Portland Timbers stage late comeback to edge past struggling San Jose Earthquakes

Portland Timbers came from a goal down to beat San Jose Earthquakes 2-1, closing the gap on fifth-placed Vancouver Whitecaps to just one point in the Western Conference.

Some 34 minutes elapsed before either side fashioned a clear goalscoring opportunity, and it was the hosts as Sam Cronin saw his shot saved by Donovan Ricketts before Chris Wondolowski fired the rebound just wide.

The veteran striker atoned for that miss by firing San Jose ahead 12 minutes after the restart for his 14th of the MLS season.

Caleb Porter's side were not behind for long, however, as the visitors hit back in style and turned the game on its head.

First, Rodney Wallace drew the sides level on 72 minutes, before former Aston Villa full-back Liam Ridgewell's deflected strike put Portland ahead shortly after.

Atiba Harris drew a good save out of Ricketts late on, but Pablo Pintos was shown a late red card on his debut for the frustrated hosts, as the Timbers held on to secure all three points.