The Portland Timbers visited Austin FC at Q2 Stadium on Thursday. For the Timbers, it was a fourth game in 13 days for a squad facing roster adversity. Austin FC took advantage and found their scoring ways, producing two goals in each half.
Three statistical takeaways from the night in Austin.
Battle from Behind
For a fifth straight game, the Timbers allowed an opponent to score in the opening half hour of a contest – with three of those instances coming on the road at Philadelphia, at Houston and tonight at Austin. Twice in those games, however, the Timbers have battled back to earn a result, taking a point in Houston against the Dynamo (June 23) and flipping an early 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory against Sporting KC on June 19.
Depth Tested
The loss in Austin was the Timbers first match this season without defender Claudio Bravo, who has departed to join Argentina for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. In total, nine players were unavailable for the Timbers tonight due to injuries and international duty.
Due to injuries and call-ups throughout the season, the Timbers have seen 27 different players in action across all competitions.
Corners Galore
The Timbers conceded 10 corner kicks to Austin FC in the first half. That’s the most the Timbers have conceded in a first half since the club joined MLS in 2011, and it matches the most corners conceded by the club in any half (Sept. 25, 2019, vs. New England).
