MLS roundup: Toronto FC saves draw without stars Giovinco, Bradley and Altidore

Jordan Hamilton tied it in the 64th minute and Toronto FC held on for a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night.

Jay Chapman punched a diagonal cross into an opening in the 18-yard box and Hamilton raced behind it to put away the left-footed shot.

"Jordan made a great peel-off run. It was a good run so it was easy for me to pass it to him and it was a great finish," said Chapman.

"It was a really gutsy performance, and I'm proud of all the guys. When you're on the road in hot weather like that, against a top team in the conference like Columbus, it's not an easy result to get. So, I think coming away with a draw is a good result."

Harrison Afful opened the scoring in the 54th minute for the Crew (3-7-8). Afful was inside the penalty arc when he volleyed home Josh Williams' attempt to clear with a high-arching header.

Columbus snapped a two-game losing streak but failed to get three points at home while facing a depleted Toronto FC (6-6-6) roster.

Toronto FC was without star striker Sebastian Giovinco as the Italian was given the night off. Giovinco's absence plus injuries to captain Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Clint Irwin, Will Johnson, Daniel Lovitz and Ashtone Morgan meant Toronto had just five players on its bench.

"I was proud of the group. Candidly I said that this is not a tactical win, it's not anything other than sheer grit and determination and then working together as a group to get something out of it," said Toronto coach Greg Vanney.

"It's one of those games that hopefully it can be a team-building, character-building sort of moment for the group. They worked very hard tonight under difficult circumstances."

Whitecaps push past Real Salt Lake

Cristian Techera scored on a stunning strike three minutes after a Real Salt Lake own goal in the first half Wednesday as the Vancouver Whitecaps picked up a 2-0 victory.

The win was Vancouver's first at B.C. Place Stadium in Major League Soccer since May 11 and snapped an ugly 1-3-2 run overall.

The Whitecaps (8-8-4) also kept a clean sheet for the first time in MLS since April 23, a stretch of 11 matches.

After a sleepy opening half hour that could have easily seen the visitors nudge in front, Vancouver grabbed the lead in the 34th minute. Matias Laba fired a low and dangerous cross into the Real penalty area that Salt Lake's Tony Beltran could only clear off fellow defender Justen Glad and into his own net.

Techera then put his stamp on the game with his second goal of the season in the 37th, taking a pass from Christian Bolanos and lashing a shot with his left boot from 35 yards out that flew into the top corner past a helpless Jeff Attinella.

Techera was mobbed by teammates by the corner flag after the eye-popping effort, while Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson raised both arms in celebration at the bench.

Impact, Timber draw

Ignacio Piatti scored late in the first half to lift the Montreal Impact into a 1-1 tie with the Portland Timbers on Wednesday night.

Portland (6-6-8) opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Jack McInerney headed in a corner kick by Jack Jewsbury. Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush missed his attempt at punching the ball clear, and McInerney scored his fifth goal of the season.

The Timbers appeared to make it 2-0 in the 34th minute, when Fanendo Adi headed in a cross from Ben Zemanski, but the goal was disallowed, as Adi was called for a foul just before the header.

Piatti's 11th goal of the season lifted Montreal (6-4-8) into the tie.

The tie extends unbeaten streaks for both teams. Portland is undefeated in their last eight games (3-0-5), while Montreal's streak has reached six games (2-0-4).

Both teams face quick turnarounds with home games on Sunday. Montreal hosts New York City FC, while Portland welcomes rival Seattle.