Aston Villa needs penalty kicks to get by Timbers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Samir Carruthers scored and Aston Villa of the English Premier League defeated the Portland Timbers 5-4 on penalty kicks in a Tuesday night friendly.

After both teams made their first four kicks, Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped Bright Dike's kick for Portland.

That set up a chance to win for Carruthers, who connected in the top left corner. Regulation ended in a 2-2 draw after the Timbers came alive in the final 15 minutes.

Portland's Sebastian Rincon scored off a corner from Franck Songo'o to tie the score at 1-1 in the 76th minute.

Just a few minutes later, Matthew Lowton scored for Aston Villa by heading in a corner kick.

However, Rodney Wallace drilled a nifty left-footed goal from the top of the box in the 81st minute to tie it up again for Portland and send the game to penalty kicks.

Aston Villa controlled the first half, getting a goal in the 41st minute off a header from Ciaran Clark and having another disallowed when Stephen Ireland was called offside.

The Timbers have been a dramatically different team at raucous Jeld-Wen Field, where they are 5-3-2 this season, than on the road, where they are 0-8-2.

Aston Villa was completing a three-game preseason tour of America, having defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on July 18 and the Chicago Fire 1-0 on Saturday.

Aston Villa will look to rebound from a disappointing 16th-place Premier League finish last year when it kicks off the season Aug. 18 against West Ham.

Portland has played exhibitions with several Premier League teams in recent years, including Sunderland, Burnley and Manchester City.

Last season, the Timbers lost 3-2 to West Bromwich Albion.

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