Portland Timbers Man of the Match: Back-to-Back Braces

The Portland Timbers went on the road and took down last year's MLS Cup winners, Sporting Kansas City, to the tune of 3-1 last night. With a lineup consisting of starters, reserves, and everything in between, the Timbers had impressive performances across the field.

Our picks for the Man of the Match were all over the place in this one. Check them out below then share yours in the poll and comments.

Stacey: Andrew Weber

Weber was solid in goal last night. He came off his line strong when he needed to, his positioning was good, and when he had to palm away a shot or two, he did it the right way so that he had time to get up and get back in net before Kansas City could get a second shot off. Honorable mention to Gaston Fernandez, because back-to-back braces are awesome.

Michael: Kalif Alhassan

I kind of liked Kalif's game in Kansas City tonight. He didn't score but he was really active, annoyed Sporting's defenders and made some nice passes to open the game up. Gaston Fernandez did well to find his two goals and Will Johnson had a good game in a holding role, even without the penalty, but for me Kalif was the most interesting player for Portland.

Kelly: Steve Zakuani

I'll say Steve Zakuani. Little by little, game by game, he's getting better and better. And as some noted during the match, he even helped (or at least tried to help) on the defensive side of the ball. And it was his Zakuani-of-old, slaloming run into the box that led to the eventual game-winner.

Ryan: Gaston Fernandez

For the second straight USOC game La Gata has scored a brace. Both of his goals were more about being in the right place at the right time and that is something that instinct is something that cannot be taught to a striker. He also showed a little more defensively then in previous outings and looks to be a lot more comfortable playing with this team.

Will: Will Johnson

The team captain was all over the place against SKC, in the best possible way. He covered for everyone on the pitch, winning balls and cleaning up blow plays wherever needed. Although he sometimes passed up the simple pass in less than ideal circumstances, it was his long distribution out of the back that allowed the Timbers to counterattack effectively and take apart a normally stingy SKC defense.

Who was your Man of the Match against SKC? Vote in the poll below and give us your reasoning in the comments below.