Timbers 1, FC Dallas 1: Franck Boli saves the day

Franck Boli has arrived.

The former Ferencvaros frontman lashed in a stoppage-time equalizer to save a point for the ever-depleted Timbers in Dallas.

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The match exploded in the final 20 minutes. Dallas’ opener came off a failed set piece clearance, and their second would’ve come a minute later had Alan Velasco stayed onside.

Juan Mosquera then blew a golden chance for Portland, as he pulled down a long ball and failed to square it for a tap-in. Paes made a good save for Dallas.

Boli made his Timbers debut in the 85th minute, replacing Santiago Moreno. His first touch was a nifty back-heel to keep the ball in play, but he only needed four more to seal a point.

Dairon Asprilla (making his first appearance of the season) knocked down a long-ball into the path of Boli, who stabbed the ball past Maarten Paes. It was (surprisingly) just Portland’s second shot on target all evening.

Did the Timbers show improvement?

Short answer: yes.

Portland packed the midfield in the first half, and it worked. Dallas’ front three of Velasco, Jesus Ferreira, and Paul Arriola struggled to break through the six-Timber mid-block.

For a fixture that usually goes poorly for the Timbers from start to finish, the visitors outplayed Dallas for the first half-hour. On the stroke of said half-hour, Mosquera and Nathan Fogaca combined very well, but Moreno hit his shot off the corner of the goal frame.

The second half was not as fruitful. Fogaca missed a breakaway chance and Portland backed into a lower block for most of the half. The Timbers still created half-chances from counterattacks, but it took some heroic blocks and saves from the back-line as well.

While I wouldn’t call this matchup a rivalry, tensions were clearly high. Early on, Ferreira stooped over Fogaca after mutual contact, which prompted a shoving match. A few minutes later, Velasco received a yellow for a hard foul on Diego Chara.

Who played well?

Aljaz Ivacic stood out in his return to net for Portland. During the week, Ivacic and Savarese publicly disagreed about the Slovenian’s fitness. Ivacic, who said he was not injured, got left out of Portland’s squad against the Galaxy last weekend, but an injury to then-starter David Bingham opened the door for him this week.

Ivacic finished with five saves and kept almost all of Dallas’ 1.78 xG out of goal.

Zac McGraw was a warrior, flinging his body at a bunch of FC Dallas shots.

Mosquera stood out as a winger, and although his best chance was missed, he still comprised most of Portland’s attacking success all night.

Diego Chara was Diego Chara. His long-ball set up the goal and he was all over the place all night.

Eryk Williamson also deserves a shout, though he wasn’t quite as consistent.

Who struggled?

Moreno really should have scored, but instead it continued a tough run of form for the Colombian in 2023. He got the start at the No. 10 position but struggled. He had a couple good through-balls, though.

Dario Zuparic won the majority of his duels, but the set piece problems still exist, and as the elder statesman of Portland’s back line, I guess that falls on him.

Eric Miller made his first Timbers start and had to deal with Velasco all night, which was tough for him.

Overall, though, this match deserved to end as a draw. And Portland had to fight to retain it. Any result is a positive in Texas.

Cover photo via Portland Timbers

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