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Union continue woes with draw against Timbers

Sep 11, 2011 - 3:14 AM Chester, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Union missed another opportunity to record a vital home win in its push for the playoffs, settling for a 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday at PPL Park.

After earning a dramatic home draw with the New England Revolution midweek, the Union stressed the importance of coming away with three points against the Timbers on the weekend, something they were ultimately unable to accomplish.

The draw extends Philadelphia's winless streak to eight straight games, posting a 0-3-5 record over that stretch.

Both teams came extremely close to stealing all three points late in the match.

Kenny Cooper was on the end of Portland counter-attack in the 85th minute, but the Timbers striker failed to put his effort on target.

"We had some good chances," Cooper said after the match. "So much fell to me. Obviously, I wish I would have done better with them, especially that [breakaway] at the end."

Second-half substitute Kyle Nakazawa came even closer to breaking the deadlock for the Union when he took a pass from Justin Mapp in the 88th minute and hit the crossbar with a left-footed shot.

"When I first hit it, it looked like it was going in, but it rose right at the last minute," Nakazawa said. "It would have been a dream story of coming [into the game] in the last ten minutes and scoring the winning goal. It's obviously frustrating. I could have put it away with that goal."

Philadelphia's rookie goalkeeper Zac MacMath showed a marked improvement from Wednesday's performance against New England, as he made several key stops before halftime to keep Portland scoreless.

Portland remains unbeaten in its last three matches, going 2-0-1 in that streak. The Timbers have amassed 33 points from their 27 matches this season.

The Timbers (9-12-6) return to action September 16 when they host the Revolution, while the Union (8-7-12) will complete its three-game homestand on the 17th against the Columbus Crew.