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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Clinches a Spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs

October 3, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SANDY, Utah - Minnesota United clinched a spot in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs following a 0-0 draw against Real Salt Lake and an FC Dallas loss against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Loons return to the postseason after missing the 2023 playoffs. MNUFC concludes its road trip in the Pacific Northwest against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, October 5.

18' - Dayne St. Clair was put under pressure for the first time of the night after a through ball was sent to Chicho Arango where he took a wide-angle shot from the right side of the 18-yard box, but St. Clair made a diving save to keep the score 0-0.

28' - Minnesota United midfielder Carlos Harvey created the first scoring opportunity for the Loons after a give-and-go sequence between Harvey and Bongokuhle Hlongwane on the right side. The Panamanian international dribbled to the inside of the pitch firing a shot from the right flank but hit the side of the net.

30' - Yet again, St. Clair made a crucial save after a close-range shot by Chicho was taken just on top of the six-yard box and aimed straight toward the Canadian goalkeeper for an easy save.

45' + 1' - Real Salt Lake won a free kick in Minnesota's half where midfielder Diogo Gonçalves stepped up, striking the ball from distance. His shot skimmed the crossbar but went out of bounds.

51' - Salt Lake City were able to capitalize on the counter-attack after sending a long ball up the pitch finding Dominik Marczuk in Minnesota's defensive third. Marczuk was able to find a shot inside the 18-yard box, placing the ball across the front of goal untouched before it went wide and out of bounds.

69' - Real Salt Lake nearly scored when Chicho was slipped the ball inside the 18-yard box for a right-footed shot that was saved by St. Clair.

87' - MNUFC found their first look at goal in the second half after Robin Lod sent the ball up the line to Franco Fragapane who then slotted the ball to Kelvin Yeboah for a shot inside the box but was deflected out by a Salt Lake defender, giving the Loons their first corner kick of the night.

90' + 3' A VAR review was done after Michael Boxall and Brayan Vera had an altercation in the 89th minute. Upon review, Vera was shown a red for poor sportsmanship, leaving Real Salt Lake to play a man down.

GOAL SUMMARY

None

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Jefferson Diaz (caution) - 5'

MIN - Hassani Dotson (caution) - 24'

RSL - Brayan Vera (caution) - 32'

MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (caution) - 34'

MIN - Michael Boxall (caution) - 89'

RSL - Chicho Arango (caution) - 90'

RSL - Brayan Vera (ejection) - 90' + 3'

NOTABLE STATS

3 - Minnesota United has recorded three consecutive shutouts since September 21, a run of 361 minutes without conceding a goal. MNUFC is also undefeated in its last three MLS regular season matches.

ATTENDANCE: 19,346

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Carlos Harvey

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Joseph Rosales, Jefferson Diaz, Michael Boxall ©, Carlos Harvey; M Joaquín Pereyra, Wil Trapp, Hassani Dotson, Bongokuhle Hlongwane; F Kelvin Yeboah, Robin Lod

Bench: GK Alec Smir; D Devin Padelford, Anthony Markanich, Miguel Tapias; M Franco Fragapane; F Samuel Shashoua, Sang Bin Jeong, Loïc Mesanvi, Tani Oluwaseyi

Real Salt Lake XI: GK Zac MacMath; D Andrew Brody, Brayan Vera, Justen Glad, Philip Quinton; M Braian Ojeda, Emeka Eneli, Diogo Gonçalves, Matt Crooks, Dominik Marczuk; F Chicho Arango

Bench: GK Gavin Beavers; D Javain Brown, Alexandros Katranis; M Diego Luna, Nelson Palacio, Maikel Chang, Noel Caliskan; F Lechlan Brook, Anderson Julio

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

BC Place | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

10.05.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 37

6:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On the scoreless draw in tonight's match...

"It's probably one of those games that neither coach, or set of players, walk into the locker room after the game feeling particularly thrilled. Nor too disappointed. You could very fairly say that it was one of those games where they had some good spells, we had some good spells. We had a fairly even number of chances, the stats would probably fairly reflect that. Maybe we'd be slightly happier if you take the game in isolation. Slightly happier for being the away team and obviously all the difficulty that goes with playing at altitude and playing against one of the better teams in the division at home. I would say, we can be satisfied, opposed to happy and obviously there are some nice things that go with the night in terms of it being the third clean sheet of ours in a row. And we certainly had some promising moments on the ball and probably lack the cutting edge that we've had in the last couple of games. So, some steps forward, some element of plateau, but largely a relatively satisfying night, I would say."

On the incident at the end of the game...

"I saw it very clearly because they showed it in slow motion up close on the screen in the stadium. So everyone knows full well what's happened and obviously no one's at all happy about it. Not something that you'd expect to happen in our game at this level. I really feel for Boxy [Michael Boxall] in that situation because that's, I reckon, one of the worst things that can happen to you on a football pitch. Pretty sour note to end the game on, unfortunately."

On the suspension of Michael Boxall...

"I'm not too sure how that will work, but I'm sure if we've got a leg to stand on, which we certainly have, and we've got the means to appeal, then we will certainly do so."

On trying to get acclimated to the high altitude...

"It's difficult to say, obviously we're playing at less altitude by 1,000, so I'm sure that weighs in. I don't think we started the game nearly as poorly as we did in Colorado. When we went there, it was by far our worst performance of the season on the ball and tonight that wasn't the case. We can definitely accuse ourselves of being sloppy at certain points and turning the ball over far more cheaply in the middle of the pitch than we did against Colorado on Saturday and that cost us in terms of flow and rhythm and chance creation. But I think largely as I say, the game was even, it was competitive, I don't think we suffered for those reasons to a huge extent. We leave relatively satisfied and I know there's enough for me to take forward, as I talk to the team in the coming days about the game on Saturday."

On the half time substitutions...

"We struggled to get good pressure on the ball, I would say. Obviously, they [Real Salt Lake] play in such a way where they drop a lot of players outside of your defensive structure. They drop a lot of players deep, so you have to commit numbers with real conviction forward if you want to get some good pressure on the ball. And, as I say, we're very comfortable defending in a backline of five [defenders], but we almost fell for big chunks of the first half. We were protecting spaces where the opposition had no players and we felt like we'd probably get more traction when it came to pressing [and] more momentum if we were to go with the front two and support the front two with the two eights from either side and it didn't swing the game, but it did certainly help us edge our way in, I would say. In the second half, we were, of course, a big threat on the counterattack. We did press slightly better. We were able to move ourselves up the pitch well, but in both halves, we probably lacked that rhythm and continuity on the ball. Although I know when I watch it back, I'll be able to pick out 10 or 12 really good passages of play where we play through the pitch really well and find ourselves at the top of the opposition's box, but without creating anything of substance."

On what Real Salt Lake did defensively to restrict our forwards...

"It's probably more to do with what we didn't do with the ball as opposed to what they did particularly well. Take the Colorado game last Saturday for example. We attacked in a really clean and precise way. We didn't turn the ball over cheaply. We were able to work our way up the pitch with the team really well connected and as a consequence we were able to get Kelvin [Yeboah] some really good chances. We didn't get him a huge number of chances tonight and I don't think we can expect that game after game after game that he is going to create huge clear cut chances on his own. Unfortunately that's not the way in which the game works. He has done it over a prolonged period of time here and will for sure continue to be a threat in every game. We just have to make sure that we arrive at the top of the box and arrive in good conditions for him and unfortunately that wasn't always the case tonight. I thought he and Tani [Oluwaseyi] did show signs of clicking. As soon as they played as a pair and they are close together the opposition has a very difficult problem to think about."

On the defensive side in earning a clean sheet...

"We are showing a real will to defend and a real will to win and keep the sheet clean. We have made some subtle tweaks to the way in which we are doing things, the way we are pressing and some fine detail around what the wingbacks do and how the backline defends and I think that has helped. I won't give myself or the coaches too big a pat on the back in that sense because I think largely the change has been mentality. It's been a big principle as opposed to the subtle detail, but I think there are some subtleties that have certainly helped us to defend less and in more favorable situations. So we are in a relatively good spot in that sense. It's an oddity that we don't score a goal. We almost always score and I say to the players often that I have no doubts about with how much ease we are going to score, with how much ease we are going to create chances because typically we do, but it's been the other end that has been the problem over the course of the last three games and we have taken a huge step forward in that sense."

On paying attention to other results to see if the team clinches a playoff spot...

"I'm sure the staff are in the changing room next door watching with a keen eye. I can't say that I won't be checking in when I get off this call. But we really want to make sure that we focus on us, the upcoming games and I've said from day one of this trip that we came here with a real sense of a mission and purpose and we want to make sure that when we play that final home game that we are really playing for something with something secured. We have been looking up rather than down and I would say tonight is another big step forward, that we have come away from home, we have been solid. It's been a good away performance against one of the better teams in this division. We have demonstrated over eight games of this ten game season that I reference - that we are very competitive with the top teams in this division when we are somewhere near a full squad. When I add this game to the rest of what we have seen I'm really pleased."

On Joaquín Pereyra's performance...

"I think he's done really well. Ironically, I sat down with him today prior to the game and gave him a real pat on the back about how defended against Colorado and some of the big steps forward that he has taken. He is getting used to doing something very different here [compared] to his previous club. He wasn't taken off at halftime today for performance, it was solely because I wanted to get a second forward on the pitch. I wanted to change our shape. I wanted us to have a very different look and feel. It was pretty much a toss-up between him and Rob [Robin Lod]. He had certainly done nothing to suggest he was the obvious choice [to be subbed out] and I am happy with where he is."

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