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NASL Minnesota United FC

Loons Bow out of U.S. Open Cup in Overtime Thriller

June 15, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. - It was a hard-fought match for Minnesota United, playing a midweek game against MLS side and I-35 neighbors Sporting Kansas City in front of a crowd of 7,689 at the National Sports Center Stadium. Despite controlling much of the match and creating nine chances throughout the night, the Loons would fall 2-1 in extra time to Sporting, with Christian Ramirez notching the lone goal for United.

"We showed that we can play, we showed that we're relatively well-organized, we showed that we can put a very good side on the back foot, but we showed that if we make rudimentary mistakes against good sides we'll get punished, and I thought that was the difference," said United Head Coach Carl Craig. "I have to praise them for their ruthlessness, but I'm disappointed."

Both teams pressed forward hard following the first whistle, looking to break through early. It was Sporting Kansas City that created the first chance, with Dom Dwyer receiving the ball along the sideline and cutting in quickly into the penalty area. He looked to be in alone on net, but Damion Lowe cut out the attack and deflected Dwyer's shot out across the endline.

The Loons responded quickly with an attack of their own, led by right back and the club's all-time assist leader Kevin Venegas. Dribbling up the flank, Venegas attempted an early cross, which was blocked by Sporting's Jimmy Medranda. Venegas recovered, tip-toeing along the sideline, before blazing a ball behind the Sporting defenders in the direction of Christian Ramirez. A last-ditch effort from Olum Lawrence kept Ramirez away from net.

The pace continued to accelerate as the first half continued on. Both teams moved the ball well from one side of the pitch to the other, looking for gaps in the backline. A chipped ball through in the 22nd minute landed at the feet of Dwyer again for the away side, though there was still plenty to do for the striker. Settling the bouncing ball, Dwyer felt pressure as Lowe went in for the tackle and United goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock stepped off his line. Leaning, Dwyer took a shot with his left boot that Ndjock deflected off frame with his legs and Lowe cleaned up, kicking the ball clear of half.

Dwyer's effort in the 22nd minute was the best opportunity for either side in the first 45 minutes of play, as the teams headed into the locker room deadlocked at zero.

The Loons came out of halftime with a new gumption and desire, finding different ways to break down the Sporting backline. Just two minutes into the second half, Damion Lowe played a long ball into an overlapping Stefano Pinho, who was just beat to the ball by Sporting goalkeeper Alex Kann at the last second.

Five minutes later, the game saw its first booking, with Ikenna Opara throwing down Ibson after the Brazilian spun brilliantly around his defender and moved into the final third. It was the first of several cards, as tempers flared and both teams flew forward with tremendous speed. The game finished with a total of eleven cards, United earning seven and Sporting KC entering the center official's book four times.

The game's first goal came in the 65th minute from the penalty spot. Kansas City's Dwyer received the ball in the box, and took a touch to set up a left footed crack on net. United defender Brent Kallman blocked the initial effort, but slipped and fell on top of the ball. The center official felt that Kallman handled the ball with his hand while he was on the ground and awarded the penalty, which Benny Feilhaber slotted home to Ndjock's left, just beyond the goalkeeper's reach low in the corner.

United continued to press forward, picking out gaps in the Sporting defensive line. The Loons nearly found a breakthrough in the 70th minute after the ball was swung into the box from the left side of the pitch. United midfielder Jeb Brovsky nodded on the cross to Brent Kallman near the center of the six-yard-area in the box. Kallman made contact with the ball on his head, but was unable to direct his effort on net.

Again, United pressed forward with Justin Davis winning the ball in the 74th minute along the wing and delivering toward the near bar. However, as was typical throughout the night, the Loons had difficulty connecting with the cross over the heads of Sporting's towering center backs.

Eventually the Sporting KC defense broke and committed a foul, diving in on a tackle on Danny Cruz as he stepped into the box, conceding a penalty. Ramirez stepped to the spot for United following a short delay and struck it well into the bottom-right corner of the net, giving Sporting KC goalkeeper Kann no chance for the save and evening the game at 1-1 in the 81st after a pair of penalties.

United refused to sit back after its match-tying goal, continuing to create chances in search of a breakthrough. Kallman flicked an attempt from a corner kick just over the net, nearly giving United the lead, but the Loons best opportunity to win in regulation came from the left boot of Stefano Pinho in the 89th minute. Ramirez held the ball up well between the Sporting center backs and played it back to a supporting JC Banks. Banks took a few touches, and then slotted it through to Pinho in alone on net. Pinho attempted to bend it in with the outside of his left boot from a difficult angle, but the shot left his foot all wrong and flew wide of the net.

Regulation ended with the teams locked at one goal apiece, with both sides scoring from the penalty spot, Ramirez the goalscorer for United and Feilhaber scoring the opening goal for Kansas City.

"I think we just decided to play, the first half maybe we were a little nervous, shell-shocked, I don't know, we didn't really possess the ball well, second half we came out and knew if we had the ball they'd be chasing us and it was a completely different game the second half," said United defender Justin Davis.

Both teams entered into extra time with a renewed desire. United was first to create a scoring opportunity, with Venegas looping a high pass across the pitch from midway between the midline and his own penalty area toward Ramirez in alone at the top of the Kansas City box. Ramirez, however, was unable to settle the high pass and it dropped into the thankful hands of Kann.

Sporting struck back with an effort of their own in the 102nd minute, finding some space in the United penalty area. Roger Espinoza received the ball in alone on the left side of the box, dribbling toward net. Without lifting his head, he played a low cross to the other side of the box along the ground to Chance Myers who hit a hard shot that was certainly bound for the far side of the net had Kallman not stepped in front of it and deflected it away.

Attention then turned to United in Sporting's half, as play continued to switch from one side of the field to the other. Banks received the ball and squeezed it through the smallest of gaps to Christian Ramirez who was in on net, but with very little space and a difficult angle. His shot deflected off the Kansas City defender and out of bounds for a United corner.

"We showed that we can play with those teams, they had a pretty full roster, full squad and we were right there with them, I thought we could have won the game," said Davis.

Heartbreak for United in the second half of extra time, as Feilhaber found overtime substitute Diego Rubio just beyond the United defensive line inside the penalty area. Rubio took no touch as he struck the ball hard with his right boot into the top corner of the net, giving Sporting a 2-1 lead in the 109th minute.

"Not sure if we deserve that result, but we switched out for a half of a second while we were on top of the game there," said Davis. "First half we kind of sat back and let them have most of it and the second half we came out and finally started playing and were on top of them and showed a good fight to get back into the game, but let our foot off the gas there and it cost us."

United had one more attempt, as the defenders resorted to hitting desperate long balls into the box, creating 50/50 duels in the penalty area. One such ball found the forehead of Stefano Pinho, clashing with bodies as he went up for the ball. He flicked it on toward net and over Kann, but just inches wide of the goal.

"There's not one bloke on the team who doesn't give his all, I can never question that with this group," said Craig. "Even in Indy when our start was slow we came out and we were really going for it-ten men against New York we got the result-I've got no issue with that side of the game. The intensity, the effort, the desire: first class."

The final whistle blew with United falling in extra time by a score of 2-1. The Loons return to action next Saturday in the first ever match at Target Field. United kicks off against seven-time Liga MX champions Club León on June 25th at 7 p.m. CDT.

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