Portland Timbers v Sporting Kansas City: ´We´re nowhere near where we need to be´ – Neville

Phil Neville urged the Portland Timbers to “keep our feet on the ground” as they look to improve by bouncing back from defeat against Sporting Kansas City in MLS.

Portland suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to the San Jose Earthquakes last time out in the league, ending a seven-match unbeaten streak in MLS.

They still sit third in the Western Conference on 18 points and could move to second if Minnesota United fail to beat Inter Miami.

But Neville was frustrated by what he saw against the ‘Quakes last weekend, and insisted the Timbers still needed to make big improvements.

“We lost the last game in the first 20 minutes because we came out and thought we were the best team in the world,” Neville said.

“We didn’t do the discipline, the concentration, or stick to the game plan, and we were punished.

“Sometimes in life, you get a kick up the backside, and that game was one of them. It means we need to keep our feet on the ground and accept that we need to keep working hard, and we’re nowhere near where we need to be, but we’ll get there.”

Saturday night lights hit Providence Park

: Forever Green and Gold
: https://t.co/N4NEoftRxF
: https://t.co/VFne1WgmGB pic.twitter.com/RIokwUqiRd

— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) May 8, 2025

Sporting KC, meanwhile, are 12th in the West on 10 points, but have improved since Kenny Zavagnin took over, winning three of five games so far.

They bounced back from a 2-1 defeat to FC Cincinnati by beating LA Galaxy 1-0 last time out, thanks to a Maya Yoshida own goal after failing to have a single shot.

Zavagnin opted to ignore their struggles in the final third, though, instead focusing on their solidity at the back.

“We’ve been working specifically on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “Defensive organization has always been the key foundational piece to any sort of success moving forward.

“What I saw at the weekend was much more than that; it was the collective spirit of the group that defended every action.

“You could see at the end of the game that they were proud, mainly because of the defensive aspect after all the criticism about the team not being able to defend.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Portland Timbers – Felipe Mora

Felipe Mora has scored four goals in his last three home matches, scoring at least once in each match.

Mora has scored 15 goals at Providence Park since the start of last season; only Lionel Messi (17) and Cristian Arango (16) have scored more goals at home in that time.

Sporting Kansas City – Daniel Salloi

Sporting did not attempt a shot in their win over the LA Galaxy, becoming the first team in MLS history to win a match without attempting a shot.

Daniel Salloi did manage five touches in the box, a team-high, while he also led Kansas City for overall touches (46), passes into the final third (12) and dribbles (three, completed one).

BREAKING: BLUE SMOKE RISES FROM THE CAULDRON pic.twitter.com/r7EsalMNbV

— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) May 8, 2025

MATCH PREDICTION: PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

Portland have won their last two meetings with Sporting Kansas City, including a 4-2 road win on April 13. The only time either team won three straight matches over the other in all competitions was a three-match winning run for the Timbers in 2012-14.

At the moment, the Timbers almost guarantee goals. Portland’s 4-1 loss to San Jose on Saturday marked the fourth straight regular-season Timbers match that featured at least five goals. Only two teams in MLS history have played five straight games that featured five or more goals: the Houston Dynamo in 2018 and Kansas City in 1996 (six straight).

Meanwhile, Sporting have won three of their last five matches (L2) after going 13 in a row without a win in all competitions, dating back to last season (D1 L12). Sporting have lost 17 of their last 20 on the road (W2 D1) dating back to mid-May last year.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Portland Timbers – 60.1%

Draw – 20.9%

Sporting Kansas City – 19%