It’ll be another happy flight back home for the Portland Timbers.
Playing in their second consecutive road match, the Timbers used two goals from Kevin Kelsy and a goal and an assist from David Ayala to burn past Sporting Kansas City in a 4-2 win.
The win was Portland’s third in its last four matches and pushed the club’s unbeaten streak to five games.
And while the two clubs had a spirited back-and-forth throughout a first half that saw the teams carry a 2-2 draw into the break, it was all Portland in the final 45 minutes.
Portland Timbers midfielder David Ayala, right moves the ball past Sporting Kansas City midfielders Jake Davis (17) and Manu García (21) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Kansas City, Kan.Charlie Riedel/AP Photo
Portland (4-2-2, 14 points) broke the 2-2 tie after Antony ran down and intercepted a lazy pass along the backline by SKC, then slid a pass over to Kelsy, who one-timed it into the net in the 49th minute.
In the 54th minute, Kelsy saved a ball off the backline and quickly crossed it back into the box and off defender Jansen Miller for the own goal to pad Portland’s lead to 4-2.
The Timbers signed the 20-year-old Venezuelan this offseason to add pressure to its offensive attack. Sunday marked his third start with the club and Kelsy now is second on the club with three goals.
Offense wasn’t the reason why the Timbers signed Ayala in 2022, but the team wasn’t complaining when the Argentinian midfielder scored the second goal of his Timbers career in the 10th minute when he finished a cross from David Da Costa.
After Kansas City (1-6-1, 4 points) tied the game in the 16th, it was Ayala serving as catalyst again when he fired off a right-footed shot at the top of the box that deflected off of Kelsy’s hip for Portland’s second goal of the match.
James Pantemis would allow a penalty kick goal to Dejan Joveljic in the 33rd minute, then got his revenge in extra time when he denied Joveljic with a diving save to his right. It was Pantemis’ third saved penalty attempt on the season.
Designated player Jonathan Rodriguez made his season debut for Portland, coming off the bench in the 69th minute and firing one shot on net. Rodriguez, who scored a team-high 16 goals in 2024, missed Portland’s first seven games with a knee injury.
Next up: The Timbers return home on Saturday to face LAFC — Portland’s only game at Providence Park before heading back out on the road for two more matches.
— Tyson Alger for The Oregonian/OregonLive
