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Two clubs battling for playoff position in the tight Western Conference take to the pitch for a playoff rematch on Sunday at Childrens Mercy Park in Kansas City.Sporting Kansas City (9-10-4, 31 points, tied for fourth place) hosts the defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers (7-7-8, 29 points, seventh).Sunday marks the first match between the clubs since Portland eliminated Sporting in the Knockout Round in the 2015 MLS Playoffs.Portland advanced on an MLS record 11-round penalty shootout that came down to the goalkeepers attempting to score. Portlands Adam Kwarasey converted and Sporting KCs Tim Melia did not.The home team has struggled recently in the series. The home side in the series is winless in seven straight games across all competitions, including the 2-2 draw in last years playoffs.The clubs have both heated things up recently.Sporting has recorded four straight home wins. The club has scored three goals in three straight regular-season home games for the first time in franchise history, including a 3-0 whitewash of Seattle last Sunday. Sporting held Seattle to an MLS record-tying one shot attempt.The Timbers had a nine-match unbeaten string snapped last weekend, but they have climbed back into playoff contention. They have struggled on the road all season, going 0-4-6 away from home in 2016 and havent won a road game since defeating Columbus Crew SC in the 2015 MLS Cup.Scoring chances are both the answer and the problem for Portland. The Timbers are third in goals scored (33) and second worst in goals allowed (33) in the Western Conference.SKC manager Peter Vermes will seek his 100th regular-season coaching win on Sunday, against a team that has failed to score on Sporting KC in the last four regular season meetings.Portland is stuck in a 392-minute dry spell in the series dating to April 2013, with Sporting KC claiming two wins and two draws during the stretch.Ronald Acuna Jr. Jersey . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. Rico Carty Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. https://www.cheapbraves.com/533o-andy-messersmith-jersey-braves.html . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Cito Gaston Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Mike Soroka Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again.MINNEAPOLIS -- In a championship series filled with stars, Alana Beard sometimes can get lost with so much attention on Minnesotas four Olympians and the two MVPs in Los Angeles.Thats exactly what happened in the closing moments of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, and Beard hit a jumper from the baseline just before time expired to lift the Sparks to a 78-76 victory over the defending champion Lynx.With the defense collapsing on Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike in the paint, Beard found herself all alone in the corner. She took the pass from Chelsea Gray and knocked down jumper with Maya Moores in her face.As the ball splashed through, Moore put her head in her hands, and the Sparks celebrated a thrilling victory, their second on Minnesotas court this season.You may not recognize the importance of her statistically for us a lot of times, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. But her presence, her leadership, obviously how disruptive she can be defensively, and then for her to hit a shot like that, it was incredible.Kristi Toliver scored 19 points to lead Los Angeles and Parker had 14 points and nine rebounds in her finals debut. League MVP Ogwumike added 19 points for the Sparks in the opener of the best-of-five series.Sylvia Fowles had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Lindsay Whalen scored 18 points for top-seeded Minnesota. Moore scored all 18 of her points in the second half to move into first place on the WNBAs career finals scoring list, but the Lynx committed 16 turnovers and got caught scrambling on the final possession of the game.I think we were more worried about not letting anyone get to the hole, Fowles said. Im not sure exactly what happened on that last play to make her get wide open. But we learned from this.There was a time not too long ago when Beards name belonged on the marquee with players Parker and Ogwumike or Lynx stars Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. She was the national player of the year at Duke, the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2004 and a four-time All-Star before injuries set her back.She re-emerged in Los Angeles as a defensive specialist, but she took center stage in Game 1. Before sshe hit the game-winner, Beard also had a spectacular block of a shot by Whalen and then a steal off an inbounds to set up Ogwumikes bucket for a 76-72 lead.ddddddddddddMoore scored on a coast-to-coast layup to tie the score at 76 with 24.7 seconds to play, but she helped aggressively on Grays drive on the other end, leaving Beard open for just her second bucket of the game.I dont think Ive ever hit a game-winner, Beard said quietly. So its pretty cool. Pretty cool.NEW LOOK: In years past these two teams never could have met in the finals because both are in the Western Conference. But the league changed its playoff format this year and seeded all of the teams based on record, not geography. The result in the first year could not have been better for the league with the top two teams throughout the season meeting.I dont think its a fluke that were here now in the finals, Fowles said. Im loving this new format.PARKERS DEBUT: Parker has been one of the leagues brightest stars for years, but has never been able to reach the leagues biggest stage. She hit 5 of 12 shots and had three assists.At first obviously theres some nerves, but you kind of get lost in the game and just trying to execute, Parker said. We had to take it possession by possession because you never know whats going to happen.MOORES MARK: The Minnesota star was 0 for 4 in the first half, but made 7 of 10 shots in the final two quarters to move past Diana Taurasi for first place on the WNBAs career scoring list for the finals. She set the mark with 5:20 to play after hitting a jump shot and converting the three-point play.TOP 20: The WNBA hosted more than a dozen members of the top 20 players in league history for a halftime ceremony. Each player was presented with a ring to commemorate it. Whalen, Moore, Parker and Augustus all participated in the ceremony, and the league extended the length of halftime to allow them to receive their rings and then get back to the locker room to meet with coaches and teammates.UP NEXT: Game 2 is on Tuesday in Minneapolis. ' ' '