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Minnesota United FC

MNUFC and Real Salt Lake Split Points in 1-1 Draw

April 6, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake shared points after Tani Oluwaseyi scored the game-tying goal two minutes after subbing into the game. MNUFC (3-1-2, 11 points) remains fourth in the Western Conference and undefeated at home with one win and two draws.

9' - Real Salt Lake opened the match with the first dangerous transition to attack against Minnesota. RSL's captain Cristian Arango had a wide shot from the left flank that was deflected by Loons' goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.

24' - Real Salt Lake took the lead in the first half after RSL midfielder Andres Gómez and MNUFC defender Joseph Rosales battled down the right side of the pitch. Gómez on the end line created space free of Rosales where he clipped the ball in. Arango connected with the service and headed the ball past St. Clair for the first goal of the match.

29' - Minnesota found a dangerous chance on goal after Sang Bin transitioned up the right side of the pitch and crossed the ball into the PK spot. Bongi Hlongwane in front of the cross couldn't get a touch but Rosales behind him, ran onto the ball for a one touch that went high of the goal.

36' - MNUFC battled in the final third for another scoring opportunity. Both teams tried to fight for possession in Salt Lake's box but Minnesota scrambled to keep possession, the ball bounced in between players until the ball deflected towards the right flank where Sang Bin fired a shot off that was saved by RSL keeper Zac MacMath. MacMath was unable to gain possession allowing Sang Bin to recover and keep the ball in play. The South Korean forward with possession laid the ball back to Teemu Pukki for a shot. His shot was saved by MacMath.

42' - Minnesota nearly scored their first goal of the match after Wil Trapp carried the ball up the pitch through three RSL players. Trapp released the ball up the left flank where he found Rosales, Rosales cut the ball back for a service in which Sang Bin one-touched it for a shot on goal that missed just wide.

48' - St. Clair saved a dangerous shot after Gómez found his way around Minnesota's defense. St. Clair, off his line, steered the ball wide but Gómez kept possession and dribbled inside for a shot that was saved by the Loons goalkeeper.

58' - MNUFC captain Michael Boxall had a goal scoring opportunity after he connected with a service from a corner. His header to goal was just barely high of the cross bar.

67' - Sang Bin went down in the box after running onto a through ball with two RSL defenders one on each side. While inside the box, Sang Bin was shoved from behind and went down without a call from the referee.

70' - Pukki nearly tied the match after a ball was sent through and in behind the Salt Lake defense. Pukki in behind, had a free shot on goal, he wound up and fired a shot that MacMath saved. Pukki was called offside after the play ended.

87' - Tani Oluwaseyi scored the first goal for MNUFC late in the second half. A long ball over the top was won by Oluwseyi in the final third. He laid it back for a service into the box where DJ Taylor was found on the opposite side. Taylor slipped it to Robin Lod where he dribbled inside and fired a shot where Oluwaseyi, in front of MacMath, got his foot on the ball and found the back of the net.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 RSL - Cristian Arango, assisted by Andres Gómez (24')

1-1 MIN - Tani Oluwaseyi assisted by Robin Lod (87')

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Joseph Rosales (caution), 40'

MIN - Wil Trapp (caution), 46'

RSL - Alexandros Katranis (caution), 64'

RSL - Zac MacMath (caution), 82'

MIN - Joseph Rosales (ejection), 89'

RSL - Emeka Eneli (caution), 90'+2'

NOTABLE STATS

300 - Midfielder Wil Trapp played in his 300th MLS regular season game.

4 - Both Tani Oluwaseyi and Robin Lod have four goal contributions this season with two goals and two assists.

ATTENDANCE: 18,652

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Sang Bin Jeong

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Devin Padelford, MIchael Boxall©, Joseph Rosales; M Robin Lod, Wil Trapp, DJ Taylor, Hassani Dotson; F Sang Bin Jeong, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Teemu Pukki

Bench: GK Clint Irwin; D Hugo Bacharach, Victor Eriksson; M Franco Fragapane, Tani Oluwaseyi, Alejandro Bran, Caden Clark, Moses Nyeman; F Jordan Adebayo-Smith

Real Salt Lake XI: GK Zac MacMath; D Andrew Brody, Brayan Vera, Justen Glad, Alexandros Katranis; M Braian Ojeda, Diego Luna, Andres Gómez, Emeka Eneli, Matt Crooks; F Cristian Arango©

Bench: GK Gavin Beavers; D Bryan Oviedo, Tommy Silva; M Nelson Palacio, Maikel Chang, Fidel Barajas, Bode Hidalgo

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO FC

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

04.06.2023 | MLS 2024 Regular Season | Matchday 9

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

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY

On opinion on the game and continuing to push..

"I just said in there [the locker room] that's the team that we want to be. The team that you see in the second half that plays with a real dynamism and real energy and plays forward quickly and presses well and counter-presses well and keeps the ball in the opposition's box. And, just the general baseline of energy and dynamism and fight that the team showed was one that we want to make sure is a benchmark from here. So it's disappointing that we've drawn a home game, particularly given the overall dominance I would say. But, in terms of a big step forward and momentum and something that we can really grab hold of as a performance and that second half was exactly that."

On the team's resiliency and scoring on late goals...

"You always felt that if we could start the second half quickly then it would be a sort of relentless attempt for us to try and get something. And it turned into that and we have obviously got in a group a really hungry set of guys, a hungry set of forwards and when they come on they're willing and ready to make an impact and they have done so far. And that's the strength of the group. I've mentioned it a couple of times that across those forward players you've got a lot of variety and a lot of ways you can change the top of the team so it looks different. So Tani [Oluwaseyi] obviously, he captures that really well, but I would say in general, the front players, they did show that relentlessness and if it wasn't for a touch of lack of quality at points and maybe not quite the cutting edge that we want on the final pass, then it would've been far more comfortable."

On starting the second half with a goal conceded...

"It was a shame because largely Joe [Joseph Rosales], when he was in a 1v1 situation from the right hand side, he defended well. But unfortunately the one time he didn't and the opposition was able to get across in from that side, then we were nearly set to defend the box. So it was a disappointing goal to concede, but obviously, a real purposeful play of theirs that largely we dealt with well. But disappointing that it was so consequential on the occasion that we didn't."

On opinion in deserving one point...

"No, we deserved more. If you look at the balance of the game, and even if you were to look at it objectively on a stats basis, we've had 25 shots almost double their xG. We've had more possession. So from the perspective of the boxes you'd want to tick for a dominant performance, we ticked them. We just lacked that real cutting edge in the final third when we needed it. So I'm glad that we've got a point. I'm glad that we got some momentum, but I do think we deserved to win the game."

On what you have seen from Tani Oluwaseyi, the poise that he has...

"He's [Tani Oluwaseyi] obviously [has] a real athleticism there that makes life difficult for the back line the second we win the ball. He's always looking to get in behind and always looking to get in between the two central defenders which is a really good trait for a center forward, obviously he's taking his chances when they've come. It's a nice trait to have, between him and [Teemu] Pukki you've got two forwards with a different profile with a really good knack for goal. Hopefully [at] some point down the line we can start to see on a real consistent basis that we've got two forwards that score and can make a big difference for us."

On what was the key change at half to switch it up and get into the final third...

"We're more dynamic on the sides every time we switched play. We had looked like we had more purpose, we looked like we could have combined better, we were quicker on the sides, you saw it more so with DJ [Taylor] and Sang Bin [Jeong] in the second half. [Alejandro] Bran came on and he added in terms of big switches of play and a real forward looking mentality when he had the ball. That sort of captured the nature of the second half in general, it was more dynamic, it was faster, it was more purposeful and that's the team we want to be."

On what did you think of Bongi Hlongwane's first start...

"Bongi [Hlongwane] is still finding his feet after an inconsistent couple of months in the buildup of the last couple of involvements. he had some nice moments but certainly he would also say, he wants to play at a higher level, he wants to be more consistent, [and] he wants to show more qualities. It certainly wasn't for a want of trying in his case, I don't think he had a bad game. There was no particular reason why we took him off other than a roll of the dice of changes with fresh legs. He's obviously a very good player, he is very talented, we've got to set high standards for him and he's got to reach them."

On Hassani Dotson's substitution at half...

"It was more precautionary with Hassani [Dotson]. So hopefully it's nothing that will stand him in too difficult a position for the coming weeks. It was nice to see [Alejandro] Bran and he added [something to the game] without a shadow of a doubt."

On Joseph Rosales' second caution...

"I haven't seen it back, so I'll reserve comment on that. But I know the players' first reaction is that it seems soft, but I wouldn't say anything solid until I've had a chance to look at it."

On the lack of a penalty call on the Sang Bin Jeong breakaway...

"No, I haven't seen it back, but sort of judging by some of the players' reactions and the reactions of the staff on the bench that have got the iPad. It looked like it was, it was a solid claim."

MIDFIELDER ROBIN LOD

On tonight's draw at home against Real Salt Lake...

"It is always disappointing to lose points at home. We are trying to be a team who wants to get three points against any team in the league, especially at home. So in that sense, it was a little bit disappointing. But at the same time, coming back from one goal down, it's always good."

On if the team deserved better than one point...

"I don't think we deserved more today, but the second half performance was really good. Maybe they had a chance to do some more, but it was, in the end, kind of fair."

On describing the connection to Tani Oluwaseyi before the equalizing goal was scored...

"When the time is running out, you just need to do something, and sometimes you need to force it a little bit, and you just need to go inside the box if you want to score. Luckily, Tani [Oluwaseyi] was in the right space today."

On if he saw the ball make its way through defenders and the box before it was scored...

"I don't know if I saw Tani [Oluwaseyi] that well, but in the moment, the gap between the legs was the only option, so, good thing that Tani was in there."

On the resilience of the squad to continue to score late goals...

"We are building our team, and doing that way that we are never giving up at any point of the game. It's a good sign that we can turn the games at the end of the [game]. But at the same time, that we should do better at home and have some goals [scored] early on."

On coming back from international duty and how you felt...

"It was a tough game, especially coming from the international break, especially knowing that Philadelphia [Union] is very good at home and it's a really difficult place to go play and I don't think we had the right energy in that game. In that sense, today was a good step up."

On Tani Oluwaseyi and being in the right spots at the right times...

"He [Tani Oluwaseyi] has a sense of where to be if you want to score the goals. The good thing is that he always stays inside the frame. So, there is the place where the goals come. He's been really good and I'm happy for him."

FORWARD TANI OLUWASEYI

On the feeling of getting on the end of a goal again...

"[It] always feels good to get a goal. Most importantly, we played really hard today. We had a lot of chances and we are glad we can get away with something. We would have loved the three points, but to be able to get a point, we'll take this and build from here going into next week."

On if he thinks MNUFC deserved more than one point...

"I think so. We had a couple of opportunities. I had one at the end that I should have finished. Those are the ones that keep you up at night, but other than that, you have to look at the positives sometimes, take the point that we got and then move on."

On the chance he had soon after his first goal...

"I'll watch it back, I already have a couple of ideas of what I should have done better there. But, you can only learn from those moments and be better in the future."

On positioning himself at the end of the match to score the equalizing goal...

"I saw Robin [Lod] take the touch and my mindset was to try to stay onside and I had a feeling he [Robin Lod] was going to get a shot off. The only thing I was thinking was I'm going to get a touch before the goalie does, glad to be there in the right position to get a touch and score a goal. Just stuck my leg out. Hassani [Dotson] calls me 'big toe', so it paid off here, I got a toe in there.

On where the nickname 'Big Toe' comes from...

"He [Hassani Dotson] calls me that because I have size 12 feet"

On Robin Lod's playmaking and the ability to create for you..

"Even before I came on the field, you could see he [Robin Lod] has that vision that breaks lines, put guys onto goals. Even before I came on a couple to other guys, he had honestly 3 to me, other than the goal. One where the goalie saved it and another one where I had a mistouch but to have a player like that always gives you the confidence that you can make those runs and he's going to find you and that's the relationship I want to continue to build because I know there's goal for me and assists for him.

On team resilience scoring late goals...

"It's just continuing to believe that we can get away with something. Can I get a point, can we get a point from the game? We put a lot of work in all week and like we said at the beginning of the season, we're going to go down to the last man on the bench. Whoever is coming on is working and whoever is on the field is working. We're always going to keep going regardless of what the score is up until the end of the game and that's what we did again today."

On preferring to score early in a game versus so late...

"Oh definitely, it's always nice to get goals early but we'll take them how they come. Again just trying to learn from what we did well and what we didn't do so well and be better next week."

On his thoughts and approach being subbed in late in a game...

"It's just [to] contribute any way I can. the biggest thing for me is less about scoring and just about helping the team out whatever it needs. Whether it's defending, whether it's attacking. If someone is out of position, getting back for them. That's kind of my mindset coming onto the field just whatever way I can help the team, whatever the coaching staff ask me to do, I just want to be able to go onto the field and execute exactly that."

On contributing to the team by scoring...

"I have the utmost confidence in myself and I've put the work in my whole life since I've been playing soccer. I always believe that when I'm on the field I'm dangerous and I can get a goal. I wouldn't say it's a surprise, it's hard work paying off."

On being in the right position...

"Being at the right place at the right time. Which is half the job of a striker."

On his thoughts on the phrase "Tani time"...

"It has a nice ring to it, so I like it. It sounds pretty good."

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