MLS Minnesota United FC

MNUFC Falls 3-1 to FC Dallas

Published on August 30, 2020 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


Frisco, Tex. - On an absolutely sweltering night in Texas where temperatures reached 106°, Minnesota United looked to get back on the right foot after falling to Sporting KC last week, this time against an FC Dallas team that has struggled mightily to score since picking their season back up. But instead, it was the home side who grabbed the game from the outset, scoring back-to-back goals in less than a minute early on. After a mass substitution to being the second half, the Loons responded and clawed their way back within one with a signature Hassani Dotson banger. But despite throwing everything they had at the game down the stretch, Minnesota was unable to equalize and ended up giving up a penalty in the game's closing seconds to make it 3-1 in Dallas' favor.

From the opening whistle, Minnesota United found itself on the back foot. Within the first few minutes, FC Dallas showed creativity and bite in the attack, building up down the right side before switching the pitch and leaving Minnesota's defense to scramble as they dropped. That opened up the area at the top of the box, giving Dallas' attack ample time to get comfortable. In all, the Loons looked distinctly flat to start the game and they would pay for it.

In the 11th minute, a long diagonal from the midfield found the blazingly fast Fafa Picault on the left wing. Defender Romain Metanire gave Picault space along the edge of the box, knowing he could break a run in either direction, but the space was enough to allow the speedy winger to cut inside and curl a shot on the far post and past a diving Greg Ranjitsingh to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

Then, just moments later, Dallas once again found themselves in Minnesota's end of the field and forcing the Loons to scramble. The 17-year-old Ricardo Pepi brought down a long cross from the left and picked out a lurking Jesus Ferreira with a short tap in the box and Ferreira ripped a shot around the outstretched leg of Michael Boxall and into the back of the net to double the lead in less than a minute.

Down two goals, MNUFC tightened up and began to look more assured as the half wore on, but FC Dallas' defense stuck tight to Minnesota's attackers as they struggled to work the ball cleanly into the final third. The Loons' most promising strike didn't come until stoppage time, when Chase Gasper rampaged up the left side of the pitch and struck a blast from near the edge of the box with pace. Nonetheless, goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was up to the task and knocked the ball down before securing it. Not long after, the teams would head into the locker room with much work to be done by the visitors.

Following a lightning delay, the second half began with Head Coach Adrian Heath making wholesale changes to the squad, taking out the entire attacking four of Robin Lod, Kevin Molino, Ethan Finlay and Luis Amarilla for Thomas Chacon, Hassani Dotson, Raheem Edwards and Mason Toye, respectively. The substitutions shifted the formation from a 4-2-3-1 to more of a 4-3-3 and immediately, the Loons looked more energetic.

FC Dallas met the visitors' burst of life with their own aggression, resulting in a bevy of yellow cards handed out in the first few minutes as the teams got at it. Then, in the 55th minute, MNUFC found an opening. Edwards chopped down a long pass from the Dallas defense and passed it off to Jan Gregus, who dished it left to Dotson. Dotson took a few steps to settle himself and then unleashed a trademark banger that swerved left and up into the top corner of the goal, handily beating Maurer to cut the deficit in half.

Moments later, it looked like it was going to be Edwards' turn to put in a banger as he skirted the edge of the box and drove a rocket in on goal with his left foot, finding the woodwork of the far post. In the 62nd minute, Toye dialed in a shot from the top of the box that challenged Maurer, who made a strong one-handed save to keep the game at 2-1.

Throughout the second half, Minnesota United made Dallas uncomfortable with the ball, continually pushing to get the ball back and put pressure on goal. In stoppage time, that level of forward press would ultimately let them down as Michael Barrios fbroke down the defense in the box, only to be taken down by late sub James Musa to give the home side a penalty at the death that would give FC Dallas a 3-1 win.

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Hassani Dotson

GOAL BREAKDOWN

11' | Fafa Picault gets the long diagonal pass and holds it down before pushing into the box and pushing the ball out around Metanire. Picault unleashes a blast that curls around Ranjitsingh for the goal. 1-0

12' | Ricardo Pepi corrals the cross and and then taps it through to Jesus Ferreira who slips it past Boxall and doubles the lead. 2-0

55' | Raheem Edwards brings down an attempted clearance and taps it ahead to Gregus who dishes it left to Dotson. Dotson takes a couple steps and unleashes a rocket with the left foot that beats Maurer high and left in the corner. 2-1

96' | Reto Ziegler finished the penalty kick after James Musa took down Michael Barrios in the box. 3-1

LINEUPS

Minnesota United: GK Greg Ranjitsingh; D Romain Metanire, José Aja, Michael Boxall, Chase Gasper; M Osvaldo Alonso, Jan Gregus, Robin Lod, Ethan Finlay, Kevin Molino; F Luis Amarilla

FC Dallas: GK Jimmy Maurer; D Ryan Hollingshead, Matt Hedges, Reto Ziegler, John Nelson; M Bryan Acosta, Thiago Santos, Jesús Ferreira; F Ricardo Pepi, Zdenek Ondrasek, Fabrice-Jean Picault

UP NEXT

Minnesota United vs. Houston Dynamo

BBVA Stadium | Houston, Texas

09.02.20 | MLS Week No. 8 | MLS Game 8

7:00 p.m. CT (FOX Sports North, FOX Sports GO, MNUFC Radio on SKOR North)

MINNESOTA UNITED QUOTE SHEET

MINNESOTA UNITED HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH

On any explanations or theories on why the first half didn't start the way he expected ...

No. No. We just, obviously, tried to sort it out. I'm perhaps as dissapointed as I've been with this group for maybe a couple of years. Or, the team, shall we say. The changes certainly helped us. It brought a bit more life in the front four. Second half, we made a fist of it and we played with a little bit of pride. A little bit of pride in the shirt. I was pleased for the guys who had come on.

On if the extra hour at halftime allowed the team to do something extra ...

No. Trust me. There was a lot said at halftime that I can't repeat on here. And it could have been four of eight, maybe. First half. But, as I said after, food for thought. You know, we've got some players coming in and we'll see where we are on Wednesday.

On if it's a worrying trend or a poor 45 minutes with the group he is dissapointed in at the moment ...

Well, we've lost two games, out of what? Seven? Trend.

On what he did or didn't see in the first half and his decision to pull his entire attacking crew ...

As I said, it could have been... If I had more substitutes, trust me, I would have made more changes. But, we obviously had to be realistic, because, at 2-nil the game is never over. We've all played in games where you've come back. And, the game panned out that way. I said to them, if we get the next goal, then the game changes. The whole complex of the game. And, we did. Then, we hit the post. Then another effort hit the post. So, as I said, the reaction of the group in the second half. If we could have made seven or eight changes in the first half, I would have done it.

On what he heard from other players at halftime ...

I don't listen to what they've got to say. They don't have an opinion. I had enough to look at in the first half. This was not a conversation. I know what wins football games. In the first half, you never win. You've never been able to win and you never will be able to win. You win games by competing from the very first whistle. You win games by winning your own individual battles. You win games by running around. Because if you don't, you don't win games of football. Go ask Barcelona. Of all their great players, if you don't match the physicality of, Bayern for them, you can't win. Now, you might go, that's a different level. It's not. But, the principles are exactly the same. If you do not run, you don't fight, you don't tackle, you can't win a game of football. It's impossible. And then we can talk about systems. Then we can talk about tactics. Because, trust me. Without that, without the other side, you can't win.

On the long-range shots from the Loons after Hassani Dotson's goal, and if that's something he has been encouraging his players to take ...

Well, yes. Especially people like Jan [Gregus] who have such a great strike on them. Mason [Toye] and Raheem [Edwards], yeah. But, you know, I don't want to dwell on little incidents. I want to dwell on the performance.

On what he would consider the part of tonight's performance to dwell on ...

The first half.

On if the first half performance stands out more than the second half performance to him ...

As I just said, forget the tactics, forget the shape, forget the system. It don't matter. If the opposition want to run around more than you, and they want to tackle more than you and they want to get the ball forward and get on the second ball, that's not changed. That's not changed from the '70's to what it is now. If you don't compete against Liverpool, Bayern Munich and all these teams, they run all over you. So, if it's good enough for them, trust me. It's good enough for Minnesota United. Or, it will be.

On the new gameday routine and if it had any effect on tonight's performance ...

No. Not at all. Not at all.

On if the four players that came on at halftime played their way into the starting XI ...

Well, they've certainly given themselves more of an opportunity for playing on Wednesday. Trust me.

On if he is relishing the chance for the quick turnaround on Wednesday, or if it feels like a tight window after this performance ...

No. It's obviously another away game. We've had 1-8, it'll be by Wednesday? On the road? One home game. It's difficult. It always is, in this league, on the road. It's going to be no cooler I wouldn't have thought, at night, in Houston. So, it's going to be difficult. Obviously, the fact that they just come up with a really big win. Their first win. And, obviously, a few players, ex-players. So, we know it's not going to be easy on Wednesday. Trust me.

On if there is a chance if he'll get one or both of his new players by Wednesday night's game against Houston ...

One. Maybe.

On if Reynoso will be ready for Wednesday night's game against Houston ...

Yeah. It'll be possible, yeah.

On what he wants to see from the veterans that took a seat on the bench ...

What I want to see? What I want to see every time they play. Every time they put the shirt on. And, that never changes. It doesn't matter whether you're 18 or you're 32. You have a responsibility. Not only to yourself, your family, the shirt, whatever. You have a commitment to make every time you put the shirt on. And that doesn't matter what age you are.

On if he has seen a difference from his players since the team has returned from Orlando ...

A little bit. I felt this was the best weeks training we've had. So, that was, that was such a disappointment, to witness that first half performance.

MINNESOTA UNITED MIDFIELDER RAHEEM EDWARDS

On how he felt about the four substitutes at halftime and if they were able to change the game ...

That was what we knew, coming in at halftime, the four of us, that we had to bring energy and try to bring the game to Dallas. And, I thought we did that. Obviously, we didn't win, but I think we should be proud of our second half. I thought we started slow in the first half. It is what it is. We just regroup, go for Wednesday, and try to regroup.

On if the delay of halftime allowed the four substitutes to get extra prepared to play both mentally and physically ...

Yes and no. We had to be in our changing room the whole time. We got, like, maybe, five, seven, minutes after coming on the field to warm up. But, no, not really.

On what he saw that went so wrong in the first half from his vantage point on the bench ...

It was kind of a lot. Not going to lie. We were lackadaisical starting off on the pitch. We didn't have ideas. We just didn't bring energy. The main thing for me was energy and commitment. I didn't see that a lot. So, second half, gaf told us we need to bring energy, we need to show commitment. Obviously, he was proud second half, but he was really pissed off at the first half. As he should be. So, we're going to try and clean it up and make sure we're ready from the start. That's the most important thing I think.

On how players responded to Adrian Heath's mood in the locker room during halftime ...

He lit a fire up our asses. We knew it wasn't good enough. We knew, not just from him. We didn't need to hear it from him. It was from within ourselves. It wasn't good enough. Obviously, in the first half, being 2-nil down. To get those two goals back to back, in what, less than a minute? It's not acceptable. So, obviously, we knew we needed to bring something. Bring a different energy. Just bring something different. So, that's what we tried to do with the four subs at halftime. I thought we did pretty well. We did pretty well. We had a couple of opportunities. A couple, the ball didn't bounce our way. It's unfortunate.

On if he thought he had the equalizer ...

Oh, my Lord. Did you see me? I was running away, I thought I had it. It hit inside the poles, too. It hit inside the poles. I don't know how it didn't go in. It's unfortunate. But, you know, it is what it is.

On if the long shots following Hassani Dotson's long-range goal he and Osvaldo Alonso took were because of the way Jimmy Maurer was playing goal ...

To be honest, no. I just thought, whenever the opportunity came, I was going to take my chance. And, that was probably the most clear-cut chance I had during the game. And, I was lucky enough to hit the post. Hassani [Dotson], you know Hassani scores bangers only for real. I thought it was a joke, but he really scores bangers for real. It was good. But, obviously, we're just trying to regroup and continue Orlando form. I thought in Orlando we were really good. We need to get back to that form. Quickly.

On if he thought Bangers Only was just a slogan with Hassani Dotson ...

I literally thought it was... Like, I know he scores a lot of good goals, but, he only scores bangers. I've never seen him score a tap in, or, you know, alright, send me. These are very good goals. And, it's his left foot. It's weird. It's not weird, like, he's really good at it. But, he really scores bangers only. I didn't believe it.

On if a new gameday routine had any effect on tonight's performance ...

To be honest, no. It felt kind of weird, obviously, flying in the day off and flying out right after. But, I don't think it changes the mentality or anything for the game. Obviously, we started off slow. I don't think we're going to blame our flight or anything on that. That's on us. We just have to regroup. And, look where we've done wrong and try to bring in energy from the start.

On if he feels like there is enough depth on this team to see a difference in starting XI's during the next few games ...

More than enough. More than enough. There's more than enough here. I think we're probably one of the top teams in terms of depth. Whenever we get our chance, we know we have to use it. Obviously, the guys that don't really start as much. I think the depth here is very, very good. I think he's going to use us more during the season, so we just have to step up whenever we get called upon and do our best.

On how he would describe the last couple of days with the boycotted games on Wednesday and conversations going into playing tonight's game ...

The conversations were good. We had a conversation with our GM and within ourselves. It was really, really constructive and good. It went in a good mood and a good manner. It was pretty solid. It's just more about the game. More than us. Because, we knew we were going to play. It was just more about the game. It was just about us starting off strong. But, obviously, the energy wasn't there.

MINNESOTA UNITED MIDFIELDER/DEFENDER HASSANI DOTSON

On where tonight's goal ranks among his favorites he has scored for Minnesota United so far ...

I liked that one because I scored it, hit it pretty cleanly with the left foot. But, we didn't get the result we wanted today, so, that's way down the list.

On how hard it is to watch a first half like tonight's first half from the bench ...

I mean, I think the guys, we came in with a game plan, they tried to execute. I mean, it's difficult. Every team is good in this league. Us as a team, we're just dissapointed that we couldn't start better.

On how he would describe the locker room at halftime and the statement four substitutes was ...

Actually, I wasn't in the locker room at halftime. I was warming up on the pitch. Then, obviously, we had the rain delay. But, you know, with what's going on and we have five substitutes. Everyone on the bench is ready to come in. And try to make a difference or give the team something that wasn't happening on the pitch.

On if the lightning delay at halftime gave him and the other three substitutes extra time to get ready to play ...

So, we knew probably, like, a couple minutes going into the halftime break. But, we were warming up during halftime, then we got the call of the delay. So, they had to call us into the facilities.

On what the four substitutes were able to bring to the game in the second half that was lacking in the first half ...

Obviously, the weather conditions. We had the opportunity to look at the game from a different viewpoint. Like a spectator, as you can say. So, maybe some of the gaps that were there, or, just as simple as bringing fresh legs and energy.

On if the depth of this team showed in tonight's game, and the possibility of a different lineup come Wednesday when the Loons play Houston ...

My job is just to come in everyday and stay focused and work hard, as hard as possible for the coaches to make a decision. I think everyone on this roster is very good and competes each day. No one has a free spot. I think it was good. Good confidence for the guys coming off the bench, to put on a performance like that, together, just in case we're getting called upon later on, that we can improve from there as well

On his sense on the pulse of the team as the Loons as 0-2 in the restarted season ...

We take each game one at a time. And, it's obviously not very good after a loss. But, you know, we know the talent in this club and in the locker room. And, we know that we can beat anyone on any day. So, I think it's now, reflect on this game, watch some video, what we can do better, more communication, stuff like that. And, you know, get ready for the next game. All of us are competitors. It's not something that we're just going to keep our heads down. And, we're trying to win the next game.

On if the nearly hour-long lightning delay had any effect on the performance ...

I mean, both teams had to go through the delay. So, I'm not going to use that as an excuse. We're a good team. We're a good talent, like I said. And, we expect to win every game.

On if the new gameday routine had any effect on tonight's performance ...

That's pretty difficult. Some people swell up during flights and stuff like that. It's something new to us. But, at the same time, you can look at it, Kansas, they flew in the same day. And, that's not an excuse that we're going to look to fall in as well. We're really prideful in the talent we have, like I said, and, we want to win every game at all costs no matter the schedule and all that. But, it is unusual. But, that's not excuse for us.

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