Are you ready for some Monday night soccer?
Sporting Kansas City and the host Portland Timbers will open their Major League Soccer seasons Monday, after the match was rescheduled from Saturday following a storm that dumped more than 10 inches of snow on northwest Oregon last week.
The clubs, two of the most successful in the league over the past decade, are seeking to rebound after uncharacteristically missing the postseason last year.
The Timbers, 11-10-13 last season, finished one point below the playoff line in the Western Conference while Sporting KC (11-16-7) was 12th out of 14 teams in the conference.
“It’s still here — right here,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said, pointing to his gut, of the pain felt over missing the postseason for the first time in six years. “It’s something we haven’t been used to … for us, it wasn’t a good year. And everyone has come back with reflection that last year wasn’t good enough and this year needs to be much better.”
The Timbers acquired attacking midfielder Evander for a club-record $10 million transfer fee in the offseason. The 24-year-old had two goals and an assist in three preseason matches.
“Some of the things that he’s done in practice are very exciting,” Savarese said.
Sporting KC suffered through an injury-prone 2022, with designated players Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda unable to make a single appearance.
SKC was eliminated from postseason contention early, but they went 6-2-2 over their final 10 regular-season matches.
“Our group was clicking on all cylinders at the end of year and finished the season strong,” veteran defender Graham Zusi said. “We’ve had a productive preseason so far. Guys came in with the right mentality. We’re looking to have a better season than the last. We’ve got a chip on our shoulders.”
Both teams will be without key players Monday. Portland forward Dairon Asprilla and midfielder Sebastian Blanco are out with knee injuries, while Sporting KC will be without Kinda (knee), forward Johnny Russell (hamstring) and defenders Kortne Ford (Achilles) and Logan Ndenbe (hamstring).
Portland has won three straight home matches against SKC, including a 7-2 decision last May.
–Field Level Media
