Sporting Kansas City are set to face the Portland Timbers on Saturday in the club's first match against a League opponent since lifting the MLS Cup on Dec. 7. The pre-season game will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on SportingKC.com, marking the second of three exhibition matches for Sporting KC during their stay in Tucson, Ariz.
Sporting KC earned a 1-0 victory over USL Premier Development League's FC Tucson to open their 2014 pre-season campaign on Tuesday. Fourth-year professional and 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year, C.J. Sapong scored the lone goal, assisted by Claudio Bieler, in the 20th minute. Sporting KC utilized 26 players on Tuesday, rotating their entire lineup at halftime.
Saturday will be the first of four competitive matches for the Portland Timbers at the Kino Sports Complex during the 2014 pre-season, with games against the Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo, and Indy Eleven next on the docket. The Timbers have added seven new faces to their roster during the offseason, despite finishing atop the Western Conference at the conclusion of the regular season.
Most notable is experienced Argentine striker, Gaston Fernandez, who spent his career playing in the top divisions of Argentina and Mexico. Fernandez and Sporting KC midfielder Paulo Nagamura were both on Mexico's Tigres in 2010, but their time at the club did not overlap. The Timbers also signed Argentine defender, Norberto Paparatto who was named captain of Tigres ahead of their 2013-14 season. Norberto and Nagamura were teammates at Tigres in 2010.
The Timbers also added former Seattle Sounders FC midfielder and No. 1 draft pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, Steve Zakuani and Jorge Villafana, who spent the last seven seasons playing for Chivas USA to round out and veteran heavy group of offseason signings.
The reigning MLS Cup champions have added two players during the short offseason, and lost only one starter from the 2013 championship match at Sporting Park. Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen retired two days after leading Sporting KC to a shootout victory over Real Salt Lake. Eric Kronberg, who enters his ninth season with the club, welcomes his new role and opportunity to garner significant game minutes as first choice goalkeeper in 2014.
Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum was added to the roster in trade with the Columbus Crew to compete with Kronberg and twenty-year-old homegrown goalkeeper Jon Kempin. Sporting Kansas City's other offseason signing, midfielder Sal Zizzo spent the last three seasons with the Portland Timbers.
Sporting KC's next pre-season match is against NASL side Indy Eleven on Friday, February 7 at 12 p.m. CT.
