Minnesota United Advances in the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup Behind Randell Historic Finish

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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Advances in the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup Behind Randell Historic Finish

May 8, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


LOUISVILLE, KY - In a tightly contested Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 battle, both sides traded early blows as Louisville City FC threatened with multiple chances, including a disallowed goal and a series of close-range efforts. Minnesota United weathered the pressure behind key saves from Wessel Speel and a goal-line clearance from Sang Bin Jeong before finally breaking through in the 65th minute. Seventeen-year-old Darius Randell capped off a well-worked attacking sequence with a one-touch finish, scoring his first goal for the First Team in the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup. With the composed strike inside the box, Randell not only opened the scoring but also became the youngest player In Minnesota United's history to score across all competitions, securing a 1-0 win for the Loons.

7' - Louisville City FC found a dangerous opportunity on goal after they sent a long-ball over the top of Minnesota's back line, finding forward Ray Serrano in-behind. Serrano settled the ball inside the 18-yard box for a one-versus-one with Wessel Speel, taking a quick shot to find the back of the net, but the Louisville forward was ruled offside to keep the score 0-0.

16' - LouCity continued to pose a threat following a sequence of shots and rebounds, Manny Perez gained possession on the left side of the attacking penalty area. Perez sent a long switch in an attempt to find Amadou Dia inside the six-yard box, but Julian Gressel deflected the ball with his head. The deflection landed at the feet of Evan Davila, positioned just outside the 18-yard line, where he took a shot that narrowly missed to the right of the net. The play ultimately ended in a free kick for Minnesota following a foul on Gressel.

24' - DJ Taylor sent a long throw-in inside Minnesota's attacking third, finding The Black and Blue inside the 18-yard box. Curt Calov gained possession on-top of the six-yard line for a one-touch shot but missed high and wide of goal.

34' - Minnesota United was awarded a free kick on the right side of the attacking penalty area. Sam Shashoua took the set piece, delivering the ball near the six-yard box, where a Louisville City defender deflected it out of play, resulting in a corner kick for MNUFC.

48' - Speel made a critical save when Louisville sent the ball into the box from the corner, but The Netherlands goalkeeper swatted the ball away and out of the Loons defensive third.

58' - Louisville City FC generated yet another scoring opportunity after Evan Davila played a short corner to Ray Serrano. Serrano then delivered a long cross into the box, finding Kevon Lambert near the top of the six-yard line. Lambert redirected the ball with a head toward the bottom center of the goal, but Speel made a crucial goal-line save to keep the match scoreless.

65' (1-0) - Minnesota United scored the first goal of the night after Hoyeon Jung slipped the ball through the opposition's back line to teammate Sang Bin Jeong. Sang Bin on the front foot, dribbled towards the end line, crossing the ball across goal, finding 17-year old Darius Randell on the right-flank for a one-touch shot, burying the ball in the back of the goal.

89' - Following a corner taken by LouCity's Midfielder Davila, the ball was switched into the box, but Speel managed to punch it away. Substitute Joshua Jones rose to meet the loose ball with a header toward goal, but Sang Bin Jeong made a crucial goal-line clearance to deny the effort, resulting in another corner for Louisville City FC.

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

LFC - Kyle Adams (caution) - 39'

LFC - Jake Morris (caution) - 73'

LFC - Kevon Lambert (caution) - 84'

MIN - Britton Fischer (caution) - 90' +4'

LFC - Aidan McFadden (caution) - 90' +5'

NOTABLE STATS

3 - Three MNUFC2 players made their first team debut in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, goalkeeper Wessel Speel, midfielder Kieran Chandler, and forward Darius Randell.

17-255 - At 17 years and 255 days old, MNUFC2 forward Darius Randell became the youngest player in Minnesota United's MLS history to appear in a match with the First Team, across all competitions since 2017. Former MNUFC player Patrick Weah was previously the youngest at 17 years, 351 days old when he came on as a substitute on May 1, 2021 in an MLS regular season match.

1 - Darius Randell became the youngest player in Minnesota United's MLS history to score, across all competitions after scoring his first goal for the MNUFC's First Team in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Wessel Speel; D Morris Duggan, DJ Taylor, Devin Padelford; M Kieran Chandler, Julian Gressel (Britton Fischer 68'), Curt Calov, Sam Shashoua, Hoyeon Jung; F Darius Randell (Loïc Mesanvi 67'), Sang Bin Jeong (Luke Hille 90'+2')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; D, Mukisa Kingi, M Babacar Niang; F Mubashir Nour

Louisville City FC XI: GK Damian Las; D Kyle Adams, Arturo Ordóñez, Amadou Dia (Jake Morris 66', Issac Cano 76'); M Aidan McFadden, Evan Davila (Kevon Lambert 46'), Taylor Davila, Manny Perez (Josh Jones 85'); F Ray Serrano, Phillip Goodrum, Adrien Perez (Jansen Wilson 66')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Danny Faundez; M Carlos Moguel

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. INTER MIAMI CF

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

05.07.2025 | MLS 2025 Regular Season | Match 12

3:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On his thoughts following tonight's match against Louisville City FC...

"It was, what I would describe as a typical cup [U.S. Open Cup] match, a difficult place to come [Louisville] against a team that is obviously at the top of that second tier [USL Championship] and a really consistent, good quality team at this level. I felt like we handled that set of circumstances really well. We've got a really young team in there, we've opted to make a load of changes, it's not a team [MNUFC] that's got a great deal of rhythm. There's a lot of players in there that have come together, pretty much as an 11 for the first time, and we as a staff and a club have to give that group a lot of credit because they handled that set of circumstances really well, and showed a level of competitiveness that you need to show in a cup competition. Ultimately, it's about progression and I've just said to them in there if they could bottle that feeling of the last five minutes of 11 players desperately trying to preserve a 1-0 win in a cup competition away at a difficult place to come, I don't think there are many better feelings than that sort of thing for a young group of players. That's a situation that I'm really proud of them overcoming."

On fighting to keep the 1-0 lead all the way to the end...

"We knew coming here [Louisville City FC] was going to be difficult in a number of ways, number one, they're a physical team, they're a direct team, they cross a lot, they're good on set plays. For a team coming together, a young team, a team that's not necessarily experienced at dealing with situation where there's a group of men on the opposition team desperately trying to win a game, we equipped ourselves really well in that sense, and we were disciplined, there was a good number of the players that have been on the fringe of the first team group and haven't quite managed to get the minutes that they would like so far this year that stepped up, led the team really well, and that will only add to the sense of depth that this group has."

On having a rotation squad...

"We're very conscious of making sure we manage the group sensibly over the course of the coming weeks. It's a tricky month, and we know full well that the season is a marathon - we're going to need to show resilience across a group of 20 players. I want to make sure we keep players in a good rhythm. We've got roughly 50% of the group in solid shape so far, and the way we've managed the Second Team - along with the good mobility between the two groups - has really laid the foundation for tonight's performance. It's not just about tonight; we've been laying the groundwork for depth, freshness, and legs throughout the coming weeks since the start of the season with how we've integrated the First and Second Teams. Looking at the group tonight, it was a team coming together for the first time, and while there wasn't a great deal of experience, there were players with 90 minutes in their legs at a good level. That stood us in good stead tonight, and I believe it will continue to do so moving forward. I want to create a real sense of competition and depth, and we want to ensure that the baseline of the group is strong - I think you saw that tonight."

On your experience coaching young, developing players overseas and how that helped guide tonight's young squad, including your perspective on the emotions of a player like Darius Randell...

"It's a really nice moment for the [MNUFC] academy because whilst perhaps at first-team level, you're much more concerned with the next game, the three points, and your position come the end of the season, I think at the academy level, the biggest thing that you can do as a group of academy coaches, and an organization as a whole, is move players into the first team and give those players a platform to have some success. So I feel like with Darius [Randell] tonight, to become the first team's youngest-ever player to score and to put in a really good performance was great for him. It's great for the group that's here tonight. It's also great for the club as a whole. It's a club that wants to improve its academy. It wants to push on, be more productive, capitalize on a growing sense of a football community in the area, and let's hope that Darius is the flag bearer for that, and tonight's a really good start. I really enjoy that element of the job. I've really enjoyed working with this group over the last couple of days because it's fresh. It feels like you've got a group of players that are desperate to win, desperate to improve, and that's the biggest compliment I can pay that group of players because it's one of the sort of nicest, most humble, most hardworking groups of players I've worked with, and they support the first-team group really, really well. So it was nice to see that coming together."

FORWARD DARIUS RANDELL

Thoughts on tonight's match...

"For me, at first, it was a little bit slow. First ball played from Wes [Wessel Speel], and I'm jumping in the air, I just felt a center back on my back, boom. I'm like, damn this is really it. I'm really here, so I can't really shy away from it now. You're here, so you really got to live up to wherever you think you would be at in the next three or four years. I was like, f**k it I'm here, so let's do it. Every single challenge after that, I'm like, if I lose, I'll get back up and do it again. I am going to keep doing it, keep doing it till it's either I get a goal or just sub me off. But I am going to keep fighting until I don't have anything left."

On how they played as a team and thoughts on Eric Ramsay's game plan..

"Our coach [Eric Ramsay] is a great guy. Basically told us every single thing that we need to know. So going out there, it wasn't really hard for us. It's just for us to stay disciplined and just close the middle and let the ball go wide, and once they play the six and then play back to the center back, that's our moment to press. And we're just being very patient, and the team did a phenomenal job at that. So now, I'm not going to lie, stuck up to every single challenge, played to the last minute. It was great."

On the impact on being integrated into the first team...

"When I first came, it wasn't easy because once you step in, it's like "oh frick, everything is slow, then a little fast". I was like hold on, I need to take a second, again you're already there, there's nothing much you can do but compete. And most of them, they helped me like Wil Trapp, Z [Zarek Valentin], Bongi [Hlongwane], Tani [Oluwaseyi], Kelvin Yeboah, they're all telling me this is where I need to be, what I need to do, and sometimes I don't really do too much, once I start training, I just get a couple passes going, just to get me going and then after that, just get more comfortable on the ball. Once I get the ball, I think about where I'm playing it or before I get the ball who I'm about to play it to or what I'm about to do next. So things like that definitely help me and for academy players moving up to Second team [MNUFC2], first thing that really helped me a lot was when I just got here it wasn't really moving like that, so once I got here and saw [Eric] Ramsay got the job as the manager, things just starting going for me, if you perform you go to the Second team, and if you perform there, you go up to the First team.

On how to carry this momentum...

"For me, I just know what I want to be and what I want to do here in the future. For me, there's no such thing as quitting. So if things are not going good, it's not because you are bad, you're just getting better. It's just going to get better, it's going to get better. It's going to be bad for certain moments, but that doesn't mean you should quit. There's no such thing as quitting. I just came from very far. In 2019, I came here, playing football to 2021, 2022, got called up to [Minnesota] United, went to a trial for three days, I got accepted into the academy, started playing for the academy, started playing for the Second team, All-Star, and now I'm here. So for me, yeah, there's no reason to quit. All those things just give me the strength and then plus the staff members and everybody being there for you, especially for school too, being on me all the time, my family too, all those people around me, those are my strength for me to keep going."

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