PORTLAND, Ore.
- A late goal from Steve Klein resulted in a 1-1 draw between the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps, despite a first-half goal by Scot Thompson before 5,523 Thursday night at PGE Park.
Next up, the Timbers face Sunderland AFC of the English Premier League in a cross-Atlantic duel on July 23. Tickets are still available at the PGE Park box office and at area Ticketmaster outlets.
Despite the draw, the Timbers (5-7-5, 20pts) controlled possession for the majority of the evening after losing to the Whitecaps 4-0 last week.
In the 31st minute, the Timbers tallied via a free kick from Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar that found the head of Thompson, and eventually the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The free kick from Alcaraz-Cuellar marked the midfielder’s league-leading fifth assist of the year, putting him at the top of the USL First Division.
The Whitecaps (7-3-6, 27pts) equalized the match when, in the 89th minute, a feed from substitute Jason Jordan led to a game-tying goal from Klein, his third strike in the last two contests versus Portland.
After a relatively quiet first 25 minutes, the Timbers’ offense kicked into gear when a diving header from Thompson fell just wide in the 27th minute and a give-and-go with Aaran Lines and Dan Antoniuk forced an acrobatic save from Whitecaps goalkeeper Mike Franks one minute later.
Also in the first half, the Whitecaps nearly tied the affair when Martin Nash played a cross onto Alfredo Valente’s head, but a diving effort from Timbers goalkeeper Josh Saunders kept the Canadian side scoreless in the 40th minute.
Both ‘keepers collected five saves, while the Timbers out-shot the Whitecaps, 14-11.
Antoniuk nearly converted two chances in the second half. The first attempt missed the post just wide on a turnaround strike from inside the box in the 70th, and the second was a header that fell into the hands of Franks.
TIMBERS NOTES:
Tickets for the Timbers’ fourth round U.S. Open Cup match against Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 3 went on sale yesterday … several Timbers will join up with the Timbers Army to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity this Saturday in Hillsboro.
SCORING SUMMARY:
POR Thompson, 31’ (Alcaraz-Cuellar); Klein, 89’ (Jordan).
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
VAN Clarke, 45’ (YC); POR Alcaraz-Cuellar, 76’ (YC), Antoniuk, 85’ (YC).
LINEUPS:
PORTLAND (5-7-5) Saunders GK, Thompson D, Marcum D, Morrison D, Lines D, Poltl M, Winters M (Higgins 60’), Alcaraz-Cuellar M, Miranda M, Antoniuk F, Alvarez F (Afash 83’); VANCOUVER (7-3-6) M. Franks GK, Kindel D, Watson D (Trout 74’), Lyall D (C. Franks 60’), Harmse D, Clarke M, Klein M, Nash M, Valente M (Morris 60’), Fuller F (Jordan 58’), Gjertsen F.
