Sumner, Wash. -- The Timbers U23 ended their 2019 campaign Sunday, July 14th with a 3-3 tie against rivals Seattle Sounders FC U23. The Timbers ended fifth in the USL League Two Northwestern Division going 3-7-4 on the season. 

“Today’s a bit of a reflection of the season in the fact that the guys continued to fight all the way through,” said head coach, Aaron Lewis. “We had to respond to three different times to tie the game and this particular group just kept working to get better and better.”

In the 9th minute, the Sounders were able to send one into the top right corner of the goal for an early 1-0 lead. Just minutes later in the 14th, Timur Zhividze knuckled one in from the 30 to tie it up. The Sounders were quick to recognize and respond with a chipped goal in the 25th to go up 2-1. What looked like a Sounders lead at the half was quickly changed when Berti Fourrier found Jesse Martin in the box to give the Timbers the equalizer and his first goal of the season.

The Sounders came out explosive in the second half to quickly go up 3-2 after a shot was knocked through the fingers of goalkeeper Mario Sequeria. Late in the half, the game turned into a defensive match where both teams struggled to hold possession. In the 89’ the Timbers found themselves a PK opportunity after a fumble in the box. Blake Bodily came through with the PK equalizer and end the match in a 3-3 draw.

The squad started the season 0-4, scoring only one goal throughout the four matches. A 2-1 home victory against the defending National Champions, Calgary Foothills FC, gave the team momentum to turn the season around. The second half of the season consisted of a 2-2-4 record, improving scores against each team every time played.

“Every single time we played a team from the first to the last, it was our best score - other than Calgary, where we went unbeaten. It speaks a lot about these guys character.”

Some players will return to school in the fall and continue to play, while others look for the next step in their career. Keep up with the development of each player through our social pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.