Sporting KC Hammers Portland in 4-1 Win

August 22, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release

Sporting Kansas City (7-15-5, 26 points) swept aside the Portland Timbers (7-8-12, 33 points) with a rampant 4-1 victory at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday night. Unplayable striker Willy Agada struck twice-becoming the third player in Kansas City history to score five goals in his first five regular season appearances for the club-with Andreu Fontas and Erik Thommy also finding the back of the net in a wire-to-wire performance against the hapless Timbers, who managed a late consolation goal through Sebastian Blanco.

Enjoying their best attacking form of the year, Sporting has amassed 11 regular season goals over a three-game stretch for the first time since the inaugural 1996 MLS campaign and notched four goals in back-to-back home matches for the first time since May 2015. The result also snapped a seven-game winless skid against Portland, which suffered its most lopsided defeat of the 2022 season.

Convincing winners in two of their last three matches, Sporting will return to Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday by hosting the San Jose Earthquakes (6-11-9, 27 points) at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the clash are available at SeatGeek.com and the contest will be shown live on 38 The Spot, the Sporting KC app and SportingKC.com .

For the first time since April 2017, Sporting has rolled out an unchanged lineup in three straight regular season matches. Sunday’s 4-3-3 setup saw the in-form Agada flanked by captain Johnny Russell and winger Daniel Salloi in attack, backed by the midfield trio of Thommy, Remi Walter and Roger Espinoza. Fontas, Graham Zusi, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and Ben Sweat manned the backline and 21-year-old goalkeeper John Pulskamp stepped between the posts.

The hosts crafted the game’s first scoring chance in the 10th minute when Thommy’s corner kick to the near post was headed across the face of goal by Espinoza and nodded over the bar by a tightly marked Fontas on the edge of the six-yard area. Espinoza asked further questions of the Portland defense six minutes later, slipping a clever through ball in behind for Agada, but the Nigerian’s effort lacked the pace and direction to beat Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.

Agada lifted Sporting into a deserved lead on the half-hour mark. Afforded space on the right wing, Zusi fizzed in a teasing cross that Portland center back Larrys Mabiala failed to usher clear. The ball fell kindly to Agada, who sent a thumping finish…