Sporting Kansas City pressured early and late, but a nine-minute second-half span and a stoppage-time strike sent the Portland Timbers back to MLS Cup for the second time in four seasons.
Sebastian Blanco's 52nd-minute stunner tilted the scales, and Diego Valeri wound up scoring an ultimately decisive goal in the 61st and a series icer in the 99th, as the Timbers went to Children's Mercy Park and escaped with a 3-2 win both on the night and on aggregate, advancing from the Western Conference finals. As a result, Portland will head to Atlanta on Dec. 8 for an MLS Cup showdown, after the latter's 3-1 series win over the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference.