The Portland Timbers have passed most every test they’ve faced over the last two months, but on Saturday night at Providence Park, they’ll face their biggest hurdle of the 2018 season so far: a showdown with the ever-formidable Sporting Kansas City — minus a suspended Diego Chara (7:30 p.m., TV on ROOT Sports).
The Opponent
No team in MLS plays the Timbers tougher at Providence Park than does Peter Vermes’ Kansas City. SKC’s all-time record in Portland is an unheard of 4-2-1, with that draw coming in the 2015 Wild Card game that stands as one of the best in MLS history.
That success isn’t an accident. Sporting is as well-drilled as any team in MLS, tight as a drum defensively, and more than comfortable grinding out results in difficult environments. The intensity at which they play has taken its toll late in seasons, but it makes them one of the league’s toughest outs through August.
This year has been no different. Kansas City is currently top of the Western Conference and second only to Atlanta in the Supporters’ Shield race, with the best goal differential in the league. Johnny Russell has added some badly needed pop to the offense, while the defense is only just behind its record-setting 2017 pace.
The team is slightly banged up heading into this game, with Yohan Croizet, Jimmy Medranda out and Seth Sinovic and Khiry Shelton potentially joining them, but Vermes played a largely reserve team in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night and SKC still won 2-0 at Real Salt Lake. Whoever they roll out on Saturday night, they’ll compete.
The Tactics
This should be an excellent test for both teams, and Saturday’s forecast could give it a decidedly postseason feel.
The big question for the Timbers is how to cope with the absence of Chara, without whom they are winless in an extraordinary 17 straight games. Positionally, either Eyrk Williamson or Lawrence Olum will slide into the Colombian’s spot the center of the midfield trio.
But it will largely fall to Cristhian Paredes to approximate Chara’s role as destroyer defensively and to connect the Timbers’ defense and attack on the ball. It’ll be a challenge.
Sporting keeps possession fairly easily, with the fullbacks pressing high and much of the traffic coming down Graham Zusi’s right flank, and though they don’t have a great attacking threat outside of Russell, they get the goals they need by generating a ton of shots — 266 through their first 14 games, by some distance the most in MLS.
Knowing that SKC likes to attack down the right, the Timbers will likely shade that way defensively and do what they’ve done since mid-March: look to spring Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri going forward. But LA contained Portland fairly well on the counter last weekend, and Sporting is capable of doing the same.
There are never many chances in Portland-Kansas City games, and it very well might take a moment of individual magic to decide this one.
The Lineup
1 – Attinella
32 – Farfan
18 – Cascante
33 – Mabiala
16 – Valentin
30 – Williamson
22 – Paredes
14 – Flores
10 – Blanco
8 – Valeri (C)
99 – Armenteros
— If Liam Ridgewell is fit, which he, remarkably, may very well be, he’ll replace Cascante. Either way, assuming that Saverese sticks with the 4-3-2-1, the questions are at the fullback position opposite Valentin, the third central midfield slot, and, perhaps, at forward.
— With Alvas Powell sidelined last week, Savarese preferred Bill Tuiloma to Marco Farfan. But Tuiloma went 90 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup game midweek, and playing Farfan would allow Zarek Valentin to shift to his more natural right back.
— Eryk Williamson played just 45 minutes in the Open Cup game on Wednesday night, compared to 90 for Olum, and he seems to be in line to make his MLS debut in Chara’s place tomorrow.
— Samuel Armenteros didn’t score last Saturday against the Galaxy but was still effective. He’s the likely starter up top, though, Fanendo Adi should see more minutes than he has the last two weeks.
— Attacking options off the bench? Outside of Adi or Armenteros, there aren’t going to be many. Dairon Asprilla, however, having played well and scored midweek, could return to the fray.
The Memory
Sporting handed the Timbers one of their two losses at Providence Park last year in mid April, with Dom Dwyer scoring the decisive goal early in the second half.
The Pick
The Timbers haven’t been able to beat any kind of opponent in the last three years without Diego Chara, let alone an opponent as stout as SKC. With both teams shorthanded, an intense, physical game will finish 1-1.
