Jacob Peterson’s 50th minute header gave Sporting Kansas City an invaluable 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers on Sunday afternoon at sold-out Children’s Mercy Park. Manager Peter Vermes claimed his 100th career coaching win in the MLS regular season as fourth-place Sporting Kansas City (10-10-4, 34 points) moved five points clear of seventh-place Portland (7-8-8, 29 points) in the Western Conference playoff race.
Facing the defending MLS Cup champions for the first time in 2016, Sporting Kansas City won their fifth consecutive match at Children’s Mercy Park and extended their regular season shutout streak against Portland to five games (482 minutes) dating back to 2014.