Sporting Kansas City hits the road this weekend with a visit to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT and will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, while also being broadcast locally on the radio via Sports Radio 810 WHB.
1. WINS KEEP COMING UNDER ZAVAGNIN
Sporting Kansas City began a tough month of May in the best way possible by taking three points in a gritty 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night, and will now look to take that confidence into a tough three-game road swing starting on Saturday against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.
The win over the Galaxy this past weekend takes Sporting to three wins in five since head coach Kerry Zavagnin took over in an interim role. Goalscoring is up - from 0.86 goals per game in the club’s first eight games of the season to 2.20 since the change - while the club has also posted its first two clean sheets of the 2025 campaign in their last five matches.
Sunday’s result - coming in historic fashion as Sporting became the first team in MLS history to win a match without taking a shot - continued a trend of roller-coaster action over the past month, as the team has gone W-L-W-L-W since Zavagnin took charge.
Sunday’s victory kicked off a hectic month of May for Sporting who will play seven matches throughout the month with five coming on the road - including a brutal seven-day stretch that starts this weekend when Sporting travels to Portland, St. Louis and San Diego from May 10-17.
2. AIMING TO TOPPLE HIGH-FLYING TIMBERS
Sporting Kansas City closes out the club’s 2025 regular-season series with the Portland Timbers this weekend when the team heads to the Pacific Northwest for a Saturday night showdown against the third-place Oregonians at Providence Park.
The two sides have already met once this year - just under a month ago at Children’s Mercy Park on April 13, 2025. In head coach Kerry Zavagnin’s second match at the helm, the Timbers pounced on a slow start to the second half from Sporting to claim a 4-2 victory after the score was deadlocked 2-2 at the interval following first-half goals from Shapi Suleymanov and Dejan Joveljic.
Sporting last visited Providence Park on May 25, 2024, succumbing to a narrow 2-1 defeat. After Felipe Mora had given the Timbers the lead, Sporting responded through a brilliant strike from Memo Rodriguez but star midfielder Evander had the final say and won it late for the hosts.
The all-time regular-season series is tied at 9-9-7, with Sporting holding a 4-7-2 mark on the road. After winning during four of their first seven visits to Providence Park, Sporting has not won at the venue since April 15, 2017 when a Dom Dwyer goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory.
3. VOLODER NAMED TO TEAM OF THE MATCHDAY
Major League Soccer announced on Monday the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 11 of the regular season with Sporting Kansas City defender Robert Voloder honored as one of the top 20 players in the league after the team’s 1-0 win against reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park.
Voloder partnered with Jansen Miller in central defense to help Sporting Kansas City hold the Galaxy to a single shot on goal and, in doing so, record the team’s second shutout of the season. The 23-year-old German won 100% of his tackles and ground duels, had 11 total defensive actions including eight clearances, and completed 28 of 31 passes (90.3%).
Voloder joined Sporting from Slovenian side Maribor as a U22 initiative signing ahead of the 2022 campaign and has made 67 appearances to date, tallying one goal and two assists from center back. The German had initially began his career with hometown club FC Cologne.
4. MILLER SHINES IN SECOND SHUTOUT OF CAMPAIGN
Sporting Kansas City rookie center back Jansen Miller continued to prove his credentials this past weekend with a standout performance as the club earned a 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night.
Miller, who has started each of the club’s two shutouts this season having also performed admirably in the 2-0 home win over St. Louis on April 5, delivered a stellar performance in central defense on Sunday, finishing with a career-high and game-high 17 total defensive actions, 13 clearances (including seven headed clearances) and four accurate long balls.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to life in the professional ranks since being selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft out of Indiana.
Despite a tough start to the season for Sporting, the team has gone 3-4-0 in matches Miller has started, while the Missouri native has also recorded the fastest top speed (21.35 miles per hour) of any Sporting player this season.
5. PULSKAMP RISES UP CLUB LEADERBOARDS
Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp produced a standout performance during the club’s 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night, and now sees himself rise up the club’s all-time leaderboards in a pair of categories.
While Pulskamp was only credited with one save on the night - a low stop on John Nelson in the first half - the 24-year-old also repelled various Galaxy crosses and near misses, particularly denying Gabriel Pec in the first half and Marco Reus in the second half.
By recording the clean sheet and a victory, Pulskamp moved into a tie for seventh in club history in both shutouts (eight) and wins (12) in the regular season, joining Eric Kronberg and Garth Lagerwey, respectively.
Pulskamp, who is in his first season as a full time starter between the sticks for Sporting, is poised to make his 100th professional appearance on Saturday in Portland, having played 55 matches for Sporting and 44 matches for Sporting KC II.
