Chris Pontius scored in a surprising start at center forward and the LA Galaxy earned a 1-1 away draw against the surging Portland Timbers on an afternoon when Zlatan Ibrahimovic played only as a late-game sub.
Ibrahimovic came on in the 72nd minute in a game played on Providence Park's artificial surface, three days after the Swedish superstar went 90 minutes and scored twice in a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas.
Diego Valeri equalized from the penalty spot for Portland, who saw their six-match winning streak snapped but have still lost just once in their last 10 under first-year boss Giovanni Savarese
Goals:
Three Things:
- THE BIG PICTURE: Portland are now 6-1-3 this season when midfield wrecking ball Diego Chara starts this season.