The San Jose Earthquakes went down in the first half, but battled back to find an equalizer and draw the Portland Timbers 1-1 Wednesday in MLS regular season action at Earthquakes Stadium.
Vako had the crucial goal that was not immediately awarded, but eventually gave San Jose their second straight draw, in a performance that built on the defensive improvement in Sunday’s scoreless draw against the LA Galaxy, while also bringing back an attacking component as the Earthquakes hunt for a first win since returning to play locally.
The big news coming into the game was two players getting a start, with JT Marcinkowski making his first first-team start since 2018 in goal in place of Daniel Vega, and defender Jacob Akanyirige making his MLS debut, the 18-year-old starting in central defense alongside Oswaldo Alanís.