Minnesota United Dominates in 3-0 Win at Austin FC
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Dominates in 3-0 Win at Austin FC

Published on May 3, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


AUSTIN, Texas -- Goals from Joaquín Pereyra and Anthony Markanich helped lead Minnesota United to a 3-0 victory over Austin FC on Saturday night. The Loons combined clinical finishing with key defensive stops, including another Dayne St. Clair clean sheet. Minnesota now shifts focus to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, traveling to face Louisville City FC on Wednesday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

14' - Austin FC forward Osman Bukari took advantage of a turnover by Minnesota United midfielder Wil Trapp inside of the Loons' defending third. Burkari gained possession, then drove towards goal, taking a close-range shot that was met and stopped by goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

22' (1-0) - Joaquín Pereyra played a give-and-go with Anthony Markanich. As Pereyra received the return pass, he made a run down the left side of the penalty box. He took the shot from just outside the box while slipping, and the ball took a slight deflection off Ilie Sánchez before slipping through goalkeeper Brad Stuver's hands. The goal was eventually recorded as an own goal by Austin's Ilie Sanchez.

24' - Just minutes later, midfielder Robin Lod connected a thru-ball pass to Oluwaseyi, who broke free from two Austin defenders and faced Stuver one-v-one. Oluwaseyi's shot was ultimately saved by Stuver.

25' - Oluwaseyi again had a shot saved by Stuver. Off a corner kick, Oluwaseyi connected a header that he sent to goal, but the Verde & Black goalkeeper made the punching save.

35' (2-0) - The Loons doubled their lead in the 35th minute. Jefferson Diaz delivered a switch from the right side of the pitch, finding Markanich near the penalty spot, where he headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

75' - The Verde and Black posed a threat as Robert Taylor took a shot from outside the penalty area, which was crucially blocked by Michael Boxall and Diaz, allowing Joseph Rosales to clear the ball.

85' - Austin continued to seek scoring opportunities. Brandon Vázquez made a run into the 18-yard box after receiving a pass from Jáder Obrian, and as Obrian attempted the shot, Julian Gressel made a crucial goal-line clearance.

90' + 1' (3-0) - Sang Bin Jeong's shot was denied by defender Zan Kalmanic, and Pereyra gained possession from the rebound. He then took a long-range shot from outside the penalty box, striking the right post before the ball bounced into the back of the net.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Ilie Sanchez (own goal) - 22'

2-0 MIN - Anthony Markanich (Jefferson Diaz) - 35'

3-0 MIN - Joaquín Pereyra - 90'+1'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

ATX - Brendan Hines-Ike (caution) - 69'

NOTABLE STATS

6 - Loons' goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair earned his sixth clean sheet of the 2025 regular season and is currently first in shutouts across all of MLS.

1 - Defender Anthony Markanich scored his first goal for Minnesota United in Saturday night's win over Austin FC, heading in a cross from Jefferson Díaz in the 35th minute to double the Loons' lead.

1 - Midfielder Joaquín Pereyra also notably scored his first MLS and MNUFC goal in second-half added stoppage time on Saturday night.

1 - Recently acquired MLS veteran Julian Gressel made his first appearance as a player for Minnesota United when he entered the match as a second-half substitute on Saturday night at Austin FC.

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Anthony Markanich

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Anthony Markanich (Joseph Rosales 64'), Jefferson Diaz, Nicolás Romero, Michael Boxall ©,Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Sang Bin Jeong 89'); M Robin Lod (Morris Duggan 80'), Wil Trapp, Carlos Harvey (Julian Gressel 64'), Joaquín Pereyra; F Tani Oluwaseyi

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; M Samuel Shashoua, Hoyeon Jung, DJ Taylor; F Darius Randell

Austin FC XI: GK Brad Stuver; D Guilherme Biro (Zan Kolmanic 78'), Brendan Hines-Ike, Oleksandr Svatok, Jon Gallagher (Jader Obrian 71'); M Besard Sabovic (CJ Fodrey 71'), Ilie Sanchez ©, Owen Wolff; F Myrto Uzuni (Robert Taylor 61'), Brandon Vazquez, Osman Bukari (Diego Rubio 61')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Stefan Cleveland; D, Julio Cascante, Riley Dean; M Nicolas Dubersarsky

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ LOUISVILLE CITY FC

Lynn Family Stadium | Louisville, Kentucky

05.07.2025 | Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | Round of 32

6:30 p.m. CT (Paramount+)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On his thoughts following tonight's match...

"I was really pleased with the outcome and the performance and the components of the performance and the level of effort because it's not an easy place to come. It might be lost on people at home, but they [Austin FC] replaced the pitch yesterday. The pitch played really quick, it was tough for the players to get used to in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game. Credit to them, they've probably dealt with that better than we did, and we found ourselves, I wouldn't say weathering a storm is probably too big a stretch, but we found the first 10 or 15 minutes difficult with the ball. I think that was obviously reflected in the balance of the game, but I think once we found our feet, found the ways to push in the buttons that we normally push to make life uncomfortable for the opposition, I think we did a really good job. And again, it's a tough place to come; the atmosphere is really good with a really loud supporters section that's desperately trying to sub the ball into the net and you've got a set of forwards that as the game goes on, they [Austin FC] rotate through that are really high level for this league. We dealt with that really well and there were a lot of ingredients in that performance that we were missing last week. I was really pleased that we were able to bounce back and re-capture very quickly what kind of team we are, particularly in these situations."

On the formation shift tonight...

"I always felt that over the course of the season, we would revert back to that at some point and I felt like there was some inevitability that playing with both Kelvin [Yeboah] and Tani [Oluwaseyi] in a front-two would become sort of stale for lack of a better word and we would have to find ways to be adaptable and flexible in terms of how we use the shape. Once we got a good foothold in the game and were able to have some spells on the ball and use the ball how we would normally with a high-rhythm, attacking quickly but trying to play in a way where we're connecting passes to get our attacking players in good positions - I think we did that really well. Joaquín [Pereyra] and Rob [Robin Lod] underneath. So, I'm glad that we've shown the ability to flip between the two systems and certainly it will give us a sense of confidence and a sense of more completeness as a team as the year goes on."

On if tonight was a showcase of how the team can succeed without having large possession...

"We did a really good job in that sense and without a shadow of a doubt, the flurry of chances going their [Austin FC] way towards the end of the game is a product of the situation and the desperation to score and the number of forwards that they throw onto the pitch, and the directness that they play with. But, with all that considered, I thought that we did a relatively good job of weathering that and we restricted them to half-chances as opposed to really clean-cut chances. I give credit to everyone in that sense. It's not just that Dayne [St. Clair] was great or the back line was great, but we were back to a real collective, cohesive effort which is what was lacking against Vancouver [Whitecaps FC]. I was pleased that we were able to put that to bed in the way that we did tonight."

On starting the game with Joseph Rosales on the bench...

"I think the whole situation that surrounds a player - and not just Joe [Joseph Rosales] - in a situation like that, given the sort of thoroughness of the league process, is really draining for a player. And I think Joe has had a lot of extra bits to his week this week that he wouldn't normally have. So I felt like it was probably most sensible for me to make a tough decision to relieve a little bit of pressure from him and not add the weight of a really difficult away game from the start. And I think that was justified, and I'm sure Joe would echo that. I felt like Anthony [Markanich] came in and did a really good job. And obviously, he does add on attacking set plays. He's a fullback who is sort of shading six foot and desperate to score - and attacks the box with real conviction. And we were hoping he would give us that edge, and he certainly did."

On whether second-phase goals are counted as set-piece goals when evaluating mechanics and keeping tallies...

"100%. That is a really big part of what we do in those moments, and we play for those moments really strategically. We've been really effective over the course of this year, and I don't know whether we get enough credit for the number of goals and chances we create on set plays. I would even say that the first goal comes partly as a consequence of some components of a deep free kick and a set play moment that we talk about a lot. So, again, I was really pleased that we're able to put the opposition under that level of pressure and get back to being that team that can squeeze the most out of every moment of every game."

On Joaquín Pereyra claiming the first goal...

"I think he would do. I think he would have done had he not scored at the end. Maybe he'd be less desperate to now he's finished in the way he did. But, again, he was great. He did really well. I'm pleased that he's able to add a statistic to the performance because I know for those guys, that's really important."

On how he saw Carlos Harvey in the midfield...

"He did great. And overall, I would say I think he had a tricky first 10 or 15 minutes on the ball, as did a few of the guys. But I would sort of stress that it was partly how we're doing it. I'm not laying all the blame on the pitch, but it was a really difficult pitch; very different from anything I've encountered since I've been here. Very short grass, very quick, lots of bobbles, lots of gaps between blocks of grass. I felt like he was probably the victim of that a little bit. But once he settled in, I think he was very good out of possession. Once he got to grips with the pace of the game, he was fairly effective with the ball as well. And it's not easy going from playing in the backline to playing in the midfield, not least from a physical perspective. I think by the time he came off, he was on course to do about three and a half, four [kilometers] more than he would normally do when he's playing at the back, and I was very conscious of that in making the decision around the hour mark to bring him off. So I think, given that that's his first step back into the middle for a while, I think he did a really good job."

On this lineup working out well, maybe attempting to use just one forward more often...

"No, I think it almost reaffirms what I thought about the group, in that we would for sure not play 30-odd games with Tani [Oluwaseyi] and Kelvin [Yeboah] as a front two. Number one, it wasn't sustainable. It doesn't give us enough adaptability or ability to be pragmatic. And I felt like today almost justified that. It was something that we did very well last year. We can defend very well in that shape, and once we find our rhythm, we can attack as we want to attack. I think to stress that we're just not going to be a team that is going to be successful on the basis of phases of possession that last 30 passes. You can see in the characteristics of almost all the players we have at the top of the pitch, they want to attack quickly. They're really direct, and I think we can continue to feed that in the way that we played today. But obviously, we're taking a physical, athletic forward that wants to attack space in behind and, in theory, however we do it, replacing them with more of a technician in the middle of the pitch. I think that was reflected in lots of moments in the game today."

On Julian Gressel's first performance as a Loon...

"I think he gave us, of course, what we wanted him to give us in the sense that, as Julian [Gressel] comes on, we were able to sort of still have a nice balance on that side between a player that can defend and give us real quality on the ball and a real attacking threat, and also move Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] higher up the pitch. And I think Bongi did a really good job further forward, and he obviously plays with more freedom. He's closer to the front. He's a really unpredictable player, and I think from the middle of the pitch, he can be even more unpredictable - for good and for bad sometimes. But Julian is a really steady presence, and I think in a situation where he's coming on to close a game out, he's going to be able to do it well. He's really responsive, coachable. He's gonna be able to carry out any instruction well. He's a good size. He's good at defending set plays. It was really nice to look to the bench and be able to use him in that way."

DEFENDER ANTHONY MARKANICH

On getting his first goal as a Loon...

"It felt amazing. I felt like so much relief came off of me. I mean, did you see the way I celebrated? I mean, it was amazing."

On being tied with his twin brother, Nick Markanich, in goals...

"Yeah. He woke up at 2 a.m. Spain time. It's his time to watch. It's nice."

On enduring the first 20 minutes without the ball and how difficult that is during a match...

"I think we kind of expected that coming into the game, especially during away games. I think that's pretty normal. I think we expected that."

On whether this match reflected the ideal road game plan in MLS...

"I think the way we - our style of play - I think we do that normally no matter what. Home or away, sit at the top of the circle for Tani [Oluwaseyi], and then we go from there."

On what the game plan was coming from coaching staff...

"We expected what Austin [FC] was going to do. They like possession. I think especially, like, defending the box, we were really, really good at it today, and I think we've been good at it all year. So I think we've been doing really well with what Eric [Ramsay] has put a game plan out for us."

On attempting more shots after Austin FC's goalkeeper made a mistake...

"Yeah. Of course. Especially [after] the first goal by Joaquín [Pereyra]. It was kind of a gift for us. So, take advantage of it. Maybe he's down from that goal."

On Joaquín Pereyra claiming that first goal as his...

"We were joking about it in the locker room. You know, I was hoping that I got the assist for that, but I don't think I did."

On having family at the stadium witnessing his first goal...

"My sister came up for the game with a couple of friends. She was saying if I scored today, she would run onto the field, but she was all the way at the top of the stands, so she wouldn't be able to do that."

On any parents attending the match or just his sister...

"Just my sister. It's a great family day. I know my parents are happy and proud."

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from May 3, 2025


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