Sporting Kansas City will – for the most part – put its best foot forward against the Portland Timbers in tonight’s first leg of the Western Conference final at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. The match will be broadcast on FS1 and Fox Deportes (live stream: FOX Sports Go).
Kansas City is missing a crucial offensive piece for Sunday’s match: forward Diego Rubio, serving a yellow-card suspension for the first leg. Rubio has scored eight times this season, and offered six assists on top of that.
The XI. #PORvSKC #ClaimTheCup pic.twitter.com/Ui0OKn0ehY
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) November 25, 2018
Khiry Shelton, who has 15 starts this season, will be up top. He’s scored twice and added five assists this year.
In the midfield will be the usual suspects: Felipe Gutierrez (seven goals on the year), Ilie Sanchez and Roger Espinoza, who’s quietly having one of his better seasons. Espinoza is second on the team this season in assists with nine.
On the back line will be Kansas City’s normal anchors: Ike Opara, Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and Seth Sinovic. Zusi had been listed as questionable for the match this week with an injury to his thigh, but he makes the XI.
Goalkeeper Tim Melia will be in goal. With Melia leading the way, Sporting has allowed 43 goals this season (third-best in MLS this year).
Timbers lineup:
Our Starting XI for Leg 1 of the Western Conference Championship. #OnwardRoseCity #RCTID pic.twitter.com/DWpxOYC7H4
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) November 25, 2018