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NASL Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Remains on Top with 2-1 Win in Atlanta

May 31, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


Atlanta, GA - With the North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Championship coming down to the final two games, Minnesota United FC earned a 2-1 victory at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, GA. thanks to goals from midfielder Greg Jordan and the NASL leading scorer Christian Ramirez.

"I thought we absorbed their pressure well and came out in the second half and created some great scoring chances," said United Head Coach Manny Lagos. "I was really proud about how we handled the adversity of the game on the road."

Minnesota United and the Atlanta Silverbacks were even at 0-0 after a sloppy first 45 minutes that saw few chances for either team. The pace of the game ebbed and flowed, with the teams trading spells of possession and counter attacks. It was Atlanta who earned the first few good chances of the half, but Mitch Hildebrandt kept the first one out, and the crossbar denied the second.

Late in the half, the Loons got their best chance, as Christian Ramirez won a header on the edge of the six-yard box, but his effort went high.

With the score deadlocked, both teams headed into the locker rooms in search of offensive answers for the second half.

The team talks appeared to have an immediate effect, as United came out at the start of the half with a much more aggressive mindset. With only short breaks, the ball remained in the Atlanta half for the first five minutes after the restart, but Minnesota couldn't find the net.

Just past the 50th minute mark, Atlanta countered and nearly got on the board after finding a way over the Loons' defense. But the eventual shot was missed, and the shot taker was offside anyway.

The Loons responded right away, as Christian Ramirez took the ball to the endline and lashed a cross into the box, where midfielder Greg Jordan found space and flicked a header into the left of the goal to stun the home crowd. Although United had pressed for much of the half, Jordan's flashing header was the first true chance Minnesota had mustered all game.

Suddenly down a goal, Atlanta began to push forward, but United seemed invigorated and filled with belief. Repeated attacks from the Silverbacks were blunted, and a 67th minute substitution of long-awaited new arrival Richard Garcia made it clear that Minnesota Head Coach Lagos was looking for more.

In the 71st minute, the Loons got a golden opportunity off of a free kick from the left side of the field midway in the Atlanta half. Christian Ramirez cut through the pack and rocketed the ball into the net off the header, but the assistant referee flagged him for offside.

Minnesota and Ramirez would find immediate redemption less than a minute later. United earned a nearly identical free kick on the opposite side of the field. This time, the ball went far post, where Ramirez was nearly all alone. He headed the ball straight into the net for his fifth of the season and sixth in all competitions to put the Loons up 2-0. Ramirez now leads the NASL in goals with five and in points with eight, adding three assists to his points total.

At this point, United's 2-0 lead was complemented by a 0-0 score between New York and Fort Lauderdale, and a 1-1 affair between San Antonio and Indy. If the results held, Minnesota was in line to clinch the Spring title. But things unraveled when the Cosmos scored on a penalty kick. Minutes later, San Antonio went ahead in stoppage time, ensuring that the title race would go on until the final week.

Things got worse for the Loons in the 85th minute, as the ball rebounded out of the box and found Kwadwo Poku of Atlanta at the top of the box. The Atlanta midfielder rifled his shot into the bottom corner, beating Hildebrandt and halving Minnesota's lead.

The late strike set up a nervy final five plus minutes, but despite plenty of pressure from the Silverbacks, the result held and United walked away 2-1 winners. With the other results in the league, the race for the Spring title will come down to the final weekend, when Minnesota plays the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium in Tampa June 7, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CDT. A win or draw will give United the title.

"We are in position to win the Spring Season," said Lagos. "It's difficult to play on the road and its going to be a battle next week and we have to be prepared to embrace the challenge. Nothing is guaranteed next week except for us getting better this week and stepping on the field."

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