PORTLAND, Ore. – Behind a brace from forward Fanendo Adi, the Portland Timbers erased a two-goal deficit late in the second half to draw Real Salt Lake 2-2 before a sold-out crowd of 21,144 fans at Providence Park on Saturday night.
Producing 26 overall shots in the game, Portland scored two goals in a five-minute stretch over the final 11 minutes of the match to battle back for the draw. The Timbers, who entered the game with the second-most shots taken in MLS, have recorded 62 shots in three games played.
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With the draw, Portland (1-1-1, 4pts) remains unbeaten against Real Salt Lake in six consecutive games, dating back to June 7, 2014. Additionally, Adi’s brace marked his 10th since joining Portland midway through the 2014 campaign, the most for any active player in MLS during that timespan.
Real Salt Lake (1-0-2, 5pts) opened the scoring in the 12th minute of play when forward Joao Plata finished a curling free kick from the edge of the area. However, the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 31st minute when midfielder Kyle Beckerman was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Adi.
After forward Yura Movsisyan doubled Real Salt Lake’s lead in the 58th minute, the Timbers cut into the deficit when Adi scored his second goal of the season in the 79th minute. Following forward Dairon Asprilla’s chip that rattled off the crossbar, Adi reacted quickly to pounce on the rebound, slotting his effort past goalkeeper Nick Rimando and into the back of the net.
Just five minutes later, Adi secured his brace after defender Jamison Olave was sent off for bringing him down in the box, burying his effort from the penalty spot to level the scoreline.
With 11 corner kicks in the second half, which is tied for the second-most in a half in MLS history, Portland created numerous additional opportunities to score with six shots on target in the second half, including Jack McInerney’s effort from inside the six-yard box that was saved by Rimando in the 68th minute of play. In the 75th minute, midfielder Darlington Nagbe fired the Timbers 18th shot of the night, creating another corner, while McInerney’s close-range attempt in the 87th minute forced a difficult save from Rimando.
Portland will return to league play on Sunday, April 3, when the Timbers travel to the Orlando Citrus Bowl to take on Orlando City SC; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific). The match will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1 with local radio broadcasts on 750 AM/102.9 FM The Game (English) and La GranD 1150 AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).
Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake
March 19, 2016 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 1 1 2
Portland Timbers 0 2 2
Scoring Summary:
RSL: Plata, 16
RSL: Yura, 58
POR: Adi, 79
POR: Adi (penalty kick), 84
Misconduct Summary:
RSL: Beckerman (Ejection), 31
POR: Adi (Caution), 68
POR: Powell (Caution), 76
RSL: Olave (Ejection), 83
RSL: Sunny (Caution), 87
RSL: Martinez (Caution), 90+5
Lineups & Stats:
POR: GK Kwarasey, D Powell, D Borchers, D Taylor, D Valentin (McInerney, 61), M Chara, M Valeri, M Nagbe, F Melano (Grabavoy, 61), F Adi, F Asprilla (Mattocks, 89)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Gleeson, D Barmby, M Jewsbury, M Zemanski
TOTAL SHOTS: 26 (Adi, 5) ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Adi, McInerney, 2); FOULS: 14 (Chara, 3) ; OFFSIDES: 6 ; CORNER KICKS: 17 ; SAVES: 2
RSL: GK Rimando, D Beltran, D Olave, D Maund, D Wingert, M Sunny, M Beckerman, M Morales (Mulholland, 55), F Martinez, F Yura (Sandoval, 64), F Plata (Glad, 85)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Attinella, D Phillips, M Stertzer, F Allen
TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (Sunny, 2) ; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1) ; FOULS: 15 (Beckerman, 3) ; OFFSIDES: 1 ; CORNER KICKS: 4 ; SAVES: 4
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistant Referees: Ian Anderson and Mike Rottersman
4th Official: Baboucarr Jallow
Attendance: 21,144
Time of Game: n/a
Weather: Cloudy, 62 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
