COMMERCE CITY - Tim Howard made two saves and earned a clean sheet in his Colorado Rapids debut as the newcomer and his teammates played out to a scoreless draw with the Portland Timbers on Monday night.
Howard dove to his right to stop Darren Mattocks' right-footed shot in the 54th minute and made a kick save to deny Lucas Melano in the 63rd.
Howard, who played for the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) between 1998 and 2003, returned to MLS after 13 years in the Premier League with Manchester United and Everton. Colorado acquired Howard through allocation after the Rapids secured the No. 1 spot in the ranking order.
Colorado dropped out of first place in the Western Conference as FC Dallas earned three points in a 4-0 victory over Orlando City on Monday night.