MLS Minnesota United FC

MNUFC Falls 3-2 in Colorado

Published on May 9, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


COMMERCE CITY, Col. - Minnesota United came into Saturday's tilt against the Colorado Rapids in desperate need of a strong performance to get their season back on the right track following three straight losses. In the first half, it looked like they might just exorcise those demons as they leapt out to a 2-0 lead on the strength of a free kick goal from Emanuel Reynoso and a deft one-two goal from Hassani Dotson after the assist by Robin Lod. But in the second half, the Rapids grew into the game and took the Loons apart with three goals in a 25-minute span. The 3-2 loss dashed the Loons' hopes for some momentum heading into a double-game week back at Allianz Field.

Minnesota United began the game brightly, much as they did against Seattle Sounders in the season opener, which turned out to be just as bad a harbinger as you would think. The Loons kept up the high press that had eluded them in the last couple games and managed to swarm immediately on turnovers to win back possession. The approach kept the Rapids pinned in their own end in the game's opening minutes.

A lot of that was due to the formation shift that saw an extra midfielder added into the fray. Putting Osvaldo Alonso next to Wil Trapp allowed Jan Gregus more freedom to range up the pitch and the three in front of him - Robin Lod, Emanuel Reynoso and Hassani Dotson - responded by making incisive runs in between the lines. Reynoso in particular came to life in the first half, especially on a free kick in the 17th minute from roughly 25 yards out. Standing over the ball, Reynoso curled it over the wall and just under the crossbar to beat goalkeeper William Yarbrough and give MNUFC the early lead at 1-0.

The visitors didn't let up after that initial effort, with Reynoso finding Lod in stride as the Finn pushed into the box. With two defenders focusing on him, Lod sent a square pass to a charging Dotson who buried it to double the lead to 2-0. Through the rest of the first half, Minnesota stayed on the front foot, right up until stoppage time, at which point the Rapids poured everything forward in an effort to get back into the game. Minnesota's defense stood tall, though, and the visitors went into the locker room with a solid lead.

The second half would tell a different story, though. By the 54th minute, the home side were growing into the game as Cole Bassett struck the post on a hard shot from close range and Kegan Rosenberry followed up with a blast from beyond the box that narrowly missed. Three minutes later, a Colorado corner kick led to a bevy of chances in front of goal that the Loons struggled to clear. Eventually, the ball found its way out to a waiting Kellyn Acosta, who blasted a volley that found the back of the net and pulled Colorado back into the game at 2-1.

From there, Minnesota were chasing the game, unable to retain possession or build meaningfully into an attack. They spent the next 40 or so minutes just trying to withstand the shelling but they could not keep it at bay. With the rain coming down hard in the 71st minute, Sam Vines sent in a long early cross that goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair knocked down, but couldn't hold onto. Midfielder Cole Bassett - who came on for an inured Younes Namli earlier - was there to clean it up and pull the home side level at 2-2. Head Coach Adrian Heath tried to stop the bleeding with the addition of defender Brent Kallman in place of Reynoso in the 79th minute, but only moments later, a free kick by Jack Price on the right side of the pitch found the head of Danny Wilson in the box and the Rapids pulled ahead 3-2.

A quick shift of tactics saw Heath bring on forwards Juan Agudelo and Ramon Abila in a bid to eke out a late equalizer, but their efforts ultimately came to naught as Minnesota United lost their fourth straight game to start the season.

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Emanuel Reynoso

GOAL BREAKDOWN

17' - MIN - Emanuel Reynoso put the free kick just under the bar to beat William Yarbrough and put the Loons on top 0-1. | WATCH

24' - MIN - Reynoso pings a quick pass to Lod on the run into the box. Lod tucks it between two defenders across the box and finds Dotson for the strike. 0-2 | WATCH

57' - COL - Several chances for Colorado off the corner kick and eventually the ball is cleared as far as Kellyn Acosta, who simply drills the ball into the back of the net. 1-2 | WATCH

71' - COL - Colorado have looked more and more dangerous in this second half and while St. Clair is there to stop the initial ball by Vines, Bassett is there to peg it in when St. Clair can't hang on. 2-2 | WATCH

82' - COL - Jack Price's free kick finds Danny Wilson skying through the air and he buries it in the back of the net. 3-2 | WATCH

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United: GK Dayne St. Clair; D Chase Gasper, Jukka Raitala, Michael Boxall, Romain Metanire; M Ozzie Alonso (c), Wil Trapp, Jan Gregus; F Emanuel Reynoso, Hassani Dotson; Robin Lod

Colorado Rapids: GK William Yarbrough; D Keegan Rosenberry, Danny Wilson, Auston Trusty, Michael Barrios, Jack Price (c), Younes Namli, Kellyn Acosta; F Andre Shinyashiki, Diego Rubio

UP NEXT

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

5.12.2021 | MLS Week No. 5 | MLS Game No. 5

7:00 p.m. CT (Bally Sports North, The CW Twin Cities, MNUFC Radio on SKOR North)

MINNESOTA UNITED QUOTE SHEET

MINNESOTA UNITED HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH

On how he sums up what happened in the second half ...

"Difficult at the moment. I thought we were outstanding in the first half. And then all the things we were good at in the first half, we weren't in the second. Our ball retention was really poor. Our decision making was poor. And our general defending of the penalty area was poor as well. Every time we put the ball in the box, I don't think we've done really well enough. And, once again, we made a few errors that cost us."

On the substitute of Brent Kallman for Emanuel Reynoso ...

"Well, at that stage, I thought we were gonna lose the game. As it proved we did. I just wanted to get another defender on because they were putting a lot of balls in our box, and I thought another body in there might help us. But, it wasn't be."

On if the weather and Denver climate factored into the second half of the game ...

"No. No. There was nothing wrong with the altitude. No. No. That's an excuse. And, that would be an excuse if I used it."

On if he would have ever imagined being 0-4 to start the season ...

"No. No. But, that's harshly how it is when you defend like we've done on the road. Seven goals. The irony is, is the two from us in the first half have been probably the best we've played. I thought the first half tonight we were exceptional at times. All the things that we did well in the first half, we didn't do in the second half. As I say, we made poor choices with the ball. Poor choices without the ball. And, obviously, if we continually turn the ball over to the other team in your own half, and allow them time and space to put the ball in your box with quality, invariably people get on the end of it. And, I just don't think we've done that well tonight."

On what he needs to do in the short span to the quick turnaround Wednesday versus Vancouver ...

"Well, we have to play better. We have to play for 90 minutes and not 45. For sure. And, obviously, it's a huge game for us on Wednesday. If we're not aware of it, we should be. We're at this stage now where we gotta start winning some games and getting some points on the board."

On having so many veteran players in the squad yet being second to balls and chasing the play ...

"If I knew, I'd probably sort it out. We are what we are. At the moment, this is a back four... Obviously, we miss [Bakaye] Dibassy. With Romain [Metanire] going off, we had to restructure again. This group of players did really well last year. Especially when it was important down the stress. And, especially when, in games, they were tight, we'd seek things out. This year, we have made poor choices and every time we get punished. And, we have to eradicate that and we have to stop it. It has to be pretty soon. For sure."

On if the change in formation and new front line gave him what he wanted ...

"Yeah. I thought that when we had possession of the ball, we moved it quickly. I thought that first half was as well as we played for a long, long time. And, well, you know, I'm at a loss at the moment. Beside for why we played like we did in the first half, and then everything we spoke about at halftime. Move the ball quickly. Make good decisions. Play forward. And be positive. No, we didn't. We played it back when we should have played forward. And, you know, we gave it a bit when it was tight and we were in dangerous areas. We just made too many poor choices and at the moment, poor choices are really effecting us in early points."

On having multiple number 9's on the bench, starting Robin Lod in that position and if Lod is the starter right now ...

"Well, the others have been injured and training, Robin [Lod] has had a full week's training. I thought he was terrific first half. And we'll have to get some more work into the other guys and see where that leaves us. But, ideally, if we had a full strength forward line, Robin would probably come in on the left, like he did."

On what the locker room was like postgame ...

"Well, obviously everybody is disappointed. You know, it's not a pleasurable place to be, in a locker room, after throwing a game away like we have tonight. And, obviously, there's some strong words said. That's all by the by. We had a chance to do our talking on the field. The second half was poor. Really poor."

MINNESOTA UNITED MIDFIELDER JAN GREGUS

On why he thinks things fell apart in the second half...

I don't know, I don't know...we really didn't keep the ball well, bad decision making...and I don't know, zero energy. Completely different halves - first half, very good...two goals, good movement on and off the ball - second half, completely different, I don't know why.

On the quick turnaround between games and being disappointed by this result...

Yeah, we are disappointed. First of all, I think something like that shouldn't ever repeat, because we should be a good enough team to keep the 2-0 way. And at halftime we talked about it and then did a completely different thing in the second half, so I don't know if it's mental...we are a little bit down with all the results and everything, so, we just have to be confident again and break this bad game streak.

On when he felt the momentum shifted in the game...

I don't know, I feel that the second half we didn't even have momentum on the ball and they came strong, but we knew that - we talked about it, that they were going to come strong the second half...But we looked a little bit jaded, not good on the ball, not keeping the ball, they were all over the place, scored first, and then we maybe got a little bit stressed out (or something) and then they kept coming and coming...but like I said, should never happen again. We should be good enough to keep the result 2-0 and go with a win.

On the locker room after the game...

Very disappointed. Everybody here wants to win...and the expectations we had before the season, now it's completely opposite. We are last and we didn't win one game and the amount of goals conceded it's like...I don't know if it's big or not [in MLS], but it's very bad so...we didn't expect this, but like I said, we need to break it with the following game because this is unacceptable.

On playoff expectations (only two teams have made it starting the season 0-4)...

To be honest, we are not in the place to look at that right now, we have to win the next game and then win, and win, and win. We have to look in front of ourselves and right now we are not even in position to look for the playoffs with these kinds of performances, like for example the second half.

On being 0-4 to start the season...

Not at all. Like I told you, we had big expectations, we want to be on top from the start of the season...and I don't know what happened. First game, very good first half, then concede four in the second...now again, concede three in the second half. I don't know what's happening with that second half. Obviously it's not good enough.

On the three-man midfield with Osvaldo Alonso and Wil Trapp...

We had a lot of the ball and good movement in the first half. Obviously the additional player in the midfield. The second half they played a little bit different - they put the midfielders a little bit higher up in the pitch, so they played kind of behind us, and they kept the ball very fast. And with the one goal, it was like all about momentum today. Like I said before, we didn't even have a second half, so they took advantage of it and scored other goals, but shouldn't have.

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