Sporting Kansas City at Portland Timbers
Thursday, October 29 – 9 p.m. CT
Providence Park | Portland, Oregon
Local TV: KMCI-TV 38 the Spot
National TV: UniMas (English/Spanish)
English Radio: Sports Radio 810 WHB
Spanish Radio: La Grande 1340 AM
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Sporting Kansas City opens their Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs campaign at 9 p.m. CT on Thursday against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. The match will be nationally televised on UniMas and local broadcasts will be available on KMCI-TV 38 the Spot, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
Both teams ended the MLS regular season with home victories on Sunday. Sporting KC defeated the LA Galaxy 2-1 at Sporting Park and the Portland Timbers prevailed 4-1 over the Colorado Rapids. The Timbers scored just 32 goals through their first 32 games this season, but have scored nine in their last two matches including the victory over the Rapids.
Sporting KC (14-11-9, 51 points) finished in sixth place, two points behind the third-seeded Timbers (15-11-8, 53 points), in the Western Conference standings to set up a single-elimination Knockout Round match-up. Thursday's winner will advance to the two-game Western Conference Semifinals series.
Sporting KC and the Portland Timbers met on three occasions during the 2015 MLS regular season with Sporting KC holding the series advantage (1-0-2) after securing a 1-0 victory at Providence Park the last time these two teams met. Krisztian Nemeth tallied the game-winner on a stunning individual effort in the 83rd minute three days after Sporting KC lifted the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy.
Sporting KC has posted four straight clean sheets against the Timbers in MLS play, a shutout streak that spans 392 minutes dating back to 2013. Sporting KC also boasts a 3-1-1 all-time record at Providence Park.
The 2015 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs marks the fifth consecutive postseason for Sporting KC, a run highlighted by the club hoisting the Philip F. Anschutz trophy in 2013 as MLS Cup champions. The Timbers only previous playoff run came in 2013, when they fell to Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Final.
In-game updates will be available on SportingKC.com/GameOn, via Twitter at @SKCGameday and through the Sporting Club Uphoria mobile app. The Final Whistle: Sporting KC Postgame Show will be available on Sports Radio WHB immediately after the match and fans can join the conversation by calling 913-3-810-810.
