The struggling Portland Timbers will try to revive their playoff push when they visit Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
The Timbers are on a three-match losing streak and are 1-4-2 in their last seven matches. This slump has dropped Portland (9-13-5, 32 points) four points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy for the ninth and final Western Conference playoff slot.
Portland’s 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 26 followed a familiar script, as all three Earthquakes goals came in the first 29 minutes of play. Of the 51 goals conceded by the Timbers this season, 32 have been scored in the first half.
“It’s been now many times that in the first half, we’re chasing, we’re pushing ourselves for a comeback. We cannot rely on scoring three, four times to win games,” Timbers coach Marti Cifuentes said.
Jose Caicedo may be available Saturday after missing Portland’s last four matches with a thigh injury. Antony’s status is uncertain, as Cifuentes said the striker was dealing with a knee problem in training this week.
On paper, Sporting Kansas City are the perfect opponent for the Timbers to make up some ground in the standings. Kansas City (6-18-3, 21 points) has the fewest points in MLS, and Portland recorded a 6-0 rout over SKC on May 9.
However, a roster overhaul during the summer transfer window has turned Sporting KC into a much more dangerous squad. After scoring just 20 times in their first 22 matches of the season, Kansas City is 2-3-0 with 11 goals scored in its last four outings.
Andre Luiz is the engine of this revived attack, with five goals tallied during his four-match scoring streak. The best may be yet to come, as SKC coach Raphael Wicky said the Brazilian is still in “an integration phase” in terms of fitness and getting used to MLS play.
“It’s really good to have a player like Andre on the team who you know at any moment obviously can hurt a (rival) team with an individual action,” Wicky said.
Lasse Berg Johnsen (hamstring) is questionable for SKC, while Moises Mosquera (hamstring) and Owen Wolff (quad) won’t be available.
Jake Davis is back in training after missing six matches with a knee injury, but he is ruled out for Saturday.
–Field Level Media
