Sporting Kansas City 1, Portland Timbers 0 | 2016 MLS Match Recap

Jacob Peterson looked set to come off in the first half with an injury, but he shook it off and kept playing. Then he scored a game-winner.

Sporting Kansas City defeated the Portland Timbers, 1-0, in a rainy affair on Sunday afternoon thanks to a 50th-minute header from Peterson. The goal at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, came via a free kick from the left, as Benny Feilhaber whipped the ball in before Peterson flicked it home.

Peter Vermes' side had the better of the chances in the game, but the Timbers nearly found an equalizer in the 91st minute when Jack McInerney fired a curling effort on frame. Unfortunately for Portland, the shot was denied by the crossbar.

The victory improved Sporting KC to 10-10-4 on the year while dropping the Timbers to 7-8-8.

Box Score

• 50’ – SKC – Jacob Peterson (Benny Feilhaber)
• Full boxscore
• Stats
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Three Things

1. DEFENSIVELY STOUT: While Peterson provided the difference, Sporting Kansas City's defense paved the way. Center backs Ike Opara and Lawrence Olum both did a good job of negating Fanendo Adi throughout the 90 minutes, and the Kansas City midfield also helped keep Timbers playmaker Diego Valeri very quiet.
2. UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: Portland could have found themselves down two or three goals in the second half after facing a barrage of shots, but goalkeeper Jake Gleeson was stout and made a number of impressive saves to keep his team in it. In total, Gleeson had five saves on the day.
3. ATTACK GOES AWOL: Not only did Adi and Valeri struggle to make an impact, but so too did the rest of the Timbers' attack. Darlington Nagbe was largely ineffective and Lucas Melano never got going, leaving Portland to finish with just one shot on goal.

Next Up

SKC: Sunday, August 7 at Portland Timbers (4 pm ET | ESPN)
POR: Wednesday, August 3 vs. Dragon (10 pm ET)