MIAMI
– A second-half goal by defender David Hayes guided the Portland Timbers to a come-from-behind 1-1 draw against the Miami FC Blues at Florida International University Stadium Friday. With the draw, the Timbers matched a USL First Division record for the longest, single-season unbeaten streak at 15 games.
Hayes, playing in his 250th career USL First Division game, pulled the Timbers even with his second strike of the season on a 25-yard free kick in the 78th minute. Portland (8-1-7, 31pts) moves into a three-way tie with the Puerto Rico Islanders and Charleston Battery for first place in the USL First Division with 31 points.
The Timbers’ 15-game unbeaten run matches the league record set back in 2005, by the Montreal Impact.
Midfielder Orlando Bueso scored his fist goal of the season and forward Paulo Araujo, Jr. recorded an assist for the Blues (6-6-3, 21pts), who remain unbeaten in the month of July with the draw.
Portland had its chances to put the Blues under pressure early, with shots from midfielders Brian Farber and Johan Claesson that just missed wide of the frame in the opening minutes. But it was Miami’s Araujo that nearly broke the game open with a point-blank shot in the eighth minute that was cleared off the line by Timbers defender Stephen Keel.
The Blues jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute on a play started by Araujo. Attacking down the left side, Araujo laid the ball off for Bueso, who then one-timed a shot from distance past the out-stretched arms of Timbers goalkeeper Steve Cronin and into the back of the net.
After going down by a goal, the Timbers responded with chances by midfielder Ryan Pore, making his first league start since returning from injury on July 4, and forward George Josten that forced Miami goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni to make two critical saves in the first half.
Late in the stanza, Schoeni initiated a hard challenge on Pore in the Timbers offensive third. As Pore chased down a cross by Josten near the top of the box, Schoeni left his line on the play but missed the ball, resulting in a collision that sent both players to the ground. Both Pore and Schoeni received minor head injuries; Pore exited the match at halftime.
Early in the second half, the Timbers had a chance to level the score on a header by forward Takayuki Suzuki from close range. Forward Mandjou Keita broke up field down the right side and served a pin-point cross to Suzuki on the left post. Suzuki’s header from three yards out was turned away by Schoeni’s right hand on a quick reaction save to maintain the home side’s one-goal lead.
Portland continued to press forward in the second half. In the 60th minute, midfielder Keith Savage put a shot from the top of the box just wide of the goal. Three minutes later, Keita was taken down near the edge of the box, setting up a free kick for Hayes from close range; Hayes sent his shot over the bar.
But Hayes would get another chance in the 78th minute when Miami committed a foul outside the box on the left side. Hayes stepped up and curled a shot from 25 yards out around Miami’s two-man wall and inside the left post for the equalizer at 1-1.
The Timbers fought off a charge by the Blues in the final minutes of regulation and endured four minutes of stoppage time in the second half to keep their unbeaten streak alive.
Portland and Miami meet for a second time in three days on Sunday as the two sides close a two-game, weekend series at 3 p.m. (Pacific) at FlU Stadium. A live broadcast will be available online at
www.portlandtimbers.com
, with a live video webcast available through USL Live – now a free service at www.usllive.com.
Notes:
Miami’s strike in the first half forced the Timbers to enter halftime down by a goal for the first time this season … Blues head coach Zihno was sent off following Hayes’ goal in the 78th minute … The Timbers are now 1-1-2 against the Blues in Miami … Timbers defender Scot Thompson is just one match away from joining midfielder Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar as the club’s all-time modern-franchise leader in games played at 132.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Hayes, D Keel, D Knowles, D Thompson (Nishimura, 78), M Claesson, M Farber (McLaughlin, 72), M McManus, M Pore (Savage, 45), F Keita, F Josten (Suzuki, 45)
MIA: GK Schoeni, D Dias, D Kirby, D Merritt (Vasquez, 86), D Traynor (Tsiskaridze, 74), M Bueso (Faife, 58), M Goldberg (Ramirez, 74), M Miranda, M Pulido, F Araujo, Jr. (Alcantara, 86), F Serna
Scoring Summary:
MIA: Bueso (Araujo), 25
POR: Hayes, 78
