Is that Mur de Merveilles I hear ringing out among the Loons-faithful? Or, as us English-speakers say, Wonderwall. Minnesota United started their 2025 home schedule off in the most wondrous of ways, taking three points from the league’s most French team, CF Montréal, in a 1-0 victory that showcased a well-rounded, balanced performance from the home side.
As expected, Coach Ramsay kept his 5-3-2 formation for this one, changing just Anthony Markanich for the injured Joseph Rosales and Robin Lod for Wil Trapp. The opening stages of the game saw the Loons pressing high and really bringing the game to the visitors, with Carlos Harvey, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, and Anthony Markanich all pushing up the field to create a pressure cooker that produced early chances. Hassani Dotson settled in between Michael Boxall and Morris Duggan to provide a solid base during this attacking push.
The Black and Blue were in control for the vast majority of this match, forcing Montréal into less threatening areas of the pitch. While the visitors grew into the game after the 20 minute mark, they failed to generate any real attacking threat. Meanwhile, the Loons simply couldn’t finish off any of the chances they created.
The breakthrough didn’t come until the second half—just minutes after a Loons PK was rescinded by VAR—when Kelvin Yeboah finished off a move that started with a Michael Boxall long throw into the box. His deft finish from Tani Oluwaseyi’s flicked header was enough to take all three points, and while there were some goals left on the field, 14 shots created and six on target showed that the threat was real all game long.
Despite the scoreline, the Loons will walk away from this one pleased with what was an overall comprehensive performance. Midfielder Hassani Dotson pointed to his team’s preparation as a big reason for the solid showing.
“I think it started with us being really compact,” he said. “We watched film and looked at what areas they like to attack. We started from there, gained confidence, and were able to put them on the back foot in transition.”
The tactical adjustments following the lead saw the Loons shift into a 5-4-1 while defending, getting numbers behind the ball to make what was an already difficult task for Montréal even harder. While they attacked with fewer numbers in the closing stages, their 4-2-3-1 shape going forward still presented enough of a threat to keep the Black and Blue Canadians honest, resulting in a comfortable finish. As they say in French: trois points, c'est trois points.
Throw some sharper finishing into the mix, and this is just about as close to an ideal performance as you’ll see from this MNUFC team. They essentially nullified Montréal’s attacking threat, transitioned quickly and effectively, and even got to give Owen Gene his first MLS minutes when he subbed to see the game out in the 88th minute. It was a masterstroke in tactical planning and performance, and it earned the loveliest version of Wonderwall known to man: the MNUFC supporters cover.
The boys will be back in action next weekend when they take on San Jose in yet another trip to the Golden State. Tune in to Apple TV+ or on MLS Season Pass at 7:30 p.m. CT next Saturday as MNUFC look to secure their first road points of the season and build off the positive momentum from tonight’s performance.
