Portland beats Kansas City on penalties to advance

And welcome in to VAVEL US and our live coverage of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

The Portland Timbers needed 120 minutes and penalties to beat Sporting Kansas City 7-6 in the shootout after extra time ended in a 2-2 draw at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. If cold SKC shows up, it could be over at halftime.

The biggest question we have coming into tonight’s match is which Sporting team will show up?

No one who saw it will soon forget it. The Caps scored just 45 goals in the regular season.

Krisztian Nemeth gave Sporting KC the lead in the first extra time period.

Since that big win though, the wheels have nearly completely fallen off for Sporting.

Timbers vs. Whitecaps: Vancouver had the only win in three matches this season between the Whitecaps and Timbers, a 2-1 win in British Columbia on March 28 in a match the Timbers felt was one of their better early-season performances. Kansas City missed chances to end it in both the sixth and seventh round. They spent a majority of the season in second place in the West looking like they would be contending for a Supporters’ Shield.

The Timbers have a tough turnaround, and they’ve also played an extra 30 minutes.

The tying goal came on a header by Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis, who was able to sky at the 6-yard box for a header off a deep cross from Graham Zusi after the Timbers cleared a Zusi corner kick to start the sequence.

Portland also comes into the semifinal with four players on yellow cards: Liam Ridgewell, Rodney Wallace, George Fochive and Diego Valeri.

Many were doubting the Portland Timbers after that last loss to Sporting Kansas City with the team struggling offensively as well as sitting on the outside of the postseason looking in. To that point, Caleb Porter’s men had only scored 31 goals in 31 games while being shut out 12 times.

Sporting’s attack eventually had Portland reeling – temporarily. We’ve defended well all year, but now we’re scoring goals.

Adi’s goals has contributed immensely in helping to qualify his moderate MLS side Portland Timbers for the American play off’s which is due to start this weekend.

If Portland had lost, the Caps were headed to Seattle to face the Sounders.

Dear conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs: Good luck trying to top the knockout-round matches.

But after coming on for and injured Tim Melia in the second half of SKC’s Knockout Round match against the Portland Timbers in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, the 21-year-old Homegrown ‘keeper made three saves in the penalty stage. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host.