Tempers and headlocks in RSL-Portland friendly

By Kyle McCarthy
Published

Real Salt Lake and Portland Timbers met in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday to continue their preparations for the upcoming season. The buildup to the new campaign -- at least in this instance -- included a look at what might happen when tensions boil over.

The disagreements started when Timbers defenders Jermaine Taylor tackled Yura Movsisyan at midfield and subsequently kicked out at Javier Morales. Movsisyan responded disapprovingly and pushed Taylor. Players from both teams eventually gathered near midfield to discuss the matter. Portland forward Jack McInerney even grabbed one player and placed him in a headlock before the teams eventually separated.

Watch the entire incident here:

The fracas even caught the attention of Columbus Crew SC forward Kei Kamara as he watched a live stream of the game: