Preview: Sporting KC hosts Portland Timbers in final stretch of season

Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers
2026 MLS Regular Season | Game 28
Saturday, Oct. 10 | 7:30 p.m. CT (7:40 kickoff)
Sporting Park | Kansas City, Kansas

Sporting Kansas City (6- 18-3, 21pts) returns home to face the Portland Timbers (9-13-5, 32pts). Both teams are looking to improve their positions from near the bottom of the Western Conference. Sporting KC has seven matches left and will want to maximize points to climb out of last place in the league. The Timbers are in tenth and seek to secure a playoff spot.

The last time the two teams met, Portland thrashed Kansas City 6-0. Sporting KC is very different now, with players in and out of the roster. SKC have played better since adding Brazilian striker Andre Luiz. The new designated player has a notched five goals and an assist in Kansas City’s last four games. His presence has sparked an offensive outburst by his new team with 12 goals in the last five games.

Portland is on a bit of a slide with three straight defeats and only one win in their last six matches. The Timbers have given up the second-most goals in the Western Conference, surpassed in defensive woes only by Sporting KC. The visitors have just two wins on the road, the most recent in mid-July against their Cascadian rivals in Seattle.

Availability

Head coach Raphael Wicky will still be limited in options for his gameday roster. Or Blorian is out for the year and Moises Mosquera may be out for a few more weeks so the likely center back pair will be the starters Jansen Miller and Wyatt Meyer. Diego Borges is also out as an option but recently recalled Ethan Bartlow and Ian James are options.

Lasse Berg Johnsen is listed as questionable and may be the biggest concern for Wicky this weekend. Berg Johnsen has been a mainstay in midfield since he joined the team but left the last match with a hamstring issue and was not in practice when media were able to watch.

Owen Wolff has battled injuries all season for Austin and was downgraded to out with a quad injury. Capita is back in training but is required to sit out due to FIFA regulations for players that did not go when their National Team called.

Sporting KC needs to get a result to climb out of the “wooden spoon race”. Of the last seven matches, four at home and 5 of the 7 versus teams out of the playoffs. If SKC can leverage the new offense with Andre and Capita getting back into the lineup, they have the opportunity to finish with a good run.

Sporting KC’s Remaining Schedule
Oct. 10 vs. Portland (10th in West)
Oct. 14 at Nashville (1st in East)
Oct. 17 vs. Real Salt Lake (11th in West)
Oct. 24 vs. Austin (13th in West)
Oct. 28 at Minnesota (14th in West)
Oct. 31 vs. Dallas (3rd in West)
Nov. 7 at San Diego (12th in West)