PORTLAND – MLS went wild on Friday night. In the second half of an ESPN double header, Portland Timbers hosted Seattle Sounders. Both teams were below the playoff line. This was a six-pointer between two desperate teams. A win would be a massive in the race for the playoffs for either team.
Portland Timbers comeback to win Cascadia Cup six-pointer
Seattle scored just eight minutes into the game. Off a training ground corner, Yeimar Gómez got a towering header at the back post to make it 1-0. Set piece defending again was a problem for the Timbers.
Portland controlled play for the rest of the half, while Seattle did not have another shot attempt. After several sniffs at goal, they got a lifeline with a questionable penalty call in the 40th minute. Eryk Williamson dribbled into the box, passing the ball, and then running into the goal scorer Yeimar. The defender was attempting to get out of the way, but Williamson was tripped up regardless. Dairon Asprilla took the penalty, sending Stefan Frei the wrong way. The half ended 1-1.
I’m just not sure what yeimar is supposed to do here. He’s getting out of way. pic.twitter.com/AVJFJ8ghW7
— Jeremiah Oshan (@JeremiahOshan) August 27, 2022
The home side must have gotten a boost from that as they scored six minutes into the second half. Williamson took a free kick 10 yards outside the box, sending it to the far post. Asprilla put the ball back across goal for Sebastián Blanco to tap in.
The game opened up after that with Portland trying to find an insurance goal in transition. Jackson Ragen hit the crossbar on a header in the final 10 minutes. Neither team could find a goal to swing the game, despite eight minutes of stoppage time. The match ended 2-1.
Seba doin’ Seba things 💥#RCTID pic.twitter.com/1cNCHKy6SV
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) August 27, 2022
Three Thoughts:
Portland Timbers comeback, win Cascadia Cup: This was PTFC’s first win in a month. They moved up to seventh in the table, albeit with teams below them having games in hand. The performance got better as the game went along. The result was most crucial.
Referee controversy: Another MLS game. Another controversial call. That wasn’t a penalty for me. Williamson went down to easy for the amount of contact. The ball was already gone (intentionally).
MLS Cup Playoffs: It’s not looking good for Seattle. After the goal 10 minutes in, it was not good enough. This team isn’t getting bounces. They also seem to be running on empty.
