Before this midweek match, the Portland Timbers came with the labels of underdogs. Coming to play a renewed and hardened Houston Dynamo currently displaying a wondrous campaign.
For the Timbers coming to BBVA Compass Stadium in Space City, is no picnic.
Still for manager Giovanni Savarese is business as usual and not afraid of implementing changes in his initial elevens and tonight he did not hesitated to do some moves in spite of the foe.
So far that 4-4-2 formation used by Gio is working wonders as well seeing how his team in one that does not lack fight and tonight again these Timbers made a comeback in a brilliant way.
In the starting lineup we saw two absentees in the defense core in Jorge Villafaña in lieu of Zarek Valentin and Julio Cascante for Larrys Mabiala and Renzo Zambrano filling in for a suspended Diego Chara.
However the highlight of this match became in the 65′ minute when manager Savarese made one of his moves for starter Andy Polo and in came Brian Fernandez making his official debut.
With no hesitations not even two minutes passed by when the Argentine made his mark and showed off of why his transfer was well worth his price, scoring his first MLS goal.
As his incorporation in the field gave a boost to the Portland offensive attack lacking the drive to put one in past Joe Willis the Dynamo keeper who couldn’t do anything to prevent the score.
For the Dynamo in the first half and going into intermission with a goal lead scored by a corner kick in an error by Jorge Moreira who left Mauro Manotas alone and with his scoring abilities.
His score in teh 40′ minute put the Dynamo in front in a play easily preventable if Moriera could stayed with his man and not left him unmarked and little did Timbers keeper Jeff Attinella could do to stop the ball.
The draw in the end was a fair result in the end for the Portland Timbers.
Goals
Mauro Manotas 40′ HD, Brian Fernandez 77′ PTFC
Highlight
Brian Fernandez scoring in his debut and first MLS goal.
The comeback staged by the Portland Timbers in the second half
Man of the Match
Brian Fernandez
Next Match: Portland Timbers (3,6,2, 11 points) vs Philadelphia Union (7,3,2, 23 points)
Talen Energy Stadium, Chester Pennsylvania, Saturday June 1, 2019 7:30 PM PST/ 10:30 PM EST
2019 7:30 PM PST/ 10:30 PM EST
Portland Timbers
Houston Dynamo
