RECAP | Portland Timbers roar back to draw 3-3 against Real Salt Lake

Rodríguez scored in 90+2' minute to steal point; Evander tallied golazo while Antony also gets on scoresheet for Portland

SANDY, Utah – Jonathan Rodríguez scored a header in the 90+2nd minute to pull the Portland Timbers to a 3-3 draw on the road against Real Salt Lake Saturday night at America First Field.

Portland scored three second-half goals in total with Evander unleashing a thunderbolt of a free kick to score in the 76th minute and Antony tallying a goal in the 62nd minute to help Portland steal a key point in their push towards the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Comeback Kings

Tonight’s 3-3 draw marked the seventh time the Timbers have come back to earn points from a losing position in the regular season (3W, 4D). Of the seven come-from-behind results, five have seen the club overturn a deficit of two or more goals (at RSL, vs. STL, vs. MIN, vs. SJ, at SKC). Portland has now scored a league-leading 16 goals after the 75th minute so far this season. Nine of those goals have come while Portland was trailing in the match, while eight tied the score for the Timbers. Five of their 16 goals after the 75th minute have come in stoppage time play, with three from Jonathan Rodriguez and two from Evander.

Evander the Magic Man

Evander put his name on the scoresheet for an 11th straight match Saturday evening, scoring his 15th goal of the season. Notably, Evander has tallied eight goals and 10 assists in that 11-game span. The Brazilian midfielder leads MLS in goal contributions (33) and became the sixth player in league history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists in a single season. Additionally, the set piece goal saw Evander surpass Diego Valeri (32) for the most goal contributions in a single season in club history.

Goals by the Numbers

With its three-goal outburst against RSL, Portland set a new single-season club record for goals scored (63), surpassing the 60 it scored in 2014. No other Western Conference team has put the ball in the back of the net more than the Timbers, with Head Coach Phil Neville’s team only trailing Inter Miami (68) in goals scored so far this season. Notably, Portland has scored multiple goals in 22 of its 30 matches in 2024 and has scored at least once in 12 straight games. Antony netted his fifth goal of the season and first since scoring against FC Dallas on July 4. Rodríguez also netted his 15th goal of the season, doing so with a header in the second minute of stoppage time. With goals in consecutive weeks, the newcomer now has 22 goal contributions on the season (15G, 7A).

Matchcenter

Goal-Scoring Plays

RSL – Dominik Marczuk (Anderson Julio), 10th minute: Anderson Julio delivered a cross into the box for Dominik Marczuk, who controlled the ball out of the air and placed a left-footed shot just inside the near post.

RSL – Diego Luna, 22nd minute: RSL’s attack drove the ball into the six-yard box, forcing a save from Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. Making a darting run into the penalty area, Diego Luna finished the loose ball with a first-time shot into the back of the net.

POR – Antony, 62nd minute: Off a Timbers corner kick, Eric Miller dove to win a header, sending the ball toward the back post. Through some foot traffic, Antony found an opening and slipped the ball into the far-post corner of the goal.

POR – Evander, 76th minute: Portland earned a free kick well beyond the 18-yard box. Standing over the ball, Evander blasted a direct attempt on frame, sneaking it in off the crossbar and into the goal.

RSL – Diogo Goncalves (Cristian Arango), 90th minute: Cristian Arango received the ball with his back to goal in the final third, spun and played it to Diogo Goncalves, who took one touch from outside of the box before striking the ball with his laces into the lower-right corner of the net.

POR – Jonathan Rodríguez (Miguel Araujo), 90+2 minute: With the ball at the corner flag, Antony laid it off for Miguel Araujo, who sent a long diagonal cross to the back post. Jonathan Rodríguez ran into the space and finished the play with a diving header.

Notes

• The Timbers (12-10-8, 44pts) sit in eighth place in the Western Conference standings with four matches to play.
• Portland’s 63 goals scored are the most in the Western Conference and second most in MLS behind Inter Miami CF (68).
• Additionally, the 63 goals are a new single-season club record, surpassing the 60 goals Portland scored in 2014.
• The Timbers have scored multiple goals in 22 of their 30 matches this season.
• Additionally, the club has scored in its last 12 matches, including the previous five in MLS play.
• Antony’s goal in the 62nd minute marks his fifth of the 2024 season (sixth in all competitions) and first since he scored against FC Dallas on July 4.
• Evander scored his 15th goal of the MLS campaign with a 76th minute free kick.
• With 15 goals and 18 assists, Evander became the sixth player in MLS history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists in a single season.
• With 33 goal contributions (15G, 18A), Evander surpassed Diego Valeri (2017 – 32) for the most single-season goal contributions in club history.
• Additionally, Evander now leads the league in goal contributions.
• Notably, Evander has now contributed to a Timbers goal in 11 consecutive matches, tallying eight goals and 10 assists in that span.
• With his goal in the 90+2 minute, Jonathan Rodríguez matched Evander with a team-high 15 goals this season.
• The Uruguayan forward now has 22 goal contributions (15G, 7A) after scoring in consecutive matches.
• Additionally, Miguel Araujo notched his third assist of the season and second of the calendar week after assisting against the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 14.
• With 16 goals in the final 15 minutes of games, Portland sits tied with the Colorado Rapids for most in MLS so far this season.
• Tonight marked Portland’s fifth result of the season after trailing by two or more goals (at RSL, vs. STL, vs. MIN, vs. SJ, at SKC).
• Notably, Portland has now taken 13 points from losing positions so far this season (3W, 4D).

Next Game

The Timbers return to the road on September 28 for a showdown against Cascadia foes Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place. The match is set to kick off at 7:30pm PT and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app in English and Spanish as well as local radio broadcasts on 750 The Game (English) and La GranD 1150AM/93.5 FM (Spanish).

Portland Timbers (12-10-8, 44pts) vs. Real Salt Lake (14-7-9, 54pts)

September 21, 2024 – America First Field (Sandy, Utah)

Scoring Summary:
RSL: Marczuk (Julio), 10
RSL: Luna, 22
POR: Antony, 62
POR: Evander, 76
RSL: Goncalves (Arango), 89
POR: Rodríguez (Araujo), 90+2

Misconduct Summary:
POR: Williamson (caution), 48
POR: K. Miller, 55
POR: Evander, 57
RSL: Katranis, 72

Lineups:
POR: GK Crépeau, D Bravo (E. Miller, 46), D K. Miller, D Araujo, D Mosquera, M Ayala (Paredes, 54), M Williamson (Chara, 76), M Evander ©, F Antony, F Moreno (Rodríguez, 54), F Mora (Toye, 54)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Pantemis, D Surman, D McGraw, F Loría

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Evander, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (four players tied, 1); FOULS: 11 (three players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 3, SAVES: 1

RSL: GK Beavers, D Katranis (Brody, 82), D Vera, D Glad, D Quinton (Brown, 61), M Caliskan (Ojeda, 65), M Eneli, M Luna, M Crooks (Goncalves, 65), M Marczuk, F Julio (Arango, 61)

Substitutes Not Used: GK MacMath, D Hidalgo, M Chang, M Brook

TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Julio, 4) SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Marczuk, 2); FOULS: 18 (Caliskan, 6); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 1

Referee: Tori Penso
Assistant Referees: Brooke Mayo, Kathryn Nesbitt
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer
VAR: David Barrie
Attendance: 20,778

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.