and accomplished player on the backline with time at Manchester United and other well-known European clubs. Danso has been with Portland since their USL Pro days and played internationally for Gambia.

Lineup vs San Jose (April 14)	Lineup at San Jose (April 21)