Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers each received a hard earned point in a scoreless draw in Kansas City.  Neither team was able to find the back of the net despite creating chances as both defenses stood strong for the entire 90 minutes.

Sporting came out strong in the opening quarter hour with a lot of early pressure and several great chances.  Jimmy Medranda looked great during that time and Ike Opara nearly put the home side up with an early header that went wide.  Portland on the other hand struggled to find possession early and turned the ball over several times in the game's opening few moments. 

As the teams settled into the game, the Timbers found their rhythm and started to gain some serious possession.  As the half continued both teams had moments where they looked threatening, but neither could find the back of the net. Portland thought they had scored in the 34th minute on a set piece, but referee Silviu Petrescu called the goal back and gave a goal kick to Sporting as the ball went out of play on the kick.  The teams went to the locker room level.

The second half was much more entertaining and saw even better chances for goals. Jalil Anibaba and Ike Opara both had clear chances for goals from set pieces. Meanwhile, Fanendo Adi had Portland’s best chance on a counter-attack, but he played it right to Luis Marin for the save before Sporting’s defense cleaned up the loose ball.  Rodney Wallace may have been able to make something happen on another counter-attack, but his early shot sailed high and ended the threat.

Despite the game ending in a scoreless draw, it was exciting throughout.  Both teams played with confidence going forward and solidity in the back.  A draw is a fair result even with Sporting Kansas City creating the better chances.  Both teams ran their game plans effectively and put themselves in a position to win.  If Portland had scored, the headlines would include the words “Stealing Points.”  If the home side had managed a goal, the story would be similar to “squeaked by at home.” 

Silviu Petrescu was not overly busy in this matchup.  The 24 combined fouls is lowest since these teams first met in 2011 when they had 20 combined.  Benny Feilhaber was given a questionable yellow in the 82nd minute and Diego Chara was shown a yellow for hard foul in the 72nd minute.  Outside of those few instances, this was a clean game compared to the normal standards.

Portland’s man of the match was Liam Ridgewell.  His timely defense and presence in the back anchored the defense throughout the game.  Without several of his touches, Sporting would have likely scored one or two.  Adi, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, and Wallace should not be forgotten though.  These four guys have the ability to counter-attack against the best defenses in MLS and kept Sporting from controlling the game in midfield.  Without their constant runs, the game would have ended differently.

Sporting’s man of the match was Roger Espinoza.  The tenacious defensive midfielder held down the fort and was key in linking the defense with the offense. It should be noted that Jimmy Medranda and Jalil Anibaba both had excellent performances in their first starts of the season.  These two players will be valuable assets for Peter Vermes going forward.

The draw brings Portland to three points on the season in three games and gives them their second scoreless draw of the year.  Kansas City is now sitting at two points in the Western Conference with their second straight draw at home. 

Next up for Sporting Kansas City is a trip to New York City where they will face MLS newcomers New York City FC.  This game will be played in Yankee Stadium on March 28 at 7:00PM ET.  Sporting is looking to pick up points on their Eastern Conference opponent to avoid falling too far behind in the playoff standings.  Portland will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on the 28th at 8:00PM ET in a Cascadia showdown.