Keeping up their strong play on the defensive end as of late, the Portland Timbers drew the San Jose Earthquakes, 0-0, on the road Saturday at PayPal Park.
The Timbers (5-7-6, 21 points) sit in the ninth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the result. It was their third consecutive clean sheet and second straight for goalkeeper David Bingham.
The Earthquakes (7-5-6, 27 points) had a handful of solid chances in the first 20 minutes, including a shot from midfielder Judson in the 9th minute that just missed high. A glancing header from defender Rodrigues in the 19th minute was close as well.
Santiago Moreno picked up a yellow card for Portland after a late challenge in the 18th minute.
Franck Boli was active on the attack for Portland in the first half, and in the 20th minute he made a strong run into the box. But after athletic moves to get open, he didn’t put enough on the shot in the end and it was saved easily.
The Timbers pressed high and hard defensively throughout the first half, and it forced a handful of turnovers by the Earthquakes. But after playing long balls into wider areas of the pitch, San Jose was able to find ways to break down Portland’s defense.
In the 32nd minute, Portland had an injury scare with midfielder Diego Chará, who went down holding his left leg after his knee bent an awkward direction on a slide. But he came off for just a moment before returning to play, running and cutting with little to no limitations.
Dairon Asprilla ran into former Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse in the 36th minute, setting up a free kick from just outside the box. Ebobisse smacked it off the crossbar, very narrowly failing to put his team up 1-0.
Evander fired a long shot in the 43rd minute which missed just wide, and Portland went into the half knotted 0-0 with San Jose following a similar script to its last two matches.
The Timbers nearly scored in the early moments of the second half. A cross from Boli in the 47th minute found the head of a streaking Evander, but it was saved in a tight space by Daniel.
On the other end, with Ebobisse threatening, Eric Miller and Dario Zuparic converged to prevent a shot attempt in the 51st minute — an example of Portland’s consistent and strong defensive shape and communication throughout the night.
Evander dipped a shot toward Daniel in the 58th minute, but that was saved as well. Miller picked up a yellow card in the 64th minute for Portland.
A wild sequence in the 68th minute nearly led to a goal for San Jose. A shot by Tommy Thompson hit the near post, and a header by Tanner Beason soon after forced a leaping save by Bingham, who smacked it out of the air.
Portland brought on Sebastián Blanco and Jaroslaw Niezgoda in the 71st minute, replacing Boli and Moreno.
In the 81st minute, a collision between Daniel and a teammate led to extended medical attention for the San Jose keeper, but after six minutes of evaluation he remained in the match.
Portland’s best chance late in the match came from Asprilla in stoppage time. Asprilla twisted his body and fired a shot at the far post, and Daniel just watched as the ball bounced off the frame of goal and out. The draw held the rest of the way.
Next up: Portland returns home to face the Chicago Fire. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Providence Park with a live stream available for free on the Apple TV app.
— Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke
