(11) Portland Timbers (3,7,4, 13 points) vs (13) Sporting Kansas City (2,6,5, 11 points)
Saturday May 25, 2024 KO 7:30 PM PST/ 10:30 PM EST
Providence Park, Portland, Oregon
Portland Timbers Briefly
This cannot continue with these embattled Portland Timbers being just a one-half team, that they play amazing in one half and in the other half conceding. Games are played in ninety minutes.
Again, I do recall the efforts of manager Phil Neville to turn this team around for the better, but somehow some players aren’t playing to their standards or being too laid back.
Defense wins games this team doesn’t have that as both Millers cannot do it on their own as this is a team effort and some players in the backfield aren’t delivering and this is becoming a burden for the Green and Gold.
There’s a lot of things this team needs to improve in order to turn its season around and deliver a memorable afternoon to manager Neville, as the man’s efforts speak aloud for him to deliver a winner to the Rose City.
All we can say is give the man a chance to prove himself worthy of a good manager and deliver positive results with his team being on the same page. Individual efforts aren’t the option as some players are lately playing.
I cannot foresee another season missing the playoffs, as the team didn’t give its best. After all, Phil Neville cannot deliver a winner without all of his players being on the same page.
Something needs to be done as well take advantage of all its home games and winning them as well as a game or two on the road to make it to the promised land of the postseason. This team needs to develop a better defensive backfield.
The positive side for the Timbers is that their offense is delivering, but without defense the team will not go anywhere after Rodriguez, Mora, Evander and Moreno do their best, but in the end it will become the team’s all-around frustration.
This team needs to wake up! Can they take advantage of Sporting Kansas City’s current skid or we’ll see another defeat to the Boys from the Midwest at home!
Photo Credit Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City Briefly
Another challenging season for manager Peter Vermes, after seeing his side drop important conference games and overall, the team isn’t playing to its standards that many expected after the team reinforced their ranks with a few important players.
So far, with back-to-back losses to Houston and Austin, the team isn’t playing to it foreseen potential many expected of them at the start of the season when they looked very impressive and accumulating a good number of wins.
Captain Johnny Russell states of the team effort and response being there, but conceding in the end is frustrating for the whole team as individual and team errors are taking a toll on the Vermes Project.
This team is exercising a good amount of pressure, but unfortunately the results haven’t been there.
They better have to watch their lead in order to get a positive result in the match is. As you recall, these teams ended up drawing back in Kansas City when they conceded a three-goal lead and finish with a score of 3-3.
Meetings
04/07/2024 Sporting Kansas City 3-3 Portland Timbers
05/28/2023 Sporting Kansas City 4-1 Portland Timbers
02/27/2023 Portland Timbers 1-0 Sporting Kansas City
Forecast
Both teams come from losing their respective matches, I see an even affair between these sides
