Photo by Diego Diaz
Saturday, August 6, 2022
The Portland Timbers played host tonight to FC Dallas on a sweltering night at Providence Park. Diego Chara and Dairon Asprilla were back in the lineup for Portland after missing the last match against Nashville for yellow card accumulation. This is the third match of the week for both teams with FC Dallas losing on the road to Seattle on Tuesday.
The Timbers tried to start the match with a bang as defender Bill Tuiloma sent a rocket over the goal from the 30 yard line within the first minute of play. Both teams took their time trying to find their rhythm. In the 24th minute, Dairon Asprilla was given a yellow card for crashing down on the back of Sebastian Lletget as they both jumped for the ball.
A great run by Paul Arriola for FC Dallas almost resulted with a point when his shot ricocheted off the far post in the 28th minute. In the 35th minute, the Timbers’ Santiago Moreno’s shot from just outside the box was saved by Dallas keeper Maarten Paes as was David Ayala’s shot in the 44th minute. The first half ended scoreless.
Portland started the second half with an immediate substitution bringing Martin Loría in for Claudio Bravo. Dallas took the charge in the second half causing Timbers keeper Aljaz Ivacic to make a single-handed slap save of a great ball by Dallas’s Jesús Ferreira. Ivacic was put to the test again in the 59th minute with a shot on goal by Arriola.
The Timbers made a triple substitution in the 64th minute bringing in Eryk Williamson, Sebastian Blanco, and Zach McGraw. In the 74th minute Dallas’s Emmanuel Twumasi earned his first yellow for a bad foul. Loría had an attempt saved in the 76th minute. Williamson picked up a yellow card in the 78th minute. The Timbers continued to fight with Blanco and Tuiloma both making attempts on goal as regular time ran out.
The five minutes of added stoppage time changed the course of the game tonight. In the 94th minute, Matt Hedges of Dallas was called for a handball in the box resulting in a yellow card and a Timbers’ penalty kick. Marvin Loría stepped up for the Timbers to take the penalty. Paes made the save, but Loría ran forward on the deflection and put the ball into the back of the net. Providence Park went wild as green smoke billowed from the North End stands. Sadly, the celebration was cut short. Dallas sent a ball towards the net on a last play corner kick and the Timbers’ Diego Chara scored an own goal as he was pushed around in the box. The match ended in a 1-1 draw extending the Timbers’ unbeaten streak to ten games.
