Last Saturday, after the Timbers outplayed but ultimately fell at home to Montreal, Portland captain Will Johnson wasn't exactly eager to accentuate the positive.

"The moral victories around here," he said, "are getting a little old."

Starting next week, of course. Because one more moral victory couldn't hurt, right? Especially when rivalry is afoot. Or when a dramatic ending gobsmacks rival fans prepping for an all-out celebration. Or when one second in time flips the perception of a team's first derby from "dud" to "dandy." The Timbers drew 1-1 with Seattle on Saturday night, making their point just in time and stunning a crowd of 40,000+ going away. It was a tie, but felt like a win for the way it happened. For a team just beginning its journey toward gelling, pulling even with Seattle was more than a moral victory—it was a clear victory for morale.

"It gives us a lot of belief moving forward," said coach Caleb Porter. "This team has a lot of mettle. I’m most proud of our effort defensively. We dug deep."

Rodney Wallace, who subbed on in the 80th minute, said his focus coming in late was to try to make a difference. Check. After spotting Andrew Jean-Baptiste with the ball and an opportunity to cross, Wallace knew he was open and made sure to stay onside. Check again, and with one lofted ball into the box, Jean-Baptiste went from the defender culpable for Eddie Johnson's early goal to the heads-up passer behind an equalizer Wallace snuck past the Sounders and into Cascadia lore. He ran toward the largest swath of Timbers Army at CenturyLink stadium, pulled his shirt to his lips, kissed the Timbers' crest and pointed at the fans.

“It just shows that everybody’s tuned in," Wallace said. "Everybody is ready to compete, from the starting 11 to the guys that come in, the coaching staff, the training staff, everybody is on the same page. This year we want to be successful and points like this is what gets us there.”

Johnson called snatching a point in Seattle promising, positive and something that's taking the team in the right direction. Still, he said, three games in, there's plenty of work to be done. But rest easy, Portland—there's time: Without a match until March 30, Porter has nearly two weeks to tinker with a squad reverberating on a high note.

"We’re fighting ourselves," Johnson said. "We’re fighting a lot of adversity. We could easily be 0-3 right now. This group could be sitting on zero points, getting ready to blow this thing up. We never panicked, we never wavered."

The Timbers return to action next Saturday, March 30, at Colorado. They return home on April 6 against Houston.