PORTLAND, Oregon (Thursday, February 9, 2017) – Real Salt Lake came back from a 3-1 deficit to draw 3-3 with the Portland Timbers at the Timbers preseason tournament at Providence Park on Thursday.
FW Joao Plata, MF Luke Mulholland and MF Omar Holness all netted goals for RSL, who fell behind 3-1 in the 52nd minute only to storm back for the draw.
GK Nick Rimando made his first appearance of preseason for RSL after spending the first part of training camp away with the U.S. National Team in January camp. While on international duty, he played 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Serbia, earning his fifth career shutout in 22 caps with the U.S.
In a scrappy first half, Portland got on the board first in the 36th minute. The Timbers got into the box and Darlington Nagbe touched it through to Darren Mattocks. His first effort was saved by Rimando, but the rebound spilled to Diego Valeri for a thundering finish to put RSL behind 1-0.
RSL nearly equalized in the 39th minute when FW Yura Movsisyan turned on a ball at the edge of the box and hammered a shot that was stopped only by a diving save by Jake Gleeson.
On the play, the referee utilized the newly instituted VAR system and found a red card offense on the play, giving RSL a free kick from the spot of the infraction. Plata ripped the shot under the crossbar and in to even the tally at 1-1.
However, in first-half stoppage time, Valeri netted his second goal on a penalty. Portland got to the edge of the box and played a ball in from the left side and it caromed off the arm of FW Jordan Allen to draw the penalty call. Valeri put the PK past Rimando and the match went into the break at 2-1.
Portland struck again in the 52nd minute when Mattocks fought off a defender and put his shot past GK Lalo Fernandez, who replaced Rimando at halftime, and the Timbers went up 3-1.
Mulholland responded with a goal of his own in the 54th minute. MF Albert Rusnák played the ball in from the right side and Portland made the clearance, but only as far as the edge of the box, where Mulholland blasted a first-time shot that bounced past Gleeson to make it 3-2.
After both teams made wholesale changes around the hour-mark, Holness evened the match up again in the 67th minute. After another ball bounded around the box, it fell to Holness at 20 yards out and he hammered it inside the far post to tie it up at 3-3.
Holness had a chance to grab the win in stoppage time, but his shot from 19 yards out missed just wide of the net and the match ended at 3-3. RSL remains unbeaten at 1-0-3 in preseason.
Real Salt Lake will take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. MT in the second match during RSL’s 10-day stay in Portland. The match will be live streamed at RSL.com.
REAL SALT LAKE 3-3 PORTLAND TIMBERS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Portland, Oregon
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 1 2 3
Portland Timbers 2 1 3
Scoring Summary:
POR: Diego Valeri 36’
RSL: Joao Plata 43’
POR: Diego Valeri 49+’
POR: Darren Mattocks 52’
RSL: Luke Mulholland 54’
RSL: Omar Holness 67’
Discipline Report:
POR: Diego Valeri (Caution) 14’
POR: Alvas Powell (Caution) 24’
RSL: Yura Movsisyan (Caution) 24’
RSL: Luke Mulholland (Caution) 24’
POR: Diego Chara (Ejection) 42’
POR: Jack McInerney (Caution) 85’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando (Lalo Fernandez 46’); Reagan Dunk (Tony Beltran 61’), Aaron Maund (David Horst 61’), Justin Schmidt (Emilio Orozco 61’), Demar Phillips (Max Lachowecki 61’); Sunny (Omar Holness 61’), Luke Mulholland (Nick Besler 61’); Jordan Allen (Daniel Haber 61’, Andrew Brody 76’), Albert Rusnák (Jose Hernandez 61’), Joao Plata (Ricardo Velazco 61’); Yura Movsisyan (Chad Barrett 61’).
Portland Timbers (4-2-3-1): Jake Gleeson (Jeff Attinella 58’); Alvas Powell (Chance Myers 58’), Lawrence Olum (Jhamir Ordain 58’), Liam Ridgewell (Rennico Clarke 58’), Vytas (Zarek Valentin 58’); David Guzman (Amobi Okugo 58’), Diego Chara; Sebastian Blanco (Jack Barmby 46’, Victor Arboleda 87’), Diego Valeri (Ben Zemanski 58’), Darlington Nagbe (Dairon Asprilla 27’); Darren Mattocks (Jack McInerney 58’).
