When the Portland Timbers and Sporting Kansas City kick off their Western Conference Championship series at Providence Park on Sunday (6:30 p.m. CT | FS1), neither side expects the action on the field to mirror what transpired in their regular season series.
The two teams met twice earlier this year, first settling for a scoreless draw in Portland on June 9. Then on Aug. 18, SKC had a convincing 3-0 home win on Aug. 18 to send what was then a struggling Timbers side to a third straight defeat in eight days.
Now Kansas City boss Peter Vermes is staring down what looks like a different opponent in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.