Portland Timbers Win Home Opener Against Sporting Kansas City

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Photo by Diego Diaz

February 24, 2023

The Portland Timbers played host to Sporting Kansas City in frigid rain to open their 2023 MLS season. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday the 22nd, but was rescheduled due to heavy snow in Portland last week. Neither the Timbers or SKC made it to the playoffs last year and both teams took the pitch tonight with something to prove. 

Brazilian midfielder and designated player Evander da Silva Ferreira made his MLS debut with the Portland Timbers. The Timbers also started Colombian Juan Mosquera who joined the team at the end of last season. Diego Chara was also in the starting lineup for his 13th season as a Portland Timber, the only player left from their inaugural MLS season in 2011.

Photo by Diego Diaz

Portland and Kansas City were both set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The Timbers had two shots by Neitzgoda and Marvin Loria in the 5th minute after SKC fumbled the ball near their own goal. Both shots were saved by keeper John Pulskamp. The Timbers responded quickly with a goal in the 6th minute by defender Juan Mosquera.

In the 15th minute head referee Timothy Ford showed the first yellow card of the match to SKC’s Erik Thommy for a foul against Timber’s Eryk Williamson. The Timbers secondary goal keeper, David Bingham, made two big saves in the 24th minute with both shots taken by Thommy. Portland’s first string keeper, Aljaz Ivacic, is out with a hand injury but is expected to be back in goal soon. 

Timbers’ defender, Dario Zuparic, received a yellow card in the 24th minute for a tactical foul. In the 33rd minute Timbers’ midfielder, Yimmi Chara, went down without contact for a confirmed hamstring issue. In the post match interview coach Giovanni Savarese said that he will be out for at least a few weeks.  Santiago Moreno was substituted in for Y. Chara. 

SKC’s Rémi Walter attempted a left footed shot from outside the box that went high and wide to the left in the 42nd minute. The first half ended after two minutes of extra time with the Timbers leading 1-0. 

The Timbers started the second half with an attempted shot in the 58th minute by Marvin Loría, assisted by Eryk Williamson. SKC’s  Roger Espinoza had a header attempt in the 60th minute that went wide of the goal. Loria tried again in the 62nd with a shot that went high and wide with the assist by Moreno. 

Portland made their first non-injury substitution in the 62nd minute bringing in forward Nathan Fogaça for Jaroslaw Niezgoda. Sporting Kansas City made three substitutions in the 70th and 73rd minutes. 

 In the 73rd minute Loría’s left footed shot from the center of the box was saved by Pulskamp. Immediately following the missed goal Eryk Williamson was given a yellow card for a bad foul. Three minutes later, SKC’s Khiry Shelton had a shot saved in the center of the goal by Bingham. Dániel Sallói had a shot on goal also saved by Bingham in the 77th.

Photo by Diego Diaz

The Timbers made two substitutions in the 80th minute bringing Christian Paredes in for Williamson and Diego Gutiérrez in for Loria. Evander was shown a yellow card in the 89th minute for a tactical foul. 

Kansas City made one last attempt on goal in the 90+1 minute with a close header by forward William Agada off a cross from a corner kick. In the 90+2 minute the Timbers had a saved attempt by Fogaça from the center of the box with a header pass assist by Cristhian Paredes.

The Portland Timbers finished the night with a clean sheet and three points. The win tonight made Coach Gio the winningest coach in Timbers franchise history. The Timbers take on LAFC in LA this Saturday, March 4th.

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