Dominant from start to finish, Sporting Kansas City cruised past the Portland Timbers on Saturday to secure their third straight shutout victory and remain just three points behind first-place FC Dallas in the Western Conference.
Forward Diego Rubio, fresh off a convincing performance in last weekend's 2-0 road defeat of Los Angeles Football Club, stayed hot Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at Children's Mercy Park, finding the back of the net in the 28th and 37th minutes before substitute Johnny Russell bagged an emphatic third in the dying embers of a one-sided affair.
Rubio staked his name as man of the match with his second career MLS brace while also creating a pair of chances and completing 87 percent of his passes.