MNUFC returned to TCF Bank Stadium after a midweek sojourn on the West Coast with hopes of returning to form against San Jose Earthquakes. Although they looked the better side for the majority of the match, the Loons fell 3-1 to the visitors after conceding two penalties.
“It’s a difficult one to sort of explain, because I actually thought for 35 minutes of the first half, it’s as good as we’ve played,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “But goals change games. And every time we got some momentum in the game, and every time I thought that we were more than likely to go and get the next goal, then we make a bad decision, a poor choice, and it ends up in the back of the net. That’s disappointing.”
The echo of the opening whistle had barely died down when a penalty was called on Minnesota United. Midfielder Magnus Eriksson got caught up on defender Jerome Thiesson’s leg in the box and then he calmly drilled the penalty shot to give San Jose an early 1-0 lead.
With momentum on their side, the Earthquakes pressed the advantage, with forward Danny Hoesen making a strong run down the left side and getting a decent look at the goal a couple of minutes later. In the 21st minute, the Loons had to scramble in their own box and turn away a strong run of attack by San Jose. That last-ditch defending seemed to spark the home side a bit, and their good ideas started turning into better strings of possession.
In the 26th minute, defender Shea Salinas turned the ball over down the left side deep in his own half and forward Christian Ramirez — playing in his first match since injuring his hamstring against Houston Dynamo on April 28 — jumped on the opportunity, rifling in a long distance shot from the top right corner of the box and into the back of the net. It drew the Loons level at 1-1 and definitely shifted the momentum in the Loons’ favor for the remainder of the half.
The creativity was there, with effective and clean link-ups between midfielder Darwin Quintero and Ramirez, between midfielders Alexi Gomez and Miguel Ibarra and between midfielder Rasmus Schuller — who looked particularly good in possession — and the front four. The team looked threatening throughout, including in the 41st minute when Ramirez corralled a rebounded shot from Quintero and fired it off the crossbar and in stoppage time when Gomez got an inch-perfect diagonal cross out to Thiesson on the wing, who volleyed the pass but couldn’t find the goal. The teams headed into the locker rooms deadlocked at 1-1.
“Especially the first half was probably the best we have had,” said Ramirez. “The combination between myself, Darwin, Miguel and Alexi — we are going really well so as long as we can continue to pick those spots up I think we will be alright going forward. We just have to continue to not beat ourselves.”
The second half started much as the first ended with Minnesota putting together good ideas but unable to find the final ball. The tide turned, though, in the 69th minute when sub Chris Wondolowski put in the work to maintain possession on the right side of the net down near the endline before lofting a short cross in front of the goal for Hoesen. Hoesen finished the opportunity from point blank range and put the Quakes on top 2-1.
That goal put San Jose on the front foot, including an opportunity from the top of the box that was turned away by defender Francisco Calvo. Play was blown a minute later, though, and that call was reviewed before San Jose was given a penalty kick in the 74th minute for a handball by Calvo. Wondolowski finished off the opportunity and pushed San Jose’s lead to 3-1.
“If you look at the 90 minutes, we can’t complain about the energy levels from what we tried to do,” said Heath. “But have [San Jose] really had to work really hard for any of their goals? The answer to that would be no. After a minute, a penalty. The second one is probably, I don’t know if his hands are above his head, but I don’t know what players are supposed to do if they’re trying to block a shot. And then the third one, we had two opportunities to clear it, and we won’t. And then we get punished again.”
Although Heath brought on subs Mason Toye and Frantz Pangop for Ramirez and Gomez, respectively, the team couldn’t quite muster the energy to mount a comeback down the stretch, with San Jose walking away with all three points in a 3-1 win.
“We conceded too many goals, it’s as simple as that,” said Heath. “But sometimes it’s very, very easy to say that yeah, it’s just the back four, or the goalkeeper, or whatever. That’s not the case. It’s a team game. We attack as a team. In the modern game, fullbacks are sometimes the only wide guys you have. So, it’s both ways. Are we giving the back four enough protection at times? That’s stuff that we’re going to have to decide. Or we’re going to have to change personnel? Change the shape of it? These are all questions that we have to ask, and we get paid to do. So we have to come up with the right answers.”
Minnesota United’s next match is on Saturday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. when they face off against Sporting Kansas City at TCF Bank Stadium. Pre-match coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.
Lineups
Minnesota United FC Starting XI: GK Bobby Shuttleworth; D Jerome Thiesson, Michael Boxall, Francisco Calvo, Eric Miller; M Rasmus Schuller, Ibson, Miguel Ibarra, Alexi Gomez (Frantz Pangop 77’), Darwin Quintero; F Christian Ramirez (Mason Toye 77’)
MIN Unused Subs: GK Alex Kapp; D Carter Manley, Brent Kallman; M Collin Martin, Maximiano
San Jose Earthquakes: GK Andrew Tarbell; D Nick Lima, Harold Cummings, Florian Jungwirth, Shea Salinas; M Magnus Eriksson, Jackson Yueill (Fatai Alashe 63’), Anibal Godoy, Valeri Qazaishvili (Jimmy Ockford 90’); F Danny Hoesen, Jahmir Hyka (Chris Wondolowski 55’)
SJ Unused Subs: GK Matt Bersano; D Francois Affolter; M Christopher Wehan; F Quincy Amarikwa
Match Events
Goals
2’ – Eriksson (PK) – SJ
26’ – Ramirez – MIN
69’ – Hoesen (Wondolowski) – SJ
76’ – Wondolowski (PK) – SJ
Discipline
21’ – Schuller (YC) – MIN
40’ – Cummings (YC) – SJ
63’ – Salinas (YC) – SJ
75’ – Calvo (YC) – MIN
90+3’ – Tarbell (YC) – SJ
Attendance: 19,721
