SKC Visits Portland Timbers on Saturday
MLS Sporting Kansas City

SKC Visits Portland Timbers on Saturday

Published on May 8, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City will return to the road to play the Portland Timbers FC at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Providence Park.

The Western Conference match-up will be available to watch in English (Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth) and Spanish (Carlos Mauricio Ramirez) on Apple TV in addition to local radio coverage on Sports Radio 810 WHB (Blake Aerni and Jon Kempin) and La Grande 1340 AM (Josue Orantes and Diego Gutierrez).

PORvSKC will also be shown in pub partners across the Sporting Pub Network, including a watch party at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District and a watch party at Tap Ins at the Greenhouse in Overland Park.

After six straight matches against teams currently in playoff position, Sporting Kansas City's final four matches before the World Cup will come against teams currently below the playoff line: Portland (13th in West), LA Galaxy (10th in West), Austin (11th in West) and Red Bull New York (11th in East).

Sporting Kansas City will hope to build on the team's positive showing during the club's 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders last Saturday, which snapped a six-game losing streak across all competitions. Dejan Joveljic scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season to become the only player with five or more MLS regular season goals in each of the past five seasons (2022-2026) while goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland recorded seven saves as he made his first MLS appearance since 2023.

Cleveland is the 13th different player to debut for SKC in 2026 -- the most debuts in a season for the club in more than a decade - and, at age 31, he is the oldest member of an SKC squad that is among the youngest in MLS. Players age 26 or younger account for over 90% of Sporting's minutes played this year, including seven players age 21 or younger who have made appearances in the first 10 games.

After a three-game road trip, the Timbers are back at home at Providence Park where Sporting has lost in six straight visits and where SKC last won in 2017. The stadium, which hosted the MLS All-Star Game in 2014 and MLS Cup in 2021, is celebrating its centennial this season with 100 years of history dating back to its completion in 1926.

Portland manager Phil Neville is unbeaten (3-0-1) in four all-time match-ups with Sporting Kansas City and his side has seen 17 different players record a goal contribution in 2026. The Timbers' attack features the Designated Player duo of David Costa and Kristoffer Velde along with a trio of U22 Initiative Players in Antony, Cole Bassett and Kevin Kelsy.

Defensively, the Timbers are anchored by goalkeeper James Pantemis - who has the second most saves in MLS this season (54) after recording a club record 13 saves in last week's 2-0 loss at Real Salt Lake - as well as a pair of centerbacks who could represent their countries at the World Cup this summer. Finn Surman. who leads MLS in clearances (39), helped New Zealand qualify as the lowest ranked team in the tournament and Kamal Miller is poised to play on home soil for co-hosts Canada.

Saturday's showdown features two clubs that have struggled defensively this season as Portland and Sporting have given up the most goals in the Western Conference in 2026. Both sides will be looking for their first clean sheet of the year, including a Timbers team that has gone 21 straight games without recording a shutout dating back to last season.

Sporting Kansas City at Portland Timbers

2026 MLS Regular Season | Game 11

Saturday, May 9 | 9:30 p.m. CT (9:40 kickoff)

Providence Park | Portland, Oregon

Broadcast Schedule

Watch: Apple TV | Pub Partners

Listen: 810 AM, 1340 AM or SKC App

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 8, 2026


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