LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Diego Rossi and Brian Rodriguez scored six minutes apart midway through the second half, and Los Angeles FC rallied for a 3-3 draw with the Houston Dynamo in the MLS is Back tournament on Monday night.
The opening match of Group F turned into the highest scoring game of the tournament.
LAFC, the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners, trailed 3-1 at halftime after Houston took advantage of its counter-attacking opportunities in the first 45 minutes.
Memo Rodríguez scored twice in the first half for Houston. His first goal came in the ninth minute with a right-footed shot that beat LAFC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer. Rodríguez added his second in the 30th, collecting a perfect pass behind the LAFC defense. Rodríguez’s first shot was saved by Vermeer, but the rebound deflected off Rodríguez’s leg and into the net.
MLS veteran and LAFC newcomer Bradley Wright-Phillips scored his 109th career regular-season goal in the first half tapping in a cross from Rossi. Wright-Phillips started at the top of LAFC’s attack with reigning league MVP Carlos Vela sitting out the tournament. He moved into seventh-place on the league’s all-time list for regular season goals.
While Rossi was a distributor in the first half, it was his strike in the 63rd minute that sparked LAFC. The Uruguyan’s right-footed shot from 15 yards was no match for Houston goalkeeper Marko Maric.
Just a few minutes later, Latif Blessing found Brian Rodriguez on a run from the wing and scored his first goal after the 22-year-old signed with LAFC last summer.
LAFC (1-0-2) opened the season with a victory over Inter Miami and a draw against Philadelphia prior to the league’s stoppage in March.
Houston (0-1-2) is still searching for its first victory under new coach Tab Ramos.
PORTLAND TIMBERS 2, LOS ANGELES GALAXY 1
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Ebobisse and Sebastián Blanco scored seven minutes apart midway through the second half, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez had a first-half penalty saved, and the Portland Timbers opened the MLS is Back tournament with a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy on Monday night.
Portland surged into command of Group F in the tournament thanks to its victory and a 3-3 draw earlier on Monday between LAFC and Houston.
“This is a very important win. It’s been four months, four long months without any competition or friendly matches. Mentally was very difficult, and also physically,” Blanco said through and interpreter. “It’s very important to be able to start this way because it gives us a lot of trust, and it shows how seriously we’re taking this competition and how good we’ve been working.”
Hernandez missed on the penalty in the 12th minute as his attempt was smothered by Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark, who also saved the rebound attempt by Sasha Kljestan. Hernandez also missed an open goal early in the second half sending his shot over the crossbar.
The Galaxy (0-2-1) remained winless on the season after opening the year with a draw against Houston and a 1-0 home loss to Vancouver.
“The last 20 minutes, 25 minutes we were much better. We create a lot of chances,” Hernandez said. “But we weren’t ruthless like we need to be.”
The Timbers had limited chances for most of the first hour, but outworked the Galaxy defense for both goals. And both were thanks largely to Blanco’s effort.
Blanco assisted on Ebobisse’s goal in the 59th, making a smart diagonal run in the penalty area. Yimmi Chara’s initial header was saved by Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham, but LA was unable to clear the ball. Diego Valeri found Blanco on his run, and Blanco’s pass was redirected into the net by Ebobisse.
“In that case, I was just working on making sure that the guy that was tight on me couldn’t knock me off balance because ultimately I was so close to the goal all I needed was a redirection,” Ebobisse said. “Each game presents different opportunities and I’m glad that that one presented itself and I was able to take advantage of it.”
Just a few minutes later, Blanco hustled to keep Ebobisse’s shot from going out of bounds, worked his way past defenders Emiliano Insua and Giancarlo Gonzalez and beat Bingham with a left-footed shot.
Portland (2-1-0) began the year with a loss to Minnesota before rebounding with a win over expansion Nashville prior to the league’s shutdown in March.
