Recap of March 15, 2015 Match: LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers

(Photo via @LAGalaxy)

In week two of the 2015 MLS Season, the LA Galaxy traveled to Portland, Oregon to play the Portland Timbers—the second match of the season for both teams. Even without Diego Valeri, Ben Zemanski, and Will Johnson, the Timbers challenged the Galaxy much more than the Chicago Fire did in the opening match.

Starting Lineups and Substitutions

Thirty-one minutes into the game, the Timbers’ Fanendo Adi shot a wonderful ball into the far post and gave Portland the lead for the next thirty minutes. Robbie Keane almost scored the first Galaxy goal in the 37^th minute, but Nat Borchers prevented it. The Timbers defense and goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey foiled several other Galaxy attempts to score.

Finally, in the 65^th minute, Jose Villareal crossed the ball into the sixteen and Gyasi Zardes tapped it past Kwarasey to tie up the game. In the 76^th minute, Bruce Arena subbed in Alan Gordon for Villareal, and Zardes dropped to midfield. Both teams persevered to break the tie. In the 87^th minute, Todd Dunivant replaced Robbie Rogers. Dunivant played only three minutes, but they must have been a relief after an injury-riddled 2014 season. Unfortunately, Adi struck again in the 90^th minute.

Luckily, Alan Gordon rescued the LA Galaxy from their first loss of the season. Off of a corner, Mika Vayrynen crossed the ball right to Alan Gordon who headed the ball into the back of the net for a much-needed late goal. Snowshoes saved the day!

For a consecutive game, Brian Rowe started between the posts for the LA Galaxy. In contrast to the first match, Rowe saved many more potential goals, but will it be enough for a third start? He allowed Adi to score two goals; however, Bruce Arena should consider defensive mistakes as well.

On a good note, midfielder Mika Vayrynen made his LA Galaxy debut in the 62^nd minute as a substitute for Baggio Husidic. He played the final twenty-eight minutes of the match. Although he received his first yellow card, Vayrynen proved his worth as a member of the LA Galaxy roster. I look forward to the rest of his season with the Galaxy.

Although a less than stellar (but still pretty good) performance for the Galaxy, they managed to leave Oregon with a tie. I hope they learned one lesson for the future—watch Fenando Adi much more carefully. The match put the Galaxy in second place in the West Conference and second overall (below FC Dallas) in the race for the Supporter’s Shield.

With their next match against the Houston Dynamo, will the LA Galaxy be able to add another point and move ahead of FC Dallas in the standings? Who will start in the Galaxy goal—Rowe or Penedo?

I’ll end this article with one tip—if you don’t have cable, sign up for MLS Live. After 48 hours, you’ll be able to watch entire games in the archives if you weren’t able to watch them live. It’s a convenient way to get your soccer fix!

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!

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