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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Falls 3-2 Against the Seattle Sounders

August 24, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, MN - Minnesota United returned to regular-season play after a Leagues Cup break to face Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday night at Allianz Field. MNUFC fought through 90-plus minutes and equalized the game twice before eventually falling 3-2 to the Sounders.

11' - Seattle Sounders scored the opening goal after settling a long-ball over the top by Minnesota. Seattle was able to find the counter-attack after sending a through ball to Jordan Morris, where they broke through the Loons' back line. Morris on the run was able to pull Dayne St. Clair off his line and slipped it into the goal.

24' - Minnesota was able to equalize the score after a VAR review was done to check a challenge inside the box by Seattle defender Yéimar Gomez on Kelvin Yeboah. Yeboah stepped up and was able to convert the penalty kick into a goal, marking his first MLS and MNUFC goal.

28' - Once again, the Sounders gained the lead when Albert Rusnák served a long ball into Minnesota's box, finding teammate Jackson Ragen on the left flank for a header to goal where he found the opposite corner.

33' - MNUFC created a dangerous chance on goal after Robin Lod was able to find Teemu Pukki on the right side of the pitch. Pukki without any pressure was able to turn and fire off a long-shot eight-yards out from the 18-yard box that went wide of the opposite post.

49' - To start the second half, Minnesota had two consecutive shots on goal. First, Yeboah found himself on the left side for a long-range shot that was headed out by the Sounders backline, then a few moments later Rosales was able to fire off a one-touch shot from the 18-yard line that was deflected out by Seattle.

56' - For the second time, MNUFC was able to tie the match after veteran Wil Trapp split Seattle's defense, slotting a through ball into an open pocket that Yeboah made a run through and gained possession. Yeboah on the run found himself one-on-one with Stefan Frei, dragging him far off his line, he was able to chip the ball over and into goal.

75' - Seattle took the lead after Rusnák gained possession a few yards out from the 18-yard box, where he cut inside and took an unopposed shot on goal, finding the back of the net.

79' - St. Clair made two crucial consecutive saves after Jordan Morris took open space up the pitch and put pressure on St. Clair, who was able to come off his line and deflect the shot out into play. Pedro de la Vega was able to find the other side of the deflection and take another shot that St. Clair dove to save and keep the score 3-2.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 SEA - Jordan Morris (Obed Vargas) - 11'

1-1 MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (penalty) - 24'

1-2 SEA - Jackson Ragen (Albert Rusnák) - 28'

2-2 MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (Wil Trapp) - 56'

2-3 SEA - Albert Rusnák (Josh Atencio) - 75'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

SEA - Nouhou (caution) - 9'

MIN - Miguel Tapias (caution) - 72'

NOTABLE STATS

2 - Kelvin Yeboah and Jefferson Diaz, two new additions to Minnesota United's squad, made their MNUFC and MLS debut in the Starting XI against Seattle Sounders FC on August 24 at Allianz Field.

6 - Yeboah's penalty-kick goal in the first half made him the sixth Loon in Minnesota United's MLS history to score a goal during a debut league match. Other goalscorers on their MNUFC debuts include: Christian Ramirez, Darwin Quintero, Luis Amarilla, Franco Fragapane and Alejandro Bran.

1 - With his second goal of the night against Sounders FC, Yeboah became the very first Minnesota United player to bag a brace in his MLS and MNUFC debut appearance.

ATTENDANCE: 19,751

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Kelvin Yeboah

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall ©, Jefferson Diaz; M Joseph Rosales, Robin Lod, Wil Trapp, Hassani Dotson, Sang Bin Jeong; F Kelvin Yeboah, Teemu Pukki

Bench: GK Alec Smir; D Devin Padelford, Carlos Harvey, Anthony Markanich; M DJ Taylor, Franco Fragapane; F Samuel Shashoua, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Loïc Mesanvi

Seattle Sounders XI: GK Stefan Frei ©; D Nouhou Tolo, Jackson Ragen, Yéimar Gomez Andrade; M João Paulo, Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock, Alex Roldan, Obed Vargas; F Jordan Morris

Bench: GK Andrew Thomas; D Jonathan Bell; M Josh Atencio, Pedro de la Vega, Danny Musovski, Reed Baker-Whiting, Léo Chú, Danny Leyva; F Raúl Ruidíaz

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

PayPal Park | San Jose, California

08.31.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 30

9:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On his overall impressions of the match...

"I obviously leave incredibly frustrated with that because the difference between winning and losing the game is a thread that's been pretty common for us over the course of this year and defending the second phase of set plays and giving up chances that we really shouldn't against a team like that. That's the big difference. If I strip that away and try and look at it a touch more objectively, there's elements of the performance that we could be really pleased of, given the stage that we're at, given that for us it feels like almost the start of a new season and we're obviously in a very different place to the place that Seattle [Sounders] are in. We were very good value for a point, if not a win there, based on the number of chances to start where we had in the second half and some elements of general play that I feel we probably haven't produced over the course of the last couple of months in that very messy middle period of ours. So, in that sense I feel like the performance was a step forward but, I'll repeat the message that I repeated to the players, in that we can't find ourselves having to score four goals to win games at home and give up the goals that we give up there. That's an indisputable fact and I know the players feel that way as well. So, all we can do is get back to work on Monday and continue to build on what I feel like were strands of a good performance and really get our heads down when it comes to the very nitty gritty stuff in front of our goal, which obviously wasn't good enough tonight."

On if he feels the team came out flat...

"I felt like we lacked a real spark until the early stages of the second half. It probably wasn't what I expected, given the lineup that we went for and the state of things for us, I suppose. The story of our season up till now, we really wanted a performance that looked like absolute desperation to go and score, to put right the wrongs of the last couple of months. But it didn't feel like we really had that in the first half for the few amount of ball we had and the territory we had, maybe we did look a little flat. Perhaps symptomatic of the fact that we haven't played for three weeks or so now and we got a few guys in there that are at the very early stage of their pre-season. The fact that we're able to claw that spark in the second half, I felt that looked to be the case for most of that period."

On his thoughts about Kelvin Yeboah...

"[Kelvin Yeboah is] a really confident player, [has] a strong sense of self reassurance and he'll in no doubt add to us. Which is what you expect of a player that you bring in, in a way in which we brought him in. So that is a big plus, a real step forward, a really good start and I'm sure someone that will be crucial to whether we're successful or not over the course of the next couple of months."

On Jefferson Diaz attacking towards the end of the match...

"He had a really good start to his time here. Obviously we give up the first goal as he plays into the middle but I would say the way in which he showed courage, bravery, and personality on the ball to play through the middle. Largely, we benefited from that far more than the cost to an extent to the one that we giveaway in the beginning. Prior to coming here, early stage in his career, he was a center forward, so it felt like at the point at which we couldn't make any more changes than that was a roll of the dice that was worth taking on. But, it's a really solid start for him. If you were to strip away the set play goals and we win that game, you'd be looking at the both him and Kelvin [Yeboah] and you'd be really pleased with where we are."

On Jefferson Diaz being out of position on the second goal...

"We didn't come up particularly well as a group on that. Albeit I do feel like it's a chance that leads to a goal very infrequently from that far out of the back post. So it's really disappointing one for us to concede. But that general feeling of concentration as second, third, and fourth phases of set plays take place, that scenario we really got to get better. We've got to be more decisive, we've got to be more aggressive, and I can assure it's not for a want of work, want of attention, it's unfortunately just an Achilles heel of ours at the moment that we've got to get on top of."

On playing two strikers tonight and how that impacted the team defensively...

"That's always the tough ask. We tried to make sure we had some nuances and subtleties in the way we defend as a front two and front three, weren't constantly having to cover the width of the pitch. It didn't feel like we suffered from any real tactical problem against them [Seattle] today. We looked a really solid side from the moments where we turned the ball over cheaply and [Jordan] Morris is a huge threat on the back line if we are not set and ready to defend the space in behind. Their combination of chances we gave up like that second chances on the set plays, that's more of a problem than anything."

On the two strikers playing well together...

"They [Kelvin Yeboah and Teemu Pukki] are players that want to play combinations, they want to be close to one another. We want to be an attacking team, we want to be a front-foot team. We want to find a way of getting attacking players on the pitch. We line up as if we are playing a back five, but very often we have got wingbacks right on the back line. We had a front two playing close to one another, we had Hassani [Dotson] and Rob [Lod] playing close to the front two. We really hoped that they would be conditioned for us to see a really dynamic attacking performance and in spells we threatened for that to be the case in the first half. But, it never really it felt like we had the momentum to cause real damage. That came after four or five minutes in the second half and continued to build when we made the first change. We felt like, if there was a team to go on and win it, it would be us at that point, at 2-2. So it's really disappointing that we are where we are."

On why Matúš Kmeť wasn't included within the gameday roster today...

"He's still got a little way to go. He's in, the same way a couple of them are at various different stages of their season [compared] to the players that have been playing in MLS and come from various other leagues. We'll be patient with him for sure and see where he goes over a longer-term picture than the next week or two."

On how Kelvin Yeboah was able to play a full 90 minutes today...

"You take it on a case-by-case basis and with Kelvin [Yeboah], we had designs on him not playing a great deal in the intrasquad game that we played last week. He made it very plain after the period that we had anticipated for him that he was good to go and wanted to continue on in that game, which was a really good sign last week. Then, he takes on another week of training and performs really well today. Given the state of the game, at the point in which you might decide to [make a change], we weren't going to do that at that point, particularly with how he looked. He came through fine, which is a really good thing."

On Sang Bin Jeong's versatility and how he can use him within his tactics...

"He's got a really good engine; he can be up and down very quickly and can get himself on the backline. We ask him very often to - depending on how the opposition plays - attack as if he's a winger and defend as if he's a fullback at points, which is obviously the case with them [Seattle Sounders FC] playing very wide on that side. He's someone we feel can bring that system to life a bit and we obviously don't want to attack without the width, without the numbers on the backline and he's someone that really wants to be there. The combination of him and Jo [Joseph Rosales], it works well for us and we create a lot of chances in that sense. We've got to get the other side of the game right, we've got to be good in front of our own goal, and I'm sure results will take care of themselves if that's the case."

On Robin Lod and Hassani Dotson's performances today...

"They [Robin Lod and Hassani Dotson] both had good games. They both drove the ball really well in the middle and when we were able to intercept it, they create a lot of forward momentum. They're dynamic players and certainly in the second half, they looked that way. I'm not leaving here today scratching my head as to how we're going to move forward and how we're going to create chances and how we're going to win games. That is pretty evident for most people to see today that there were some ingredients that can put us in a good place. But, we've got to play with far more conviction in front of our own goal. That will be the difference maker between us being where we want to be, come the end of the year, or not."

FORWARD KELVIN YEBOAH

On his debut and scoring two goals...

"I am happy for the goals. It's bittersweet because the team and I were not able to win at home."

On having the confidence to take the penalty kick...

"The whole team, Teemu Pukki and all the other players allowed me to take it. I'm thankful to unlock myself. It was great."

On not struggling with adapting to MLS...

"I don't know. That's a difficult question. I can't answer for them."

On what he saw on his second goal...

"As a striker, I have been working a lot in front of the goal, so repetition and once you get on the pitch, it becomes natural."

On if he did anything to commemorate his debut...

"No, unfortunately, I didn't because we didn't win the game. If we got a win, that would have been even nicer."

On playing the full 90 minutes and how he prepared...

"Jesus. I don't know, to be honest. I'm just thankful my body was able to hold up. Just thankful."

On if his teammates relayed the message of playing a tough Seattle team...

"To be honest, I wasn't here, so I knew little about them. The whole team was fired up before the game to win this game. Unfortunately, we weren't able to win. The third goal really got us. But, we are in a good way. The team is performing better. We were more tighter. We just have two or three things that we need to fix up to bring it to the next level."

On playing with Teemu Pukki...

"Amazing, amazing. He's [Teemu Pukki] so old in the game, so much experience, I can learn so much from him. I'm very grateful to be able to be next to him, really."

MIDFIELDER WIL TRAPP

Thoughts on the overall game...

"It's moments. If you strip away the three goals, it is almost not worth saying right. The concentration on set pieces is really what we take away from this one because other than that there is really not much they had in the game. We had emphasized and worked on for the past 20 days our defensive tendencies, so when we fall apart in those moments and they capitalize, it is disappointing. But it just shows that that is a weakness for us."

On why the team can't beat Seattle...

"It feels that way, doesn't it? But, again, they are a team that does not give you anything, and they will punish you when you make mistakes, and that's what happened today."

On what changed after the second goal...

"The speed. The speed of play. We were trying to get the ball forward quicker. When it's slow and you don't break that first line quickly, then it goes back to Dayne [St. Clair]. Then we're kicking long, then they're regaining, and it turns into that lack of control of the game. We did a better job of getting it into the pockets and now space opens up. It is like we are softening them a little bit with that. Then we were able to have time to play. Then you saw Sang Bin [Jeong] getting on over the laps. You saw Joseph [Rosales] getting forward. And truly, once we scored the second goal, I felt really good about our chances to win the game. So that's the frustrating part for us as well as we felt like we were in control and then it slipped through our grasp."

On what he saw to give an assist for the second goal...

"Look, sometimes through our defensive posture in this game, Hassani [Dotson] came across and he happened to be in that number six role, and then I basically just filled his position in the No. 8 [role] and just being patient in the pocket. He found a great ball between the lines. I'm kind of just having to half turn, and Kelvin [Yeboah] has done a really good job even in the week and a half we have had him trying to get in between the center backs. So for me, it was almost instinctual. Get tuned, look up, see his run and just slip him though and I mean it was a great finish."

On Kelvin Yeboah's confidence in taking the Penalty Kick and Kelvin as a player...

"He's [Kelvin Yeboah] going to be very useful for us. Just in someone who desires to run behind, desires to get the ball to feet. You can see, you guys were just asking about his relationship with Teemu [Pukki], and wanting to work off a striker as well. So the willingness to run, the willingness to run to the ball is always really something that made him great tonight, and then hopefully will make him good in the games to come."

On giving an unnecessary ball in the middle of the field...

"That is one where you hedge your bets on those plays. So, if you're going to play a diagonal, maybe over hit it. Hit it far. Not trying to play it in the middle of the field. But again, for a debut, these are the misfires. We all have them. So for him it is unfortunately learning the hard way but sometimes it's the best way to learn."

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