Thanks to a late penalty kick goal from striker Felipe Mora, the Portland Timbers earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night at Providence Park.
By picking up a point, the Timbers (6-6-9, 27 points) move into a tie with the LA Galaxy (8-9-3, 27 points) for the seventh and final MLS Cup playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Portland had a few solid attacking moments in the early going, including an errant shot from Jaroslaw Niezgoda in the 6th minute and a clean look for Santiago Moreno in the 11th minute that was saved easily. Vancouver, meanwhile, took 23 minutes to get its first shot: a sailed attempt by Tristan Blackmon.
Throughout the first half, Vancouver defended well enough in tight spaces to prevent Portland from getting quality looks at goal. That opened the window for the Whitecaps to score in the 32nd minute as the road side took a 1-0 lead on the diving header from Brian White.
Vancouver continually threatened on the counterattack as the first half wound down, and it was able to force Timbers defender Josecarlos Van Rankin into a yellow card in the 44th minute.
More cards were shown in a breakneck first few minutes of the second half. Immediately after Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made two key saves in the 46th minute, Lucas Cavallini picked up a yellow card for Vancouver. In the 48th, Ryan Raposo earned one for the Whitecaps.
Both teams exchanged a flurry of shots in the early second half but few were terribly dangerous. The physicality of the match continued to escalate, as did Portland’s visible displeasure with the officials.
That frustration came to a head in the 65th minute as Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese picked up a yellow card for arguing. Still, the Timbers pressed on and sought a tying goal as quality looks became further and fewer between.
Savarese brought on Mora and Bill Tuiloma in the 72nd minute, aiming to spark a Timbers lineup that increasingly lacked in luster.
Bravo had a lustrous chance in the 77th minute, steadying the ball on the volley and sending a rocket to the upper portion of goal. But a tremendous, reactive save by Vancouver’s Isaac Boehmer prevented the ball from going in.
Portland finally broke through in the 82nd minute as Mora drew a foul in the box, setting up a penalty kick for himself that he nailed with ease. Green smoke filled the air in Providence Park as Mora celebrated his first goal of the 2022 season and first since his miraculous late score in MLS Cup 2021 against NYCFC.
Sebastian Blanco, frustrated all night by the lack of calls in Portland’s favor, picked up a yellow card in the 90th minute for repeatedly smacking the turf after not getting a whistle. Portland was not able to find the winning goal down the stretch.
Portland’s next match is at home on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Providence Park (TV on Fox 12 Plus).
-- Ryan Clarke, [email protected]