Photo by Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Sports

By AARON CRANFORD

Sporting Kansas City and Portland both entered Saturday hoping to find their first win this season.

But they both left disappointed in front of more than 20,000 fans at Sporting Park after playing to a 0-0 draw. The tie is the Timbers’ third straight, and Sporting KC’s second in three matches.

There were a flurry of chances between the two Western Conference foes in the first half, but neither could finish their chances. And the opportunities in the second half were no different, as both sides could muster only five combined shots on frame throughout the match.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Luis Marin made three saves, including a pair of tough stops in the second half, to preserve the shutout for the home side.

Timbers forward Fanendo Adi had the best chance of the first half when he found the ball at his feet in the 35 minute and subsequently put it into the back of the net, but Silviu Petrescu spotted Adi using his hand to control the ball in the box and waived the goal off.

Minutes later, Sporting KC’s Dom Dywer had some opportunities going forward, especially when he headed an attempt just wide after a Zusi free kick. But nothing was to come of the first half.

In the second half, Adi blasted a shot toward Luis Marin in the 61st minute, and while the KC goalkeeper didn’t know much about the shot, the blast thumped off of Marin’s chest and out of play.

Later on, Ike Opara got forward and nearly scored the first goal the game with a powerful header toward net, but it went just over the crossbar in the 77th minute. As the match wore on, Sporting had the better of chances going forward, but the Timbers defense was stern, not allowing anything through.

Here are the match highlights:

Moving forward, Sporting KC will head to the Big Apple next Saturday in the hopes of taking down undefeated expansion side New York City FC while the Portland Timbers begin their run at the Cascadia Cup Saturday, as they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in BC Place.

After three games, Kansas City sits at the bottom of the Western Conference table with only two points. Meanwhile, the Timbers have drawn in each of their three matches, leaving both sides with no wins to start their 2015 campaigns.