In a match that will probably go down as one of the most disappointing ever, the Portland Timbers managed to allow a badly overmatched Hampton Roads Mariners team to convert the only three good scoring chances they had, while only converting two of their numerous chances, as the Timbers fall to the Mariners 3-2 in overtime in a match played in front of 4,293 fans at PGE Park.

Right from the start of the match, the tone was set: the Timbers were going to control the ball. In the first minute, a cross from Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar to Fadi Afash had Afash heading a high shot that forced a good save by Joe Larson. The tone for the night was set. In the 9th minute, a cross from Brent Sancho to a charging Jake Sagare was deflected wide at the last minute by a Hampton Roads defender. Four minutes later, Sancho put a header just over the bar.

Then, against the run of play, an unexpected turn of events. The Mariners' Sean Michael Callahan received a pass from Aaron Lujan, and took what appeared to be a harmless attempt from the top of the circle, but the shot hit off a Timbers defender and and trickled into the bottom left corner of the net. One shot, one defection, 1-0 Mariners.

Greg Howes attempted to get it right back for the Timbers, and in the next minute made a strong run and took a hard shot that forced a diving save from Larson. For about the next seven minutes, the Mariners came as close to having any prolonged control as they would the whole night, with a shot just over the bar by Gary Glasgow, and a few minutes later, Glasgow just being beaten to a through ball by Portland goalkeeper Matt Napoleon.

Gavin Wilkinson and Jeff Dominguez clash in the box

Then, in the 32nd minute, once again against the run of play, another shocker. Kevin Knott somehow gets behind the Timbers defense without going offside, and receives a pass from Glasgow that has him in alone on Napoleon, but at an extreme angle. But the Mariners forward blasts it past Napoleon and into the far netting, and the Timbers were suddenly down 2-0, despite the fact that the Mariners had only three shots. The Mariners would go sixty minutes before they would get another shot on goal.

The two goal lead wouldn't last long. Just two minutes later, a nice cross from Alcaraz-Cuellar from the right side had Afash open from 8 yards out, and he made no mistake about this one as he headed into the left side of the net, and the Timbers had pulled within 2-1. In the 39th minute, the Timbers had one last good chance for the half when Sagare put a shot from 15 yards just over the net. The half ended with the Mariners leading 2-1.

The second half was all Timbers. Chugger Adair came into the match to replace defender Sean McAuley, and Howes dropped back to midfield in a 3-5-2 formation that the Timbers had not shown since last season. The Mariners rarely pushed the ball past midfield, and had no shots on goal at all. Just three minutes into the second half, Afash once again was the hero, this time benefiting from a nice header across the goal mouth from Gavin Wilkinson, and Afash blasted the ball up into the roof of the net, and just like that the teams were level, and the Timbers had all of the momentum.

In the 56th minute, Wilkinson got his head on a Ben Somoza corner kick, but headed it just wide right. Eight minutes later, another corner from Somoza found the head of Adair this time, but the result was the same, just wide right.

In the 65th minute was probably the most accurate example of how the Timbers' season has gone. Howes hits a shot from 15 yards out that hits off the upper right corner of the crossbar, then the point blank shot from Afash is saved, then the third attempt from Adair goes just over the crossbar. Three good chances, nothing to show for it.

Sean-Michael Callahan guarded by Keith Costigan and Sean McAuley

Two minutes later, the Timbers had another golden chance go by when Howes beat an offside trap and was in alone on Larson, but his attempt to drag the ball around Larson with his foot failed, and Larson covered the ball to end the threat. One minute later, again the Timbers came very close to taking the lead when Afash played a diagonal ball across the goal mouth that could have been tapped into an open net by Adair, but Adair was a step too slow and the ball trickled harmlessly over the endline.

In the 79th minute, the Timbers had another good chance when Adair attempted to head a soft shot over Larson, but the ball was a little too soft, and Larson was able to get it before it went into the net. In the 83rd minute, second half substitute McKinley Tennyson got his head on a Keith Costigan free kick, but headed it right at the Mariners goalkeeper.

In the 86th minute the ball seemed to be stuck inside the Mariners box for 30 seconds as it bounced around dangerously, but never found it's way into the net. In the 90th minute, a Timbers win seemed assured when Tennyson had an open chance a mere 6 yards out, but a point blank reaction save by Larson kept the game tied. Amazingly, despite 45 minutes of almost constant pressure, the Timbers had failed to take the lead, and the game went into extra time.

The Mariners much have realized they had quite improbably held off the Timbers to force overtime, and it seemed to put a spark into the team, because only one minute into the extra time, they actually had a shot on goal, a shot from 20 yards by Knott that was right at Napoleon, but it had broken 60 minutes of the Mariners not having a shot. But just one minute later, the Mariners took advantage of some lax Portland defense, and David King played a ball to Glasgow, who once again beat the offside to slip behind the Portland defense, and like Knott earlier was in alone on Napoleon, once again on an angle, and once again he blasted it past Napoleon into the far side netting, and the Mariners had managed to endure the storm, and emerged with a shocking 3-2 overtime win.