Minnesota Falls on the Road Against the Portland Timbers

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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota Falls on the Road Against the Portland Timbers

June 30, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Minnesota United was unable to come away with a win after being up 2-1 in the first half, falling to the Portland Timbers, 3-2, at Providence Park. The Loons return home to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday, July 3 at Allianz Field.

10' - The Portland Timbers nearly scored the first goal of the match after Timbers midfielder Evander slotted the ball from on top of the 18-yard line. The diagonal ball meant for teammate Santiago Moreno but he wasn't able to get his foot on the ball before it went out of bounds.

19' - The Finnish midfielder Robin Lod fired off a long-range shot from the left side that was saved by Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis.

22' - Minnesota United had another close chance on goal after Sang Bin Jeong gained possession on the left side and took space towards the middle of the pitch. While Bongokuhle Hlongwane made a diagonal run from the right side gaining possession near the 18-yard line, he took a wide shot that went in front of the goal and out.

29' - Minnesota, one man down, opened the match after finding the first goal. Possession bounced between Lod and Joseph Rosales on the right side of the 18-yard line. Eventually, Lod slipped the ball towards the end line, finding Rosales where he one-touched it back towards the six-yard box. The pass back deflected off the opposing goalkeeper where Bongi found the other side and touched it into goal.

37' - Yet again, Portland had a goal-scoring opportunity when a cross into the box by the Timbers found forward Felipe Mora inside the box. Mora turned and took a shot that was out of frame.

38'- The Loons found the net for the second time during the first half. Minnesota goalkeeper Clint Irwin punted the ball up the pitch where a Timbers player headed it back towards Portland's goal. Bongi settled the ball and took space up the pitch creating a two-versus-one with Sang Bin and Pantemis. Bongi Inside the box, passed it off to Sang Bin on the right side where he slipped it into the goal.

42' - Portland was awarded a free kick 20 yards out from Minnesota's 18-yard box. Evander, on the ball, fired off a shot towards the top left corner where Irwin made a diving save to keep the score 2-0.

40'+8' - The Timbers were awarded a penalty kick after Felipe Mora went down inside the box from contact with DJ Taylor. Evander took the penalty for Portland where he found the right corner of the goal.

45'+10' - On the counter attack, the South Korean forward Sang Bin in the final third crossed the ball from the right side and found Bongi who headed it into goal but was called offside.

47' - Clint Irwin made an important save after Evander served the ball in from a corner kick and found Mora on the back side. Mora on the six-yard line headed the ball towards goal but Irwin made a right-handed save.

73' - The Portland side scored the equalizing goal after Moreno took space and fired a left-footed shot near the 18-yard line, finding the left corner of the goal.

86' - Portland's goal was called into review after Antony Alves Santos headed the ball into goal. Jonathan Rodriguez ran onto a long ball able to settle the ball he took space into Minnesota's box, where he flicked it over to Antony who he found the back of the net. But after VAR review Rodriguez was called for a hand ball and the goal was not given to the Timbers.

90'+2' - Portland took the lead after Dairon Asprilla found the other side of a long ball in behind, taking a one-touch cross from the right side where Rodriguez was able to tap the ball into goal from the cross.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Bongokuhle Hlongwane - 29'

2-0 MIN - Sang Bin Jeong (Bongokuhle Hlongwane) - 38'

2-1 POR - Evander (penalty kick) - 45'+8'

2-2 POR - Santiago Moreno (Evander) - 73'

3-2 POR - Jonathan Rodriguez (Dairon Asprilla) - 90'+2'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

N/A

NOTABLE STATS

1 - Moses Nyeman earns his first start after replacing midfielder Wil Trapp in the Starting XI due to injury.

5 - Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored his fifth goal of the season and 24th MNUFC goal across all competitions. He also recorded his fourth assist of the season.

4- Sang Bin Jeong scored his fourth goal of the season.

8 - Clint Irwin made eight saves in tonight's game, tying his season-high total against Dallas on June 19, 2024.

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Bongokuhle Hlongwane

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Clint Irwin; D Devin Padelford, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall ©, DJ Taylor; M Joseph Rosales, Robin Lod, Moses Nyeman, Caden Clark; F Sang Bin Jeong, Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Bench: GK Alec Smir; D Zarek Valentin, Morris Duggan; M Rory O'Driscoll; F Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Patrick Weah

Portland Timbers XI: GK James Pantemis; D Juan Mosquera, Zac McGraw, Dario Zuparic, Claudio Bravo; M Diego Chara ©, David Ayala, Santiago Moreno, Evander, Jonathan Rodriguez; F Felipe Mora

Bench: GK Trey Muse; D Eric Miller, Larrys Mabiala, Sawyer Jura; M Cristhian Paredes, Eryk Williamson; F Antony Alves Santos, Dairon Asprilla, Nathan Fogaça

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

07.03.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 24

X:XX p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On tonight's loss...

"That's a really disappointing one, for me personally, because I'm gutted for the players because they, to have a man, have left everything on the pitch in a really difficult set of circumstances and showed real character, a real personality, a real sense of togetherness. But ultimately, it was probably a stretch too far when you look at the balance of how the second half went and where we are at this point in time with the squad that we've got and the players that we've got available. It's difficult to find the words in front of the players as to how to leave them with a sense of positivity from that because they've come really close in really improbable circumstances and they're an incredibly disappointed dressing room. I can only give them the message to take the best from it and really try to grind through what is an immensely difficult period for us and make sure we come out the other side well."

On Wil Trapp's injury that took him out in pregame warmups...

"He's felt a muscle injury that perhaps he got ahead of, maybe, by taking himself out of the lineup. So fingers crossed that's the case. It was a very innocuous one, very early on in the warmup. It does feel at the moment that what can go wrong, will go wrong. Certainly, Wil [Trapp] is a player, almost the last player you would want to lose at that point. And also at the point we're at where we really need that experience, that leadership, and the personality traits that he has. So it was a big one to lose but I thought Moses [Nyeman] stepped into his shoes really, really well in very, very short notice and in very difficult circumstances. If there's a silver lining to that situation, then that's certainly that.

On Caden Clark's injury in the first half...

"Caden [Clark] had a rib injury, but he was obviously able to play through it, so no drama there."

On not making a change until stoppage time...

"Obviously, we haven't got huge depth on the bench in terms of recognized first team players. And I felt that was a game in some senses, you can make an argument that fresh legs make a difference but also the players were in the game, they were in the rhythm of having to defend. They were really dialed into what the situation was and in some senses, fresh legs isn't always the answer. That's the situation we're in at the moment. We don't have the same depth that we were able to call on a month or so ago. It's not the same situation, I can't pretend to have the same tools at our disposal late on in games to change. That was obviously the rationale behind keeping us largely as we were to start the second half. To an extent, I stand by that, I think those situations, it's immensely important that the players are really tuned into the situation and to a man we were at that point. Albeit did feel the tide had turned."

On the message to the team with a game in four days...

"You can only say one thing and that's to be positive, to take the best from today, to be disappointed, to look in the mirror but move forward in as constructive and pragmatic a way as we can. It's the only thing that can be said and the only attitude that can be adopted at the moment. To think about it in any other way would be ridiculous. I feel like we've got a good group of staff that certainly think that way, that can certainly look at the situation as objectively as possible and hopefully that rubs off on the players. There's no player that walks away from this situation feeling positive, feeling enthusiastic but ultimately we have to find a way to approach Wednesday's game with a real level of enthusiasm. I'll repeat to think about it in any other way would be really, really unhelpful."

On DJ Taylor's defending in the box that has led to penalties for the opposing team...

"It's something that we've talked about with DJ [Taylor], that real detailed approach to defending in the box and that was costly for us. There's no way around it, there's no two ways about it. Again, that's one that he'll have to have a good look at. We'll again have an open, honest conversation with him about those moments that define games for us and I'm sure it had a big bearing on him. It's for him and us to have that difficult conversation, I suppose."

On DJ Taylor playing as the right center back in tonight's game...

"There were certainly some positive elements to it in how we used the ball. It wasn't difficult to see at points the threat that they [Portland Timbers] posed on that side that, I would say, irrespective of who they've been up against their most dangerous side. So it was a difficult task for him and Caden [Clark] to really stay on point and manage that for a very difficult 90 minutes there. So undoubtedly, both DJ [Taylor] and us as a staff will back at that and be able to pull up many instances, I'm sure, where we'll talk to him from a coaching perspective and how we can improve and how he can get better. But also, he left everything on the pitch in very difficult circumstances so that probably captures where I am at the moment.

You have to find that fine balance between being critical, really pushing this small group that we've got, very high standards, but recognizing that every one of those players is putting themselves or finding themselves in a difficult position. We in a collective are in a difficult position. So, I could in some senses, blindly, hold them to standards that they've been held to over the course of the entire year without appreciating the context. But there has to be an element of that that's the mature and sensible way to look at this situation, that it is very difficult from a context perspective. So when I'm thinking about how I talk to the players, thinking about how I give feedback to individuals, I have to take that into consideration and, of course, we don't want to lay excuses on the table. We're not that type of group, but to have that realistic view and that realistic take and that be the tone of the conversations I have with individuals in the group. That's for me the only way to look at it."

On Rory O'Driscoll earning his MLS debut...

"He's a mature player. He's a player you can trust in those situations to play the game in the way in which you want it to be played. Unfortunately, he came on with bad timing, in a sense, that the goal that immediately followed him coming onto the pitch was not for his doing in any way. I mean, we were reliant on second team players to fill the bench at the moment, so obviously his debut has come as a consequence of that. But Rory [O'Driscoll] is a great kid. Brilliant to have around the building. A very capable player, so I'm pleased for him. It was a nice moment."

On Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Sang Bin Jeong's performance tonight...

"They had some really good moments together, for sure. Obviously, they have a certain set of strengths, Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] and Sang Bin [Jeong]. They're going to be dangerous on the counterattack. They're going to want to run in behind. They obviously have a set of traits that mean you're not always going to be able to sustain attacks with them playing as a pair, but you are going to be able to attack quickly in a direct way. And when they were at their best, we had some really good moments there. It was much tougher in the second half for us to have clean breakaways. We didn't sustain possession. Well, we didn't enter their final third and stayed in their final third for a lack of sort of consecutive passes and rhythm so that, of course, was lacking. I don't think anyone could watch the game and say anything different, but when they're at their best, they play off each other well and they're a real threat for the opposition, as you saw in many moments in the first half in particular."

On the team having difficulties clearing the lines in the second half...

"I will say that was one thing that, irrespective of the game's difficulty, that was something we could certainly have done better. We were nowhere near as clean enough in clearing the boxes as we would want to be and obviously that causes problems if you end up defending for far longer than you want to defend. But again, in the circumstances, it's difficult to criticize a back line that were right at their limit physically, I would say, and everyone to a man has, from my perspective, able to walk away with their heads held high for effort and application and a desire to help us get over the line. Of course, you have questions as to the level of quality with which we're able to do that for 90 minutes, but to an extent, that's going to be expected in that situation. So I can't be critical of the guys that have gone to war for us and really tried to get us over the line. That's just the nature of where we are at the moment."

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