San Antonio FC 2-Portland Timbers 2 1
Two late goals saw San Antonio FC (4-3-5, 17pts) pass a depleted Portland Timbers 2 (7-4-2, 23pts) side 2-1 on Saturday, ending T2’s five-match unbeaten streak.
When rosters were announced for the Portland Timbers match against Los Angeles Galaxy and Eryk Williamson, Foster Langsdorf, Modou Jadama, and Kendall McIntosh were all on the bench for the Major League Soccer side, the likelihood of T2 earning a result without four of their best players seemed incredibly slim.
Working with a thin roster, T2 Head Coach Cameron Knowles elected to send his players out in a 3-5-2, that looked more like a 5-3-2, as SAFC dominance on the ball in the first half kept the Portland wingbacks pinned back.
The first half was largely one-way traffic with T2 goalkeeper Alex Mangels called into action early and often. In the 9th minute, SAFC forward Omar Gordon hit a cross which center back Josh Phillips cleared but only as far midfielder Mikey Lopez, whose long-range effort forced Mangels into a diving save.
Six minutes later, Mangels would be needed again, punching away a direct free kick, which fell to forward Cesar Elizondo, who put the second chance over the bar.
T2 absorbed pressure without conceding for much of the first half, before getting their first real look on goal in the 40th minute when defender Diz Pe was unable to head the ball on frame from a free kick.
Forward Jeremy Ebobisse and midfielder Marvin Loria were brought on to start the second half for T2. Their introduction brought some much-needed life to the struggling Portland side.
Portland opened the scoring in the 50th minute, after forward Augustine Williams was brought down in the box and awarded a penalty kick, which Williams converted himself. The goal is the fourth on the season for Williams.
Though T2 did well to maintain the lead for over half an hour, the increased pressure from San Antonio desperately searching for a goal was too much. San Antonio leveled the score in the 86th minute, when Gordon picked up the ball in the 18-yard-box, turned, and shot beating Mangels and finding the bottom corner of the goal.
San Antonio scored the winner three minutes into stoppage time. Pe misplayed a headed clearance, which forward Alex Bruce pounced on and sent into the back of the net.
T2 next play Rio Grande Valley Toros FC on Saturday, June 9.
T2
USL
