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MLS Minnesota United FC

Loons Defeat Orlando City SC on the Road with Bongokuhle Hlongwane Game-Winner

March 9, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. -- Minnesota United FC continues its undefeated start to the 2024 Major League Soccer season with a 3-2 win against Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium following a late game-winning goal from Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Forward Teemu Pukki also scored his first MLS brace in the victory.

0:14: Orlando scored the first goal of the night after defender Rafael Santos intercepted a pass from Loons' midfielder Hassani Dotson, placing a through ball to forward Duncan McGuire allowing him to place a left shot on goal past MNUFC goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

3': MNUFC forward Teemu Pukki responded for the Loons after pressing Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese inside the box, who was trying to clear the ball. Pukki slotted his shot in the bottom left corner of the goal.

37': Teemu Pukki scored the second goal for MNUFC after a five-pass sequence ending with Robin Lod passing to Pukki near the 18-yard line. Pukki turned and fired a shot, finding the back of the net to score his first MLS brace.

45'+5': St. Clair was alert and made his third save before the end of the first half after Martin Ojeda connected with a pass from McGuire in the center of the box and fired a right-footed shot from close range.

49': Orlando City started the second half looking to equalize, but Orlando's Iván Angulo was unable to put his left-footed shot past St. Clair, who made his fourth save of the night.

52': Nicolás Lodeiro fired a shot from outside the box through the Loons defense, but St. Clair made his fifth save of the night to keep the game in MNUFC's favor.

72': Santos made a run up the left side of the pitch, while Enrique slipped the ball to Santos, allowing him to fire a shot off but St. Clair swatted it away keeping the score 2-1 Minnesota.

79': Bongokuhle Hlongwane beat his defender near the goal line and dribbled inside the six-yard box before firing a close-range shot that was saved by Gallese.

83': Ojeda took his space in the middle third, dribbling up the pitch, laying it off to McGuire just outside the 18. McGuire set up for a shot and placed the ball in the left corner of the goal past St. Clair.

90'+6': Bongi scored the game-winning goal for MNUFC with a double assist from Tani Oluwaseyi and Jordan Adebayo-Smith. The Loons' gained possession from St. Clair's goal kick when Adebayo-Smith headed the ball up the pitch and connected with Oluwaseyi who then laid it off to Bongi for a 1v1 with Gallese.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 ORL - Duncan McGuire, assisted by Rafael Santos (0:14)

1-1 MIN - Teemu Pukki (4')

2-1 MIN - Teemu Pukki, assisted by Robin Lod, Joseph Rosales (38')

2-2 ORL - Duncan McGuire, assisted by Martin Ojeda (83')

3-2 MIN - Bongokuhle Hlongwane, assisted by Tani Oluwaseyi, Jordan Adebayo-Smith (90'+6')

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Wil Trapp (caution), 32'

ORL - Felipe Martins (caution), 35'

MIN - Michael Boxall (caution), 43'

MIN - DJ Taylor (caution), 69'

MIN - Kervin Arriaga (caution), 78'

MIN - Dayne St. Clair (caution), 90'+2'

MIN - Bongokuhle Hlongwane (caution), 90'+6'

NOTABLE STATS

2 - Teemu Pukki scored his first MLS brace with goals in the 4th and 38th minute.

3 - Tani Oluwaseyi has three goal contributions in three matches (1 goal, 2 assists).

12 - Teemu Pukki has 12 goals since making his MLS debut on July 8, 2023. Since July 1, 2023, only Columbus Crew's Cucho Hernández (14) has more goals than Pukki in MLS regular season play.

ATTENDANCE: 23,025

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Teemu Pukki

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Joseph Rosales, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall ©, DJ Taylor; M Hassani Dotson, Will Trapp, Robin Lod, Caden Clark, Sang Bin Jeong; F Teemu Pukki

Bench: GK Clint Irwin; D Devin Padelford, Zarek Valentin, Victor Eriksson; M Alejandro Bran, Kervin Arriaga; F Tani Oluwaseyi, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Orlando City SC: GK Pedro Gallese; D Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson ©, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Thorhallsson; M César Araújo, Felipe Martins, Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique; F Duncan McGuire

Bench: GK Mason Stahduhar; D David Brekalo, Kyle Smith, Michael Halliday; M Nicolás Lodeiro, Wilder Cartagena, Jeorgio Kocevski; F Luis Muriel, Shakur Mohammed

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. LAFC

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

03.16.2023 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 5

7:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

INTERIM HEAD COACH CAMERON KNOWLES

On getting another late goal in the third game...

"The heart, the fight, the character is unbelievable. To weather that storm for large stretches of the game, the chances the opposition created, the amount of possession they had. Obviously being a bit warmer and the physical toll on the guys, the heart they showed was just incredible. To concede so early, essentially from the kickoff, to respond so quickly and then to keep going, keep going, and keep going. When eight minutes turns into ten. I can't give the guys enough credit, that's incredible."

On your emotions after a game like that...

"It's everything, you are trying to figure out how you can influence the game from the bench to help the players on the field that are getting tired. You've had a rollercoaster of emotions from being down, being up, being even, [then] scoring on the break. We knew the opportunities would be there on the counter-attack, we knew if we had pace across the front three we would have those opportunities. I'm just so proud of the guys, it's a huge, huge three points."

On the ability of the team to keep possession...

"It was great, we talked about that in the first half and coming in at half time, we were able to get our foot on the ball a little bit and move it quick. There were good opportunities for us to get more numbers forward to set up the attack a little bit better. It was great to have Rob [Robin Lod] back in the game. He is such an important player for this club, so having him back in the game was big. "

On having a group that scores late goals...

"There is so much fight in this team. There is so much belief. There are guys that are taking opportunities to come into the game and affect the game, whether it's through their energy or directly through goal contributions, it's incredible. We said from day one that it's going to take a big group that will get us through 34 league games, not to mention cup competitions, and hopefully playoffs. It's going to take the whole group, you never know when your number is going to be called but when it is, be ready, and man, have they been. It's been fantastic."

On Hassani Dotson needing to be crisper on the pass that led to Duncan McGuire's goal...

"I'll be honest mate, I'd have to see it again. My initial thought was play it in behind, if we connect that pass it would probably be out anyway, but if we could play that in behind maybe, I don't know. I'd have to look at it again. There are always multiple things that lead to a goal conceded and I'd have to break down each one of those moments."

On defenders not knowing where potential threats were...

"Of course, they [Orlando City SC] had a number of shots inside the box [and] a number from good range that on a day, maybe a different day, they [would] score. We have to look at those things. It's important whether it's a good result or a bad result. We have to analyze the game and not just live with the result, we have to look at the moments in the game. The way they [Orlando City SC] play is so difficult to manage, they have a lot of freedom with their movement, they get numbers into really good areas and they have a lot of good players on the field in dangerous areas. There is a lot to manage for the guys, credit to them for doing the job for 100 plus minutes."

On did we see another example of Tani Oluwaseyi's unselfishness on the final goal...

He's [Tani Oluwaseyi] come in and done really well this year. The willingness of the guys to run forward on the counter attacking moments, Tani has been great. Obviously we talk about whether it was last week or the week before. Last year was a big year for him, getting his minutes, getting goals, and getting confidence to bring into this season. He's been a bright spot, we had a situation where we bring him into the game and play him wide to start and then move him through the middle. The moment he stepped on the field, he brought energy, life, and quality to the game."

On any update on DJ Taylor's condition...

"No, I haven't spoken to the trainer yet, so I don't have any update on that unfortunately. Hopefully soon."

On who is keeping the level high late in the game...

"It takes everybody. Look at our medical staff, our performance staff, the players that come into the game, the players that stay in the game, look at our bench cheering the guys on. It takes everyone. You come to a place like this and play a game that goes that long, it takes every ounce of energy. So anything, anything that can get one more run out of a guy, one more clearance, one more hitter is really important. So many people, whether it's the players directly on the field or those that are on the bench or the rest of the staff, if they can just influence one of those moments in a positive way, it can make all the difference."

On how much he is expecting to be involved for the remainder of the season...

"The rest of the season will remain to be seen. I said from the start, we're entrusted with making sure the team is ready to play, and play that first game of the season, and then to continue that as long as it is needed to be continued. Jeremy Hall, Fanendo Adi, Eric Wilde, Cristiano Costa, there are a lot of people that have put a lot of time and effort into these guys to help make sure that they're ready and prepared for the games. So, we don't know. We'll see what the future holds. But I'm just so pleased that we're able to get the players ready to start the season and that the players were mature enough and took responsibility to just get on with it and to play the games and to get the results, and they set themselves up for a really good start to the season. Now the important part is making sure that Eric [Ramsay] can hit the ground running and we can help him and support him in the best way possible because it's about the players. It's about the club and it's about all of us moving forward."

MINNESOTA UNITED FC FORWARD TEEMU PUKKI

On what was key on the second goal...

"The first goal helped a lot for the confidence. It gave us the confidence to try that. It was not an easy shot, but a good pass and bounced a bit. It was a nice thing to shoot on that ball and have a good finish.

On if the emotions have gone down after a crazy game...

"Yes, probably by now. It was a crazy one. To be really honest, I don't know if we really deserved to win this game. They had quite many chances, but in the end it doesn't really matter who deserves it or not. We're happy with the three points, and it's been a good start for us this year."

On pressing the goalkeeper at all times or in select moments...

"It would be stupid to press all the time. But on that one, I felt there was a chance to maybe get something out [of it]. Probably didn't think I would get that out of it. I was just hoping he [Pedro Gallese] would kick it badly. But happy, he made a mistake and I got a goal out of it."

On being able to start the season with the team after coming in halfway through last season...

"It's a great start. Of course, the last game [last year] was a big disappointment. As a team we didn't do well enough and we missed the playoffs, so this year we wanted to prove ourselves that we were better than we were last year. Credit to Cam [Interim Head Coach Cameron Knowles] and the staff for the work that we've been doing, it's been great and the results show it. During preseason, I was not fully here, I had to be in Finland for the birth of my third child, so not the perfect preseason in that way, but I have a good feeling now that physically I'm getting there. As a team, we're happy with how things are going, but we know that there is work to do. Like I told you, today in the game, we didn't play well enough with the ball and that's something we need to work on."

On the fight of the team to score three goals and keep pushing to get the result...

"The subs who came on did really well. I think they were all involved, at least the last three subs, in the last goal and it was a great goal. Good for Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] to get a goal early [in the season] and whenever he gets more fit, he will be a big part of this team again. It was a tough, tough game and you could see the players were pretty tired in the end, so it was good to get the goal and those three points."

On Sang Bin Jeong's contributions to the game and chemistry with Teemu Pukki...

"He's [Sang Bin Jeong] been really good this year. You could see it in preseason, he came back really fit. He's been doing really well. Today, there were a couple good passes where I could have scored on from his cross. If we keep working hard there will be, for sure, more goals between us."

On what happened in the first 14 seconds of the game...

"That's [some]thing that shouldn't have happened. That's not the way we want to start games. We wanted to be the ones that wanted to start the game better and it was not us, so we can't let that happen again."

On the pressing challenges and if it's something that he could do personally...

"The last six years before coming here, most of the games, we [Norwich City] pressed high and I was doing quite a lot of running, so that's not a new thing for me. Last year, maybe the tactics were not that and I was not supposed to do that pressing. So whenever the coach wants me to press high, I'll do it and it's not a problem for me. I actually like it more doing it that way. You get more involved in the game, even if you don't touch the ball, but you can help the team with the defensive work."

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