SPORTING KANSAS CITY AT TIMBERS
When/where: 8 p.m. today at Jeld-Wen Field.
TV: Live on KPTV 12 (HD 712); Estrella TV Spanish broadcast (Comcast cable Channel 307).
Radio: AM 750 (AM 940 Spanish broadcast).
Records: Kansas City is 4-6-4. Portland is 5-7-3. Both teams sit seventh among nine teams in their conference.
Why to watch: To see how much Timbers coach John Spencer shakes up his lineup, and how Portland captain Jack Jewsbury fares against the team he played with for the previous seven seasons.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Portland Timbers
Forwards: Kenny Cooper, Jorge Perlaza.
Midfielders: Kalif Alhassan, Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe.
Defenders: Rodney Wallace, Eric Brunner, Mamadou “Futty” Danso, Jeremy Hall.
Goalkeeper: Troy Perkins.
Key alternatives: MF Sal Zizzo, F Eddie Johnson, MF Adam Moffat, MF Ryan Pore, D Kevin Goldthwaite, D Steve Purdy, GK Adin Brown.
Sporting Kansas City
Forwards: C.J. Sapong.
Midfielders: Omar Bravo, Milos Stojcev, Graham Zusi, Julio Cesar, Roger Espinoza.
Defenders: Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Chance Myers.
Goalkeeper: Jimmy Nielsen.
THE MATCHUP
Watch for: Kansas City often crowds midfield with five players. To counter that, Portland will need to win possession battles and stretch KC by involving wing players in its attack.