PORTLAND, Ore. – Brian Rowe earned his second consecutive start in goal for the LA Galaxy in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers, but the young goalkeeper was less than pleased with his showing.
Rowe appeared confident despite tough conditions that forced the Oregon native to frequently come off his line to stifle Timbers’ forays into the penalty area. However, the wind also led to some inopportune moments as several of the 26-year-old’s clearances were brushed backward due to the blustery conditions.
Rowe’s lowest moment of the afternoon came on the Timbers’ second goal as he rushed to clear a Darlington Nagbe run, only to leave the net wide open for Fanendo Adi who easily finished his second from close range. In the end, however, Alan Gordon’s late goal stole a point for the Galaxy, and offered Rowe some confidence after a less than stellar performance in Portland.
“I thought I did alright, I expect better of myself on that last one. We did a great job fighting back and getting the tying goal at 1-1 and just sort of as you get to those closing minutes on the road you just have to be able to close it out,” said Rowe. “So personally I expect better of myself at that second one, just to be able to clean it out and do a little better but a little magic by way of Alan Gordon and fortunately we were able to steal a point and get out of here.”
Jaime Penedo is once again expected to test Rowe for the starting job as the club looks ahead to next week’s match against the Houston Dynamo. However, Rowe has little concern about getting pulled into a goalkeeper battle.
“I feel comfortable out there. I feel confident,” Rowe said. “I’m just trying to keep it going in training every week, keep the consistency going and just try to keep pushing myself to get better.”
