The Black and Blue are back in the winning column. Minnesota United took down the San Jose Earthquakes for the second time this season by a scoreline of 2-1, outshooting their hosts 13-4 and showing that the road form they demonstrated early in the year was no fluke. Though the game wasn’t always pretty, the visitors did enough to bring all three points home.
The Loons came out in their familiar 5-3-2 shape, with Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Kelvin Yeboah leading the line. The midfield three of Wil Trapp, Robin Lod, and Hassani Dotson connected the field, with Jefferson Diaz earning his second start alongside Michael Boxall and Miguel Tapias in the back. Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales rounded out the eleven in the wingback spots, building on their form from last match.
A fast start in this one saw the visitors threaten San Jose’s goal early and often, and where in the past the Black and Blue have failed to convert on the front foot, they cashed in tonight.
Following some cheap giveaways back and forth in the ninth minute, a strong tackle from Dotson in the midfield sent the ball bouncing into the attacking third. Lod got to it first, quickly picking out the run of Hlongwane and slotting a wonderful through ball into the box. The South African forward’s deft finish gave the Loons the deserved early lead, and they looked likely to find the net again.
From there, the Loons continued to transition into attack quickly, opting not to dwell on the ball for too long before bombing forward. At times, just four white shirts were taking on the entire San Jose backline and midfield, and yet somehow, they were still finding relative success.
A largely uninspired opening thirty minutes from the hosts left more than enough space for the Black and Blue to be dangerous, with passing lanes open across the pitch and several defenders doing their best cone impressions when Rosales was on the dribble. Wil Trapp had all the time he needed to conduct the field during several stretches of the first 45, and while the Loons continued to threaten, they failed to convert that all-important second goal. Foreshadowing? Of course.
San Jose saw fortune fall their way in the 33rd minute, as Quakes winger Amahl Pellegrino finally saw his efforts rewarded with a unique assist. His awkward backwards header in the Loons’ box fell kindly to the feet of Ousseni Bouda, who smashed home the equalizer and lit a fire under the home team by doing so.
The Quakes ended the half on the front foot, finally finding the gear that they were looking for in the opening sequence. Some slick passing from the hosts stretched the field, giving them the mental edge heading into the locker room.
The second half saw less defined periods of dominance, with back and forth play taking the place of the more organized cadence we saw in the first half. Hassani Dotson only got better as the match went on, putting in tackles to the final whistle and providing moments of quality whenever the ball came to his feet. Both sides were pushing for the go-ahead goal, but it was Bongi that found it in the end.
After Joseph Rosales’ long throw in found its way into the box in the 63rd minute, chaos ensued. Hlongwane swung several times, finding the desperate efforts of the San Jose defenders blocking his attempts at every turn. But persistence paid off, and the ball got over the line on the third time of asking. They say that one’s the charm, don’t they?
The closing half hour turned into a bit of a tennis match, with wide open spaces allowing both teams to counter at will and making midfield play almost obsolete at times. A mixture of tired legs and principled approach made this into quite the entertaining affair for neutrals, but an anxiety-inducing nightmare for the respective fanbases. The Quakes saw several chances to equalize go begging, and the Loons escaped with three crucial points.
The efforts of Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Wil Trapp, and Hassani Dotson stood out most today, for very different reasons. Though he lacked the sharpness he’s shown he’s capable of, Bongi’s determination and endless effort came to the fore tonight, and he was deserving of his game-winning brace. Dotson and Trapp nullified the San Jose midfield through their own defensive work and pinpoint passing, and while those things tend to go unnoticed, it was hard to miss their impact in this match.
With tonight’s win, the Loons move up to ninth in the Western Conference. Their 36 points from 27 games puts them just five points back of fifth-place in a very tight playoff race, and with this positive momentum, they’ll be hoping to move up the table in the coming weeks. Minnesota United will be back in action two weeks from now, when they’ll travel to St. Louis CITY SC on September 14.
