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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Defeated 3-2 by D.C. United

July 18, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota United faced D.C. United at Allianz Field for a mid-week matchup, where the Loons' had the lead, but in the final minutes D.C. scored twice to steal all three points on Wednesday night. Minnesota looks to Saturday for another home game against the San Jose Earthquakes.

2' - Early on, Minnesota had a close opportunity to goal after Bongokuhle Hlongwane crossed the ball from the right side of the 18-yard box, where he connected with teammate Sang Bin Jeong for a one-touch to goal that bounced off D.C. goalkeeper Alex Bono.

14'- D.C. United put themselves on the scoreboard after finding the first goal of the match. D.C. intercepted a pass in the middle-third of the pitch, sending a through ball to Christian Benteke in Minnesota's half. Benteke on the touch took space and ran towards goal. With Minnesota midfielder Hassani Dotson on his back, he managed to slot the ball past Dayne St. Clair, who was off his line, and into goal.

24' - MLS All-Star Robin Lod gained possession after Dotson played him up the middle, allowing him to go forward and fire off a long-range shot that bounced off D.C., giving Minnesota the corner kick.

32'- The Loons levelled the score at 1-1. Dotson's header from midfield went over the top of D.C. United's back line and found the feet of Tani Oluwaseyi, who buried it into the back of the net.

79' - Minnesota took the lead after possession bounced between the Loons, finding Michael Boxall on top of the 18-yard box, where he dropped it back to Lod who then slipped the ball between D.C. United's defense, ultimately finding Teemu Pukki on the right flank. Pukki fired off a shot and found the far corner of the goal.

90' - D.C. equalized off a set piece from the right corner, which found Benteke on the far side. Benteke headed the ball across the six-yard line to Aaron Herrera who headed the ball straight into goal.

90' + 1' - One minute after D.C. equalized, they scored yet another goal and took the lead. D.C. United was awarded a set piece in Minnesota's half where Martín Rodríguez took the free kick. The service was headed towards goal where it passed through Minnesota's back line and found Benteke for a one-on-one against St. Clair, where he turned and fired off a shot, finding the back of the net to score the eventual game-winner.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 D.C. - Christian Benteke (Cristian Dájome) - 14'

1-1 MIN - Tani Oluwaseyi (Hassani Dotson) - 32'

2-1 MIN - Teemu Pukki (Robin Lod) - 80'

2-2 D.C. - Aaron Herrera (Christian Benteke) - 90'

2-3 D.C. - Christian Benteke - 91'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Michael Boxall (caution) - 49'

D.C. - Martín Rodríguez (caution) - 85'

NOTABLE STATS

8 - Tani Oluwaseyi returned from international duty and continued his scoring ways, scoring his eighth goal of the regular season.

2 - Hassani Dotson recorded his second assist of the regular season.

4 - Teemu Pukki scored his fourth goal of the regular season and second goal in three games.

11 - Minnesota United has scored 11 goals from substitutes, the most than any other MLS team this season.

12 - Robin Lod recorded his 18th goal contribution after providing his 12th assist of the regular season.

ATTENDANCE: 19,742

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Make-A-Wish Recipient Carter Lucero

LINEUPS

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Devin Padelford, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall ©, Carlos Harvey, Caden Clark; M Sang Bin Jeong, Hassani Dotson, Robin Lod, Bongokuhle Hlongwane; F Tani Oluwaseyi

Bench: GK Alec Smir; D Zarek Valentin, Morris Duggan; M Franco Fragapane, Joseph Rosales, Alejandro Bran, Moses Nyeman; F Teemu Pukki, Jordan Adebayo-Smith

D.C. United XI: GK Alex Bono; D Matti Peltola, Pedro Santos, Aaron Herrera, Christopher McVey; M Jared Stroud, Theodore Ku-Dipietro, Mateusz Klich; F Cristian Dájome, Christian Benteke ©

Bench: GK Luis Zamudio; D Lucas Bartlett, Garrison Tubbs, Hayden Sargis, Matai Akinmboni; M Gabriel Pirani, Jeremy Garay, Jackson Hopkins

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

07.20.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 28

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

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On how Christian Benteke proved himself difficult during the match...

"We've unfortunately tonight lost the game to one player. We're really disappointed, [there's] no two ways about it. We, particularly at the end where we should be fighting to defend the box with our lives, it really reflects the situation that we find ourselves in over the course of the last eight or nine games. Defending the box with a real intensity, a real aggression and that just hasn't been the case, and that is utterly disappointing. There is no player in there that can say that in those situations, come the end of the game, they're looking at themselves in the mirror and say they've done fine there. That unfortunately just isn't us, it shouldn't be us. Again, there's no one at all happy about having lost the game in that way and we'll take a good look at ourselves in that sense. So, very disappointing given that really what you need to do against those guys particularly at the end of the game is defend set plays. That is the crux of it against a team [D.C. United] like that with a player [Christian Benteke] like that. I couldn't put it more simply I suppose."

On D.C. United's third goal...

"I haven't had an explanation, to be honest I don't want to be clutching at straws there. I want to have a good look at our players, how we defend those situations, the way in which we conduct ourselves, perhaps there's something in it but that's certainly not my concern at the moment."

On what is going wrong with defending set pieces...

"Obviously we're really suffering on the second phase of set plays and that often that's a concentration thing, it's making sure that as the ball goes over your head as you come back into the game, you're really switched on to kill spaces, you show a real urgency, desire, and a real cleanness when you're dealing with the ball and we're just not seeing that at the moment. Again, I'm not searching for excuses, I don't want to put anything on the table that defends the way in which we lost that game tonight but sometimes where we're using Carlos [Harvey], Caden [Clark], or Sang Bin [Jeong] in those defensive roles, on set plays, particularly they end up adopting roles that perhaps center halves would end up adopting. And they just don't have the same level of intuition, experience in dealing with those types of things and it really tells. I think Carlos [Harvey] would be the first to tell you there on that second one [goal], he ends up mis-clearing and sort of mis-timing his movement back into the game and that's ultimately cost us. We of course, we're looking to continually improve in that sense and really push the players to develop. It's certainly not for lack of work or attention but we need to hold the players to high standards, we really need to push them because ultimately it's costing us at the moment and it's a part of the game that of course you can't ignore."

On lacking the desire to defend...

"I've said, I used that word in the changing room to describe the way in which we've defended those last few minutes there. I don't use that word lightly because coaches use it all too often, as a bit of a get out that masks a more technical detail problem. I can't use any other word to describe the way in which we really lacked in those two crucial moments. We didn't show the real urgency, the desperation, to defend the box that you would have expected in a situation that we're in at the moment, that's the most disappointing thing we've got. We've got ourselves ahead, we've played reasonably well given the context of the game against a team like them [D.C. United], very direct, the game then becomes very scrappy. We largely competed really well but we lose the game on two moments."

On what he says to the guys about keeping their heads up...

"That's a really important thing. It's a tough one for a coach but it's the skill of the coach to make sure we're critical, we look harshly at ourselves, there's cold hard truths laid on the table but we have to move forward. That's the nature of elite sport, it's the nature of playing games every three or four days. Of course, I find it relatively easy to do that, I can sleep at night knowing that we're doing some really good work behind the scenes. I know it's a good group of players to work with, no one steps foot on that pitch to lose the game in that way at the end. But there's no two ways about it tonight, we have really lacked desire and killer instinct to close the game out and there's no one in there to disagree with me in that sense. We need to as a collective, work really hard to put it right and of course things are still well within our hands and we've got a good chance to do so on Saturday."

On there not being a game without getting a victory and his plan moving forward so that the team does not lose in the very last minutes...

"It is a matter of concentration, wanting to win, and in that sense, I am very disappointed because we have a group that really wants to win but in these moments like right now they are not demonstrating that, and we need to work on finding that feeling of wanting to finish those games with a desire, and that is needed."

On what he saw of Tani Oluwaseyi's goal, and his return performance...

"Yes and I will try to separate the last two or three minutes from that because it was great to see Tani [Oluwaseyi] back on the pitch which obviously gives us another edge and we can be a real threat on the transition in that sense, and we can really take the spacing behind that the opposition gives us and it was nice to see it in lots of moments of the game we turned to be that team that can be a real threat and so it is one step forward and a couple of steps back and we find ourselves in a position where I know that on Friday when we come in and we speak about the game, I can talk constructively about the game and talk about the good things we have done, I can talk about the steps forward but that is really irrelevant unless we can close games that we really want to close games, and it's got to come from me, it got to come from the staff, but it also has to come from the players."

On the guys running behind the defense and how he goes about developing that second gear of possessing and holding the ball...

"That is not an easy balance to strive because we want to attack quickly we want to use the qualities of before that we had, but together we don't want to attack too quickly, we don't want to endlessly be finding that front three from the team not being connected and there is definitely a balance that we need to strive for better, but at the moment we've got probably we finally have one or another so we have a front three perhaps with Sang Bin [Jeong], Bongokuhle [Hlongwane], and Tani [Oluwaseyi] and you get lots of athleticism, lots of pace, and lots of running power and lots of willingness to get in behind and you probably turn the ball a little cheaply and perhaps then you have Fragapane [Franco], and Teemu [Pukki] who come into the game and [Joseph] Rosales to an extent is somewhere between the two but more combination you get more reliable possession, but maybe you can't attack as quickly and we got to try and find that nice balance between the players that we have in the pitch and obviously the way we go about it as a team."

On the approach with the players after a tough result...

"I can be very direct, I can be very clear, I can lay the standards very clearly on the table and I can give the players very cold hard truths. I don't think that needs me to scream and shout in people's faces for that to be the case. They will know full well today where the line is and we haven't reached that line. But, as I said, the skill of a coach in this situation and the skill of this staff and the people around the team is to be very critical and make sure there are some standards established that we have to reach and if we don't reach them then it causes huge problems and the players have to know that and they know that themselves. There will be another day tomorrow, there will be another game on Saturday and there will be a number of other games between now and the end of the year that we have to approach really positively. That's of course how I will always approach it. I am here to make sure we develop over the course of the long term. As much as today is incredibly disappointing, I don't think you could lose a game in a worse way. I don't think I could be more frustrated, I don't think they could be more frustrated. We all have to go on tomorrow and find a way to attack Saturday's game."

On Carlos Harvey man-marking Christian Benteke...

"You make the decisions in those situations as to where you place your best headers of the ball and where you give them a chance to be free to go and attack it. Or whether you use your most powerful, dominant aerial players to go and mark man-to-man against a huge threat in [Christian] Benteke. And obviously we've decided to try and strike an even balance there by using Carlos [Harvey], who is a good size, he is a strong player and he goes up against Benteke with a view to making sure you have [Micky] Tapias, [Michael] Boxall and a couple others in position to go and win the ball. Again, our stress is not the first contact that they score off of to an extent, sometimes with a Benteke you have to accept that they are going to win the first contact. Across the MLS he is super strong in those situations and what we haven't done is defend the second ball well enough and that goes for both those situations. Sometimes you take your medicine on the first contact, but you have to be there for the second one. And that will I'm sure frustrate everyone who has watched that and who has been a part of that."

FORWARD TEEMU PUKKI

On how the game went...

"Obviously, it's not the best way. It's been a bad run lately. Especially today being up and then giving up those two, I would say, stupid goals in the end to lose the game. So there's work to do, there's still many games to go. Everything is possible, but we need to obviously be better than we've been lately."

On what was "stupid" about the last two goals from D.C. United...

"Hard to stay, maybe set pieces have been something we haven't done so well lately and now we are maybe a little bit more focused on it, but then still concede a couple goals from those in the end. So, we need to be much better in set pieces and we know that and that's something we need to work on in the next weeks as well."

On getting the team to have the desire and energy in these situations...

"Yeah, it's up to us now to change the end of how we want the season to go. So, it's all about the players and the staff. We need to turn around faster. There's not many games to go and there's work to do, but that's part of football."

On what he saw in his goal scored against D.C. United...

"It was a good goal. I was really happy. It hasn't been the best season for me either, so to have these couple goals lately, it will help me today and in the rest of the season. So, it was a well-played, good pass from Robin [Lod] and finally an assist from him and a goal for me this year. But yeah, I like to play with him like you always know."

On how to maintain the balance of positive moments in a game when a loss follows...

"Those are the things we need to take out of these games. Because they were good moments, obviously not enough. But, if they were, we need to analyze the game and then, do much better with the job on Saturday."

On having a different mindset after a tough stretch of games...

"The most important thing is to forget. Of course you need to analyze the game, but the game is gone now and the good thing is the next game is in a couple days. Everyone just needs to figure out how they get the best out of themselves on Saturday."

FORWARD TANI OLUWASEYI

On how the game got away from them...

"I wouldn't even say it got away from us. At the end there, you kind of have to shut up shop there and make sure you come away with three points. We got beat by one guy [Christian Benteke] twice and he was a point of emphasis before the game. It's not something you want to see happen, but it's just one of those things that we have to learn from it. The word 'desire' was thrown out there in our postgame conversation. That's one thing each person can look in the mirror and say we need a little more desire to close games out like that because we can't keep dropping points at the end of games."

On what he saw from the team when he came back from Copa América...

"We were ready to go for the game today. We go up 2-1, you can see from the moment we got the first goal, we were pushing the whole time. If the game doesn't end the way it does, we take a big three points and head into Saturday, but that's not how it goes. We dropped three points at the end there. It's a matter of, again, taking the lessons we can and it's a quick turnaround to Saturday, so we can't dwell on it too much."

On how to put a loss like this behind you...

"You have to. Especially with the run we're in, we can't afford to dwell on results like this. The next two days we have to look at what caused us to get to this point, mistakes we made and make sure moving forward, if there is a player like [Christian] Benteke, who we are supposed to be keying-in on, that we are really doing that for the full 90 minutes. We did a good job for 85 or 87 [minutes], whatever it was. We have to do it for the full 90, 95, whatever it is."

On the set pieces trouble...

"The thing with set pieces is that half of it is just commitment and making sure guys know their spots and where they're supposed to be and going up for challenges and things like that. Like I said, you look at the whole game, everyone was locked-in, on all our set pieces and everything that we had; more or less the two we don't lock-in are the ones that cost us at the end there. I don't think it's acceptable, you have to see through the entire game and we didn't do that today. We have to learn from it and keep pushing."

On what he thought about the build-up leading to his goal...

"We recognized before the game that there would be a lot of space in behind and if we can win the ball high up in the field, playing it first time or behind would be on. And there were a lot of opportunities for that. We got it right once, so they [D.C. United] play a really high line and like I said, there's a couple we could have done more going in behind. But that's about it."

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