NASL Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Extends Home Unbeaten Streak to Twelve Games with 1-0 Win over Silverbacks

Published on October 4, 2014 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (Saturday, October 4th, 2014) -- Minnesota United extended its 12 game home unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks. Christian Ramirez scored his league-leading 17th goal of the season to keep United on top of the NASL.

"I though we started really sharply and had some nice movements and some nice chances," said United Head Coach Manny Lagos. "I think we tried to push them till we scored, but they got into the game and we started not passing as well in the middle third. We came out with more urgency after halftime, and we didn't finish as many chances as we liked but we got the one."

The first half ended scoreless with few shots taken. Minnesota had the better of the chances and the only shot on net of the half. Atlanta didn't make it easy on the United defense though, forcing several amazing tackles from Cristiano Dias and Brent Kallman.

Minnesota finally broke the deadlock in the second half after several early chances. Midfielder Juliano Vicentini took a shot on goal and Atlanta Silverbacks goalkeeper Eric Ati made the save but the ball dropped at the feet of Christian Ramirez. The forward took a shot on goal, curling the ball past a lone Atlanta defender to score his league-leading 17th goal of the season.

As Atlanta tried to fight back into the game, Edgar Espinoza was sent off, leaving Atlanta with only ten players. Espinoza received his first yellow card in the 49th minute for diving after a Greg Jordan tackle. Thirteen minutes later, the Atlanta defender was sent off for elbowing Jordan in the head which earned him the second yellow and an early trip to the locker room.

Minnesota had several chances to double its lead, but offside calls and Silverback interceptions prevented United from increasing its advantage. When the final whistle blew, United emerged victorious with the 1-0 victory to remain on top of the NASL standings.

United starts a two-game road trip this Saturday with a match against Indy Eleven, followed by a mid-week matchup against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on October 15th. United then returns home October 18th to face the New York Cosmos at National Sports Center Stadium.

United has made the playoffs and now you can too. Playoff tickets are now available for the general public. Reserve your seats today by calling 763.4SOCCER or visiting MNUnitedFC.com/tickets.

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