Preview: Portland Timbers @ Sporting Kansas City | Timbers Look To Win In Kansas City’s New Stadium
August 17, 2011 — PDXPIPELINEBy Will Conwell
GAME 23: Portland Timbers (7W-11L-5T) @ Sporting Kansas City (7W-7L-9T)¬Â¨
Wednesday, August 17, 5:30 p.m. FOX12
Previous match-up(s): None
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After a rough road loss to Houston the Timbers travel to Livestrong Stadium where Sporting Kansas City have only lost once this year. The Timbers have struggled on the road, only picking up one road win so far this season, but they will need to find a way to come out on top if they want to make the swiftly approaching playoffs.
Captain Jack Jewsbury is still listed as questionable on the team's injury report, but it is likely he will take the pitch against his former team where he played for eight years. Having long been a popular player with the Kansas City fans, it will likely be a warm homecoming for Captain Jack, who was also born and raised in Missouri. With Captain Jack in the midfield will once again be the industrious Diego Chara. Chara has come on as an offensive force in recent games, but has lagged defensively as seen in Brian Ching's goal for the Dynamo on Saturday.
With the surprise inclusion of Eddie Johnson at forward last week and his subsequent concussion, Jorge Perlaza and Kenny Cooper will be the Timbers striker pairing, barring a switch back to the 4-5-1 which last week saw Cooper moved out to the left wing. It will up to them to combine effectively with the Timbers wing players, particularly Sal Zizzo who has been electric on the right wing for the Timbers since stepping in to the starter's role.
The Timbers defeat on Saturday was a harsh one that saw the Timbers give a major playoff contender a serious boost toward one of the wild card berths. Today they once again face an opponent who will vie for a wild card playoff berth. The Timbers have not eliminated themselves from playoff contention yet, but with each dropped point it gets harder for them to claw back into the playoff picture. With only eleven games left in the season the Timbers need to find the mental toughness to get points on the road, something that they have been lacking so far this season.
Kansas City have also struggled on the road, but unlike the Timbers they have a good reason for it. Playing their first ten games away while waiting for the completion of their new stadium, Sporting Kansas City did not find much luck on the road. However, since the opening of their stadium, they have only lost once which came in their last match against Seattle.
SKC are host to a number of talented attacking players including rookie of the year canidate C.J. Sapong, United States national team player Teal Bunbury, and Mexican national team player Omar Bravo. Bravo is currently out with a suspension for a two footed tackle in Kansas City's last game and will miss playing the Timbers, but there is sufficient depth for SKC to prove real threat to the Timbers defense.
STRATEGY¬Â¨
Kansas City has several strong and fast attacking players and it shows in their style of play. The Timbers back line will need to be on the lookout for the fast break, particularly from Bunbury and winger Kai Kamara. They will also need to be strong physically, particularly against Sapong who manhandled Eric Brunner at Jeld-Wen Field to score in the two teams' last meeting. With Jeremy Hall taking over the right back spot for a suspended Lovel Palmer, the Timbers need to be careful to not commit too their backs too far forward without coverage.
The Timbers attack of late has been effective, and will likely continue to be so if they can work the ball through the wings. Kansas City's wing backs, Michael Harrington and Seth Sinovic, are not known for their pace and could be picked apart by a player like Sal Zizzo. The Timbers largest failing all year has been their finishing, but they have been creating the chances that they need recently. If they can just put some of these chances away, they will be a in a good position to take a point home.
TOP 5 GOAL SCORERS
1. Jack Jewsbury – 7
2. Jorge Perlaza – 5
3. Kenny Cooper – 4
6. Tie: Rodney Wallace/Mamadu ¬Å“Futty¬Â Danso/Eric Brunner – 2
NEXT 5 MATCHES
8/20 vs Vancouver
8/24 vs Chivas USA
9/10 @ Philadelphia
9/16 vs New England
9/21 vs San Jose
BOTTOM LINE¬Â¨
The Timbers finish out their road trip to a possible playoff rival that needs points as much as they do. The Timbers must show that they want to win more than their opponents, an attitude that was sorely lacking against Houston, if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. The Timbers can take three points here, but they will have to earn them.
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Pipeline's Portland Timbers coverage by:
Will Conwell
Will Conwell is an aspiring novelist who spends his free time unloading trucks in warehouses. His passions in life are soccer, beer, and writing, which he has found are best enjoyed in concert. Will can be contacted at william.conwell@gmail.com or on twitter at TimbersPipeline.
