One word to describe the match between the LA Galaxy and the Portland Timbers on Saturday night; offense.
Both teams combined for five goals in the first half, with the Galaxy coming out the winner in the first 45 minutes. However, Portland needed just one goal to win the second half, and their winning the last 45 minutes was enough to shake up the playoff race in the Western Conference, as both teams played to a 3-3 draw at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“These are goals that we should be able to prevent with one of a few different ways in getting a little more solid with the ball, a little more organized, a little more collected with certain situations,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “It’s difficult. I say this every time. It’s difficult to win games when you have to score four to win games. And, that’s been a challenge for us. But, I mean, the amount of goals we’re scoring is certainly a positive. But, the amount of goals we’re conceding is just way too many.”
The Galaxy were carried by Douglas Costa and Eriq Zavaleta. Costa assisted two of the Galaxy’s three goals and scored a goal himself in the first half. While Zavaleta had himself a night with the brace, he unfortunately contributed to Portland’s scoring, as deflection off him ended with an unfortunate own goal. The Zavaleta own goal along with goals from Santiago Moreno and Felipe Mora enabled the Timbers (11-11-10, 43 points) to strengthen its playoff position in the West, as they sit in seventh in the conference, while the Galaxy (8-11-11, 35 points) are six points out of the final playoff spot with four matches left in the season.
“We understand that you can’t win games if you have to score three goals every time and we also understand that draws aren’t going to get us where we want to be at this point,” Zavaleta said. “The boys are disappointed despite the two goals I’m also disappointed but we believe we can clean these things up and see what we have to do by the end of the year.”
Portland got things going five minutes in. Felipe Mora sprung Dairon Asprilla down the right side of the field, Asprilla touched into the penalty area, then played a short cross into the six-yard box, Galaxy keeper Jonathan Bond could not make a play on the ball and Moreno one-timed a ball inside the six into the open net to give the Timbers the early lead. The Galaxy however had a response just five minutes later, as Costa sent a corner kick into the penalty area and Zavaleta headed a ball past keeper David Bingham into the back net to level the match.
The two teams continued to trade goals in the first half. The Timbers retook the lead in the 39th minute, as Mora and Moreno worked a one-two that ended with Mora getting the ball inside the penalty area, Mora touched a ball, but it deflected off Zavaleta and got out of Bond’s reach and snuck in at the far post for a Galaxy own goal that gave Portland another lead. The Galaxy however had its response, as they equalized a second time in the 43rd minute, as Raheem Edwards played a ball to Marky Delgado inside the penalty area, Delgado then sent a back pass that was cut off by Portland’s Noel Caliskan, but he sent a ball of Edwards’ feet, and it found the feet of an unmarked Costa, and he took advantage, as he blasted a left-footed shot inside the penalty area past Bingham to tie the match one more time. The Galaxy the took the lead in stoppage time, and it would be the Costa-Zavaleta combination again on a set piece, as Costa sent a free kick into the penalty area and Zavaleta times his run right to get behind the Timbers defense and head a ball past Bingham.
“I think we have a good team and not just the forwards are scoring but also defenders like [Eriq] Zavaleta today,” Costa said “In my opinion just like last year I think we are scoring a lot of goals from corner kicks or free kicks and we just have to continue like that and keep scoring if that is what is working and we are being successful at.”
The Galaxy held the lead well into the second half, but Portland had one more goal in them, and it came in the 76th minute. Sebastian Blanco crossed into the penalty area, Franck Boli took a shot that deflected off Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida, but an alert Mora was able to beat Edwards to the ball and took the sliding shot that beat Bond into near post at the upper corner to level matters one last time.
