MLS Minnesota United FC

MNUFC Advances to Leagues Cup Quarterfinals After Penalty Shootout Win vs. Deportivo Toluca

Published on August 9, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- After a 90-minute battle and goals from Joseph Rosales and Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Minnesota United advanced to the 2023 Leagues Cup quarterfinals following a penalty shootout win against Deportivo Toluca with a 2(4)-2(2) final score at Allianz Field on Tuesday night.

13': Minnesota opened the scoring with a goal from Joseph Rosales. The Loons won a throw-in near the edge of the 18-yard-box. Hassani Dotson found the feet of Emanuel Reynoso who was able to play over the top of the Toluca backline to Rosales, unmarked at the back post. The Honduran international took his shot off the bounce to put Minnesota United ahead 1-0.

32': From the center of the goal area, Franco Fragapane slotted a through ball to Bongokuhle Hlongwane near the six-yard-box. Hlongwane prepared for his shot, pulling Toluca goalkeeper Tiago Volpi out of the net. With Volpi off the goal line, Hlongwane was able to convert, scoring his seventh goal of the tournament.

66': Toluca FC found its luck with a goal at the midpoint of the second half. Following a hectic scramble for possession of the ball, Valber Huerta snatched the loose ball and launched a long-range shot that snuck into the back of the net.

70': In an effort to defend a corner kick from Toluca, Hassani Dotson conceded a foul in the penalty area, leading to his second yellow card of the match and ejecting him from the match. Minnesota United would finish the rest of the game playing with 10 men.

75': Tiago Volpi stepped to the spot for the penalty kick, burying his shot just past the fingertips of St. Clair and earning the equalizing goal for the Mexican side.

Through the remaining 15 minutes of regulation play, neither team was able to score the game-winning goal, sending the match into a penalty shootout. The Loons put away all four of their penalty attempts, securing a 2(4)-2(2) victory over Toluca FC.

With the win, Minnesota United advances to the Quarterfinals and will face Nashville SC at Geodis Park. The match will be streamed on Apple TV. The date and time of the match have yet to be determined.

GOAL SUMMARY

1-0 MIN - Joseph Rosales, assisted by Emanuel Reynoso (13')

2-0 MIN - Bongokuhle Hlongwane, assisted by Franco Fragapane, Emanuel Reynoso (32')

1-2 TOL - Valber Huerta, unassisted (66')

2-2 TOL - Tiago Volpi, unassisted (75')

SHOOTOUT SUMMARY

MIN

Reynoso - Scored

Boxall - Scored

Trapp - Scored

Jeong - Scored

TOL

Volpi - Scored

Huerta - Saved

Baeza - Scored

Morales - Missed

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

Caution, TOL - Brian Garcia (30')

Caution, MIN - Hassani Dotson (38')

Caution, MIN - Dayne St. Clair (64')

Caution, TOL - Marcel Ruiz (64')

Caution, ejection, MIN - Hassani Dotson (73')

Caution, MIN - Joseph Rosales (74')

Caution, TOL - Bench (80')

Caution, MIN - Wil Trapp (90'+5')

Caution, TOL - Fernando Navarro (90'+6')

NOTABLE STATS

7 - With his goal this evening, Bongokuhle Hlongwane is tied for first in goals scored with Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF and has scored the most goals inside the 18-yard-box (7).

6 - After providing the assist on Joseph Rosales' goal, Emanuel Reynoso now leads the tournament with six.

29 - Reynoso has also completed 29 successful dribbles, placing him first on the leaderboard.

ATTENDANCE: 18,187

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Joseph Rosales, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall, DJ Taylor; M Hassani Dotson, Wil Trapp ©, Franco Fragapane, Emanuel Reynoso, Bongokuhle Hlongwane

Bench: GK Clint Irwin, Eric Dick; D Bakaye Dibassy, Zarek Valentin, Ethan Bristow, Brent Kallman; M Emmanuel Iwe; F Sang Bin Jeong, Mender García

Deportivo Toluca XI: GK Tiago Volpi; D Valber Huerta ©, Andrés Mosquera, Brian García, M Claudio Baeza, Maximiliano Araujo, Jean Meneses, Marcel Ruiz, Juan Domínguez; F Pedro Raul Garay, Robert Morales

Bench: GK Luis García, Ronaldo Beltrán; D Jesús Piñuelas, Abraham Villegas, Carlos Orrantía, Fernando Navarro; M Mauricio Isais, Jesús Venegas, Tomás Belmonte, Jesús Ricardo Angulo; F Édgar López, Isaías Violante

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ NASHVILLE SC

GEODIS Park | Nashville, Tennessee

TBD | MLS 2023 Regular Season | Quarterfinal

TBD (MLS Season Pass)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH

On if this match against C.D. Toluca qualifies for being more competitive than previous matches...

"Yeah it does. It was a great [Leagues] Cup night. I don't think I'd like to go through it every week, to be honest. Penalty kicks, being 2-0 up and getting a man sent off. But, we looked really dangerous in the first half every time we broke. I spoke to you guys in the week and I said they're [C.D. Toluca] a really good football team, which they are. They stretch you out, they get extra bodies in the middle of the park and we defended the box really well for long periods of the game. They had a couple of chances, but that was about all. But we looked dangerous on the break. Bongi's [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] goal was fantastic, the build up play. I just thought that there was a lot of good stuff. Cup football, you have to win. It's one of them: You leave it all out there and we've done it again. I have to say, I didn't think it was a corner [kick]. To have Hassani's [Dotson] second yellow and the penalty [kick] and then two seconds later he gives them another corner, but it came off the post. But overall, just so pleased that we're through and we're in the next round. Because we've beaten a really good team. Really well coached, well organized, and it doesn't surprise me that they've done quite well.

On having to defend a lot against Toluca...

"The second goal we had three opportunities to clear the ball. Three. And nobody wants to play football more than I do, but when you're under pressure and you don't know what you're going to do, put your foot through it and we'll discuss it later. We had three opportunities to clear the ball and we didn't. But I'll look back at it again. I know that they had periods of the game, because they're good the way they play. They're all comfortable on the ball. The lads at the back, they've got two wide guys come in, and then suddenly you've got three and four in there and they can all handle the ball. I'm trying to think of the first half if they had any clear cut chances? Yeah, off his chest, near-post. For the amount of possession that they had, that was pretty good from our point of view. But I knew that we would get opportunities on the break. I knew that, we studied them, we watched all the games they've played, not only here, but also their games down in Mexico. With the ball, they're really really good. Without the ball, I feel in transition moments you can really get after them and we did that very, very well in the first half."

On Dayne St. Clair in the last two penalty shootouts...

"Obviously it's hero to zero for goalkeepers in penalty shootouts. He's come up big again when we needed him. He's a big kid. I've said to him again before the game, I said, 'Make them beat you. Make them score the penalties. Don't dive early, don't be trying to be too clever. Save the bad penalty.' And he's done that. We're all pleased for him, because we had a penalty shootout last year where he got a little bit of a stink for not saving them. Went the wrong way for four out of five of them. He had a big night. He did everything that we expect of him."

On players redeeming themselves in tonight's penalty shootout...

"Well as I said to the guys, I'm not one of them in telling players they've got to score. I think there's two or three players for us who are non-negotiable, we always know they will take a penalty if they're on the field. The rest, there's so much that goes on in 90 minutes of football, you might have had a bad night, you might have had a cramp, you might be carrying a knock. To force people to take penalties when maybe they don't want one, I don't see the point. I knew Boxy [Michael Boxall] would take one. I knew Joseph Rosales would take one. Sang's [Bin Jeong] been taking them in training and he's looked really really comfortable so I was pleased for him. That will do his confidence no end of good as well."

On what it means to play Nashville SC in the next match...

"Well obviously we wanted to be at home. We'll go and do it again. Our [MLS regular-season] away record, there's only one team that's got more points on the road than us this year. So if we have to go and do it again, let's go and do it again. We'll certainly go there. We've won there in the past, it's a great environment to play in. We know it's going to be difficult, they've got really good players. Certainly in forward areas. Let's go and spoil the party again."

On seeing Toluca's goalkeeper take a penalty kick attempt...

"I know if my father was alive, he'd be asking me why there's a goalkeeper taking it when you're on the field. That's a little bit different, everybody takes them. I think it's more of a South American, Central American thing where goalkeepers take a lot of them. I remember [Jose Luis] Chilavert who used to take penalties and free kicks. So, a little bit different. He's [Tiago Volpi] obviously got a good record and the rest of the group are really comfortable when he's taking it."

On Emanuel Reynoso's current form...

"He's [Emanuel Reynoso] playing really, really well. Then, I think we saw where Bongi's [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] come from to what he is now. The composure: We spoke about it last year and I remember sitting here on numerous occasions saying, 'Bongi's had three or four chances and we have to get him to relax and we have to get him to actually compose himself a little bit more.' That was a perfect example of it. Could've rushed it, but he didn't. He took his time, checked the 'keeper and then put it in. As I said, I thought some of our attacking play in the first half was first-rate."

On if he saw the penalty that was called against Minnesota...

"No, I've not seen it. But, it's not a corner. It's not a corner that leads to somebody getting sent off."

On his blood pressure check postgame [jokingly]...

"Yeah, I'm on those beta-blockers, I think, at the minute. This keeps everything, the blood pressure, down and everything. I think it's been a great night for the tournament again. The penalties all around and I'd imagine the atmosphere has been the same as here [Allianz Field]. I actually think the competition's here to stay. I think it will just get bigger and bigger as it grows."

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