Timbers fight back to earn 2-2 draw with Seattle Sounders FC

Comeback goals from Dairon Asprilla and Evander give Portland a point on the road against Sounders

SEATTLE – After trailing 2-0 at halftime, a pair of second-half goals fueled a Portland Timbers comeback result on the road against Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field on Saturday night. Dairon Asprilla scored the Timbers’ first goal of the night with his first touch of the match and Evander also found the back of the net just three minutes later for a 2-2 draw.

The draw extended Portland's unbeaten streak against Seattle to six straight regular-season games (4-0-2) and nine straight regular-season games when playing away at Lumen Field (5-0-4).

Cascadia Clashin’

Tonight’s road result improved Portland’s record over Cascadia rival Sounders FC to 17-15-9 overall (including playoffs). The Timbers are undefeated in six straight matches against the Sounders dating back to Aug. 29, 2021. In that six-game span, the Timbers have outscored Seattle 13-4. Notably, Portland is unbeaten in nine straight regular season matches when playing Seattle at Lumen Field dating back to August 27, 2017, the longest streak by any team at Lumen Field in MLS history. Dairon Asprilla has scored in four of Portland’s last five matches against the Sounders.

Instant Impact

Dairon Asprilla entered the match as a second-half substitute in the 67th minute and scored on his first touch of the game just 23 seconds after stepping onto the pitch. It marked his fifth goal of the 2023 campaign, which is third-best on the team behind Franck Boli (6) and Evander (7). Evander tallied the game-tying goal with his team-leading seventh of this season. Evander has recorded a goal contribution in three-straight matches, tallying two goals and an assist in that stretch. Zac McGraw tallied his first career MLS assist in tonight’s match, while Juan David Mosquera recorded his sixth assist of the 2023 campaign. Mosquera has tallied an assist in three straight matches for Portland. 

Goal-Scoring Plays

SEA – Raúl Ruidíaz (Jackson Ragen, Albert Rusnák), 9th minute: Off a Sounders corner kick, Jackson Ragen flicked the ball with his head from the near post to the back post. Raúl Ruidíazfinished the play with a driven header into the goal. 

SEA – Léo Chú (Raúl Ruidíaz), 30th minute: Standing at midfield, Raúl Ruidíaz brought the ball down with his chest and laid it off for Léo Chú, who dribbled up the center of the field and into the 18-yard box before slotting a low shot inside of the right post. 

POR – Dairon Asprilla (Zac McGraw, Eric Miller), 67th minute: Eric Miller took a Portland throw in from the left side of the field, delivering the ball into the box. Zac McGraw headed the ball towards the back post for Dairon Asprilla to score with his head. 

POR – Evander (Juan David Mosquera), 70th minute: Juan David Mosquera played a square pass to the top of the 18-yard box. Evander took one touch before curling a right-footed shot from distance into the upper-right corner of the net.

Up Next: The Portland Timbers return home next weekend to host Los Angeles FC at Providence Park on Sept. 9. Kickoff is 7:30pm PT (TICKETS, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

Notes

• Tonight’s road result improved Portland’s record over Cascadia rival Sounders FC to 17-15-9 overall (including playoffs). 
• The Timbers are undefeated in six straight matches (4-0-2) against the Sounders dating back to Aug. 29, 2021. 
• In that six-game span, the Timbers have outscored Seattle 13-4. 
• Notably, Portland is unbeaten in nine straight regular season matches (5-0-4) when playing Seattle at Lumen Field dating back to August 27, 2017, the longest streak by any team at Lumen Field in MLS history.
• Evander registered his team-leading seventh goal of this season. 
• Evander has recorded a goal contribution in three-straight matches, tallying two goals and an assist in that stretch. 
• Dairon Asprilla notched his fifth goal of the 2023 campaign. 
• Asprilla scored his goal just 23 seconds after entering the match as a substitute on his first touch of the game. 
• Asprilla has scored in four of Portland’s last five matches against the Sounders. 
• Asprilla has recorded three goals and an assist in Portland’s last five matches. 
• Zac McGraw tallied his first career MLS assist in tonight’s match. 
• Juan David Mosquera recorded his sixth assist of the 2023 campaign. 
• Mosquera has tallied an assist in three straight matches for Portland. 
• Goalkeeper David Bingham recorded a season-high five saves in the match. 
• The Timbers have scored nine goals via substitutes this season, only St. Louis City (11) and Atlanta United (11) have scored more.

Portland Timbers (7-11-9, 30 pts) at Seattle Sounders FC (11-9-8, 41 pts)Sept. 2, 2023 – Lumen Field (Seattle, Wash.)

Scoring Summary:
SEA: Ruidiaz (Ragen, Rusnak), 9
SEA: Chu (Ruidiaz), 30
POR: Asprilla (McGraw, Miller), 67
POR: Evander (Mosquera), 70

Misconduct Summary:
SEA: Chu (caution), 30
SEA: Chu (caution, ejection), 53
POR: Asprilla (caution), 68
SEA: Paulo (caution), 76
POR: Blanco (caution), 81
POR: Zuparic (caution), 90+4

Lineups:
POR: GK Bingham, D Mosquera, D McGraw, D Zuparic, D Miller, M D. Chara ©, M Paredes (Asprilla, 67), M Evander, F Moreno (Antony, 82), F Y. Chara (Blanco, 67), F Mora (Boli, 67)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Ivacic, D Araujo, D Bravo, D Mabiala, M Acosta

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Evander, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Evander, 2); FOULS: 14 (Paredes, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3, SAVES: 5

SEA: GK Frei ©, D Nouhou, D Ragen, D Gomez, M Paulo (Baker-Whiting, 84), M Rusnak (Arreaga, 71), M Chu, M A. Roldan, M Vargas (Atencio, 71), F Ruidiaz (Lodeiro, 58), F Morris

Substitutes Not Used: GK Cleveland, M Dobbelaere, M Rothrock, F Heber, F Montero

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Chu, Ruidiaz, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Ruidiaz, 3); FOULS: 12 (Chu, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 2

Referee: Jon Freemon
Assistant Referees: Michael Barwegen, Logan Brown
Fourth Official: Lukasz, Szpala
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Attendance: 37,031