Five Things is a weekly series on SportingKC.com that highlights the top storylines, players to watch and matchday programming ahead of each game throughout the season.
A mouthwatering Western Conference clash is on tap Saturday as first-place Sporting Kansas City (8-2-4, 28 points) visits the streaking Portland Timbers (6-3-3, 21 points) at Providence Park. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT with live coverage on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish).
Two teams freshly removed from midweek Open Cup victories will lock horns with hopes of continuing their respective unbeaten runs. Indeed, few if any contests in Major League Soccer's Week 15 slate are quite as enticing as #PORvSKC. Without further ado, let's jump into five compelling storylines surrounding Saturday's matchup.
1. Who's Hotter?
This isn't just a battle between two teams above the playoff line in the Western Conference. It's a battle between two teams who have largely fired on all cylinders over the last several weeks. Portland endured a turbulent start to the 2018 campaign, going 0-3-2 out of the gates, but first-year head coach Giovanni Savarese has his team surging into the early summer. The Timbers have collected seven wins and a draw over their last eight games in all competitions, last losing on April 8 at Orlando City SC.
Sporting KC, meanwhile, is riding a six-game unbeaten run since falling 1-0 to the New England Revolution — in controversial style, no less — on April 28. That includes Wednesday's 2-0 win at Real Salt Lake in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round, a game that saw Manager Peter Vermes field four Homegrown Players for the first time in club history.
2. Rose City Success
Providence Park has long been revered as one of the toughest places to play in Major League Soccer. Yet Sporting KC has largely been immune to the harrowing experiences customary to visiting teams. Vermes' men have gone 4-2-1 in their last seven regular season visits to Portland, including shutouts in four of their last five games at the stadium.
Overall, Sporting KC is 4-1-2 in its last seven regular season meetings with the Timbers. Portland's only victory over the last five seasons came in August 2016 when the side prevailed 3-0 at home.
3. Formidable Fortress
Portland's 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy last Saturday snapped the team's franchise-record 10-game home winning streak at Providence Park. This 10-game run spanned back to August 2017 and saw the Timbers outscore opponents 25-6 with five clean sheets.
These numbers speak volumes about Portland's tremendous quality on home turf, and with reigning MLS MVP Diego Valeri picking up where he left off last year with six goals and three assists in 2018, Sporting KC can expect a stern test Saturday night.
4. No Rest for the Weary
Both teams took the field Wednesday night, fielding rotated lineups en route to securing 2-0 victories in Open Cup play. Portland had the benefit of playing at home, where they swept aside the San Jose Earthquakes, while Sporting KC went into Rio Tinto Stadium and silenced Real Salt Lake behind second-half goals from Johnny Russell and Kharlton Belmar. Expect both sides to revert to their full-strength lineups on Saturday amidst the fixture congestion.
5. Doomed Without Diego?
Portland midfielder Diego Chara doesn't exactly boast a stat sheet that jumps off the page. He has seven goals and 17 assists in 215 regular season appearances as the only player who remains from the Timbers' inaugural 2011 MLS roster. Yet the combative Chara just might be Portland's most valuable piece. In their last 17 games without him in the lineup, Portland has racked up 11 losses, six draws and zero wins. That's right, a 0-11-6 record without Chara, and those are the exact circumstances Portland faces on Saturday.
Chara, who picked up a yellow card in last weekend's tie against the Galaxy, will miss Saturday's game due to caution accumulation. This bodes well for Sporting KC, who will look to expose the influential midfielder's absence and improve upon their 3-1-2 regular season road record in 2018.
