PORTLAND, Ore. – Despite being reduced to 10 men moments into the first half, the Portland Timbers scored three second-half goals to defeat Sporting Kansas City 3-0 before a sold-out crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon. Three different players scored for the Timbers during the win, as Diego Valeri, Jack Jewsbury and Fanendo Adi recorded a goal each.
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Notching their eighth home win and fourth shutout of the season, the Timbers (8-8-8, 32pts) opened the scoring in the 65th minute when Valeri produced his 10th goal of the regular season and his 11th in all competitions after burying a first-time volley into the back of the net from just inside the 18-yard box. The ball found its way to Valeri after Vytas ventured down the left wing before driving a cross into the area, which was deflected back to Valeri, who clinically placed his shot past the outstretched arms of Sporting KC goalkeeper Alec Kann.
Portland doubled its lead in the 86th minute when Jewsbury recorded his first goal of the season, blasting the ball into the top corner after running on to a well-timed pass from midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who attracted two defenders, cutting past his markers twice before laying the ball into Jewsbury’s path. In the 90th minute, Adi added the final blow for Portland, battling past two defenders on the edge of the box to create space for himself before firing a low effort into the bottom right corner.
Both teams entered the second half of Sunday’s match with 10 men on the field, as Timbers midfielder Diego Chara was shown a straight red card in the 12th minute and Sporting Kansas City (10-11-4, 34pts) midfielder Soni Mustivar was also ejected with a straight red following a strong challenge on Valeri in the 39th minute of play, with the Timbers playing down a man for 27 minutes in the first half.
With both teams reduced to 10 men, the Timbers ventured forward on the attack in the second half, nearly scoring three minutes into the second 45 when Jewbury’s free kick narrowly missed defender Jermaine Taylor, who was left unmarked on the far post. Three minutes later, Adi floated a pass in behind the Sporting KC defense, finding forward Jack McInerney, who struck his final effort just wide of the near post. In the 60th minute, another precise set piece from Jewsbury found McInerney, whose redirected effort just missed the target.
Next up, the Timbers will travel to face D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 13, beginning at 4 p.m. (Pacific). The match against D.C. United will be televised on KPDX with local radio broadcasts on 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (English) and La GranD 1150 AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers (8-8-8, 32pts) vs. Sporting Kansas City (10-11-4, 34pts)
Aug. 7, 2016 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Portland Timbers 0 3 3
Sporting KC 0 0 0
Scoring Summary:
POR: Valeri, 65
POR: Jewsbury (Nagbe), 87
POR: Adi, 90
Misconduct Summary:
POR: Chara (Ejection), 12
SKC: Sinovic (Caution), 19
SKC: Mustivar (Ejection), 39
POR: Espinoza (Caution, 47
Lineups & Stats:
POR: GK Gleeson, D Powell (Peay, 71), D Taylor, D Okugo, D Vytas, M Valeri © (Melano, 86), M Chara, M Jewsbury, M Nagbe, F Adi, F McInerney (Grabavoy, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Konopka, D Klute, M Barmby
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Three players tied, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 10 (Nagbe, 4); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 3
SKC: GK Kann, D Sinovic (Myers, 61), D Opara, D Olum, D Abdul-Salaam (Rubio, 78), M Espinoza ©, M Mustivar, M Feilhaber, M Hallisey (Zusi, 57), M Peterson, F Dwyer
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kempin, D Ellis, D Coelho, M Appiah
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Peterson, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Three players tied, 1); FOULS: 14 (Espinoza, 4); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 13; SAVES: 1
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Assistant Referees: Apolinar Mariscal, Kathryn Nesbitt
4th Official: Baboucarr Jallow
Attendance: 21,144
Weather: Cloudy, 68 Degrees
