The Timbers will take a tie in Texas
With 11 points through 7 games, Portland has tied its second-best start in club history.
David Ayala knew the fight the Portland Timbers were in for.
Austin FC doesn’t score much, but it’s among the league’s best at keeping the ball out of its own net. It’s the catalyst to a three-match unbeaten streak it brought into Saturday’s game against the Timbers.
Portland had scored six goals while winning its last two games, but this was also a club settling into a retooled attack, playing on the road, against the Western Conference’s No. 2 team.
It was going to be gritty, Ayala thought. And there was no need for it to be pretty.