PORTLAND (AP) - Kyle Beckerman scored in extra time after Jonny Steele tied it in the 89th minute and Real Salt Lake rallied to defeat the Portland Timbers 3-2 on Saturday night.
Steele, a late substitute, got the ball past diving Portland goalkeeper Troy Perkins, after RSL (3-1-0) fell behind 2-1 in the second half. Then Beckerman's goal stunned the sellout crowd at Jeld-Wen Field.
“I felt like we were going to score but I don’t want to say too much as I would have been happy with a tie," said head coach Jason Kreis. "However, I felt that the third goal was a little bit of a gift and I walked away with a smile on my face.”
"We had to try to keep pushing," said Beckerman. "We would have been okay with a tie, but we are fortunate to come out with a win, especially in front of a crowd like this.”
Darlington Nagbe scored two goals for the Timbers (1-2-1), becoming the first Portland player with multiple goals in a game since Jorge Perlaza scored a two in the Timbers' home opener last year, their inaugural MLS season.
Alvaro Saborio, returning to the starting lineup for the first time this season, scored on a penalty kick in the first half for RSL, which rebounded from last week's home loss to Chivas USA.
“We lost last week, but the performance was very good, it was silly that we lost that game," said Kreis. "I thought we kept up with the guys on the field and performed well just like we have all year. We’re not going to criticize ourselves over what is in the past, we just are going to go out there more.”
Real Salt Lake next hosts Montreal Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
