Tuesday featured four MLS preseason matches, all of them in Arizona, as training camps crank up to full bore around the league. See the full preseason schedule here, and find more of MLSsoccer.com's 2017 preseason coverage here.
NK Istra 1961 3-2 Portland Timbers ā Tucson, Arizona
Fanendo Adi (from the penalty spot) and trialist Jhamir Ordain (on a set-piece header) netted for Portland in a 3-2 loss to Croatian first-division side NK Istra 1961 at Kino Sports Complex on Tuesday morning. The occasion saw a total of 24 players get a runout for the Timbers, who fielded two different lineups in each half. Likely starters Adi, David Guzman and Liam Ridgewell made their preseason debuts for Portland, who wrap up their Arizona camp with a scrimmage vs. their rivals the Seattle Sounders on Saturday (8:30 pm ET, streamed live on Timbers.com).
Real Salt Lake 1-0 New York Red Bulls ā Tucson, Arizona
The New York Red Bulls controlled more of the tempo, but Jordan Allen's diving header to finish a Ricardo Velazco cross in the 83rd minute earned Real Salt Lake a narrow victory at Kino Sports Complex on Tuesday. RSL fielded two completely different lineups in each half, while RBNY made a bevy of changes as well as they count down to their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matchup with Vancouver later this month. New York's newly-signed center back Hassan Ndam made his debut in the 60th minute after arriving in camp the night before.
San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 Sporting Kansas City ā Tucson, Arizona
A last-minute goal from Tommy Thompson ā who played the full 90 minutes ā saw the Earthquakes edge Sporting KC in the first desert friendly for both sides on Tuesday morning, also at Kino. The Quakes fielded new signings Harold Cummings and Marcos UreƱa, while SKC effectively divided the match into thirds to get looks at three separate lineups in 30-minute spans each.
Minnesota United FC 1-1 New England Revolution ā Casa Grande, Arizona
MNUFC and the Revs swapped goals on either side of halftime in the first game of the preseason for both clubs. Minnesota newcomer Eugene Starikov's close-range finish opened the scoring in the 39th minute, and Kei Kamara headed home a Donnie Smith cross in the 78th to level matters. Revs SuperDraft pick Brian Wright earned a penalty kick in the opening stages, but Teal Bunbury saw his spot kick saved by recently-signed Minnesota goalkeeper John Alvbage.
