Every streak must come to an end, such is the nature of these kinds of things. After nine games without a win, Minnesota United took down San Jose by a scoreline of 2-0 to break their unwelcome trend and secure three points before the Leagues Cup break. It was an encouraging performance from the Loons, who for large portions of the match demonstrated the kind of spirited, creative play that helped them to a hot start this season.
Right away, the Black and Blue looked the sharper, more dynamic side. Their 5-4-1 on paper played more like a 5-2-3 in practice, with Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Robin Lod pressing high on either side of Tani Oluwaseyi. Carlos Harvey once again deputized at center back, and continued to show his quality on the ball. Across the field, in fact, the Loons were technically sharper than they’ve been in weeks, showcasing some fantastic touches and cheeky play when the opportunity presented itself.
The first half was defined by some pretty soccer from the home side, while their effective mid block forced San Jose to resort to long balls and set-pieces to generate any chances. This strategy worked for the visitors, but only to a point. Despite some narrow misses, the Quakes were unable to find the back of the net, and continued to be only mildly threatening throughout the match by managing just one shot on target.
In the 32nd minute, Coach Ramsay turned to his bench for an early change, bringing Franco Fragapane on for Alejandro Bran. This pushed Robin Lod back into the midfield with Hassani Dotson, making for a slightly more attacking-minded pairing and allowing Fragapane to put his skillset to use up front. This subtle change helped the Loons find new ways to get at the opposition, and in the 38th minute, it paid off.
A deflected cross from the man of the match, Sang Bin Jeong, found the outstretched leg of San Jose’s Tanner Beason, resulting in what I’d say was quite the banger of an own goal. They all count the same, and given the lack of clear cut chances they were finding, the Loons were happy to take the lead and run with it.
The second 45 found the Loons flat and less dynamic, too rigid in their shape to take advantage of all the space being left open by San Jose. A lack of ideas and fluidity seemed to come from a general frustration, as MNUFC began to miss passing windows and try to make up for it with overly-ambitious passes instead. But this rut was short-lived, as a burst of opportunities in the 62nd minute opened up San Jose like the Red Sea and seemingly snapped the Loons out of their funk. They hadn’t doubled the lead just yet, but it felt like a second goal was on the way.
About 10 minutes later, Joseph Rosales’ second-chance cross after a cleared corner found the free man at the back post, as Bongi’s clean header found the opposite corner and left William Yarbrough no chance.
The remainder of the game was anything but a formality, with San Jose continuing to fight against their eventual fate. The addition of Teemu Pukki and Samuel Shashoua to the game in the closing stages helped the Loons to grow even more dangerous on the attack, and they nearly found a third before it was all said and done.
It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it was effective, efficient, and sufficient in the end from MNUFC. Flashes of creativity and flair, on top of a return to the solidity of their defensive shape, should leave the Black and Blue with plenty of positive momentum to build off of, and with nearly a full roster available, it seems that the good vibes from earlier this season might be on their way back around.
Debutant Samuel Shashoua was lively in his first minutes for the club, showing the skills of a talented number 10 and generally bringing something new and fresh to the squad. The interplay of Pukki, Oluwaseyi, and Shashoua was fantastic to watch, and though we only got to see it for a few minutes, I’d wager it won’t be the last time that combination shares the field.
The Loons won’t be back in MLS action until August 24 against Seattle, but they’ll be playing the very same Sounders next Friday in their Leagues Cup opener. They head into the break from league action in ninth place in the Western Conference with 33 points, and will be hoping to keep building on tonight’s performance as they approach the final stages of the 2024 season.
