Portland Timbers scored in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw with Los Angeles Galaxy this evening, having fallen behind just four minutes previously.
Both sides struggled to create a clear-cut chance in a tight first half, with Donovan Ricketts making the first notable save of the match in the 40th minute when he denied Robbie Keane's low strike.
The hosts' first chance to break the deadlock came eight minutes after the restart as both Diego Valeri and Darlington Nagbe tested Jaime Penedo, who reacted well to make a good double save.
Portland came within inches of taking the lead just before the hour mark when Mamadou Danso flicked a backward header towards goal that came off the inside of the post.
Panedo was then called into action again a little under 10 minutes later, comfortably collecting a long-range strike from Will Johnson.
LA Galaxy began pushing for an opener late on and almost got it through Landon Donovan when he took a touch before curling the ball towards the far corner, only for Ricketts to prevent the American becoming the all-time top scorer in the MLS with a diving stop.
Ricketts was on hand again shortly afterwards as he acrobatically denied Keane's shaped effort towards the corner to keep the scores level.
There was nothing the keeper could do about the opener, however, as Keane drifted into the six-yard box to poke the ball home from close range following a long throw-in in the first minute of stoppage time.
The hosts levelled things up with virtually the last kick of the game, however, as Valeri squeezed the ball over the line from a tight angle following persistent play by Danso and Johnson in the area.
Barney Corkhill
