Sporting Kansas City suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to the Portland Timbers on Saturday to close out the 2018 preseason, presented by Children’s Mercy.
Roger Espinoza and Diego Rubio scored on either side of halftime to give Manager Peter Vermes’ men a 2-0 lead, but Portland rallied behind a pair of substitutes as Samuel Armenteros bagged a brace and Cristhian Paredes tallied the match-winner in an entertaining third-place match of the Mobile Mini Sun Cup at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
With a month-long preseason campaign in the rearview mirror, Sporting KC will kick off the club's 23rd season in Major League Soccer next Sunday, March 4, against New York City FC at world-class Children's Mercy Park.