The Portland Timbers returned to Providence Park for the first time in 61 days and battled FC Dallas to a 2-2 draw on a hot, smoky, thunder and lightning-filled night in the Pacific Northwest. Kevin Kelsy and Felipe Mora both found equalizing goals in the second half after the Timbers conceded two goals directly following turnovers.
Prematch & Lineup
After a demolition job in 5eatt1e, a match against FC Dallas was the second test for interim coach Jack Cassidy, one which saw the maligned return of Santi Moreno to Portland following his less-than-ceremonious departure from the Rose City one year ago.
Cassidy made just one change to the starting XI that punished the Sounders in Seattle, swapping Diego Chara for Jose Caicedo, earning Finn Surman the captain's armband to start. Kristoffer Velde missed the derby last week due to the birth of he and his partner's first child back home in Norway, but was available for selection off the bench, with Sawyer Jura left out of the squad in his place.
Highlights & Recap
1' Boos, and chants of "F*CK SANTI MORENO," rang out around Providence Park as Dallas' #10 got the ball rolling to start the contest.
16' David da Costa wanted a penalty after appearing to be held in the box following a give-and-go with Antony. Upon replay it was a clear dive, and Portland's DP was extremely fortunate to not be booked for simulation.
20' Post Logan Farrington got into the box and let loose a strike that Pantemis was forced into tipping onto the post and out for a corner. It was an extremely tight angle that Pantemis was able to just get fingertips to.
34' The Timbers worked the ball down the left wing and eventually found Kevin Kelsy with a cutback cross on the left side of the box. Unfortunately, Kelsy fell victim to the turf monster, slipping while taking the shot that somehow went the opposite direction as the goal he was trying to find.
38' Kamal Miller gave the Providence Park crowd what they wanted: A late, heavy challenge on Santi Moreno after the Dallas DP released the ball, earning Miller the first yellow card of the match.
45+1' Goal FC Dallas, 1-0 In the first of two added minutes, the visitors took the lead through midfielder Patrickson Delgado. Antony turned the ball over cheaply high up the pitch, Dallas drove up the center of the pitch, and Joaquín Valiente disguised a beautiful pass for Delgado to curl past Pantemis into the far corner.
Halftime: Portland Timbers 0 - 1 FC Dallas
Dallas is a much better team on the road than they are at home, and the Timbers struggled mightily to break them down a compact midfield and stout backline in the first half. Da Costa and Bassett were forced wide for much of the opening 45 minutes, often hugging the touchline to try and support the buildup play Portland was attempting down the flanks, largely ineffectively.
55' Substitutions Diego Chara and Kristoffer Velde ON // Jose Caicedo and Ariel Lassiter OFF
Lassiter struggled to impact the game in the first half, and with an eye on Saturday, Cassidy opted to swap Caicedo for El Capitano. I thought Caicedo was great defensively in the first half, but had a sloppy giveaway that led to a Dallas chance just before being hooked.
63' Post x2 Velde's first real involvement nearly saw the Norwegian score his first goal post-bebe, cutting inside off the left before thumping the base of the near post. The rebound bounced back into the center of the box and Kelsy thumped the same post on the half-volley, somehow Dallas escape unscathed.
66' GOAL PORTLAND TIMBERS, 1-1 On the third time of asking, Kelsy finally pierced the back of the net to equalize for the Timbers. Cole Bassett became the third player to strike the base of the left post, but this time the ball trickled across the goal line, where Kelsy was on hand to tap in his third goal in two matches. Kelsy, hilariously, almost cleared the ball off the line with his off foot, but they all count the same. Game on.
79' Post David da Costa and Cole Bassett stood over a free kick at the top of the box after the former was fouled by Osaze Urhoghide on the right side. Da Costa's effort was deflected up in the air by the Dallas wall and fell down into Kelsy's path, allowing the striker to get the outside of his left boot on the ball and send it off the right post. Dallas 'keeper Daniel came through Kelsy at knee-height in the process, leaving Kelsy down in serious pain before eventually limping off the pitch.
81' Substitutions Felipe Mora and Alexander Aravena ON // Kevin Kelsy and Cole Bassett OFF.
88' Goal FC Dallas, 2-1 Alexander Aravena with a beautiful assist... to Petar Musa... The Chilean's incredibly poor back pass was latched on to by the Croatian DP, who twisted and turned Kamal Miller (on a yellow) inside and out before squeezing the ball past Pantemis far post. It's just a mistake. A catastrophic mistake from the substitute.
90+2' GOAL PORTLAND TIMBERS, 2-2 Cometh the hour, cometh Pipe Mora. The Chilean's first goal since the season opener against the Columbus Crew couldn't have come at a better time for the Timbers, who were buoyed by the fourth official's electronic board reading nine minutes of second half stoppage time.
Full Time: Portland Timbers 2 - 2 FC Dallas
Normally a 2-2 draw at home would feel like points dropped, but I left Providence Park relatively encouraged by the performance. After a toothless first half, Velde reminded everybody that he is the Timbers best player with a phenomenal cameo in the second, and the team fought valiantly to come back from two dismal concessions.
"The lads are definitely disappointed with the manner of the goals [conceded]," said Cassidy when I asked him if the turnovers directly leading to both concessions were the most disappointing aspect of the match.
The immediate concern is the health of Kelsy, who was forced off the pitch through injury following a heavy collision with Daniel and looked in a bad way as he limped back to the Timbers bench with the help of a trainer. It would be a real blow for club and player should he miss any time with the run of form he's in following the World Cup break.
Ultimately if the Timbers play like they have their last two games they will win more games than they lose, and after the start they made to the season under Phil Neville, that is a welcome development with Marti Cifuentes yet to make his debut in the dugout. The 4-3-3 looks much more coherent and decisive than the 4-2-3-1 did, and with the next five games at Providence Park, the Timbers have a chance to build up some real momentum down the stretch.
Next up is Real Salt Lake on Saturday, who are coming off a blowout loss on the road at LAFC.
