PORTLAND – The 10-man Seattle Sounders got a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer from Clint Dempsey, salvaging a miracle 2-2 draw against the Portland Timbers in their Cascadia Cup derby at Providence Park on Sunday.
Joevin Jones opened the scoring in the 27th minute with his first goal of the season, while Fanendo Adi and Dairon Asprilla each found the scoresheet for Portland in a five-minute stretch right before halftime. Seattle appeared to be headed to a disappointing 2-1 defeat until the game’s final moments when Dempsey salvaged the point with the late leveler, heading in a cross from Roman Torres for his ninth career goal against the Sounders’ regional rivals.
Portland had the game’s first notable chance in the 11th minute off one of their patented counterattacks that ended with midfielder Diego Chara setting up forward Adi with a chance on Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Seattle’s veteran backstop would manage the kick save on Adi’s shot, however, denying the Timbers a chance at the opener.
Jones would then find the opener for Seattle in the 27th after he collected a long pass from Osvaldo Alonso and made a charging run into the box that ended with a shot on Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson. Gleeson saved the initial shot, but the rebound bounced back right back to Jones who cashed home the easy finish to give Seattle the 1-0 first-half advantage.
The Sounders were dealt a major blow just before halftime when right back Brad Evans was whistled for a foul in his own box on Portland’s Darlington Nagbe, allowing Adi to equalize from the spot.
Evans was also shown a red card for the foul on the play, leaving Seattle down a man for the duration of the match. Evans will also be suspended for Seattle’s next game against the Colorado Rapids on July 4.
Asprilla then handed the home side the lead in first-half stoppage time after he headed a corner kick past Frei, sending the Timbers into halftime with a 2-1 lead. That scoreline would have been the final if not for Dempsey’s heroics that saw him tuck a perfectly placed header past Gleeson to stun the Providence Park crowd.
In the 92nd minute, Torres found space down the right wing and sent in a cross more characteristic of a winger rather than a big center back. Dempsey rose higher than Amobi Okugo to head home the late goal sparking wild celebrations among the Sounders and their traveling fans.
The miracle result moved Seattle’s record to 5-7-6 on the season ahead of their upcoming Colorado match, which will pit the Sounders against the side they topped in the Western Conference Championship in last year’s 2016 MLS Cup playoffs.
