LA Galaxy II and Portland Timbers II played out a 2:2 draw in regular time before Portland won the penalty shootout at William Rolland Stadium on Sunday. The MLS Next Pro group stage match finished 120 minutes of end-to-end football, with neither side willing to yield. And here's the thing about matches like this — you remember the moment the crowd went quiet, not the final score.
D. Cervantes opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 41st minute, giving Galaxy II the lead just before half-time. E. Preston equalised for Portland in the 45th, then restored his side's advantage in the 60th. By then the game had settled into a rhythm, both teams trading blows with no clear superiority. N. Lund picked up a yellow card in the 20th minute, one of three bookings before the whistle blew for extra time.
Cervantes restored parity from the spot in the 67th minute, and what followed was a match that refused to be decided in 90 minutes. Substitutions came thick and fast — L. Fernandez-Kim, M. McLean, J. Djieze, C. Griffith, B. Barjolo, and others all found their moment on the pitch. To be fair, neither manager could have predicted how far this would go. The game had been decided by three or four moments, everything else was noise.
The penalty shootout stretched to 120+5 minutes, with Portland's C. Ondo, J. Placias, E. Izoita, and M. Kissel all converting. Galaxy II's N. Lund and B. Phan scored their attempts, but A. Vilamitjana, A. Bamford, and M. Vanney missed. Portland had the composure to finish what they started, and here's where it matters — they'd already shown that willingness throughout the match.
The standings tell part of the story. Portland sit top of the group with 53 points from 25 games — 18 wins, seven defeats, no draws. Galaxy II are second with 45 points from 24 matches, 15 victories and nine losses. Neither side has drawn a game this season, which says something about how they approach these fixtures. By then, Portland had extended their recent form, having beaten North Texas 3:0 on their last outing.
Galaxy II came into this match on a run of four unbeaten games, including victories over Houston Dynamo II and North Texas. Portland had been even more impressive, winning four of their last five and drawing with LA Galaxy II earlier in the campaign. This result keeps both teams in contention, and neither can afford another slip if they want to finish on top. The goalkeeper who saved those penalties will be talking about this one for years.