Timbers come back to gain a draw with the Sounders

Rodney Wallace’s equalizer in the 78th helped the Portland Timbers (7-14-7, 28 points) come back for a 1-1 draw against Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders.

After a scoreless first half, Fredy Montero put the Sounders ahead in the 57th minute, merely 20 seconds after keeper Joe Bendik came off the bench to replace an injured Donovan Ricketts.

Here’s some quick takeaways from today’s match:

* Give the Timbers credit

Few people thought the Timbers would even be in this match, let alone get points out of it. Since losing to the Timbers on June 24th, the Sounders have been on a tear, going 6-1-4 in MLS and 10-1-5 in all competitions. I thought the Timbers played better than expected and gave the Sounders a good battle, even coming close in the 90th minute to steal three points when a set piece led to a Bright Dike shot off the far post.

* Still…

That said, the Sounders are not the same team without Mauro Rosales and Christian Tiffert on the pitch.  While Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson are having terrific seasons, Rosales seems to be the key guy for the Sounders.

* Rodney Wallace

I think that was the best match I’ve ever seen Wallace play in a Timbers uniform.

* Kosuke Kimura

Kimura’s performance once again left a lot to be desired. He just can’t seem to gel with his teammates, and he’s very tentative offensively. Too many giveaways and passes to nowhere. There’s not much season left, I’d like to see Ryan Kawulok get a shot at right back.

* More Danny Mwanga please

Mwanga was a nice spark off the bench for the Timbers and he immediately drew attention from the Sounders defense. I’d like to see Mwanga get big time minutes and have a chance to finish the season strong.

* Set pieces were key for the Timbers 

It was good to see Jack Jewsbury taking corner kicks again and that switch led to some excellent opportunities in the box for the Timbers with Hanyer Mosquera, Rodney Wallace (with the goal) and Bright Dike all getting chances.

* Updated Cascadia Cup Standings

Game stats:

Portland Timbers (7-14-7, 28pts) vs. Seattle Sounders FC (13-6-9, 48pts)
Sept. 15, 2012 – JELD-WEN Field

Goals by Half 1 2 F
Seattle Sounders FC 0 1 1
Portland Timbers 0 1 1

Scoring Summary
SEA: Montero (Gspurning), 57
POR: Wallace (Jewsbury), 78

Misconduct Summary
SEA: Johnson (Caution), 26
SEA: Martinez (Caution), 79

Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Ricketts (Bendik, 57), D Kimura, D Mosquera, D Horst, D Smith, M Nagbe, M Jewsbury ©, M Chara, F Zizzo (Alhassan, 83), F Dike, F Songo’o (Mwanga, 72)

Substitutes Not Used: D Danso, M Alexander, F Boyd, F Fucito

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Jewsbury, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Wallace, 2); FOULS: 12 (Chara, 4); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2 (Bendik, 2)

SEA: GK Gspurning, D Johansson, D Hurtado, D Parke, D Gonzalez, M Zakuani (Martinez, 70), M Alonso ©, M Rose, M Evans (Burch, 78) , F Montero, F Johnson

Substitutes Not Used: GK Ford, D Ianni, D Scott, M Caskey, F Ochoa

TOTAL SHOTS: 15 (Montero, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Montero, 2); FOULS: 11 (Gonzalez, Johnson, 2); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 2

Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant Referees: Peter Manikowski, Mike Kampmeinert
4th Official: Jesus Cisneros
Attendance: 20, 438
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Sunny, 74 degrees

Highlights: