Sports stats

MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Secure Point in 1-1 Draw

July 15, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota United midfielder Emanuel Reynoso scored the club's 300th MLS regular-season goal against the reigning MLS Cup champions, Los Angeles Football Club, helping secure a point following a 1-1 draw in front of the largest-ever crowd at Allianz Field on Saturday night.

13': Bongokuhle Hlongwane passed through the LAFC back line to Finnish forward Teemu Pukki next to the LAFC goal area. Pukki played a cross into the box where Emanuel Reynoso, turning with the ball, laid off a pass for Hlongwane to run onto for a shot, his attempt was saved by goalkeeper John McCarthy.

21': After winning a challenge in the middle of the field, Stipe Biuk flicked a ball over top to Carlos Vela. With a touch around Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, who came off his line to confront the attack, Vela capitalized for the 1-0 lead.

24': Minnesota United equalized just three minutes later when Kervin Arriaga combined with Hlongwane in a give-and-go pass, eventually reaching Emanuel Reynoso. The Argentine midfielder played back to Hlongwane, who found Arriaga once again. The 25 year-old got possession of the ball and chipped it to Reynoso, taking his shot off the volley and slipping it past McCarthy.

79': MNUFC nearly found the go-ahead goal beginning with a deceptive play by Sang Bin Jeong, allowing Emanuel Reynoso to create a 2v1 with Bongokuhle Hlongwane in the face of John McCarthy. Reynoso dished the ball to Hlongwane whose shot missed wide of the woodwork.

89': In a last-ditch effort to earn a victory at Allianz Field, Ryan Hollingshead caught a loose ball atop Minnesota's box, taking a long-range shot off the bounce that missed to the right.

With the result, Minnesota United moves to a 7-8-7 (W-L-D) record and stands in 10th in the Western Conference with 28 points.

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

Caution, LAFC - Diego Palacios (40')

Caution, LAFC - Ilie Sanchez (44')

Caution, MIN - DJ Taylor (45')

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 LAFC - Carlos Vela, unassisted (21')

1-1 MIN - Emanuel Reynoso, assisted by Kervin Arriaga (24')

NOTABLE STATS

300 - Emanuel Reynoso's 24th-minute goal became Minnesota United's 300th goal scored in regular-season play. With his tally, Reynoso is the fifth player in MNUFC history to score 20 goals for the club.

100 - Hassani Dotson made his 100th MNUFC regular-season appearance, becoming the third player in club history to do so.

50 - Bongokuhle Hlongwane earned his 50th MNUFC/MLS regular season appearance.

19,954 - Minnesota United set an attendance record of 19,954 - the largest sellout crowd in Allianz Field history.

ATTENDANCE: 19,954

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Emanuel Reynoso

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Zarek Valentin, Bakaye Dibassy, Michael Boxall, DJ Taylor; M Wil Trapp (c), Kervin Arriaga, Hassani Dotson, Emanuel Reynoso, Bongokuhle Hlongwane; F Teemu Pukki

Bench: GK Clint Irwin; D Brent Kallman, Kemar Lawrence, Devin Padelford; M Joseph Rosales, Sang Bin Jeong, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi; F Cameron Dunbar, Mender Garcia

LAFC XI: GK John McCarthy; D Denil Maldonado, Diego Palacios, Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long; M Illie Sanchez, Jose Cifuentes, Kellyn Acosta; F Stipe Biuk, Carlos Vela (c), Denis Bouanga

Bench: GK Eldin Jakupovic; D Giorgio Chiellini, Erik Duenas, Mamadou Fall, Diego Rosales; M Mateusz Bogusz, Daniel Crisostomo; F Julian Gaines, Nathan Ordaz

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. CLUB PUEBLA

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

07.23.2023 | Leagues Cup 2023 | Group Stage

8:00 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass/FS1/UniMas)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH

On what he told the team after the draw...

"Well done. I thought they were excellent. Playing the reigning champions and we should have won the game. I thought our football in the first half was probably the best we had played all season. I'm trying to think of somebody who has not done well tonight. But, couple of errors that have cost us, but overall, outstanding at times."

On Hassani Dotson playing left wing...

"Well the other winger options on the bench would have been Joe [Joseph Rosales], who felt his knee a little bit on Wednesday night and we didn't think that Sang Bin [Sang Bin Jeong] was ready to play. Iwe [Emmanuel Iwe] was only coming back from an injury. But we wanted to play Hassani in sort of a little hole in midfield and I thought he was outstanding. Turning with the ball, running with the ball, picking a pass. So I'm delighted with how that turned out."

On Emanuel Reynoso improving...

"Outstanding. Outstanding. I said it on the bench, I've played with some I think great players. He's up there with anybody. His balance, his vision, his turning ability and knowing where the next pass has got to go is as good as I've ever seen."

On Bongokuhle Hlongwane's missed opportunity...

"Well it's typical of Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] to pass it. From where he was, I'd like to see it again, but I thought that he could've gone all the way himself. But you've heard me say it maybe 18 months ago that we've got to get him maybe a bit more selfish in the final third and he's upset that we didn't score a goal there. But he made that decision, but Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] should've done better with the opportunity."

On the LAFC goal...

"Boxy [Michael Boxall] should've done better with it. That's it. It's an error. Mistake. He knows that. We all know that. But apart from that, I thought he was outstanding all evening, again. I'm really pleased with the players. Tough for us to have traveled and got back at three in the morning on Thursday. Played in 111-degree heat on Wednesday night. Incredible energy levels from the guys. So pleased for them."

On Miguel Tapias ankle injury...

"Yeah he didn't do an awful lot on Friday and it swelled up again overnight and he just felt it. So we're not going to rush him. He rolled it a little bit and it's on the inside rather than the outside, so they generally are a little bit more painful. But nothing too serious, but we didn't want to gamble with it. At the end of the day we've got like seven or eight days before the next game. The next month is going to be important for us. We want to treat the Leagues Cup with the respect that the tournament should have, because it's an important one. For us with the likes of Sang Bin [Sang Bin Jeong] that has been injured and Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] and the likes of Pukki [Teemu Pukki], we feel as though the next month is going to be really important for us to get them really at their maximum."

On if Miguel Tapias will be available to play next weekend...

"I would think he would. I'd be surprised if he isn't."

On if they could hear the record setting crowd at Allianz Field...

"We could, but we can always hear them. I say it every time, and I don't say it as lip service, we've got a great atmosphere here. Our supporters are second to none. They have an incredible atmosphere at LAFC, but I know that their players and their staff always respect the atmosphere that's generated here. It's the nearest to LAFC. And you can't pay them much more of a compliment than that by the way."

On the optimism he has in the team...

"Well we've played the best team in the league, because the league table nearly tells you that. They're going to be there about again. They won it last year, nearly went all the way in the [Concacaf] Champions League. There wasn't a lot between the two teams today. That's my confidence level. That we played arguably the best team in the league. And I'm sure that if you asked their people, they were delighted to get out of here with a point. Sometimes you look at the positive. Today is one of them."

On the intentions of the formation...

"Well we wanted to get another body in there, because Reynoso [Emanuel Reynoso], Illie Sanchez got the yellow card on Rey and we knew that he was going to get attached to Rey. Because normally the number six does. So we tried to get another body in there so he made it difficult for him. In the first half I thought it worked exceptionally well. Hassani [Hassani Dotson] got some really good pockets of space, turned, ran forward, had a couple of efforts where he should've scored. There's a chance he had a free kick. But I thought that he was looking like the Hassani Dotson of old. People always think that when people are injured for nine, 10 months that when they come back that they're never the same in terms of fitness and sharpness. He looks like he's getting back to that again now."

On being outside of the playoff picture...

"We have games in hand on teams in and around us. And the optimism for me is seeing the group we've got available. We've got good players now and most of them are coming back. Next month I'm hoping that we can give more time to Rey [Emanuel Reynoso], Pukki [Teemu Pukki], maybe Sang Bin [Sang Bin Jeong] to get them really at 100%. Incredibly I would say that Rey is still at 75%. And Pukki has had a season. He's had time off, he's had a holiday so it's going to take him time to get to what he feels like is his maximum."

On the progress of signing Ethan Bristow...

"There's progress. We will probably have something next week."

DEFENDER ZAREK VALENTIN

On the result against LAFC...

"I would say we left a little bit out there. We had some good chances, had a lot of good plays out there, [and] played some good football. [We] gave up a goal in which I know we're going to want back when we look back on the replay on that. We're getting into a decent rhythm, but we need to start getting three points at home and give the fans the performances and the points we know that they want and deserve. I think we can look back and take a lot of positives and learn from the goal and a few of the chances that they [LAFC] might have had. But we created a lot of good pieces, a lot of plays and had a lot of good pieces out there. It's just a matter of putting them in the back of the net and rewarding ourselves for a lot of the good plays I think we had."

On how the team has played in the last two games...

"It's a lot of good stuff... very different games when you look at it. One of them, I think we had sub-30% possession. Defended really well in a tight block and generated some goals in the counterattack. This one [LAFC] I think we had a little bit more of the ball, I'd say a good chunk more of the ball, and I think we played some good football out there. It's just a matter of, again, rewarding ourselves for that and not leaving goals out there but that's going to come. [Teemu] Pukki's just getting his feet under him and we've got some new pieces that are getting their legs back. Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] is always as dangerous as ever. It's us as defenders to stay organized and to keep the guys in front of us going and to give them the best shot to win the game for us."

On the plan entering the match against a powerful offense...

"First and foremost being aware of the quality they [LAFC] have. You don't win an MLS Cup for nothing. [Denis] Bouanga has been in really good form, Carlos Vela and [Stipe] Biuk, [Jose] Cifuentes and Kellyn [Acosta] are all spicy in their own way. It's a matter of being aware of them during plays and when they have the ball: being as close as possible, not giving them time and space to make decisions because they are good players. I think that we also forced them to defend and defend some of our players because we have a lot of good guys as well. For the most part, [we] limited them to a lot of good chances. We've come away with a draw and I think that on a different day we can beat them at home and reward ourselves for the performance we've put in."

On how he feels about position competition with the return of Kemar Lawrence after international duty...

"The Austin [FC] game I was getting my feet under myself. It's a little bit of a transition to go to the left [side]. I think I've been doing pretty well - and just putting pressure on my teammates. Ultimately all I can do is go out there and try to perform the best I can. I've got a lot of incredible players around me that put me in good spots. I've played a lot of games on the left so it's nothing too different for me. There's a little bit of acclimation in terms of opening up and playing certain balls but I just want to help my team out in any way possible and try and continue to try and perform well and give the coaching staff some difficult decisions to make. I'm ready when called upon, and I've put in some good performances to help the team win. I'm ready to play as long as I can and as long as I need to. Physically, I feel fantastic. Ultimately that decision is up to the Gaff [Adrian Heath] and the staff to put the players on the field in which they think will help the team the most."

On Adrian Heath yelling on the sidelines...

"I wouldn't say it's funny or annoying, it's just that Gaff [Adrian Heath] is trying to help us out and sometimes they see plays a little bit differently. For me, it's nice because I've had coaches over-coach and over-talk to you in terms of exact decisions to make. I've had coaches say 'hey, take the ball forward,' 'quick, play it back to this guy,' 'play here, play there.' No, Adrian more speaks about certain ideas. That's, for me, refreshing because at times a younger coach or a different coach might try to play for you [or] joystick you too much, then you might overthink certain moments. But Adrian doesn't necessarily do that so for me, I enjoy being on the pitch and trying to help my teammates out, fighting and battling, scrapping it up. For me that's what it's all about. We've gotten back to our roots a little bit in terms of getting out there and being difficult to play against. Again, it's about rewarding ourselves and for me, enjoying the moment on the pitch and helping my teammates out as best as possible."

On Leagues Cup and his opinion on a midseason tournament...

"It's new. Ultimately, it'll allow us to potentially go out there and challenge ourselves in different ways, maybe see some of the new guys that have come in [and] allow them even more games to get in shape, to get 90 minutes sharp when it doesn't necessarily count in the league. It doesn't mean that we're going to tinker too much and want to throw these games away just to get some fitness because we still want to win, we're still competitive. To me, winning is a habit. That's one thing I was preaching in the [FC] Kaiserslautern game is, whether it's a friendly or not, winning is a habit, good performances are a habit, good tendencies... those are habits that we need to keep within the group: to keep pushing forward and to sharpen up as much as possible so when the league does resume on August 20th and we're in New York [NYCFC] - it's be a very tough game - we're even sharper than we are now. It's exciting to play different opponents. LIGA MX games will be a lot of fun and we have two at home which is really nice. It's exciting to play something different: a different competition, a different feel. I'm looking forward to, again, seeing the sharpness of our team continue to grow and hopefully get some points in that tournament and transfer that into the league."

On Adrian Heath's optimism after another draw at home...

"I think it's based on sheer performances. The Austin [FC] game was not good if you look at it as a whole, four-one. But up until they scored the first goal, I think we generated a lot of chances and put ourselves in really good spots to take the lead. If we'd have taken the lead early in that game, I think that game looks a lot different than four-one. That piggy-backed on a good performance in Houston [Dynamo FC]- very different from tonight and very different from that game against Austin - there's a lot of positives to go from. We just need to get a little bit, maybe not sharper defensively but 95, 97, 98 minutes tuned in to limit them as much as possible and get back to the way we defended in Houston. I think that was who we are: limiting chances, stepping out, being tough to play against, being physical. That's who we are and that's what we want to pride ourselves on being. We're progressing in a positive way which is good. We have to reward ourselves. We put ourselves in good spots, we just have to reward ourselves with points and reward our fans for all of the hard work that we're putting in."

MINNESOTA UNITED DEFENDER MICHAEL BOXALL

On the LAFC goal...

"It's one of those where we expected the midfield to deal with it and then their number 7 [Stipe Biuk] dropped into the hole and played it through and [Carlos] Vela ran off Bakaye [Dibassy] and then I am there, and didn't make good enough contact to get it back to Dayne [St. Clair] and you give someone with half his [Carlos Vela] quality they are going to finish those chances. It's one of those split-second turnovers that we seem to be how we give other teams opportunities. Where other teams don't have to work as hard for their goals and we have one of the best goals we've scored, definitely this year and maybe in recent memory. We are having to work so hard to earn our goals and we switch off and gift other teams goals. When we go behind and we are chasing games it makes things difficult. When we are ahead and are disciplined and keep our shape and beat teams on the counter, that's when we are really good, especially at home."

On the mood of the group after another draw at home...

"It's a game I think we should still be winning. Everything was there in the performance. Outside of the goal I'm trying to think how much work did Dayne [St. Clair] really have to do. They had some breaks where they shot straight at him, but I felt we dealt with their threats pretty well most of the night. We've dropped so many points at home, it's kind of shocking, we can't keep doing that."

On the difference with Emanuel Reynoso on the field...

"When you have players that are comfortable on the ball and under pressure you can trust them to play the right ball at the right time it allows us as a back four to get forward. Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] he is such a difference maker for us. Looking back to Wednesday night when you see Ismael [Tajouri-Shradi] come off the bench he's another player who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. That takes the pressure off to be that player, and his willingness to get in behind, when you have more of those sorts of players on the field it gives everyone time to be able to possess the ball in the opposition's half and let us get organized and catch our breath. We are for sure a better team when he is on the field. He's one of the best in the league."

On the upcoming Leagues Cup and the break between MLS games...

"We've got a few days to prepare. I think it will be interesting to play teams from other leagues, but we have put ourselves in a position where we have dropped more points and should be in a better position than we are. In the last couple weeks we are still coming together and finding our way. I am comfortable with the games in the league we still have ahead that we will definitely be able to push ourselves high into a playoff spot. The Western Conference the past three or four seasons has been where you can win two or three games in a row you jump four places [in the standings]. Everyone kind of beats up on each other. But, we aren't able to do that if we keep dropping points at home."

On home games during Leagues Cup and helping get on track...

"It certainly should. When we have our home crowd behind us, how we came out tonight was super positive. The way in which we were able to move the ball and play through them [LAFC] fairly easily and get Rey [Emanuel Reynoso] on the ball in dangerous areas and get Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] forward, and I thought Hassani [Dotson] was excellent when he found those pockets. Playing at home is definitely a lot better than playing anywhere else. I don't know how this draw worked out, but we will take it."

On the Women's World Cup being played in New Zealand...

"I think it's awesome. Anytime you get to host these sorts of occasions, you know just be able to get more exposure to countries that maybe don't get as much football as they can. Obviously we are a small growing country and for me growing up trying to watch the European Leagues, you are waking up at two-three in the morning. So for some young girls [in New Zealand] to have the best players in the world on their doorstep is a pretty cool opportunity, for sure."

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from July 15, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Minnesota United FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central