Sporting KC: Game Grades In 1-0 Win Over Portland

Sporting KC pulled off a huge win by shutting out the mighty Portland Timbers squad. We hand out game grades for the big victory.

After a slow start to the 2017 season, Sporting KC has pulled off a pair of very big wins. Last week’s 3-1 win over Colorado was the first time the offense looked sharp this year. However, this week’s match was a much bigger deal as SKC knocked off the top ranked Portland Timbers. This win puts Sporting in second place, behind the Timbers, in the Western Conference.

It had looked like the Portland Timbers would be an unstoppable force this year. Meanwhile, Sporting KC was coming across as a solid defensive team that just couldn’t score. Over the course of the past two weeks, that image has changed quite a bit. Teams will now be circling Sporting on their schedules as a tough opponent.

We didn’t get the same kind of offensive outbreak that SKC showed last week against Colorado. However, it seems as though Sporting’s defense is good enough this year that they will hold the advantage in low-scoring games. That is a huge advantage to have. Being able to shut out a team like Portland is no small matter.

So how did the team look in their 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers?