MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota's Night Ends in 1-0 Loss to Dallas

June 29, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - On a positively swampy evening at TCF Bank Stadium that saw the thermometer climb toward three digits, Minnesota United fell short 1-0 to a visiting FC Dallas squad they nearly doubled up in shots. Missing midfielder and spark plug Miguel Ibarra to a red card suspension, Head Coach Adrian Heath opted to rejigger his usual 4-2-3-1 formation into a 3-5-2. Despite a largely staunch defensive performance and a wealth of chances, the home side was ultimately undone in their fifth annual Pride Match by a Roland Lamah header off a setpiece in the 59th minute.

"Certainly, the most chances we've created in a game," said Heath. "Most corners. We had some good opportunities tonight, and the longer it goes, you always leave yourself susceptible. Another poor goal to concede. Four. That's the fourth in the last six games we've conceded from a corner. Somebody not picking their man up. I keep going over it, I keep talking about it. Unfortunately at the moment, we're not learning the lesson. And football, sometimes you get what you deserve, and sometimes you don't, and that was one of them that we didn't. I think the worst that we deserved is a draw out of the game. And certainly, some of our play I thought was some excellent performances from some individuals."

The early returns on the formation shift were positive, with Alexi Gomez (typically a winger) and Tyrone Mears (typically a right back) slotting into a conservative wingback role that often gave the Loons five men at the back. Although Dallas often managed to work the ball through the middle third given the amount of space, they consistently found themselves frustrated by the trio of Michael Boxall, Wyatt Omsberg and Brent Kallman when they got into the box.

On the other end of the pitch, they managed to apply pressure on the goal, largely through the efforts of midfielder Darwin Quintero, who slid into more of a second striker role. The result was a plethora of corner kicks - 13 in all to FC Dallas' three.

"Darwin [Quintero] put three or four balls into Christian [Ramirez], Ras [Schuller] and people," said Heath. "Like, world class balls. Probably the only guy on the field who could see them passes. And we didn't make enough of them."

The home side also dialed up a healthy number of shots from distance, including a blast from midfielder Rasmus Schuller in the 13th minute that missed wide right and several from Gomez, the best of which nearly skimmed the crossbar in the 30th minute and came close to making up for a woeful corner kick he had just taken from the right corner. Gomez overall was active and looking to push hard at Dallas' backline and down the wings.

"Alexi Gomez had a good game," said Heath. "I thought he gave us something tonight. I thought he gave us energy and some desire. Collen Warner was outstanding. He covered every bit of the stadium tonight."

FC Dallas was clearly feeling the absence of Mauro Diaz, an important cog in their offense. Reports have Diaz heading to the Middle East and he has not appeared for Dallas since June 9 against Montreal.

Following the halftime break, Minnesota cranked up the pressure and for a solid 10 minutes looked inches away from pulling ahead. In the 51st minute, forward Christian Ramirez floated along the edge of the penalty box from left to right and then fired a low shot that curled just wide of the left post. Two minutes later, Quintero sent a diagonal ball into midfielder Ibson, who also pulled it left. In the 56th minute, Ibson got another chance as Quintero slotted a ball in from the right side and just out of range of his outstretched boot.

On a hot evening like this one, expending a bunch of energy on piling forward without getting that final ball can be dangerous, and it proved to be just that in the 59th minute. Midfielder Santiago Mosquera had just checked in for FC Dallas when he lined up a corner kick on the right side that found Roland Lamah's head. Lamah drilled it right past Shuttleworth to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

"When we defend and we've got five at the back, they didn't really look like they were scoring," said Heath. "But concerned that we weren't getting enough bodies forward. We kept getting Darwin [Quintero] on the ball, and he kept producing a pass for us. I honestly felt, and I said at halftime on the field to Jamie [Watson], that the first goal was going to be massive. They were the ones who got it."

The chances kept coming for Minnesota, including a point blank chance from Kallman off a Quintero free kick in the 62nd minute that went over the crossbar and a wide-open look for Ibson from the top of the box that missed just wide right. Heath tried to get a spark off the bench from substitutes Mason Toye, Carter Manley and Frantz Pangop but for whatever reason, the Loons just couldn't get the ball in the net, despite quality looks.

Following the 1-0 loss, Minnesota stays at home for its Salute to Freedom match on Wednesday, July 4 against visiting Toronto FC. That match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. at TCF Bank Stadium with pre-match coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North+ and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

Lineups

Minnesota United FC Starting XI: GK Bobby Shuttleworth; D Wyatt Omsberg (Mason Toye 65'), Michael Boxall, Brent Kallman; M Tyrone Mears (Carter Manley 77'), Collin Warner, Ibson, Rasmus Schuller (Frantz Pangop 77'), Alexi Gomez; F Darwin Quintero, Christian Ramirez

MIN Unused Subs: GK Matt Lampson; M Collin Martin, Harrison Heath, Maximiano

FC Dallas Starting XI: GK Jesse Gonzalez; D Reggie Cannon, Kristoffer Reaves (Ryan Hollingshead 78'), Matt Hedges, Maynor Figueroa; M Carlos Gruezo, Victor Ulloa, Roland Lamah; F Michael Barrios (Kellyn Acosta 69'), Maximiliano Urruti, Paxton Pomykal (Santiago Mosquera 57')

FCD Unused Subs: GK Jimmy Maurer; D Jordan Cano; M Jacori Hayes; F Tesho Akindele

Match Events

Goals

59' - Lamah (Mosquera) - FCD

Discipline

11' - Boxall (YC) - MIN

26' - Hedges (YC) - FCD

79' - Cannon (YC) - FCD

89' - Toye (YC) - MIN

Attendance: 22,345

MINNESOTA UNITED QUOTES SHEET

MNUFC HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH

On if the defeat to FC Dallas boils down to missed chances ...

Yeah, I think [so]. Certainly, the most chances we've created in a game. Most corners. We had some good opportunities tonight and the longer it goes you always leave yourself susceptible. Another poor goal to concede. Four. That's the fourth in the last six games we've conceded from a corner. Somebody not picking their man up. I keep going over it, I keep talking about it. Unfortunate at the moment, we're not learning the lesson. And football, sometimes you get what you deserve and sometimes you don't, and that was one of them that we didn't. I think the worst that we deserve is a draw out of the game. And certainly, some of our play, I thought there were some excellent performances from some individuals. But it's a tough one to take. But we'll get ourselves together in the next three days and get ourselves ready for Wednesday.

On strong individual performances against FC Dallas ...

I thought that Darwin [Quintero] put three or four balls into Christian [Ramirez], Rasmus [Schuller] and people. Like, world-class balls. Probably the only guy on the field who could see them passes. And we didn't make enough of them. I thought Alexi Gómez had a good game. I thought he gave us something tonight. I thought he gave us energy and some desire. Collen Warner was outstanding. He covered every bit of the stadium tonight. But I thought, you know, Mason [Toye] when he came on, he gave us a spark, the little bits he did. So, there were one or two positives. I'm sure it doesn't seem like it at this moment but tomorrow, when we look at it, we'll see there's some positives out of the game for us.

On how he thinks MNUFC fared in the 3-5-2 system ...

Well, it's as you would expect, when we defend and we've got five at the back, they didn't really look like they were scoring. But concerned that we weren't getting enough bodies forward. We kept getting Darwin on the ball and he kept producing a pass for us. I honestly felt, and I said at halftime on the field to Jamie [Watson], that the first goal was going to be massive. They were the ones who got it.

On how much MNUFC missed Miguel Ibarra ...

Well, the one thing, Miguel [Ibarra] at this particular moment, he's in a lot of confidence, which is huge for players. He's playing with a lot of confidence. Scoring goals. Making goals. Energy is infectious, people feed off that. The crowd feed off it. So, we missed him this evening. He'll be back Wednesday and hopefully tonight, maybe the rest will do him good and he'll come back fully charged for Wednesday.

On the status of Rasmus Schuller ...

We'll see more in the morning. He's a little bit tired on his thigh. I don't think he was too bad. I think he was more of a precaution, he didn't want to pull it. Because that's the last thing we need at this moment in time, more bodies going down.

On the lull in scoring recently and the difference against FC Dallas ...

Something we talk about. Trying to be more positive in the final third. Getting shots off. Getting crosses in the box in the dangerous area. You know, we can't complain about that. The final-third entries today were probably the most that we've had all season by a long, long way. So, we worked the keeper. I thought that we looked dangerous on corners. Put some good quality in the box. I don't know how many corners we had. (Thirteen.) Yeah, so it's, you know. Tells you how much pressure we had. I'll say it again, you've heard me say it a million times. Goals change games. And you have to score in them opportune moments. We started really brightly second half. Ibson had a few early on, and then we had a couple of other off chances. Brent [Kallman] had one. We've had enough chances tonight to have won more than one game. And unfortunately, it's not enough to win this one.

On if he saw a difference in body language from his team after the goal was scored ...

No, not particularly. They kept going. I thought they kept going. There's a lot of disappointed men in that dressing room. They've done enough tonight to take something out of the game and they know that. Football sometimes doesn't give you what you deserve.

On what he thinks about Collin Martin's decision to publicly come out as gay man ...

Well, I think it's a brave decision for him. We all knew. But it wasn't common knowledge, I wouldn't have thought, elsewhere. So, it's a brave decision. It's something this club has always talked about, being inclusive to everybody, so he'll make no difference to us. It's a brave decision. Hopefully if there's one or two people out there thinking about it, this will give them the push to join him.

On James O'Connor being appointed head coach of Orlando City SC ...

I'm absolutely delighted for James [O'Connor]. He's worked really hard for this opportunity. You know, he was coaching with me when I was back there in the early days, when we were USL. So, he's worked really hard. Done a great job at Louisville. You know, it's nice to see another guy out of the USL getting an opportunity. He'll do very well. He's a good guy, a good coach. And if they give him time, I'm sure he'll do it right. Time is the operative word.

MNUFC MIDFIELDER COLLIN MARTIN

On how he would describe the day ...

It was crazy. It was overwhelming, but in a good way. I felt loved and appreciated and supported. It was a special day for me.

On his family's influence on his decision to come out publicly ...

I think more so they were just probably excited that I told them. I gave them two-day notice. They were super supportive. My mom was happy that I am being my authentic self. That it will help some people hopefully. My dad, more on the business side, he wanted to make sure I was telling the team and telling the right people that were going to support me and making sure I was doing it the right way.

On if he had an extra desire to play given his announcement ...

I did, but I want to play every game so that is normal. Maybe he thought I had a lot going on today. Obviously, I want to play, but most importantly I just wanted us to win, so that is disappointing.

On if he was prepared for the magnitude of response he got ...

I don't think you ever really are. I didn't know it was going to be that big. I knew it was going to change some things in terms of just my social media account. I don't think I was necessarily completely prepared. My phone was going crazy. I didn't figure out how to turn off the notifications. I really just texted the people who texted me today and then hopefully I will be able to go through in the next couple days and try to be cognizant of the people who reached out over social media and thank them.

On if there was any surprising feedback ...

No. Part of the reason why I am here today is because of this Playing for Pride stuff I have been doing. Seeing the likes of Sacha Kljestan and guys around the league supporting Playing for Pride has meant a lot to me. I know guys care about that stuff and are going to support a teammate and a guy in the league. I had a bunch of guys on the other team come up to me today during the game and say how brave I was and just being happy for my decision. I knew I was going to get a nice response and I am glad it was a positive one.

On why the time was right for his announcement ...

The Pride game. Honestly when you're coming out there really isn't much of a thought process in terms of like, 'OK, I'm really ready now because of this, this and that.' It just clicks some times. The hardest people I told were my parents. I think the day before it popped in my head and I figured it out. This week I thought it was right and I hit up a friend and we started hashing out a statement. From there I told the guys on the team and it came from there. It was quick.

On if it is a relief for his public and private life to be the same now ...

For sure. Obviously, I was not under a huge microscope before, but being a professional athlete, you have to hold yourself to a certain standard publicly. I don't think much is going to change for how I am going to hold myself and how I hold myself in public and around others.

On what he would tell someone who is thinking about coming out ...

I think in my statement I wish I maybe would have gone more in depth. I said 'professionally and others' in terms of who I think maybe can benefit from this. Obviously, I think there are probably some more professionals that are out there who have been in my situation. I am not here to tell them what to do because everyone works on their own timeline. I think we still have some improvement to make. It is still kind of crazy to think I am the only out gay man in the five major league sports in America. There are more of us out there. I think that was what Robbie Rogers was alluding to earlier in the month. He was like, 'Where are you guys at?' It has been four years since Michael Sam so I think it is time and more so than professionally - just other people in general. The other big thing I wanted to really talk about is my positive experience. I have been reading some negative experiences during Pride Month from guys who have just recently come out. I wanted to share my positive experience. This team is awesome. This Pride Night is awesome. My teammates have supported me and loved me for the past year and a half. That is what is important and people need to hear that.

On if playing in a market like the Twin Cities made it easier to come out ...

For sure. My mom was worried when I first got traded here from DC. She was like, 'Oh, I hope those Midwest peeps are as friendly as the DC people,' and I said I am sure they will be. To see the support and the amount of community in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities has honestly been great.

On what is next for him ...

If I was going to do it differently next, I would not have done it on a game. It has been crazy in terms of logistics. Understanding what is next has been hard, but that is normal. I do not know what is next, but Durkee will let me know. He has been reaching out. Like I said, I have a lot of people to thank and respond to. I am sure some more people want to talk.

On if he will sleep easier tonight ...

I slept well last night. I did not sleep during the day today. I like to get a nap before the game but did not nap. I was looking at what was going on and was shocked at what was going on. I will sleep well.

On some of the people he would like to thank ...

My friend. My best friends first. They were the first people I told. My family and my parents. It is always a tough transition for anyone is telling their family and telling the people they love the most. This has been a natural progression for me. I told a few teammates in DC before I left. In Minnesota, I did not make it a concerted effort but I tried to make sure I was being completely honest and open with how I was living my life. The past year and a half, two years have been great in terms of that. Everyone has known and the team knew. The whole sporting staff got pulled aside two days ago and they were just like 'yeah we know. Can we get on with our jobs now? We know Collin is gay.' Obviously, I have to thank everyone in my life. They are important to me.

On any interactions he had with people during the match ...

Beyond people yelling my name more than usual and just supporting me. I did not really get a chance to interact with anyone because we did some running after. To hear the players from the other team come up to me because they saw it meant a lot to me.

MNUFC FORWARD CHRISTIAN RAMIREZ

On the game coming down to missed chances ...

Yeah. I mean, it's one of those days where the ball just didn't seem to want to go in. I know I personally had one that passed barley by the post. [Jesse] Gonzalez makes a great save on Brent's somehow. Ibson's barley misses. It's just one of those days that it didn't seem like we deserved to lose. It's tough to continue to say that, but somehow, it's going to turn around.

On how the team approaches corners and set pieces ...

I don't know. I have to go back and look to see. I know Gonzalez came out on a couple and he was big on those because they were in good areas. But we shouldn't be letting him, with our size, get on the end of those. That's something we'll look at.

On if the heat was a factor for his sharpness and finishing ...

No. I don't think it was a lack of sharpness. I just think it was one of those that the ball just didn't want to go in. I thought Ibson did really well on his to open his hips and bend it around that crowd of people. And it glances the post. I disguised my shot on Gonzalez. When I looked at it, he was cheating to the far post, so I cut it across and he was beat. I thought it went in. I don't think it was a lack of sharpness, I just think it was one of those that the ball just didn't bounce in.

On if there were problems getting forward with a 3-5-2 system ...

No. It took us 10 or 15 minutes to find the holes. And we knew it was going to take time once we started moving the ball. But then you started to see Darwin come up in certain holes, that we talked about throughout the week. Collen Warner did a great job of finding balls in there and Ibson kept them pinned back in that hole. So, it really was working well. I know even Ras [Schuller] made a run in behind me and almost had a chance when I checked to the ball. So, the movements and stuff were there. So, you can't really complain on that.

On how much the team missed Miguel Ibarra against FC Dallas ...

We definitely missed him. His energy. His non-stop engine. He would have gotten something going for us tonight. It's tough. I gave him a hard time all week. Telling him to cool his head and that it was selfish of him. But, it's something that we definitely missed.

MNUFC DEFENDER MICHAEL BOXALL

On his takeaway from the game against FC Dallas ...

Yeah, it's frustrating. I was trying to think of even half chances that Dallas had and there are not really any of those to speak of. We created five or six very good chances that I have seen those guys put away 90 percent of the time at training and for them to not convert tonight and bury at least two or three past this team is very frustrating.

On the 3-5-2 formation and working with Brent Kallman and Wyatt Omsberg ...

It worked well. With their one striker it allowed whoever stepped in, either the winger or the striker, there was always cover. In the first half we managed to play out pretty well. Collen Warner found himself in a lot of space because the two wider center backs were occupying the wingers and Rasmus Schuller was able to draw the other players away, so Collen had a lot of space in there. You could see how many problems we caused for them once we got past the high midfield line.

On how the team combats its the lack of scoring ...

I don't know. Some of those chances were only a foot or so wide and we may need to check the size of the goals at the training ground to make sure they are regulation size. If we were playing badly and not creating these chances I would see a big problem, but we are moving the ball well and creating these chance and the quality of finishing we have, I doubt we will see another game like we did tonight.

On Collin Martin's announcement ...

Obviously, we have known since he got here so it's almost a non-factor on our team. To see the reception he has gotten publicly from the fans, from other teams, from other players around the league, it's heartwarming to see. For Collin to be a role model and inspire any other young people or anyone who is struggling to be themselves ... it's a [expletive]-up thing that some people in this society can't be ... something that ... it's human. I think it's great and the fans and the city, it speaks largely for the city and the support this club has and that Collin feels comfortable doing it here.

MNUFC DEFENDER BRENT KALLMAN

On if the final score reflected the run of play ...

No, but that's the game. I feel like it happens more in soccer than in most sports. You can have the better chances and dictate a lot of the play and the other team gets one chance and you end up losing. So, it just sucks. It hurts, all that stuff. We just have to find a way to win games, especially at home. A little bit unlucky, but we definitely failed a little bit tonight.

On the importance of set pieces for MNUFC ...

It's huge. On both sides. We haven't really scored many at all going forward, even though we've had a couple of chances. I had a really good chance on one tonight and that can make the difference in a game right there. So, yeah. We have to sort that out. Defensively, we have to stand up and take care of it and offensively we have to get after it a little more and start finding goals because we're lacking.

On the back five against FC Dallas ...

I thought it worked. I mean, I don't remember any dangerous chances they had in the first half. Yeah. I thought the coaches did a good job. We had a good week putting in the plan and executing it on the field. Then we obviously had to go away from it because we were down a goal. I liked it and I thought we executed it pretty well actually. We'll see, maybe they want to use it more going forward. It'd be nice to have another option, a different way to roll us out if they want to.

On Collin Martin's announcement ...

I'm just so happy for him. He made it very clear to everybody around the team, teammates all knew. Yeah, I can't even imagine the courage it would take to do something like that. I think everybody is just really proud of him and man, if that just helps one person -- especially a younger person that's coming up and having a rough time, I'm sure it will, it's going to help a lot of people I bet -- that's so cool. So, yeah. We're all really proud of him. It's going to be crazy I think, it already has been today, so we'll see how it is going forward. It'll be fun.

MNUFC DEFENDER WYATT OMSBERG

On getting the start tonight

Yeah it was great to get out there, especially for my first home start. To get to play in front of the fans for more than a couple of minutes was a great experience for me. Unfortunately, we didn't get the result tonight. I think we played pretty well, but [there's] a sour taste in our mouth right now for sure.

On being prepared for a three-back formation

We've worked on it throughout the week. It's new for us. We haven't done it a ton, but the past couple of days in training we've been working on I quite a bit offensively and defensively. I think we went into the game pretty confident that both offensively and defensively we'd get our chances and that we'd be able to slow down their tactics.

On if he thought the better team won tonight

I mean that's the game, right? They put away their chance on a set piece and we had a couple opportunities that we couldn't put away. But that's the game. I'd say it was a little bit unfortunate on our part, but it was a learning experience for us.

On the heat being a factor

Yeah, especially at the beginning it was hot. During warmups it was really really hot. I don't know if I've ever played in such heat, especially on the turf. It was hot. Once you got into the flow of the game you maybe got a little more tired, but it wasn't too much of a factor.

MNUFC GOALKEEPER BOBBY SHUTTLEWORTH

On frustrations after the defeat to FC Dallas ...

Yeah, I mean, I think -- you know Adrian kind of said it -- you can't really fault the work that we put in today. We've played some really good football, really made them work for their three points, but obviously we're super disappointed. We've done well at home this year and when we drop points at home I think it hits us especially hard. So, this one definitely hurts.

On the opportunities the homestand presents ...

Yeah, I mean, I think that's really big for us. You know, after we have all of these home games we go on a stretch where we're away for almost six weeks. I think to keep ourselves ticking over we need to maximize our points and put ourselves in a strong position come the end of this homestand so that we're not going on the road in a really bad spot.

On Collin Martin's announcement ...

I think it's great. I think it says something about him and I think it says something about this team that he feels comfortable enough to make this public and be an inspiration for other people. I mean, it's been known on this team for a while. It's never been an issue once in this locker room and I don't think it ever will be. This is a good group of guys and like I said, I think it speaks volumes about the club and the players in this locker room.

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