Felipe Mora delivered a crucial equaliser two minutes into stoppage time to earn the Portland Timbers a hard-fought 2-2 draw against FC Dallas on Wednesday night.
The Chilean striker latched onto a pass from Kristoffer Velde to score his second goal of the season and deny Dallas all three points in a dramatic finish.
Velde had only entered the match as a substitute in the 55th minute but made an immediate and decisive impact on the game’s outcome.
The Norwegian winger registered his third assist of the season, a new career high, after recording just two assists across eight appearances as a rookie in the previous campaign.
Dallas had appeared to have sealed victory when Petar Musa scored an unassisted goal in the 88th minute to give his side a 2-1 lead.
That strike was Musa’s 13th goal of the season, drawing him level with the Chicago Fire’s Hugo Cuypers at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
The match had been goalless for much of the first half before Dallas finally broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time.
Joaquin Valiente set up Patrickson Delgado for his third goal of the season, giving FC Dallas a 1-0 advantage heading into the interval.
Dallas came into the contest in solid form, sitting at 7-4-5 on the season, while Portland continued to struggle for consistency at 5-8-3.
The draw will feel like a point gained for the Timbers, who were seconds away from suffering yet another defeat before Mora’s timely intervention.
Velde’s impact from the bench underlines the importance of squad depth in a congested MLS season where games can turn at any moment.
Portland will hope that Mora’s late heroics can serve as a catalyst for a stronger run of form as the season progresses.
