Minnesota United Earns 1-1 Draw on the Road Against Houston Dynamo FC

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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Earns 1-1 Draw on the Road Against Houston Dynamo FC

July 13, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


HOUSTON -- Midfielder Robin Lod notched his sixth goal of the 2024 MLS regular season to help the Loons earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw and a point on the road Saturday night against Houston Dynamo FC at Shell Energy Stadium. The draw broke MNUFC's six-game losing streak ahead of two home games next week against D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes.

4' - Early in the match, Minnesota United had two back-to-back opportunities to goal after Carlos Harvey served a long-ball up the pitch where he found Bongokuhle Hlongwane in Houston Dynamo's half. Hlongwane passed it back to Robin Lod who dribbled to goal and laid it off to Joseph Rosales on the left flank. Rosales' shot on goal was deflected back out into play where midfielder Hassani Dotson gained possession outside the box, passing it off to Sang Bin Jeong on the right flank. Jeong crossed the ball into the six-yard box and found Hlongwane on the run for a one-touch to goal, but the shot hit the post.

24' - Houston Dynamo FC found their first close chance on goal after Amine Bassi split Minnesota's defense with a through ball where he found Aliyu Ibrahim on the left flank. Aliyu, inside the 18-yard box, cut the ball back to his right foot for a shot on goal that went wide of the far post and out of bounds.

32' - MNUFC goalkeeper Alec Smir made a crucial diving save after Aliyu took a close-range shot from the left flank that Smir was able to deflect out, keeping the score level at 0-0.

51' - Dynamo FC nearly scored after Aliyu gained possession on the left side, facing Smir for a one versus one to goal. Aliyu tried to touch around Smir, who was off his line, but went down inside the six-yard box, leaving the ball to go out of bounds.

70' - The Loons took the lead after Rosales crossed the ball in from the left corner that was headed out of the 18-yard box, but MNUFC substitute Franco Fragapane found the other side of the clearance and passed it back to Rosales on the left side. Rosales crossed it into the box for the second time where midfielder Robin Lod was able to find a touch on the ball and tap it past Houston's goalkeeper, Steve Clark.

79' - Less than ten minutes after Minnesota scored the first goal of the match, Houston thought it had found the back of the net after a long ball from the right side found Bassi on the opposite side for a one-touch to goal. But, the sideline officially ruled Bassi offside right away, taking away the scoring chance.

82' - Houston then equalized the match from a corner-kick service into the box. Erik Sviatchenko's ball curled into the six-yard area where Sebastian Ferreira found space unmarked on the far post. His shot at close-range slipped past defender Devin Padelford and Smir.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Robin Lod (Joseph Rosales, Franco Fragapane) - 70'

1-1 HOU - Sebastián Ferreira (Erik Sviatchenko, Héctor Herrera) - 82'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

HOU - Griffin Dorsey (caution) - 36'

HOU - Amine Bassi (caution) - 87'

MIN - Devin Padelford (caution) - 90'+4'

NOTABLE STATS

6 - MLS All-Star Robin Lod scored his sixth goal of the regular season, netting a goal for the first time since June 1 against Sporting Kansas City.

4 - With the goal tonight, Minnesota United currently is on a four-game scoring streak on the road, dating back to the June 19 contest at FC Dallas.

9 - Midfielder Joseph Rosales provided the assist to Lod's goal against Houston, marking his MLS single-season career-high ninth assist.

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Robin Lod

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Alec Smir; D Devin Padelford, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall ©, Carlos Harvey, Sang Bin Jeong; M Joseph Rosales, Hassani Dotson, Alejandro Bran; F Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Robin Lod

Bench: GK Francesco Montali; D Zarek Valentin, Morris Duggan; M Franco Fragapane, Caden Clark; F Teemu Pukki, Jordan Adebayo-Smith

Houston Dynamo FC XI: GK Steve Clark; D Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko, Micael dos Santos, Daniel Steres; M Hector Herrera, Artur, Coco Carrasquilla, Amine Bassi, Aliyu Ibrahim; F Sebastián Ferreira

Bench: GK Andrew Tarbell; D Ethan Bartlow, Tate Schmitt; M Brad Smith, Brooklyn Raines; F Gabe Segal, Latif Blessing, McKinze Gaines, Sebastian Kowalczyk

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. D.C. UNITED

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

07.17.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Match 24

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

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On his thoughts about the match...

"I'll say this is a difficult place to come and play. They [Houston Dynamo FC] have a style that really suits the conditions here, that makes it very tough. Particularly given where we are at the moment, to come here and really assert yourselves on the game. I felt that given that it panned out as we expected, in terms of the balance of play and we put in a really disciplined, workmanlike performance. And, it resulted in a game that had very few chances either way. One I'm sure we could have won with the quality of a couple of chances we had but, we leave content in one sense but disappointed in that we weren't able to see the game out and weren't able to execute the really fine details that we needed to in defending our box toward the end. It's bittersweet in that sense because I think it's a really important point. I'm obviously incredibly pleased with the application of the players, their aggression, their intent to stop the run that we're on at the moment, so we take a lot from that. But again, it's probably one of those we could have won."

On if the team was trying to control the game out of possession...

"We talked prior to the game about making sure that we are really thinking very intelligently as a collective as to when we can be aggressive against a team like that, that plays in the way in which they play in this heat. You have to take your medicine and you have to defend your half really well. We made, I would say, a good fist of it over the course of the first 15, 20 minutes. I felt like they [Houston Dynamo FC] really took charge from that point onwards, we ended up making a change in how we defended our half which I think helped, but hindered in the sense that we were then a man light in trying to counter-attack and trying to get really good pressure on the players in their first line as they built up. We played a game we don't necessarily want to play week-after-week, but I think in some senses, given the context, a very necessary game for us to come here and play which is us making sure that we're really tight, really compact, really disciplined, difficult to play through, and that when we can be, we're ruthless on the counter-attack. Unfortunately, in the first half we got the former, but probably not the latter, and we turned the ball over far too cheaply when we regained it and that resulted in that share of the ball for sure. That was something in the second half we managed to strike far cleaner, that balance that we really wanted to in terms of making sure that when we had the ball, if we weren't able to counter-attack quickly, that we could connect some passes together and move the ball up the pitch really well as a unit. Particularly once Robin [Lod] ended up playing in midfield toward the last stages of the game, that started to look very different. We've got to learn from that and that point was made at the end of the game. We have to be a team that can do both when we have our chance to have our rhythm and get in our rhythm on the ball, we've really got to do so."

On the goal the team scored tonight and whether it's a representation of why Robin Lod is an MLS All-Star...

"Yeah. For sure, he [Robin Lod] is very good in front of goal in those situations. I will say we are a big set play threat and unfortunately we are in that difficult position that in someway in an incredible position in that being the best team in attacking set plays - or certainly top two or three - and one of the worst on defending set plays, which is a strange position to be in. It's something we've really got to improve on and we have to make sure that we are really hot on the details and make sure that we have the same conviction in our box as we do in the opposition's box in those situations because unfortunately it has turned into a bit of an Achilles heel to us."

On his view of the goal conceded to Houston...

"I think our zonal players' position to go and attack the ball probably dropped a touch [too] quick, too concerned with defending the goal and not concerned enough with making sure we get a good first contact and really good pressure on the ball in the box. The player that ultimately scores ends up slipping free of his marker, unfortunately, and that results in a goal we've seen over the last couple of weeks and over the course of the season as a whole. We have to be on-point in the box on defending set-plays. Too often we lose concentration, lose focus, not enough conviction. But, on the flip side of that, we're an exceptional team on attacking set-plays. It's just strange and I don't think you often find that combination. I think normally lacking in one typically leads to lacking in another. Often it's the case that the rue of it is a lack of size, lack of aggression, lack of conviction in both boxes. But, for some reason, we're very good in the opposition's box, and we really need to improve in ours."

On Sang Bin Jeong playing at right wingback...

"Obviously tonight we were really struggling with a natural right back which makes it very difficult if not impossible to defend in a back four. So we tried to use Sang Bin [Jeong] in a certain way with the ball, but he ends up defending largely as a fullback. Particularly when against an opposition that plays with their wide-left pinned to the touchline on the last line. It's then very difficult to the get Sang Bin defending much higher up than he found himself, but he certainly has the physical qualities to handle those one vs. one situations well. As much as he is probably loathe to play in that position because he is a front player, he wants to be on the last line often. He wants to be in good positions on the counterattack and we really need him to do that for us. I have really got to give him credit for the way he turns his hand to a role that he needs to do for the team."

On any criticism the team in late-game situations...

"I don't. It's a cumulative effect of the last 7-8 games that we have played with very few players and lots of minutes spread across few players. We have done some objective analysis on that this week and we are worse off than any other MLS team in that sense. We have had more minutes spread across the fewest players over this period and that obviously takes its toll. Players are right at their physical limit and we can only make so many changes from the bench. We've only been able to make so many changes. That will now change as we approach the [transfer] window and we welcome the last couple of pieces back from Copa America. I am hoping we can move past that and it doesn't take its toll for too much longer. Of course, I can push the players to be better at the end of the games and I can be critical and they can be critical of themselves, but there is context to that. There is an element of me needing to show them the empathy that I feel that they need to feel from the staff. They are in a difficult situation, they have been put in a difficult situation and so those two [things] are inextricably linked."

On how soon Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi can return to the group...

"I am not sure of the specifics, but as soon as possible. But for sure they will be back with us and available for midweek."

On Carlos Harvey's performance starting at centerback...

"To an extent, what we are looking for in Carlos [Harvey] is what we ended developing in Kervin Arriaga: A centerback with the qualities of a midfield player that can help us be cleaner in how we bring the ball out from the back and how composed we are across a back three. He will find himself in some uncomfortable positions defensively, but he handled himself really well tonight. He is someone that I hope can develop into being a really versatile player for us. In Copa America he broke his way into the team and showed some really positive steps playing as a 6. And for sure, having done so for Panama he can contribute to our personnel and our options across the back line. It was a really good step and I am pleased with him."

On whether he is supporting England in the European Championship Final...

"I've said previously that I am definitely not a Welsh guy that is anti-England in any way. I a fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a number of the players that will play in that game tomorrow and I wish them nothing but the best. They are all phenomenal guys and deserve every success that comes their way."

On Joseph Rosales' health...

"It was a cramp, he's tired. He is an explosive player that covers a lot of ground and he is being asked to do that over more minutes than we would've liked in the last month or so. So, that is collateral damage on the back of a tough situation squad-wise. You haven't seen the same impact from Joe [Rosales] as you did in the first few months of the season. But I'm sure that will come back when we can be a bit more strategic with how we use players and when we use players."

On whether the outdoors conditions impacted the game at all...

"It's tough, they [Houston Dynamo] are of course more acclimatized to it than we are, but I will say it's tough conditions for both teams. Very humid, very difficult to really find changes of rhythm to how you press and find those periods where you can be really aggressive because I think the players feel like they are at their limit physically for a lot of the game. Houston play a lot of the game in a way where they connect with lots of players close to the ball, lots of short passes, really slow rhythm to the game. That is for sure a consequence of the conditions here and that way of playing really suits them here. For us, it led to a certain game that we played relatively well, the regret that maybe we would have is that we didn't use the ball well enough. We didn't have our share of it for long enough. The context of that though is that it's very sticky here, very hot and the players need to show real composure, real personality to flick between those two mentalities, with and without the ball."

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