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MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Falls to LAFC on the Road

May 30, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


LOS ANGELES -- Minnesota United fell to LAFC on the road, 2-0, Wednesday night at BMO Stadium. MNUFC returns home to face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, June 1 at Allianz Field in the second meeting of the season between the two Midwest squads.

10' - Forward Teemu Pukki connected on a thru-ball on the left wing towards goal before making a run into the LAFC six-yard box. Pukki took a shot at close range that was deflected at goal, ultimately being sent above the crossbar and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

19' - The Loons had their second scoring chance after midfielder Robin Lod gained possession off a rebounded ball outside the LAFC box. From distance, Lod's shot curled past several defenders and was saved by Lloris to keep the score even.

28' - Minnesota United defender Miguel Tapias connects a header from a midfielder Joseph Rosales corner kick, and the header made its way into the net. But, the line judge ruled that the corner kick had curled over the end line - in mid-air - upon service, ultimately negating the goal.

34' - Cristian Olivera made a quick turn atop the semicircle of MNUFC's goalkeeper box before firing off a shot that made its way just left of the post, resulting in one of LAFC's best scoring opportunities of the first half.

37' - DJ Taylor ran into the Minnesota box to assist on a defensive stop while Bouanga charged towards goal. Taylor clipped the heels of Bouanga and LAFC was awarded a penalty kick attempt following the foul.

38' - Bouanga converted on the penalty kick attempt, finding the far corner of the net to give the home side the 1-0 lead.

58' - LAFC defender Eddie Segura received a loose ball inside the middle of MNUFC's box, firing off a close-range shot that was saved by goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

70' - Olivera found open space on the right flank and made an unmarked run at the Minnesota goal before taking a shot from approximately 10 yards out. The shot curled just wide of the far post, keeping the score at 1-0.

73' - While holding consistent possession in MNUFC's defensive third, Bouanga found himself in a dangerous position yet again, taking a shot at point-blank range right in front of St. Clair and the goal line, but the Canadian international keeper made the stop.

82' - Mateusz Bogusz scores the second goal of the night from long distance, hitting the upper right-hand corner of the net to extend the home team's lead.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 LAFC - Denis Bouanga (penalty kick) - 38'

0-2 LAFC - Mateusz Bogusz (Denis Bouanga) - 82'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Wil Trapp (caution) - 36'

MIN - Jordan Adebayo-Smith (caution) - 80'

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Miguel Tapias

LINEUPS:

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

Bench: GK Clint Irwin; D Devin Padelford, Zarek Valentin; M Alejandro Bran, Caden Clark, Carlos Harvey; F Tani Oluwaseyi, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Jordan Adebayo-Smith

LAFC XI: GK Hugo Lloris; D Jesus Murillo, Eddie Segura, Sergi Palencia, Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long ©; M Timothy Tillman, Erik Duenas, Mateusz Bogusz; F Cristian Olivera, Denis Bouanga

Bench: GK Abraham Romero; D Omar Campos, Maxime Chanot; M Ilie Sanchez, Tommy Musto; F Tomas Angel, Kei Kamara, Nathan Ordaz, Luis Mueller

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

06.01.2024 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Match 15

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

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On his thoughts on the game...

"We needed to be almost perfect to come here and get a result. It's obviously a very tough place to come. They have some good front players and we knew their level of expectation on us prior to the game was certainly defensively to be almost perfect, to give nothing away, to be on point with all the details that we knew we needed to be on point with. So there's an element of frustration because I do feel like we have it in us to be almost perfect, particularly defensively, but that wasn't the case tonight. So we were certainly lacking in executing some details that we'd spoken about beforehand. I don't think the game was sort of distinctly different to the game that we expected it to be, but unfortunately, in some really, really key moments, we lacked precision in how we executed the game plan and that obviously cost us. I'm frustrated, but I feel that the general level was obviously far better than Colorado. We certainly showed some positive steps and I know that the big thing for us is that we approach Saturday's game with real positivity in a very constructive way because it's a very different context to coming to play here and the game that we face on Saturday. So we've got to make sure that we see this game for what it is and move on swiftly."

On DJ Taylor giving up two penalty kicks in two games...

"He [DJ Taylor] will be frustrated with that moment, and again, particularly in the box, particularly against that player [Denis Bouanga]. You do need to be perfect in terms of how you defend and it's obviously a space that we'd identified prior to the game as being crucial to us, really clogging up when he comes inside and DJ obviously has that in his mind when he's trying to recover back to that spot and obviously his timing isn't quite as he would like it to be there. So, that is, unfortunately, the nature of defending against a player with such a change of pace who can shift the ball so well inside the box. So DJ will certainly learn his lesson and I'm sure next time out that will be in his mind, and hopefully he takes some positive steps."

On the team not being able to create many chances in tonight's game...

"Probably in the same vein to us lacking detail in how we executed the defensive game plan. We lacked some precision and detail in the way that we used the ball, and certainly some imprecision as we got to the final third really cost us. We turned the ball over cheaply. We couldn't sustain the attacks in the way that we wanted to, so that's obviously an area that we'll look at. But I would also say that the context of the game here is very difficult and unless you are, as I say, sort of very precise with how you link in the middle third, then well we certainly struggle to get enough passes to get the wing backs where we want them and that unfortunately costs us. We never felt like we had enough players on their last line, and you do need a certain number of passes in order to do that, but unfortunately, the ball turned over too far, too quickly for us in the middle third."

On Teemu Pukki's form the last few games...

"I'm really willing it to happen to Teemu [Pukki] and I'm sure it's just around the corner. Obviously, he hasn't had a huge number of chances today, but there has been a couple of moments where he looked like a threat and the ball has fallen to him in the right spots. I'm sure on another day he takes that chance. And for us to suppose you come here without the expectation that you're going to create eight, nine or 10 clear cut chances, you are going to be reliant on the two, three or four that you might create. Unfortunately for us, it was one of those where we really had to take one of the few chances that we had in order to make this game really competitive and we haven't done so, hence we find ourselves in this position."

On limiting LAFC's counterattacks...

""It's very difficult because they are a very good counterattacking team. They're the best counterattacking team, certainly in this division from what I've seen. I think us on our day, we're a very good counterattacking team, but they are relentless in that sense. So it's a game of cat and mouse. Obviously, we want to be an offensive threat, we want to make sure that we have enough numbers on their back line or certainly try to get enough numbers on their back line in order to be a threat. Sometimes in doing so, and then lacking precision in how you use the ball, you are going to give up space on the counterattack. It almost seems as an inevitability in that sense here, hence why I speak a lot about against a team like this, perfection and how we use the ball and perfection how we defend. So we obviously had a very clear plan as to how we were going to try and limit that space on the counterattack. It would have been really tough for us to survive the entire game without giving away a number of counterattacks because particularly the two wide players are relentless in how they try to use the space in behind, so that is just part of the game that you have to deal with when you come here. It's unavoidable. We would have liked to reduce the number of counterattacks that we gave away through imprecision on the ball. But that wasn't the case, so that's a big thing for us to improve as we move forward."

On the results of the last two games and if that entices him to begin to look ahead to the summer transfer window...

"I'm very much thinking about game-to-game and dealing with this group of players in front of us. This is the big thing that's always at the forefront of my mind. I have a group of players, I need to make sure that every one of them is improving, taking steps to move forward, and I know as a consequence, the team will do so. I don't want any bad feeling to creep in as a consequence of one point taken from Colorado [Rapids] and LA [LAFC] because I know the nature of the challenges there. That's a really big thing for us, that we remain level, that we remain as constructive and objective as we can, and we keep trying to move forward. And, that's always the way that we shall try and approach it as a coach, and the players will feel that. There will certainly be no feeling of the walls caving in or any form of mini-crisis. For us, it's about the next game [and] the players that we've got available and how we put them on the pitch in the best conditions to succeed."

On if the past two matches were a step back in the team's development...

"We would have obviously liked to have taken more than one point. We would have certainly liked to perform significantly better at Colorado [Rapids]. I'm happy with elements of the performance tonight, but I would say largely we leave with a feeling of disappointment and frustration. But, there was a reasonable chance that was going to be the case because you've come into two difficult places. It's a league for us in which it's going to be impossible to go unbeaten for really long periods of time because that's just not the nature of the league, nor where we're at. So, it's about taking the process as a whole and making sure that we really draw the positives, really scrutinize the negatives from each of the performances that we've had here, and make sure we take what's relevant into Saturday's game. That's also a big thing; it's a very different context playing at home against Kansas [Sporting Kansas City] as it is playing away against Colorado and LA [LAFC]. We really want to look in the mirror hard, but also recognize the context is very different and we've got to go meet those conditions on Saturday with everything that we've got."

On his viewpoint of Joseph Rosales' corner kick that went over the end line...

"I haven't seen the best angle to give me a conclusive take on that, but I felt like that's a big call and it must have been very marginal. In fact, I can't remember the last time that that's happened. You hope that it's the right call, and of course you'll be immensely frustrated if it isn't because it's a big intervention that you don't often see."

On if he would have liked the call to go to VAR considering the ruling called off a potential goal...

"I got the impression that it must have been conclusive based on the fact that there was no mention of VAR. Maybe naively so you put your trust in the technology, you put your trust in the officials that you've got there. I'd be very interested to see it back from the appropriate angle. If it's an incorrect call, then it's really frustrating that someone's felt the need to intervene there when normally you would not get one."

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