PORTLAND, Oregon (Saturday, March 19, 2016) – Real Salt Lake went up 2-0, but two red cards and two second-half goals led to a 2-2 draw against the defending MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Saturday.
FW Joao Plata scored his third goal of the season and FW Yura Movsisyan scored his first to put RSL up 2-0, but red cards to MF Kyle Beckerman and DF Jamison Olave left RSL down to nine men. RSL was outshot 26-7, including 23-4 after Beckerman’s red card in the 31st minute. Salt Lake remains unbeaten at 1-0-2 (5 points).
Portland appeared to take the lead in the second minute when Fanendo Adi got his head to a ball from the right side on a recycled run off of a cleared corner kick, but the flag went up for offside and his apparent goal was waved off.
In the 16th minute, RSL grabbed control of the lead when Plata netted his third goal of the regular season and fourth across all competitions. After a foul was whistled at the edge of the box, MF Javier Morales, Beckerman and Plata lined up over the ball. Morales ran over the ball, freezing the goalkeeper while Plata fired a shot over the wall and inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.
Salt Lake continued to put pressure on the Timbers, but in the 31st minute, Beckerman was ejected for a foul committed a foul in the midfield. Beckerman appeared to win the ball off of Adi, but he was whistled for a foul and shown a red card by referee Hilario Grajeda, leaving RSL down to 10 men for the final 59 minutes of the match.
For the remainder of the half, Portland outshot RSL 4-2, but couldn’t find the net and Salt Lake went into the half with a 1-0 advantage.
Portland would control the shooting advantage throughout the rest of the match, but RSL was advantageous with the shots it would land.
In the 58th minute, RSL would add to the lead through Movsisyan.
Off of an RSL throw-in, former Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers misplayed the ball and Movsisyan raced in behind the Timbers defense all alone. He got to the edge of the box and slotted his shot past the on-rushing Adam Kwarasey and into the net for his first MLS goal since 2009, giving Salt Lake the 2-0 lead.
Portland cut the lead in half in the 79th minute on a goal from Adi, ending GK Nick Rimando’s personal 484-minute shutout streak at Providence Park.
Off of Portland’s 14th corner kick of the match, RSL got the clearance, but the ball was played back into the box and Dairon Asprilla’s shot hit the crossbar and Adi got the putback goal to make it 2-1.
In the 83rd minute, Adi drew another red card, this time when he went down off the ball after contact from Olave. Adi converted the penalty to equalize and RSL held on for the draw through six minutes of stoppage time.
Real Salt Lake will not have another MLS match until April 2 when the Claret-and-Cobalt meets Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Field. It will be the first of three matches between the two clubs this season.
GAME NOTES – PORvRSL
- MF Kyle Beckerman will miss RSL’s next match against Sporting Kansas City while serving the one-game suspension for his 31st minute red card. It was just the fourth in his 382-game MLS career and the first since 2012.
- FW Joao Plata scored or assisted on the first six Real Salt Lake goals this season across all competitions with four goals and two assists through five matches. FW Yura Movsisyan’s unassisted goal in the 58th minute broke that streak.
- Movsisyan scored his first goal for RSL since October 24, 2009. With 16 career goals in the Claret-and-Cobalt, he now needs just two goals to surpass Jason Kreis in eighth place on the all-time RSL scoring list.
- RSL’s goal snapped a streak of 443 consecutive scoreless minutes in MLS play against the Timbers. It was the first goal at Providence Park for RSL in 286 minutes.
REAL SALT LAKE 2-2 PORTLAND TIMBERS
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2016
PROVIDENCE PARK
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Portland Timbers 0 2 2
Real Salt Lake 1 1 2
Scoring Summary:
RSL: Joao Plata 16’
RSL: Yura Movsisyan 58’
POR: Fanendo Adi 79’
POR: Fanendo Adi (PK) 84’
Misconduct Summary:
RSL: Kyle Beckerman (Ejection; Serious Foul Play) 31’
POR: Fanendo Adi (Caution; Foul) 68’
POR: Alval Powell (Caution; Foul) 76’
RSL: Jamison Olave (Ejection; Serious Foul Play) 83’
RSL: Nick Rimando (Caution; Delaying a Restart) 84’
RSL: Sunday Stephen Obayan (Caution; Delaying a Restart) 89’
RSL: Juan Manuel Martinez (Caution; Foul) 95+’
Lineups:
Real Salt Lake (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Aaron Maund, Chris Wingert; Kyle Beckerman, Sunday Stephen Obayan; Juan Manuel Martinez, Javier Morales (Luke Mulholland 55’), Joao Plata (Justen Glad 85’); Yura Movsisyan (Devon Sandoval 64’).
Substitutes not used: Jeff Attinella, Jordan Allen, Justen Glad, Demar Phillips, John Stertzer.
Portland Timbers (4-3-3): Adam Kwarasey; Alvas Powell, Jermaine Taylor, Nat Borchers, Zarek Valentin (Jack McInerney 61’); Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri; Lucas Melano (Ned Grabavoy 61’), Fanendo Adi, Dairon Asprilla (89’).
Substitutes not used: Jake Gleeson, Jack Barmby, Jack Jewsbury, Ben Zemanski.
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistant Referees: Ian Anderson, Mike Rottersman
Fourth Official: Baboucarr Jallow
Attendance: 21,144
Weather: Cloudy and 61
