Portland Timbers Draw Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium
Portland Timbers played out a 2-2 draw versus Real Salt Lake on Saturday night as the Oregon club extends its unbeaten run to five games in all competitions. Juan Manuel Martinez of Real Salt Lake opened up the scoring in the 17th minute but the stiff competition between the two sides saw the game deadlocked at full time.
Soccer News: Returning to MLS play for the first time since June 1, the Portland Timbers battled Real Salt Lake to a 2-2 draw before 20,317 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night, extending their unbeaten run to four games in league play and five games in all competitions. Forward Fanendo Adi opened the scoring for the Timbers, while midfielder Lucas Melano recorded his first goal of the season.
With the draw, Portland (5-6-5, 20pts) is unbeaten in its last four league matches (3-0-1) at Rio Tinto Stadium, dating back to June 7, 2014. Additionally, the Timbers have recorded a goal in 19 consecutive regular-season games dating back to the 2015 season, signifying the second-longest streak across all eras (since 1975) in club history and longest current streak among MLS teams.
Following consecutive chances for the Timbers early in the first half, Real Salt Lake provided the first goal of the game when forward Juan Manuel Martinez headed Javier Morales’ corner into the back of the net. But, in the 29th minute of play, Timbers defender Jermaine Taylor released Adi in behind the Real Salt Lake defense with a well-placed through ball, creating a goal-scoring opportunity for Portland.
Running on to Taylor’s pass, Adi battled with Real Salt Lake defender Justen Glad before precisely slotting the ball through Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando’s legs. The finish, Adi’s ninth in league play in 2016, marked his third goal in two games played against Real Salt Lake this season, with the forward recording a brace during the Timbers 2-2 draw against the Utah-based club on March 19 at Providence Park. In addition, Adi has scored six goals against Real Salt Lake since joining the Timbers in 2014, marking the most goals scored by a Timbers player against a single opponent in MLS.
Continuing to push forward in the first half, Portland took the lead when Melano scored with just one minute remaining in the half. The goal occurred after creative build-up play from the Timbers in the final third, with midfielder Diego Valeri combining with Adi inside the box before hitting a left-footed effort that rattled off the far post. Pouncing on the rebound, Melano precisely placed the ball into the back of the net, beating Rimando to give the Timbers the advantage.
Real Salt Lake (7-4-3, 24pts) managed to equalize after the referee pointed to the penalty spot for a foul inside the box in the 70th minute of play. On the ensuing penalty kick, forward Yura Movsisyan finished from 12 yards away to level the score.
Pressing forward in search of the game-winning goal, the Timbers created a flurry of chances in the final 10 minutes of the game. In the 81st minute of play, Valeri floated a cross into the box finding Taylor, who headed the ball to redirect it into Adi’s path. Adi threatened to score the game-winning goal, as he latched onto to Taylor’s pass, but his final effort was deflected wide for a corner kick by the Real Salt Lake defense. Four minutes later, midfielder Jack Barmby slipped a pass in behind for Darren Mattocks, who was ruled offside after curling a first-time effort into the bottom corner, while Valeri’s deflected strike in the 89th minute forced Rimando to adjust quickly and push it wide for a corner.
Next up, the Timbers return to Providence Park to face the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, June 26; kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (Pacific) and will feature a nationally televised broadcast on ESPN2 with local radio broadcasts on 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (English) and La GranD 1150 AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
Source: Portland Timbers
