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Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers Preview: Can the Hosts Build Momentum or Will the Timbers Keep Rolling?

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April 12, 2025

Sporting Kansas City welcome the in-form Portland Timbers to Children’s Mercy Park this weekend in Gameweek 8 of the MLS season, with both sides eyeing crucial points but for vastly different reasons.

While the hosts are desperate to climb out of the Western Conference basement, the visitors are riding a wave of form and looking to keep pace with the league’s early front-runners.

🔍 Match Preview

⚽ Sporting Kansas City

It’s been a rocky ride so far for Sporting Kansas. After missing out on the playoffs last year, 2025 hasn’t started much better — just one win in seven matches and currently second from the bottom in the Western Conference.

However, that lone win — a 2-0 home victory over St. Louis City last weekend — might just be the spark they need. It ended a six-game winless streak, offering Kerry Zavagnin’s men a sliver of hope. But serious questions remain, especially in defense — no team in the West has conceded more goals (12).

🔥 Portland Timbers

In contrast, the Timbers are humming along nicely under Phil Neville. Unbeaten in four and sitting fifth in the table, they’ve collected 11 points from seven games, with their last match a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to Austin FC.

Despite the goalless draw, Portland looked sharp and dangerous, forcing multiple saves from Austin’s Brad Stuver. The Timbers’ attack, led by Felipe Mora and supported by Costa and Antony, remains one of the most fluid in the conference.

Even with key absentees, this is a side that looks confident, balanced, and dangerous on the counter.

🩺 Team News

Sporting Kansas City

✅ Nearly full squad available.
❌ Out: Rosero Daniel (groin).
⭐ Key man: Dejan Joveljic (4 goals this season).

Portland Timbers

❌ Out: Miguel Araujo (undisclosed), Jonathan Rodriguez (knee), Julio Ortiz (hamstring).
🔑 Still dangerous: Even with injuries, depth options like Mora and Moreno have stepped up.

🧠 Prediction

While Sporting KC will be encouraged by last weekend’s win, their porous defense is still a concern. Portland, on the other hand, are more consistent, more clinical, and arguably better equipped to take advantage of any mistakes.

That said, playing at home with a new burst of confidence, Kansas might just make it competitive — but Portland’s form and quality edge them ahead.

📈 Prediction: Sporting Kansas City 1-2 Portland Timbers

📝 Predicted Lineups

Sporting Kansas City: Pulskamp; Fernandez, Miller, Shelton, Ndenbe; Garcia, Bartlett, Davis; Salloi, Joveljic, Suleymanov

Portland Timbers: Pantemis; Mosquera, Surman, Miller, Fory; Chara, Ayala; Moreno, Costa, Antony; Mora

⚔️ Will Kansas make it back-to-back wins, or will the Timbers keep their unbeaten streak alive? This one’s shaping up to be a real test of momentum vs. resilience.