Match Thread: Timbers vs. Sporting Kansas City

After waiting for four long and cold months, and then waiting for an additional two snowy and cold days, we can all finally say: it’s Timbers matchday!

The Portland Timbers open their 2023 campaign at home against Western Conference rivals Sporting Kansas City, in a match that now closes out round one of the MLS regular season after a two-day weather delay.

When we last left the Timbers, their season ended with a thud as they were eliminated from making the postseason on the final day of the 2022 regular season. A 3-1 loss in Utah doomed Portland to watch the playoffs from home for the first time since 2016.

An offseason of gloom later, this Timbers team remains largely unchanged — except for…