Portland Timbers Tie Houston Dynamo 1-1 in Houston

The Portland Timbers tied the Houston Dynamo 1-1 as they maintained their unbeaten record at BBVA Compass Stadium. The game saw the Timbers control the match in the first half before being put on the back foot in the second, scrambling to hold on to the point on the road.

The first half saw the Timbers dominate possession, out passing the Dynamo at a rate of two to one, but it was Houston who struck first in the 16'. Brad Davis, freshly returned from injury, sent in one of his pinpoint crosses after finding space on the left flank. His curling ball found Will Bruin at the back post, where the Dynamo forward rose above Pa Modou Kah to thump home a solid header and put Houston up 1-0.

The Timbers managed to pull even in the 33' after another long string of possession, when Kalif Alhassan slid a low ball into the box for Gaston Fernandez. With Darlington Nagbe making a run to pull two defenders off the path of the ball, Fernandez had space at the penalty spot to fire off a first time shot, giving Houston keeper Tally Hall no time to react before the ball buried itself in the back of the net.

The second half was the inverse of the first, with the Dynamo holding possession for most of the 45'. The Timbers were pinned back until the final moments of the match with Houston pushing forward in waves, getting off only a handful of shots as they struggled to hold off the Dynamo attack. After putting in a good shift in the first half, the complete lack of control that the Timbers showed in the second was doubly disappointing despite earning their first road point of the year as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.