A strong sense of deja vu engulfed Providence Park on Sunday night as the first leg of the Western Conference Championship unfolded between Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers.
The visitors had spent extended periods on the back foot, absorbing waves of pressure applied by an upstart Portland side, but resolute defending and standout goalkeeping from Tim Melia ultimately won out. And when referee Robert Sibiga blew his whistle for full time, the Providence Park scoreboard had an all-too-familiar look to it.
Timbers 0, Sporting KC 0.
Make no mistake: Sunday's hotly contested battle followed a script that has come to typify matches involving Sporting KC and Portland.