MLS Portland Timbers

Timbers Rally for Comeback 3-3 Draw against Red Bulls in Season

Published on March 4, 2013 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Portland Timbers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Midfielder Diego Valeri scored in his MLS debut and midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe scored his first goal of the season to help the Portland Timbers battle back to earn a 3-3 draw against the New York Red Bulls in a hotly contested season opener for both clubs on Sunday evening, before a sellout crowd of 20,674 at JELD-WEN Field.

Trailing 3-1 at halftime, the Timbers (0-0-1, 1pt) assembled a dominating second-half performance to fight back to earn a share of the points. Portland controlled 65 percent of the possession and out-shot the Red Bulls 13-4 in the second half. Nagbe struck for his first goal of the season to pull the Timbers within a goal in the 56th minute and second-half sub Jose Valencia forced an own goal by New York's Jámison Olave inside the final 10 minutes of the contest to pull the Timbers level at 3-3.

Newcomer Fabián EspÃ-ndola scored twice in the first half, finding the back of the net in the ninth and 24th minutes to help the Red Bulls (0-0-1, 1pt) take the lead heading into the break. After EspÃ-ndola's opening goal, Portland's Valeri tallied the initial equalizer in the 14th minute.

The 20,674 on hand marked the Timbers' 35th consecutive sellout at JELD-WEN Field. Sunday's draw extended Portland's current home unbeaten streak to seven matches, dating back to a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas last season on Aug. 5, 2012.

EspÃ-ndola opened his account in the ninth minute, taking advantage of a miscue by the Timbers backline. He lost the ball as he fought his way into the box, but Portland defender Mikael Silvestre went to play the ball back as goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts went to play the ball with his hands. The result of the play left a loose ball in front of the goal, and EspÃ-ndola was able to give chase and deposited the ball into the back of the net.

Valeri became the fourth MLS Timbers player to score a goal in his club debut, tallying the initial equalizer in the 14th minute. At the top of the box, midfielder Kalif Alhassan was able to one-time a pass from midfielder Will Johnson and found Valeri streaking into the box. Valeri worked around one Red Bulls defender before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

EspÃ-ndola capped his brace in the 24th minute, cashing in on a long ball played over the top that got in behind the Portland backline. From the right side of the penalty area, EspÃ-ndola drove a shot past Ricketts inside the far post. Four minutes later, Olave connected on a cross from midfielder Ruben Bovar Izquierdo inside the six-yard box and knocked the ball over the goal line to give New York a two-goal lead at the break.

Portland's attack came alive on the second half, and Nagbe was able to pull one back for the home side in the 56th minute. Valeri attempted an initial shot from the top of the box, but New York goalkeeper Luis Robles spilled the save and Nagbe came crashing in to put away the rebound to cut the deficit 3-2.

The Timbers had several close scoring chances over the final half hour, and were able to tie the score at 3-3 in the 83rd minute on an own goal by Olave. Putting the Red Bulls defense under pressure, Valencia collected a loose ball in the box following a save by Robles. Valencia drove a sharply hit ball from the right side back in front of goal that hit Olave and was redirected into his own goal in the 83rd minute.

Over the closing minutes, the Timbers nearly struck for the game-winner on multiple occasions. Forward Ryan Johnson had two dangerous chances in second-half stoppage time, including a bicycle kick from the top of the box that just missed the top left corner of the goal. In total, the Timbers attempted 13 of their 21 shots in the second half, forcing Robles into five second-half saves.

The Timbers play host to the Montreal Impact for the first time as MLS sides on Saturday, March 9, at JELD-WEN Field; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific). The matchup against Montreal will be televised on Fox 12 (KPTV), with radio broadcasts available on 750 The Game and in Spanish on La Pantera 940 AM.

Notes:

* Portland's sellout crowd of 20,674 on Sunday is the club's largest single attendance as an MLS side at JELD-WEN Field. * Sunday's match between the Timbers and Red Bulls marked the MLS head coaching debuts for both Portland's Caleb Porter and New York's Mike Petke. * The Timbers opened the MLS season at JELD-WEN Field for a second consecutive season. Since joining MLS in 2011, Portland is unbeaten in its home openers, posting a 2-0-1 record and out-scoring opponents 10-6 in those matches. * With the draw Sunday, the Timbers are unbeaten in their last seven home matches dating back to Aug. 5, 2012. The club finished the 2012 campaign on a six-match home unbeaten streak (2-0-4). * The Timbers are 0-2-2 all-time in MLS against the Red Bulls. Sunday's match marked New York's first visit to JELD-WEN Field since June 19, 2011, a match ending in a 3-3 draw. The two clubs have combined for 19 total goals in the four games of their all-time MLS series. * Midfielder Kalif Alhassan became the only Timbers player to start in each of the club's season home openers since the Timbers joined MLS in 2011. With a first-half assist on Diego Valeri's goal, Alhassan is the only Portland player to record at least a point in each home opener. * Coming on as a sub in the second half, defender/midfielder Rodney Wallace became the second Timbers MLS player to appear in each of the club's three MLS home-opening matches. * Against New York, the Timbers maintained 65 percent of the possession and out-shot the Red Bulls 21-10. Portland attempted 549 passes over 90 minutes, completing 84.2 percent of them. * The club's 21 shots against New York is tied for the most shots attempted in a league match at JELD-WEN Field. The mark was first set Aug. 5, 2012, against FC Dallas. * Portland's 10 shots on goal is one shy of the club's MLS mark for shots on goal in a single match, set July 30, 2011, against Toronto FC. * Scoring in the first half, Valeri became the fourth Timbers MLS player to score in their club debut, joining Kenny Cooper (March 19, 2011), Kris Boyd and Andrew Jean-Baptiste (March 12, 2012). * In his first MLS match, Valeri also tied the Timbers' MLS mark for shots on goal in a single match with three. * Valeri and midfielder/forward Darlington Nagbe become the Timbers' sixth and seventh different players to score in an MLS home opener. * Sunday's match featured the MLS debuts of Valeri, defenders Ryan Miller and Mikael Silvestre and forward Jose Valencia. Additionally defender Michael Harrington, midfielder Will Johnson and forward Ryan Johnson made their Timbers MLS debuts. * Acquired during the offseason, Harrington made his 150th MLS regular-season appearance on Sunday. He played the first six seasons of his MLS career with Sporting Kansas City. * Sunday's match was the first of 11 nationally televised matches for the Timbers in 2013. The Timbers are 4-2-2 all-time as an MLS club in games broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2, including a 4-1-1 mark at JELD-WEN Field. * Red Bulls forward Fabián EspÃ-ndola became the fifth opposing player to record multiple goals in a half against the Timbers since 2011. * The three first-half goals scored by the Red Bulls is tied for the second-most goals allowed by Portland in a half as an MLS club. The Timbers had allowed three or more goals in a half at JELD-WEN Field just twice before Sunday. * Formally unveiled Thursday, the Timbers debuted their new primary green kits on Sunday against New York. * The Red Bulls game-day roster featured former Timbers defender Kosuke Kimura, who started at right back, and midfielder Eric Alexander. Both Alexander and Kimura were members of the Timbers in 2012.

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