Sang Bin Jeong scored his first goal of the season and Robin Lod also tallied in the second half as Minnesota United rallied for a 2-1 victory over the visiting Portland Timbers on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Dayne St. Clair finished with four saves for the Loons (7-2-3, 24 points), who extended their unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1). United played the final 11 minutes of stoppage time with just 10 men after defender Miguel Tapias picked up a red card.
Jonathan Rodriguez scored and Maxime Crepeau made four saves for Portland (3-7-4, 13 points).
Minnesota dominated the first 17 minutes but found itself trailing 1-0 after Rodriguez took a through pass from Felipe Mora and blasted a right-footed shot from the middle of the box inside the far-right post for his fifth goal.
The Timbers had two good chances to increase the lead near the end of the first half but St. Clair made two highlight reel saves. The first he batted away Juan Mosquera’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box on a breakaway, and the second he leaped and headed away Rodriguez’s chip try about 40 yards from the goal.
Mora also missed a chance to increase the lead to two goals in the 51st minute when he drilled a right-footed shot in the middle of the box off the crossbar.
The Loons then tied it 1-1 in the 65th minute when Lod, cutting toward the left post, redirected a Joseph Rosales pass into the net for his fourth goal. It was Lod’s 28th goal in all competitions with Minnesota, moving him past Darwin Quintero and Emanuel Reynoso for the most in franchise history.
Jeong then scored what proved to be the game-winner 17 minutes later with his first goal, converting a DJ Taylor crossing pass to the top of the box with a right-footed inside the right post.
Minnesota had a chance to increase the lead in the 89th minute but Kervin Arriaga’s close-in rebound try on a corner caromed off the crossbar.
The Loons lost Tapias in the second minute of stoppage time after he picked up his second yellow for tripping Nathan Fogaca. St. Clair made a pair of close-in saves on Fogaca in the 11th minute of stoppage time to seal the win.
–Field Level Media
