Luis Amarilla scores twice as Minnesota United draws 4-4 with Portland

Trailing after Saturday’s first 13 seconds and main 3-1 at halftime, Minnesota United rescued a rollicking 4-4 draw with Portland earlier than a nationally televised afternoon viewers and a sold-out Allianz Discipline.

Loons striker Luis Amarilla’s header objective within the 69th minute – his second objective on Saturday – offered the equalizer in a recreation that careened forwards and backwards.

Amarilla scored twice and Franco Fragapane and Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored as soon as every whereas Timbers star Sebastian Blanco scored two of his crew’s 4 objectives and one other got here on a Minnesota personal objective.

The sport was performed a heat, sunny summer season’s afternoon paused by hydration breaks.

Loons star Emanuel Reynoso, midfielder Robin Lod and defender Michael Boxall all acquired yellow playing cards within the recreation and shall be suspended for Saturday’s recreation at Colorado.

Blanco scored within the recreation’s first 13 seconds and later scored once more and contributed to the personal objective after the Loons had scored three unanswered objectives to take a 3-1 halftime lead.

The Timbers answered by scoring the second half’s three objectives — together with that Minnesota personal objective — to take again a 4-3 lead.

Amarilla’s second objective of the sport tied the rating proper again within the 69th minute when he took Hlongwane’s header and headed it himself, this time over Portland keeper Aljaz Ivacic.

The Timbers took a 4-3 lead on Kemar Lawrence’s personal objective within the sixty fifth minute after he deflected a shot that turned wobbly and eluded St. Clair as he tried unsuccessfully to tightly hug the close to publish.

Portland took a 1-0 lead with solely 13 seconds and earlier than the Loons may even contact the ball from a Timbers’ kickoff that first went backward, then surged ahead. The Timbers used 4 touches of the ball earlier than Blanco’s left-footed shot from the sting of the six-yard penalty field beat Loons keeper Dayne St. Clair.

It was not solely the quickest objective for both crew in a Loons’ regular-season recreation. It was the fourth quickest all time in MLS got here after New York Purple Bulls’ Mike Grella scored within the first seven seconds towards Philadelphia on Oct. 18, 2015. The Purple Bulls’ Tim Cahill scored in eight seconds at Houston on Oct. 20, 2013 and San Jose’s Dwayne De Rosario scored in 11 seconds for San Jose on Sept. 27, 2002.

The Loons answered with three consecutive objectives earlier than halftime to take that 3-1 lead.

Loons left-side attacker Fragapane tied the sport within the ninth minute when he got here to the again publish late off a Reynoso nook kick from the opposite facet. Amarilla flicked it alongside as he leapt for the ball in entrance of preserve Ivacic and Fragapane was there because the ball continued on and he headed it into the open objective.

Hlongwane and Loons coach Adrian Heath each have been hopeful that Hlongwane’s first MLS objective the week earlier than would open him to attain extra with out such an extended wait.

They solely waited 21 minutes earlier than Hlongwane scored that second MLS objective. He buried into an open internet Fragapane’s directed shot that hit the publish and bounded away towards him.

Hlongwane had two extra probabilities earlier than halftime to make it a brace, however he did not get fairly all of a shot from short-range in entrance of the objective within the thirty fourth minute. His angled, right-footed shot on the run from the fitting facet simply went broad of the again publish in first half stoppage play’s final likelihood.