PORTLAND, Ore. – The final goal of Portland Timbers’ 4-4 Saturday draw felt discouraging, and not only because it put a “4” under “Real Salt Lake” on the scoreboard.
From safely clear of the penalty area, RSL’s Corey Baird was allowed six seconds to go one-on-one and back Cristhian Paredes toward the middle of the box. He drew pressure, forced Portland to alter their shape, then found a teammate, Sam Johnson, for a relatively easy goal.
There were failures on the ball. There were failures off. The help that arrived was ineffective. That helped that didn’t? No help at all. It was a six-second treatise in what not to do.
