Minnesota United Dominates in 4-1 Win Over San Jose Earthquakes
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Dominates in 4-1 Win Over San Jose Earthquakes

Published on July 12, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota United delivered a commanding performance at Allianz Field, defeating the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1 behind goals from Tani Oluwaseyi, Kelvin Yeboah, Anthony Markanich, and Joseph Rosales. The Loons controlled the match from start to finish, showcasing their attacking depth and extending their unbeaten run at home. Minnesota now shifts focus to a midweek clash with LAFC on Wednesday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Allianz Field.

2' (1-0) - Minnesota United opened the scoring off a set piece. In the second minute, MNUFC was awarded a corner kick. Joaquín Pereyra delivered the ball and connected with Robin Lod outside the six-yard box, who then found Tani Oluwaseyi. Oluwaseyi struck the ball with his thigh to score the first goal of the night.

8' - After a defensive mistake, San Jose created their first dangerous opportunity. Josef Martínez stole the ball and quickly passed to Beau Leroux, who found Ian Harkes on the right flank. Harkes fired a shot outside the penalty area, but Dayne St. Clair made the save and deflected it out for a corner.

13' - The Quakes continued to threaten and were awarded a free kick after a handball just outside the 18-yard box on the left side. Chicho Arango stepped up to take the shot, but it went just wide of the far post.

35' - The Loons were awarded another free kick in the middle third, taken by Pereyra. Harkes attempted to clear Pereyra's delivery, but Lod recovered the ball and sent it back into the middle near the penalty spot for Anthony Markanich. Markanich tried to flick it over Daniel, San Jose's keeper, but his shot went just wide of the right post.

39' - Kelvin Yeboah stepped up to take a free kick awarded to Minnesota just outside the penalty box. His shot was on target, but San Jose goalkeeper Daniel made a diving save to his left, getting a hand on the ball to keep the score at 1-0.

42' (2-0) - Yeboah doubled Minnesota's lead with help from Oluwaseyi. After winning possession in the middle third, Oluwaseyi drove the ball into the box down the left flank and delivered a cross to Yeboah, who headed it in from the top of the six-yard box.

45'+4' - After a series of passes, Jefferson Díaz gained possession on the right flank and drove into the 18-yard box before sending a low pass across to Yeboah on the opposite side. Yeboah took a one-touch shot, but Rodrigues blocked it and deflected the ball out for a corner.

45'+5' (3-0) - Pereyra delivered the corner, which deflected off two San Jose defenders attempting to clear. The ball fell near the penalty spot, where Markanich fired a one-touch shot into the top right corner of the net.

45'+7' - After having been awarded a free kick, Dayne St. Clair stepped up to take the kick and made a long pass to Pereyra but was deflected by Rodrigues. The ball found Michael Boxall on the 18-yard line where he attempted to settle the ball but it then found Nicolás Romero. Romero brought the ball down with his chest and then volleyed the ball wide of the right post.

70' (3-1) - San Jose found their first goal of the night following their third consecutive corner kick and some chaotic bouncing in the box. Chicho Arango switched play from the left flank to Preston Judd, who flicked the ball on to Bruno Wilson. Wilson tapped it into the back of the net.

90'+5' (4-1) - Oluwaseyi and Yeboah combined on a give-and-go play, with Oluwaseyi picking up the ball on the left flank. He drove into the penalty area and sent a low pass across to the right side of the box, where Joseph Rosales tapped it into the back of the net.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Tani Oluwaseyi (Robin Lod) - 2'

2-0 MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (Tani Oluwaseyi) - 42'

3-0 MIN - Anthony Markanich - 45'+5'

3-1 SJ - Bruno Wilson (Paul Judd, Chicho Arango) - 70'

4-1 MIN - Joseph Rosales (Tani Oluwaseyi, Kelvin Yeboah) - 90'+5'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

SJ - Ian Harkes (caution) - 9'

SJ - Rodrigues (caution) - 38'

SJ - Reid Roberts (caution) - 64'

SJ - Daniel Munie (caution) - 65'

SJ - Chicho Arango (caution) - 84'

NOTABLE STATS

9 - Tani Oluwaseyi has now surpassed his previous season high total (8), scoring nine goals in 18 regular season games.

5 - Anthony Markanich has contributed with a goal or an assist in the past five games across all competitions, scoring four goals and recording an assist.

3 - Tani Oluwaseyi recorded three goal contributions (1 goal, 2 assists) in the win over San Jose.

ATTENDANCE: 19,743

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Kelvin Yeboah

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Anthony Markanich (Joseph Rosales 62'), Nicolás Romero, Michael Boxall ©, Jefferson Diaz (Carlos Harvey 62'), Julian Gressel (Bongokuhle Hlongwane 78'); M Tani Oluwaseyi, Robin Lod, Wil Trapp, Joaquín Pereyra (Morris Duggan 85'); F Kelvin Yeboah (Darius Randell 90'+5')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; D DJ Taylor; M Samuel Shashoua, Owen Gene

San Jose XI: GK Daniel; D Daniel Munie (Bruno Wilson 68'), Dave Romney (Reid Roberts 46'), Rodrigues (Jamar Ricketts 79'); M Vítor Costa (Preston Judd 68'), Ian Harkes, Beau Leroux, Benji Kikanović (Nick Lima 30'); F Chicho Arango ©, Josef Martínez, Ousseni Bouda (Niko Tsakiris 68')

Substitutes not used: GK Earl Edwards Jr.; D Max Floriani; M Nick Fernandez

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. LAFC

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

07.16.2025 | MLS 2025 Regular Season | Match 23

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

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On if the team was at their best tonight against the San Jose Earthquakes...

"I think it was a funny game, because in spells it was a team at its best, but I also feel like in spells it's a team at its worst. With all the good play, the chances, the excitement, the atmosphere, it was a phenomenal night, I can't dispute that. The team will feel frustrated with elements of the performance, the opening stages of the game were frustrating for us and the closing stages of the game to an extent were frustrating. So, I'm keen at this stage to stay as level headed around that as possible because that was a game where we should have had full control and there were moments where we didn't help ourselves. But I can't take anything away from the players because as always full of engagement, discipline, aggression, you can only question some of the decision making at certain points. But, in general it was a high level performance and the scoreline reflected that and the number of chances we had reflected that. So, it was disappointing to not come away with a clean sheet, but there's loads to gravitate forward there because in many ways it's a mark of why we're such a difficult team to play."

On how the team will handle a month break before the Gold Cup Semifinals...

"Yeah, I think so. We've got three really nice stages of the season to look forward to now and that's ignoring how the season finishes and hopefully what goes beyond the regular season. We've got this block of games now which always felt, this five game block between the Leagues Cup was a really important block for us to show real intent at the top of the table and show steps forward in terms of performance and evolve as a team and really keep pace up there [MLS standings] and were able to sustain that. Now we've got the Open Cup [Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup] to look forward to and before that the Leagues Cup and a lot can change between now and then in terms of how the squad looks. Obviously it's a period where there's lots of movement, there's a lot of moving parts in general and I just want to make sure that we've got a really strong base going into that Leagues Cup tournament. As mid September rolls around I want to be in a good place, I want to be carrying forward energy and momentum because in the midst of runs in busy games, they feel far less difficult when you're winning games and you're playing well and you're scoring goals. This team has got a lot of energy and a lot of momentum at the moment."

On the decision to change how the two forwards work together up top and if they showcased that tonight...

"It was and for obvious reasons were not going to play Tani [Oluwaseyi] off the side in the same way that we would Rob [Robin Lod] or Sam [Shashoua] or Joaquín [Pereyra], he's got very different set of characteristics and we want to make sure he plays that role to his strengths and that we tailor make it for him and largely we've done a good job of that over my time here, looking at what players do very very well and trying to mold the team to make sure we see them in their most optimal conditions as often as possible and that the players qualities multiply one another. I feel like Tani, Kelvin [Yeboah] have, over the course of the last two games, done a really good job of playing to their strengths, but also doing what the team needs them to do. Tani is a phenomenal defensive forward as good as I've arguably seen. The work that he does for us off the ball is really really important but tonight you've also seen very high levels of quality, a real relentlessness in terms of how he attacks the back line. He is one of the more difficult forwards to deal with in this league and when you add that to Kelvin and Kelvin had a really good night. He certainly looked back to his old self in terms of aggression, mobility, athleticism, and a real desire to score and to make things happen and the dynamism. So, they had a great night and those behind them largely did a good job in getting them the ball in good circumstances, the first 10 minutes aside."

On how he learned a lot about his squad last summer and how that played a role in the team's success, what he is learning about his squad this season...

"It was more to do with certainly first and foremost, the learning was to do with how the League [MLS] works and that period last year in the summer wasn't one that I would have been able to foresee, even if I had known. In more intricate detail some of the workings of MLS we had a perfect storm last June and really suffered. But when I say learning I mean in that sense, but I also mean in the sense of me handling a difficult situation that was in some ways a really important start to my career as a head coach because there was understanding around the circumstances, everyone knew the extent of the mitigating factors, but it was also something I had to deal with along with the staff and the group of players. So, I think it stood us in good stead and then when we came back after that period we showed real desperation to put it right and we went on a phenomenal run which has largely continued. I'll be amazed if over the course of the back end of last season and this season we weren't the [in] form team across the two divisions or certainly one of them. So, I feel like we've carried momentum, energy, playing style, identity, real clarity in terms of what we're trying to do and also adding players to the system that suit us really well. I think tonight was a really good showing of that but it's also reflective of probably where we are and we've still got a ways to go and I think that's an exciting thing because if there's improvement to that, then we'll be in a good place."

On the balance between going quickly and moving back in moments during the game...

"Exactly. It's exactly that. We've shown a lot of those moments over the last month or so and I think that's where a big improvement has come from. Julian [Gressel] does a very good job on that side. He's a player with real composure, and we want to strike that balance of being a team that can counterattack with real speed, but also it not being all-or-nothing. We don't want it to be a counterattacking chance or a ball turnover, we want to start making a better fist of striking that balance well, moving the team up in a connected way. I think we're always going to trade off on absolute possession numbers because of how we use set plays. So I don't read too much into 38%, 45%, 50% [possession], it's more in those phases of organized possession, how we use the ball. If we have more moments like that, we will be a team that's very difficult to play against because we'll not only have the counterattacking threat, the threat on set plays and defensive organization and general play, we'll be able to have more control of the game and the team will be more together. I think you saw that fairly well tonight."

On his reaction to teams defending against the long throw-ins...

"To an extent, teams are going to have to find novel ways to deal with some of what we throw at teams on set plays. I think we've got a nice balance at the moment between... we've got a framework for each of the situations, we've got some variety between those, we're fairly unpredictable. But at the heart of it, we've got real conviction and real desperation to score. To an extent, of course the opposition knows, I can't imagine they talk about lots else over the course of just a two-day preparation, but it's still very difficult to stop. I think the players and the coaching staff do a really good job in that sense; that belief and that momentum is really difficult to stop."

On why it is so difficult to stop those set-piece plays...

"In some senses I'm sure that helps that the dressing room could not have more belief in those moments. As I've talked about it, I want to be a team that squeezes the most out of every advantage, not just set plays. But, I think our whole playing style is geared toward that, making sure we control as much as we can control and we give the opposition as many headaches as possible. We've had enough success since Leagues Cup last year for the players to have unwavering belief in one another and in our approach to those situations. I think we've got that nice balance of variety, but we've got a framework of principles the players work towards with absolute conviction. It could be the most detailed thing in the world, but unless they fill it with real life and real intensity and the desperation to score, you don't make the same mark on the opposition. Tonight we've shown what we can do at our absolute best I would say."

On if the Loons being second in the Western Conference after tonight feels justified...

"I think so. We've sustained form over a difficult period. I really wanted to make sure we kept our heads above water in June, and obviously we weren't in the same situation we were in last year, but it was dissimilar. We lost some key players and had some difficult games, and we managed those games really well. I wanted to make sure that at the end of this five-game block that we are keeping pace at the top, whether we're top, second or third, I think as long as we're in touching distance, I feel like we can finish this year really well. I think we've got a margin to improve and have the potential to do what we did last year. I feel the players have a lot of belief, and it's an exciting thing to be a part of. Everyone connected to the group can sense the energy and the real belief that we can win every game and beat everyone in front of us."

On some frustrations he observed during tonight's match...

"We're still early in the season still, so we want to be really conscious of getting ahead of ourselves. It's maybe difficult to believe, but you feel like there were stages of that game where it could have gotten away from us. To become a very undisputed contender at the top of the table and across the two conferences, we've got to make sure that we are perfect for longer in games. We're still at the stage where I want to talk about evolving and pushing the team to get better, and it's that type of group, and I've always said that; they're a really coachable group. Whilst there's margin for improvement, I want to make sure we talk about that a lot."

MIDFIELDER JOAQUÍN PEREYRA

On continuing to be successful on set pieces despite everyone knowing that's their strength...

"I think we're an aggressive team on set pieces. As we've already demonstrated. We have players who are very good on top. In the case of the defenders, the one who attacks the most is Anthony [Markanich] in that area. But I think the aggressiveness and the importance we place on set pieces is fundamental for us."

On where he looks to place the ball when taking corner kicks...

"I don't specifically look for a player, but rather we know where the ball will land. I try to kick the ball into the center of the box, closer to the penalty spot. I know that the players are constantly moving around the area, so I can kick it there toward the penalty spot and then start fighting, because as I said, we're very aggressive on set pieces, so by kicking it there we have a great chance of winning, and well, it's obvious that we've scored a lot of goals."

On embracing the atmosphere from the fans...

"I think the people who come to the stadium feel the same way we do when there's a corner kick, a goal kick, a throw-in. So, I think the people also feel that we're a team that scores a lot of goals from set pieces, so they also put their energy into it so we can score. But the truth is that for us, the support of the fans, like they've done in every game, every time we play here [at Allianz Field], is something beautiful. It's something we like, because we feel supported by them, and obviously we want to return the support they give us with a win."

On how he looks for his space in the midfield and what San Jose offered him...

"We're very mobile, we try to move around different parts of the pitch, Rob [Robin Lod], Wil [Wil Trapp] and I try to constantly turn, looking for spaces. We have very high-quality players, with very good feet, so for me it's a little easier for them to find me between the lines. But what I always try to do is stay behind their five to have space, so that if I control there at the back, as soon as I turn I have the two forwards, in this case Tani [Oluwaseyi] and Kelvin [Yeboah], who are explosive, very fast and I can set them up."

On what MNUFC can improve on...

"We know. He talked about it. Now, because he already told us, and because we also know it, we know we have to improve in terms of ball possession. We're a team that plays well at times, but we need to do so for much longer, much more consistently, and closer to the opponent's penalty area. We know we're on the other side; we're very good at defending, but obviously the key to improving significantly is ball possession, being able to have it a little more, and also for us to rest and not finish the game so worn out."

DEFENDER ANTHONY MARKANICH

On if he saw the fan with the giant "Markanich" hat...

"I see him every game, it's funny. Every game since the [Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for St. Louis CITY SC], I've seen that."

On why he's not wearing it as a branding opportunity...

"I know right? My fiancé usually wears it, but she's not here today."

On what the keys are to successfully executing corner kicks...

"For me, the ball just keeps landing on my foot or head. So I'm just lucky. Me and Carlos [Harvey] were joking that they're [San Jose Earthquakes] jumping and I'm just standing, you know? So it is funny, yeah."

On the feeling of striking the ball...

"Oh, yeah. It felt really [good], especially with my right foot, I was happy about that."

On what he's looking for on corner kicks...

"I'm just imagining in my head like where the ball could land itself. So, it's more like an instinct than anything."

On if there is any hesitation in celebrating goals with the play potentially being offside...

"I think they check every goal, so you always have to celebrate a goal no matter what. If it's a good or bad goal, I think you have to celebrate every time."

On what the team still needs to work on...

"I think with the ball, we control it a lot better than. I think we're getting a lot better with it, though, with the ball, so I think we keep continuing in the right direction with that."

On where in his game he can improve...

"Yeah, especially the ball in their attacking half, I think, would be a benefit for us. Like I said, I think we're getting much better with it, so hopefully it keeps improving."

On if it's the first time his brother [Nick Markanich] and he have scored in the same night...

"He scored twice today in a friendly vs. QPR [Queens Park Rangers F.C.]"

On his brother scoring two goals and him scoring one...

"I should've had two too, but one's good enough."

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 12, 2025


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