Anatomy of a Goal | Portland Timbers Darlington Nagbe to Ryan Johnson off a quick free kick

Down a goal 17 minutes into their match agains the LA Galaxy last week, the Portland Timbers never lacked for confidence in their search for an equalizer. In the 27th minute with a free kick just outside the LA 18-yard box, an alert Diego Valeri played a short pass on a quickly taken set piece to a sprinting Darlington Nagbe. Nagbe carried past an unprepared Galaxy defense, played a ball through Marcelo Sarvas' legs across the top of the six whereupon onrushing forward Ryan Johnson easily tapped it in to make it 1-1.

While the dramatic stoppage-time game winner by defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste--also off a set piece--is the one many fans will remember for a long time, MLSsoccer.com Editor-in-Chief Greg Lalas takes a look at just how that first goal came to be and the pure satisfaction in executing a sneaky and quickly taken free kick.