PORTLAND – Sunday afternoon matches have sometimes been tough on the Portland Timbers. And on the hot surface of Providence Park, the Timbers struggled mightily to break down an organized Houston lineup.
And the Timbers own breakdowns had them in a tough spot, trailing 2-0 at halftime.
But a smart run by Lucas Melano and two fortunate whistles turned it all around in the second half as the Timbers rallied from two goals down to win in regulation for the first time in club history – dating to the club’s North American Soccer League birth in 1975.
The Timbers matched another mark set by that 1975 team, scoring a goal in the 20th consecutive regular-season game dating to last season. That first goal was a game-changer, and the second in as many games for Melano.
“Confidence is such an underrated thing. And it doesn’t matter how old you are, doesn’t matter if you’re an old pro, or young pro guys go through ups and downs with confidence,” Timbers coach Caleb Porter said. “What I’m seeing is just a more confident player. Some of the runs he made were what we saw again when we scouted him. Hopefully he can continue to build on that.”
The Timbers felt hard done in a draw at Real Salt Lake last weekend. On Sunday they could count their blessings. They were fortunate the Dynamo didn’t score more than two goals during a strong first-half performance that saw Houston create a series of chances including a header from former Timber David Horst that was cleared off the line by Alvas Powell.
Then there were the two late penalty kicks awarded to Portland, both converted by Diego Valeri (on the day fellow Argentine Lionel Messi missed a more pressure-packed PK).
First, Horst was called for handling a ball that was chipped into the penalty area by Melano. Valeri rocketed that won into the left side of the goal to tie it in the 82nd minute.
Horst felt the call was tough.
“I was stepping to the ball to clear it and I lost my balance a little bit and it fell to my chest. I thought my hand wasn’t in an abnormal position. It was right next to my body,” Horst said. “At the end of the day I can’t put myself in that position to let the ref make a call like that.”
The game-winner in the 91st minute was a fortuitous call for Portland.
Melano made it happen with a quick give and to with Jack McInerney. Referee Hilario Grajeda – not known for awarding penalties – pointed to the penalty spot, ruling that Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis tripped Melano as he raced for the ball. The Houston keeper, who replaced starter Tyler Deric at halftime because of dehydration, got to the ball ahead of Melano, but Grajeda did not see it that way from his position behind the play.
This time Valeri simply chipped the ball down the middle as Willis dove to his left.
“I was thinking until the last moment I wanted to put it in the middle because I knew the ’keeper wouldn’t stay, so I just wanted to be sure the ball went to the net,” Valeri said.
With that, the Timbers find themselves fifth in the Western Conference – in playoff position after an injury-riddled first half of their MLS schedule.
The second half of the season begins with a 6 p.m. match on July 4 at league-leading Colorado. First comes a Wednesday home match against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S. Open Cup.
Notes at the end
Portland and Houston are 3-3-3 head to head all time. The Timbers have scored 12 goals in those nine matches against the Dynamo – all 12 in the second half.
Houston forward Will Bruin scored his 50th career MLS regular-season goal in the first half. It was his fifth goal in his last five games against Portland, including one two-goal game.
The Dynamo have failed to hold six of their nine second-half leads this season.
Bruin and Horst each said the heat on the artificial turf contributed to the game opening up in the second half – something that worked against the Dynamo.
“We’re definitely used to the heat, but heat on (artificial) turf is a little different,” Bruin said. “Your mouth gets dry from the turf and the little rubber in there. But we knew they were tired and Iithink that’s why it opened up, but we need to do a good job of keeping it compact.”
