Rubio’s 2 goals help Sporting KC beat Timbers 3-0

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Diego Rubio scored two goals and Tim Melia had his 10th shutout of the season to help Sporting Kansas City beat the Portland Timbers 3-0 on Saturday night.

Sporting (12-6-6) won its third straight to move into a tie atop the Western Conference standings with FC Dallas – which played Minnesota United later Saturday night.

Rubio rifled a shot from the top of the box just inside the near post to open the scoring in the 28th minute and then made it 2-0 when he put away a cross by Daniel Salloi in the 37th.

Johnny Russell capped the scoring in the 89th minute. He tapped it to Roger Espinoza near the penalty arc, who led Russell toward the spot for the left-footed finish.

Portland (10-6-7) has lost three in a row. The Timbers had just one shot in the first half and were outshot 25-7 overall.