Prepping for Portland: Five memorable wins against the Timbers

Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers appear to be peaking at the right time.

Led by Manager Peter Vermes, top-seeded Sporting KC are unbeaten in seven matches and eliminated Real Salt Lake from the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs with a wild 4-2 win on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park.

In the Pacific Northwest, first-year head coach Giovani Savarese has Portland on an undeniable uptick after edging archrival Seattle Sounders FC in a penalty shootout last Thursday following a 4-4 aggregate stalemate.

Now the clubs will meet in the Western Conference Championship with a ticket to MLS Cup 2018 on the line. The first leg at Providence Park is set for Sunday, Nov. 25, at 6:30 p.m. CT on FS1. The…