Portland Timbers-Sporting Kansas City Preview (5/9/26)
The 2026 Portland Timbers are hanging by a thread. Sure, they’ve managed to win 2 out of their last 4 games, but the results surrounding those wins are setting off alarm bells the size of Big Ben. Last weekend’s performance in Salt Lake City was uniquely awful. However, the Timbers have an opportunity to get back on track as they welcome a pitiful Sporting Kansas City side to Providence Park tomorrow.
The SKC Report
Can you believe that it’s almost been a full year since the Timbers and SKC last saw each other? Like tomorrow’s meeting, last year’s Portland-SKC game at Providence Park took place on the day before Mothers’ Day. On May 10th, 2025, Santiago Moreno’s 10th-minute bicycle kick proved to be the deciding strike in a 1-0 Timbers victory against their competitive rivals. SKC ended that game in 12th place; 6 points behind the 9th-placed Colorado Rapids.
Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin (who had replaced the sacked Peter Vermes after a 2-1 loss in Dallas on March 29th) was tasked with steadying the ship and trying to get SKC to a playoff spot. I’ll spoil the ending: SKC did not qualify for the playoffs and finished 15th in the West last season. They ended the campaign only 2 points ahead of Spoon-winning DC United. However, they authored a pretty good case for themselves as the rightful winners of that dreaded Wooden Spoon.
They spent the remainder of the season getting largely trampled by their opposition. After the 1-0 loss against the Timbers, they went 4-6-12 over the rest of the season. Two of those four wins were against the Rapids, which effectively kept the Colorado club from making the playoffs. No team in the league needed a bigger overhaul than SKC in the past winter.
So they brought in David Lee to run the front office. Mike Burns was hired in June 2024 to take some of Vermes’ front-office duties, but it was clear that SKC needed someone higher up the food chain to kickstart this rebuild. And based on the actions that followed, “rebuild” might be too nice of a term.
Let’s start with the departures. 10 players had expiring contracts, and none of them returned to the club. That list included mainstays like Erik Thommy, Logan Ndembe, and Robert Voloder and stretched to squad players like Mason Toye. Andrew Brody, Joaquin Fernandez, Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Memo Rodriguez, and former Oregon State Beaver Khiry Shelton were included in the outgoings. Two loan players (Santiago Munoz and Alan Montes) returned to their parent clubs. Lee took the job in October, but didn’t finalize his head coaching hire until the first week of January.
Raphael Wicky is no stranger to MLS. The 49-year-old Swiss manager first arrived on American shores following a relatively successful stint at Basel in 2019. Unfortunately, he was tasked with rebuilding the Chicago Fire after the Bastian Schweinsteiger era ended. Over two years, the Fire finished 10th and 12th with a win percentage of 24%. Wicky joined BSC Young Boys back in Switzerland in 2022 and led the club to a Swiss Cup and a league title. However, he got fired in March 2024 after 3 straight losses. He remained a free agent, and almost got the West Brom job in January 2025 but the deal fell through after one of his top choices for an assistant coach had his British work permit denied. Wicky settled for the SKC job as a result.
The Wizards famously ended the transfer window with a very incomplete roster. Sure, they loaded up on free agents like Calvin Harris, Wyatt Meyer, Ethan Bartlow and Jayden Reid, but the top-end quality simply wasn’t there. Lasse Berg Johnsen became the top foreign arrival from Malmo, and the in-season arrivals of Capita Capemba (from Radomiak Radom in Poland) and Diego Borges (from Hungarian side Zalaegerszeg) weren’t eye-popping additions either. With this skeleton crew, Sporting Kansas City began their season with one major goal in mind: do not win the Wooden Spoon.
How is that working out for them? Sporting Kansas City (1-2-7, 5 points, 15W/30S) are on a crash course for the Spoon. But this horrendous start to the season isn’t just bad in context of this current campaign. The Wizards are currently on track to author the worst season in MLS history.
That might sound like an exaggeration, but I have a chart to prove it.
American Soccer Analysis has been tracking xG and xGD (expected goal differential) since 2013. SKC’s 2025 season ended with the Wizards hoisting the crown of the worst xGD over an entire campaign, narrowly edging out FC Cincinnati’s inaugural season. Through 10 GAMES in 2026, SKC is already the 13th-worst MLS team of all time. And while most of these teams fall into the extremely unlucky category (2013 DC, 2021 Cincy, 2019 Cincy, and 2024 New England jump off the page in that regard) 2026 SKC is performing basically as expected (using the GD-xGD column to track over- and underperformance). That should be really troublesome, especially considering how bad their start to the season has been.
They began the campaign with a 3-0 loss in San Jose. In hindsight, it doesn’t look like that bad of a result. Their home opener was a 2-2 draw against Columbus, but a clutch John Pulskamp penalty save was the biggest factor in preserving the precious point. A 1-0 home loss to San Diego didn’t seem like a harsh result either. Finally, on March 14th, SKC won their only game of the season. Dejan Joveljic returned to Carson and scored a goal (like he did last season) and Berg Johnsen marked his debut with a wonderful strike from distance as SKC beat the Galaxy 2-1. An utterly hilarious result.
The Wizards lost 6 straight games after that priceless victory. 4-1 at home to Colorado, 3-1 in Salt Lake, 3-1 at home against San Jose, 3-0 in Vancouver, and 5-0 in Chicago. Do not be mistaken, I have just listed 5 games. So what was the 6th? In between the San Jose and Vancouver losses, the Wizards conjured a 3-0 loss in Colorado Springs in the Open Cup. SKC fans could tolerate the 3 losses up to that point, but that club prides itself on their 4 Open Cup titles. Even while Vermes was entering his death spiral with the club, the Wizards still found a way to reach an Open Cup final in 2024 (they lost to Olivier Giroud’s LAFC). It was the only trophy they had a realistic likelihood of competing in, and they lost 3-0 to a USL team.
After the back-breaking 5-0 loss in Chicago, SKC returned home and drew 1-1 with the Seattle Sounders. Paul Rothrock got the scoring started in the 2nd minute. But Cristian Roldan took it upon himself to break SKC’s losing streak by assisting Joveljic in the 18th minute. Superb. Both goalkeepers stood on their heads for the rest of the match and a 1-1 draw definitely favored the hosts.
That result potentially gave SKC some momentum. However, this roster is barely MLS-caliber, and they’ve registered the most shots against and the fewest shots for during this young season. Creation is primarily the responsibility of second-year DP Manu Garcia, who is a player that I think would really help the Timbers. But SKC’s ball progression is so bad that Garcia, nominally a 10, has been sitting deeper in the midfield. Joveljic has scored 5 of SKC’s 8 goals, and their top assist provider is 6 players tied with 1 assist. Things are DIRE at the Nebraska Furniture Mart.
SKC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI
All four of these players play in SKC’s backline. Agyabeng is a SuperDraft pick (as a midfielder) who has deputized at left back. Miller was a first-year starter in 2025 as a SuperDraft pick. Reynolds was acquired from Chicago via trade this offseason, and has been a starter at right back.
Wicky has routinely changed the team’s shape throughout the season, but this is how they lined up last weekend against Seattle. I see no reason to change that. Cleveland was acquired via trade with Austin and supplanted nominal starter John Pulskamp after an excellent display against the Sounders. Stefan Frei’s former understudy is most remembered for getting chipped by Felipe Mora in 2021 at Lumen. Reid is the starting left back. None of their center backs are very convincing, but Bartlow is 2nd in the league (among center backs) in cumulative goals added (behind Finn Surman). Johnsen is more of an 8, and Bartlett is more of a 6. Suleymanov is fiercely left-footed and could play on either flank. Capita has drawn Gerso comparisons in his first couple games with SKC. Garcia is a 10 who wears the number 6 despite the number being available. Sure, fine, whatever. Joveljic is the most goal-dangerous player on the team and isn’t just a poacher. I made a case last year that he was more impactful for MLS on the whole than Lionel Messi. I stand by that assessment. SKC doesn’t have a strong first-choice XI and their backups aren’t dangerous at all. The Wooden Spoon should already be on its way to Children’s Mercy Park.
The Timbers Report
After that 1-0 victory against SKC last season, the Portland Timbers (3-1-6, 10 points, 13W/25S) were 3rd in the West and 7th in the Supporters’ Shield standings. It’s amazing how much of a difference there is between last year and this year. To further illustrate the gap between 2025 and 2026, let’s take a look at an occurrence that usually foretells some form of success: shutouts.
A Clean Sheet?
Through their first 10 games in 2025, the Portland Timbers kept 3 clean sheets. The 2026 Timbers haven’t been close to keeping one over the same span of matches. That would require a full game of strong defense, something that the Timbers can barely do over the course of a half. Actually, to break it down further, not even over the first 20 minutes of a game.
The Timbers have played 10 games this season. In 5 of those games, they’ve conceded within the first 20 minutes. That’s utterly unacceptable. There are so many issues with their defense (that I’ve already chronicled and I’m not going to repeat myself) which makes it hard to pinpoint one as the main thing to focus on to achieve a shutout.
Simply not conceding within the first 20 minutes of a game would be a good place to start. Portland has played TWENTY-ONE straight games without a shutout. With SKC’s historically bad attack coming to Providence Park, keeping a clean sheet is something that the Timbers have to mark on the checklist.
PTFC Injury Report & Projected Starting XI
A hearty “Welcome back!” is in order for Zac McGraw and Juan Mosquera. Fernandez still isn’t expected to return before the World Cup, but he’s made some excellent strides in his recovery and is now training on the side during on-field sessions.
This is not the time to “hold players accountable,” it’s time to double down with your best lineup. After weeks of begging for the first-choice lineup to be available, it’s finally time to unleash it at full strength. The only debates to be had are over right back, center back, left wing, and striker. So let’s run through those for a second.
I believe that Mosquera will be on a minutes counter, but he should be healthy enough to start. Bonetig did not look good against RSL, but the same could be said about the rest of the team. Aravena needs to start over Antony, especially with the fierce commitment to playing a patient possession game. Kelsy came out of the RSL game without any questions about his effort and commitment. This lineup has to start tomorrow. Any change to a back three is equivalent to a white flag. Although this team could function in a back three, they were built for the 4-2-3-1. This lineup has never started together. A home game against SKC is the perfect time for them to do so.
Tactical Preview
Aggressive Receiving
There are a lot of things that the Timbers struggle with on the attacking end. However, in their constant struggle to do the basics correctly, there’s one thing in particular that I want to focus on for this upcoming game. It’s called “aggressive receiving,” and I can’t believe that I have to talk about it.
The Timbers play the majority of their passes on the ground and directly to feet. I’ve previously described that strategic choice as a hindrance, but the idea by itself isn’t necessarily bad. The way that the players react to these passes is actually the problem.
Most of these players (aside from Da Costa, Mora, and others on occasion) allow the ball to come to them instead of going towards the pass. Once again, this is an unbelievably simple adjustment that can open up space and force the defense to shift. By allowing the ball to come to them, Timbers players then have to take at least one extra touch to settle it before facing a defender who hasn’t had to work hard in order to put themselves in a position to challenge. If a player decides to move towards the ball, they can upset a defensive shape and put themselves in a better position to be aggressive once they receive the pass.
I remain bewildered as to why this team doesn’t do this. If a pass is played to someone’s feet, that player should be moving towards the ball. Not only does this increase the chances of the pass being completed (which helps the Timbers actually keep the ball instead of constantly turning it over) but it can create more dynamic ball movement as well. They can’t even do the simplest things to create even a slight advantage over an opposition defender in possession. It increases the overall passivity of the team and makes them easier to defend. God, it’s so bleak.
The Important Runs
If they can focus on “aggressive receiving,” it could open space for more off-ball runs. Adam Susman interviewed assistant coach Dave van den Bergh on Thursday, and one quote stood out:
“Well, we’ve lost 3 games after a win [by a] 2-0 [margin], right? So that obviously shows that we’re not scoring. We’re looking at that, and I believe that we need more guys hungry for goals in and around the 18-yard-box. It can’t just be our number 9, whoever that may be. Kevin Kelsy has done a good job in the last couple of games. He needs help in there because it’s easy to defend if only one guy goes in, so that’s a big emphasis for me.”
There are a couple of specifics in this quote that I disagree with. I think it shows how poor their defense has been instead of their attack considering that they conceded within the first 20 minutes in each of those 2-0 losses. But the overall point of the quote is the real issue.
I don’t think that Portland’s lack of attacking options in the box is the real problem with their inability to consistently create scoring chances. In fact, it’s the absence (or outright ignoring) of supporting runs that is the real culprit.
Here’s an image from 3 games ago in Minnesota. Portland has five players in position to crash the box, but Fory is isolated on the left side without a decent passing option. I made a big stink about this in my Minnesota recap, and I’ve seen very little change since then. This play isn’t failing because of the players queuing up for a cross, it’s because Fory has zero support on the outside.
Van den Bergh ignored the problems prior to the delivery and chose to focus on players getting into the box. The Timbers are easy to defend because of images like the one shown above. In order to change that, a few different things are required.
I hate repeating myself, but I need to mention the “always be lapping” mantra again. Underlaps and overlaps force defenders to change their focus in addition to providing a passing outlet. Finding better angles to deliver the final ball is also important. A cross from the channel at the top of the box and a cross from the endline are more dangerous places to deliver than a cross from the width of the penalty area.
Finally, these runs can increase the tempo of an attack. Portland’s possession play is slow because it’s designed to be slow. The Timbers take 5 passes to complete a movement that can be done in 1 or 2 passes. Each pass needs to have a purpose. The only purpose these extra passes serve is slowing the game down and allowing the defense more time to settle into a block. Portland’s attackers need to always be moving, even if that movement comes at the cost of losing a bit of structure. Rotations are key, and I worry that the team doesn’t have effective rotations to maximize the potential danger of an attack. All of those qualifiers are vastly important towards “enjoying the ball.”
They’re playing SKC, who are likely going to line up in a low block. These types of movement and rotations (including “aggressive receiving”) are going to be crucial in this game. Standing around passively like traffic cones isn’t going to cut it.
How To Press
The Portland Timbers should never try to press again. Neville didn’t run back the “top four in pressing” quote from the past month over this past week, but I’d like to present some charts to completely disprove that assumption (in addition to the boatload of evidence I’ve presented recently).
Here’s how Portland’s press impacts their defending.
Using PPDA, Portland is qualified as a “low-pressing” team. When they commit to a high man-to-man press, it’s usually ineffective. Those four teams surrounding them are not the teams that you want to be surrounded by.
This chart also indicates the data’s point-of-view that the Timbers don’t press effectively. You already knew that. Although New England has the best points tally out of the teams in Portland’s area, they aren’t very prolific on the attacking end. In other news, good God Vancouver.
The most frustrating aspect of last weekend’s game in Salt Lake wasn’t the attacking struggles. Instead, it was another repeated habit of the coaching staff: changing a moderately successful aspect of the previous game and making it a billion times worse.
Let’s go back to Game 2 in the San Diego series for a brief second. The Timbers lined up in a 4-3-3 and aggressively man-marked Los Plasticos. This largely worked, but San Diego was still able to find ways to bypass it after a while. It did provide somewhat of a blueprint for a way to win Game 3 though. However, Game 3 brought a structural change without a difference in overall strategy. The Timbers left gap after gap, and San Diego triumphed 4-0.
After the 2-1 win in San Diego, I had a different opinion of the first half than Neville. The head coach was concerned with Portland’s on-ball struggles, but I chose to see the positives in how they defended. Instead of pressing Los Plasticos, they settled into a mid-block and chose to selectively apply pressure. This led to Kelsy’s opening goal, and limited San Diego’s ability to create clear-cut chances in the first half. Sure, the Timbers did not dominate on the ball, but they formed something solid enough to prevent San Diego from finding an early goal and forcing the Timbers to chase. It allowed Portland to strike first, even though their early goal was negated by a penalty kick a few minutes later.
That should have been enough evidence that the Timbers were more suited to blocking than pressing. However, upon the opening kickoff in Salt Lake, Portland rolled out the high man-to-man press again. This choice is still bewildering. Out of everything from that San Diego game which proved to be moderately successful, the way the team defended in the opening half-hour should have been the biggest takeaway from the defensive side of the ball. There was absolutely zero reason to mess with it the following week. Yet it was the aspect of the gameplan that changed the most.
The Timbers will be at home tomorrow. It doesn’t mean that they have to press. Instead, they should form a mid-block centered around specific pressing triggers. For example, Manu Garcia is going to drop deep to pick up the ball. The Timbers should press him when he does that. Being selective with their pressure is going to be much more sustainable in the long run in addition to tomorrow’s game. It’s a key for the rest of the season, not just against Sporting Kansas City.
Matchday Info
Broadcast Bulletin
English: Max Bretos & Brian Dunseth
Spanish: Carlos Mauricio Ramirez
Home Radio Broadcast from 105.1 The Fan: available on Apple TV
Broadcast platform: Apple TV
Kickoff time: 7:30 PM PST
Referee Report
Ramy Touchan’s 2026 stats: 1 game, 33 fouls/game, 0 penalties/game, 7 yellows/game, 1 red/game
Last Timbers game officiated: August 24, 2024 vs. STL 4-4 D
Touchan only refereed 5 games in 2025 and 1 game so far in 2026. That 4-4 St. Louis draw was, simply put, a terrible officiating performance. The Raviolis were able to persistently foul the Timbers without punishment. St. Louis fouled the Timbers by a factor of two yet the Timbers received 4 yellows and a red compared to only 3 Ravioli yellows. Jonathan Rodriguez got a yellow card for simulation when it was blatantly clear that he was the recipient of contact from Eduard Lowen. That booking caused Rodriguez to miss the next game (against Seattle) with an accumulation suspension.
But Felipe Mora’s red card is what everyone remembers from that game (aside from a stunning free-kick equalizer from Evander deep into second-half stoppage time). Mora and Chris Durkin both jumped for a ball, and Mora stepped on Durkin’s head after the St. Louis midfielder fell down after winning the header. This play was classified as “violent conduct” and didn’t go to VAR. It was blatantly clear that the contact was incidental. It was a soccer play, but intention doesn’t matter in regards to the rules. More than anything, it was a brutal stroke of bad luck. I don’t think it crossed into the threshold of “violent conduct” because of the lack of malicious intent.
Touchan is in charge of another Timbers game. Buckle up. It’s going to be a bloodbath.
Series History
Historical record: 11-9-9, +2 goal differential
Home record: 8-4-4, +10 goal differential
Current streak: 3 wins (4 unbeaten)
Current home streak: 6 wins (8 unbeaten)
This recent spell of dominance by the Timbers in this matchup is characteristic of SKC’s fall from grace. In fact, most of SKC’s troubles can be traced back to a very memorable Portland-SKC game in 2018.
Both teams used to be consistently competitive in the previous decade, but have recently slid into national irrelevancy. The Timbers have spent the better part of the 2020s putting SKC in a blender, especially at Providence Park. In fact, the Wizards haven’t won in Portland since April 15th, 2017 (1-0 scoreline). Since that day, these matchups at Providence Park have been competitive as SKC hasn’t lost here by anything larger than a one-goal margin (except the 7-2 obliteration in 2022). Several memorable moments between these two have occurred in Portland, from Brian Fernandez’s winner in 2019 to a frigid season-opener in 2023 (hello, Juan Mosquera) and even Moreno’s bicycle kick last season! Oh yeah, and the Double Post. Can’t forget that one. In Year 100 of Providence Park, I hope that SKC gifts another memorable moment to the hallowed halls of the cathedral.
Table Time
A win cannot power the Timbers into the playoff places, but it could do wonders for their goal differential. There is a possibility that the final Wild Card spots will be determined by each team’s results against SKC. They represent the “free space” on the Western Conference bingo card. And that status means that the Timbers, above all else, have to win this game.
Final Whistle
Upon further review, it appears that I was rather harsh in my previous recap of the obliteration in Salt Lake City. Some aspects of that review are probably going to age poorly. I get that. However, I'd like to take this brief opportunity to double down even further.
This 2026 Timbers team is, at bare minimum, expected to qualify for the MLS postseason. Not win the Shield, not to finish in the top 4, but to finish in the top 7 at the very least. That is the expectation that every single person within the organization is operating under. So many of the performances throughout this season are far below that expectation. As Neville explained on Tuesday, it feels like this team takes one small step forward and two humongous steps back.
That's where the frustration comes from. Every single person within the organization is feeling some form of consternation from the team's consistent inconsistency. Those who have control over how the team sets up are under more pressure than anyone else.
A performance like last weekend needs to be harshly analyzed and reviewed because of the pattern that it follows. This team, on a week-to-week basis, cannot consistently find the proper ways to even perform the basics, much less have a *sustainable* identity.
That word "sustainable" is important. The Timbers are making strides towards finding an identity, but it's one of inconsistency instead of sustainable success. Last weekend's result proved that hypothesis in my mind, and it's extremely hard to ignore that.
My job, above all else, is to be accurate. That accuracy is the most important thing that I have to take into account when researching, analyzing, observing, and quoting. Describing last weekend's game as anything other than the disaster that it was would be completely inaccurate. Especially considering the Timbers' shortcomings in that performance were issues that have been present for months.
Should I have been less descriptive in my harshness towards a game that was the maximum amount of putrid? Probably. However, describing that game in anything less than the harshest possible tones wouldn't be an accurate representation of the performance. I can absolutely be better. That much is clear. Even I can have a howler sometimes.
That's my version of taking accountability, which was the theme of last weekend’s post-game press conference. On Thursday, I asked Neville about what he’s expecting to see from the team in Saturday’s must-win game.
“What I’ve said to them this morning, because we’ve gone through two really good days training, and I’ve watched both training days back, me and my staff. And I think the frustration, the excitement, my own feeling about this group is that I think we can build something really special with this group. What I see in training every single day, I think, is to a really high level. I think what we are frustrated with, what I’m sick of, is the inconsistencies. If we can do it on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and we can do it on a Saturday, but not the week after, that’s where I’m now like….I’ve tried to protect these guys. I’ve tried to say that we’ve got a young team. But in reality, it’s now time to play like men. It’s now time to drop the excuses. It’s now time to, you know, stop protecting ourselves and making excuses and now it’s time to deliver as men.”
So, uh, there’s a problem with this. I don’t think “playing like men” is the issue here. I have seen a team of players that is fully committed to the style that the coaching staff is implementing from my own training observations. An extra couple notches up on the intensity dial isn’t going to turn more draws into wins or losses into draws in the long term.
But tomorrow’s game is absolutely a time to ratchet up the intensity. They’re flying to Montreal on Monday (game on Wednesday) and are quickly turning around to play in Miami next Sunday. The Timbers haven’t had to play a midweek match in 2026 yet. Momentum might be harder to carry from weekend to weekend, but it absolutely should over the span of a few days.
Above all else, Neville’s accountability will come on the pitch tomorrow. And that accountability needs to arrive in the form of a convincing win, especially given the (lack of) strength of the opponent. But what qualifies a win as a “convincing win?”
Simply put, the Timbers need to get this game into garbage time as soon as possible. Since those types of games are exceedingly rare (not for every club in MLS, it must be said) I’m setting a parameter of 60 minutes for Portland to get on the right side of garbage time. They only managed to do this twice in 2025: at home against Atletico San Luis and in Colorado. In 2024, they did it to Colorado twice (home opener and Leagues Cup), at home against RSL, at home against Nashville, and in Austin. The Vancouver 2-0 home win in 2024 entered garbage time due to a red card. It’s not impossible for the Timbers to do this. And it might be the only way for them to gain some momentum.
Four games remain before the World Cup break. Portland’s playoff hopes are far from dead, but the downward trajectory of the team puts this game in firm must-win territory. A win doesn’t change the perception of this team. However, a loss or draw would be utterly catastrophic for everybody involved. Those are the stakes. There are no more excuses. Win, and win comfortably. Nothing else is acceptable. The climb continues.
