By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
The top three clubs in the USSF D-2 Pro League all failed to win during the latest weekend of action.
Austin Aztex, Rochester Rhinos, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC were unable to claim maximum points during their latest match-ups. This allowed Portland Timbers to move closer to the top three following a pair of results in The City of Roses.
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The action started on Wednesday night, with Carolina RailHawks closing the gap on NASL Conference leaders Vancouver with a
2-1 away win
over playoff-chasing FC Tampa Bay. In very wet conditions at George M. Steinbrenner Field, first-half goals by Matt Bobo and Etienne Barbara gave Carolina victory, despite Ricardo Sanchez's late free kick strike for the Rowdies.
Thursday night saw a crowd of 14,985 take in Portland's
1-1 home draw
with Austin at PGE Park. Bright Dike gave the Timbers the lead before the Aztex earned a valuable away point when Brazilian midfielder Sullivan Silva equalized for the Texas outfit. Both sides finished the match with ten men, as Austin's Kieron Bernard and Portland's Rodrigo Lopez were both shown red cards.
Friday saw Rochester's six-match winning streak come to an end following a
2-0 defeat
at local rivals Montreal Impact. Canadian international Ali Gerba scored both goals for the Impact, with his match winner being the fastest goal ever scored in a Montreal game, as the former Toronto FC forward struck after just 18 seconds at Stade Saputo.
The lone game on Saturday saw Carolina miss the chance to make up more ground on the Whitecaps following a
3-2 defeat
at home to Puerto Rico Islanders. Goals by David Foley, Sandy Gbandi, and Nicholas Addlery gave the Caribbean club the victory at WakeMed Soccer Park. Daniel Paladini had both goals for the RailHawks.
There were three matches on Sunday, with FC Tampa Bay missing out on the chance to move into the USSF D-2 playoff places after a
2-2 home draw
with Athletic Club of St. Louis. The visitors took a two-goal lead through a Robert Valentino own-goal and a strike by Mike Ambersley. Former 'Caps midfielder Jonny Steele pulled a goal back for the Rowdies before Yendry Diaz struck in time added on at the end of the match to earn a valuable point for the Florida club. Meanwhile, in Oregon, Portland got two goals from Dike in a
3-0 home win
over Crystal Palace Baltimore. Ryan Pore scored his league-leading 14th goal of the season in front of 15,418 at PGE Park.
Also on Sunday, the Whitecaps and Aztex played to a 2-2 draw at Swangard Stadium. Cornelius Stewart and Ridge Mobulu scored for Vancouver, while Yohance Marshall and substitute Eddie Johnson replied for Austin in Burnaby, BC.