Another day, another clean sheet for the Portland Timbers, as they wrapped up training camp in Arizona with a scoreless duel against Sporting Kansas City. Portland remain undefeated in preseason play, with four draws and a win from the five games played. Now they're headed home to the Rose City to prepare for the Cascadia Summit, scheduled March 4-6 at Starfire in Tukwila, Wash.
Portland put forth a 4-3-3 formation in Saturday's match against the Sporks, something that could be fun to see more of around MLS. The defense certainly seems to be gelling, with just two goals in their five matches, although of course it's important to remember that preseason records rarely reveal much about how the team will fare during the season. Most clubs are still putting together their rosters, evaluating starting lineups and judging whether or not to offer contracts to trialists. Roster compliance day arrives March 1, and Portland will likely add at least a few more players to their official roster before taking on Seattle and Vancouver.