Timbers earn draw with FC Dallas

The Portland Timbers went into FC Dallas Stadium for a meeting with the MLS’ No. 1 team on Wednesday. The teams had matching unbeaten streaks on the line, with both FC Dallas and Portland making it through their last seven games without a loss.

Portland’s Frederic Piquionne nearly got his first goal in a Timbers uniform in the 19th minute, gathering a pass from Diego Chara and firing a shot to the right side of the goal that forced the FC Dallas goalkeeper to come through with a diving save.

The Timbers defense was critical against such a dangerous team, pushing back against the FC Dallas attack while the offense held possession for 54 percent of the first half. Neither team was able to gain any headway in the first 45 minutes and the score was tied at 0-0 going into the locker room.

With both squads coming out more aggressively in the second half, the Timbers nearly went down 1-0 in the 67th minute. A cross from FC Dallas’ Michel was headed by Blas Perez as Timbers goalie Donovan Ricketts stood by helplessly, but the header struck the post and bounced away.

Portland’s patience was finally rewarded in the 70th minute, when Darlington Nagbe caught a lob pass from Rodney Wallace in FC Dallas’ box and scored on a perfectly timed goal to put the Timbers up 1-0.

FC Dallas quickly responded, cashing in on a penalty kick by Kenny Cooper in the 77th minute. Timbers head coach Caleb Porter was fined by the league after publicly condemning the referee’s call in his postgame press conference.

In the 81st minute, Portland used its last substitution to bring in a fresh Ryan Johnson to try and score the go-ahead goal. Their efforts were in vain, however, as neither team was able to break the deadlock in the remaining minutes, and the Timbers left town with a draw.