By BRYAN ROBISON
Just two weeks after sufferin a 5-0 loss to FC Dallas, the Portland Timbers looked to exact some revenge on Dallas squad on Sunday night. While they were unable to pull out a victory, they were able to unleash the wrath of the raucous JELD-WEN Field crowd late in the match to even up the score, and walk off the field with a 1-1 draw.
Timbers captain Jack Jewsbury helped the Timbers salvage a point with his left-footed blast in the 79th minute against an FC Dallas side playing a man down after losing Zach Loyd to a second yellow card.
The draw puts an end to the five-game losing streak Portland entered the day with, as they had failed to stay out of the loss column in every match since a win against San Jose on July 3rd. In the five losses since that win, Portland was outscored 15 to 3, giving up five goals in two of those matches, and failing to score in four of them.
Sunday's match was physical throughout the night, as both teams saw yellow cards early in the first half. It culminated in Loyd being sent off in the 52nd minute with a second yellow card.
Loyd's red card came just seconds after forward Scott Sealy put Dallas up 1-0 thanks to a set of beautiful passes from David Ferreira and Brek Shea. This was Shea's first match since July 18th, as the midfielder was absent from the lineup for Dallas's last two matches due to a management decision.
After Loyd was sent off, Portland became much more aggressive, but Dallas keeper Kevin Hartman was up to the challenge. The grizzled veteran played one of his best matches of the year, stopping multiple shots from an array of angles by the Timbers. Unfortunately, Hartman was not able to stop a bullet by Jewsbury, as the Timbers captain knocked in the rebound off a Hartman save to tie it up at 1-1 in the 79th minute.
Portland will look to continue the forward momentum, as they travel to Toronto to take on the Reds next Wednesday night at BMO Field. FC Dallas will return home to take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
Here are the match's highlights:
What did you think of the match? See either team mounting a playoff push? Disappointed with the Timbers' inability to take all three points? Happy to see Shea back in action?
Share your thoughts below.