Timbers rally to earn draw vs. Dynamo

Nathan Fogaca scored the tying goal less than a minute after coming on as a substitute as the Portland Timbers rallied for a 2-2 draw with the visiting Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

Felipe Mora also scored and Evander had two assists for the Timbers (5-7-5, 20 points), who are 3-1-1 in their past five matches.

Coco Carrasquilla and Sebastian Kowalczyk scored for the Dynamo (6-6-4, 22 points) and Hector Herrera had two assists.

Kowalczyk appeared to score again in the 84th minute to put Houston ahead for a third time, but a video review determined teammate Ibrahim Aliyu was offside on the play.

The tying goal came in the 76th minute. Evander’s free kick from about 35 yards out on the right wing found Fogaca for a header at the top of the 6-yard that went inside the far post.

Carrasquilla gave Houston a 2-1 lead in the 50th minute. He dribbled the ball down the right wing and played a give-and-go with Herrera. Carrasquilla took the return pass and put a low shot from just outside the top right of the 6-yard box past diving Portland goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

The Dynamo opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Herrera’s corner kick from the right wing found Ethan Bartlow about 10 yards out, but his shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Kowalczyk with his back to the net at the top of the 6-yard box. Kowalczyk spun and put a low shot under a charging Crepeau.

The Timbers tied the score on a counterattack in the 37th minute. Evander’s pass from midfield sent Jonathan Rodriguez on a breakaway down the left wing. Rodriguez dribbled into the penalty area and, with two defenders converging, slipped a pass to a wide-open Mora at the top of the 6-yard box for a tap-in. It was Mora’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.

–Field Level Media