Brandon Bye scored in the 82nd minute as the Portland Timbers rallied for a 2-1 victory against the visiting Seattle Sounders in a Cascadia Cup clash Saturday night.
Kevin Kelsy scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season for the Timbers (7-8-3, 24 points), who improved to 3-0-1 under interim coach Jack Cassidy. Goalkeeper James Pantemis made two saves.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored for Seattle (7-7-3, 24 points), which suffered its franchise-record sixth straight defeat. Goalkeeper Andrew Thomas was credited with three saves.
The go-ahead goal came after Portland’s Cole Bassett passed to David Da Costa at the top left corner of the 18-yard box. Da Costa spun and sent a pass across the top of the penalty area to Bye, whose right-footed shot from 20 yards eluded a pair of defenders and a diving Thomas on its way into the lower left corner of the net.
The Sounders opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Paul Rothrock’s cross from the left wing for Osaze De Rosario was headed away from the top of the 6-yard box by Timbers defender Kamal Miller. The ball fell to Kossa-Rienzi and his left-footed shot from 18 yards out found the lower right corner of the net.
The Timbers tied it in the 41st minute after working the ball down the left wing. Kristoffer Velde’s cross from the edge of the penalty area was slightly deflected by Sounders defender Stuart Hawkins before glancing off Kelsy’s left thigh and into the net from close range. A video review determined Kelsy was just onside on the play.
Rusnak had a chance in the dying seconds of the half, but his shot from the top right of the 6-yard box sliced into the side netting.
Seattle’s Paul Arriola, getting the start at right back, had to come off in the seventh minute because of an apparent lower right leg injury and was replaced by Kossa-Rienzi.
–Field Level Media
