By the time the teams reached halftime, the Portland Timbers looked like they needed a standing eight count, with the Houston Dynamo threatening to pile on to their 40th-minute opener. Forty-five minutes later, the Timbers were leaving BBVA Compass Stadium on even footing, using the energy of their record signing’s debut to take a gratifying point on the road.
“We said that we needed to do a little bit better in the second half, and the game became a little bit open,” head coach Giovanni Savarese said of his team’s 1-1 draw. “Our guys fought through the entire second half … But the tie was a fair result.