Soccer Recap 5: Nations League (DOS A CERO), Loons On International Duty, MNUFC On The Road This Weekend, and A Look Around MLS
Minnesota Soccer Spot
Tuesday, March 26th
Nations League (DOS A CERO), Loons On International Duty, MNUFC On The Road This Weekend, And A Look Around MLS
*Disclaimer: My takes are not thoughtful, and they are NOT based in knowledge.*
First, An Apology
Before I begin, I apologize for this post being late. I flew home from Dallas, Texas yesterday, and, of course, with my luck, I must've picked up a virus at the Nations League final (still worth it, though). I am not a punctual person, so I will not give the "this isn't normal" excuse. This is who I am to my core: being late, and complaining about soccer. So, let's get into the complaining.
Nations League
I did not travel to Texas for the barbecue or the politics. (I may have seen some cattle a little against my will, but that isn't the point). For those of you who don't know, I graduated college this past December. One thing I really wanted to do at some point in my life was to attend a USMNT Vs Mexico final of some kind. So, for my graduation gift (and because my dad is just as into soccer as I am. He likes to act like I'm more obsessed, but we both know the truth), my family and I went down to the most accepting place on earth (kidding) to watch the team.
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| Leif and I before the semis |
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| My list |
Going into the semi-final against Jamaica, commentators and fans were assuming it would be a dominant performance. With the U.S. Men's National Team being the better team as well as the fact that Jamaica was missing key pieces, soccer people everywhere assumed the Americans would win pretty easily. This turned out not to be the case: Less than a minute into the match, Jamaica found the back of the net, shocking CONCACAF watchers everywhere. Antonee Robinson gives the ball away, Joe Scally loses his man, and the Reggae Boys are up 1-0 on the two-time Nations League Champions.
The rest of the match was, well, a shit show. The Americans dominated in every aspect of the game, but the final third was lacking. The U.S. had an extremely difficult time breaking down Jamaica's low-block defensive strategy, and the internet was calling for Gregg Berhalter's head. I could feel my dream of a U.S-Mexico final slipping away. But, as they normally do, the U.S. found a way: In what was essentially the last kick of the game, Miles Robinson's flicked-on header found the head of Cory Burke, resulting in an own-goal against Jamaica. This evened the score, taking both teams to extra time.
The whole duration of regular time, my dad and I kept saying "If they can just get one, they'll get two or three more." Once that defensive block was broken, Jamaica was forced to press, leaving space for attacking midfielders like Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic to cook. Gio Reyna did just that: Striker Haji Wright, who had originally been left off of the roster, found the back of the net from a perfectly weighted pass by Gio Reyna. This happened again in the second half of extra time, the finish from Wright being more impressive than the first.
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| Photo I took inside of the stadium |
Even though the Americans got the result, no doubt they along with Berhalter were faced with heavy criticism. Let's break down some of the criticism:
First, I would like to say that in this particular game, I believe Gregg Berhalter made the right calls when it came to substitutions. Now, my issue with Berhalter is more of a general issue. The U.S. Men's National Team under Gregg has had a pattern of struggling to break down low defensive blocks, and more specifically, they have struggled to get results on the road in CONCACAF. And of course, that's on the players as well, but once something is a pattern over a multi-year period, there comes a point when fans watching will start to ask about Berhalter's responsibility. This is true, especially considering while there have been mainstays in the starting eleven, there have also been a lot of changing faces over time. It's hard to blame the players entirely when it's not the exact roster now as it was when Gregg started. Also, for this game specifically, even with substitutions going into the second half, there didn't seem to be a change in the game plan in addressing Jamaica's low block. It would seem to me that if something isn't working, you would change the approach.
I think some of the criticisms of Berhalter are rooted in fans' frustration with his tactics and roster choices during the World Cup. I also believe that many fans will blame either just Berhalter or just the players for poor results. This might be shocking for some people to hear, but multiple things can be true at once (woah). In this specific game against Jamaica, there were some errors made by players as well: sloppy giveaways and poor first touches, all of which continued to pile up as mental frustration grew as well. Also, before moving on, yes, the players seemed frustrated. But I'm sick and tired of the take that "the players aren't motivated to play for their national teams."
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| More in-depth explanation |
Dos A Cero
The final against Mexico was a different story: Mexico was obviously going to play a more open game than Jamaica, which in my opinion, would favor the United States. Clearly, it did. In the fifth minute, a great header from Gio Reyna finds the feet of Christian Pulisic, who does well to control the ball in the air, bring it down, and place the shot on goal. Long-time Mexican goalkeeper Memo Ochoa came up with a sensational save to keep the game level. The United States finally found the breakthrough right before the end of the first half: An absolute banger from Tyler Adams found the back of the net. (Welcome back, Tyler Adams). The United States found their second goal in the sixty-third minute: A free kick taken short found the feet of Pulisic, who absolutely cooked the Mexican defender. The ball bounces around a bit and falls to the person Mexico last wanted the ball to fall to: Gio Reyna. He finds the back of the net, beating Ochoa at his near post.
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| Me at the final |
Mexico did have their chances, but the vast majority of their shots on target lacked power and/or were shot right at Matt Turner or off target. The Mexican players, similarly to the U.S. players in the semi-final, had lots of sloppy first touches and passes as well. A penalty was called in favor of Mexico toward the end of the second half but was eventually overturned. Physically being there, I could feel the tension among some Mexican fans starting to brew. The chant everyone knows and loves began, and after multiple stoppages of the game, the match was eventually called. The United States emerged victorious and continued their now seven-game unbeaten run against Mexico.
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| THREE PEAT |
Loons On International Duty
This past weekend, while every other MLS team was missing key players, the Loons were given the week off. Minnesota United saw six players called up to their national teams: Robin Lod & Teemu Pukki for Finland, Alejandro Bran for Costa Rica, Joseph Rosales for Honduras, Michael Boxall for New Zealand, and Dayne St. Clair for the Canadian National Team.
As far as international duty is concerned, three of our players were on rosters competing for spots in Copa America. The Canadian national team found themselves victorious over Trinidad and Tobago and have qualified for a spot in this summer's tournament. Dayne St. Clair did not appear in this match, riding the bench as backup to Maxime Crepeau of the Portland Timbers. The other match was between Honduras and Costa Rica. Costa Rica defeated Honduras in a 3-1 match. Joseph Rosales, who was suspended for this match due to being yellow-carded in the previous Nations League match, did not appear. Alejandro Bran also did not appear but was on the roster.
Michael Boxall made starts for both of New Zealand's international friendlies, while Robin Lod & Teemu Pukki made appearances for Finland in their race to qualify for the Euros. Unfortunately for Finland, they fell 4-1 to Wales, knocking them out of contention. Teemu Pukki scored the lone goal in that match. On the bright side of things, Robin Lod wore the captain's armband in Finland's 2-1 victory over Estonia earlier today.
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| Lod with the armband |
While some of our players were on international duty, the rest of the team played in an international friendly at Allianz Field against St. Patrick's Athletic FC. I was unable to watch this match in much depth due to my trip, but I did catch Kervin Arriaga's goal. The remaining Loons found themselves victorious over the visitors.
MNUFC On The Road This Weekend
This coming Saturday, the Loons will be traveling to Philidelphia to take on the Union. The Philadelphia Union is coming off of a massive road victory at Portland this past weekend. Normally, I would put predicted starting lineups, but due to the amount of players that may or may not be back for both teams, I won't even bother.
The Loons, who currently sit atop the Western Conference, will look to keep their unbeaten run alive. The Union will look to maintain its momentum. This will be a real test for the Loons, especially considering who they may or may not be missing. It may also give some of the more youthful players a chance to step up.
A Look Around MLS
First, I want to make my position clear: I think having matches during this international break while almost all teams are missing key players is ridiculous. But MLS is not like other girls and has to be quirky, so here we are.
Philadelphia Union VS Portland Timbers:
The only match I was able to catch in its entirety was the Union taking on the Portland Timbers in Portland, Oregon this past Saturday. This match is one Portland will walk away from with a sour taste in their mouths. They started the game off bright: By the end of the first half, it could've easily had Portland leading by three or four goals. But as it goes, those missed chances would come back to haunt the Timbers. A header off a corner kick from Julian Carranza found the back of the net. Quinn Sullivan scored Phili's second goal off of a rebound shot. Eric Miller falls asleep defensively, and Sullivan pounces. Portland kept creating chances, but once again, not putting those chances away came back to haunt them: Carranza took advantage of yet another sloppy defensive moment from the Timbers, making it 3-0 in favor of the Union. While Portland did end up finding a consolation goal, the Union walked away with all three points in a 3-1 victory.
LA Galaxy VS Sporting Kansas City:
In a dramatic 3-2 victory, the LA Galaxy rose to the challenge: The Galaxy traveled to Children's Mercy Park, the home of Sporting Kansas City, this past Saturday. At the half, LA found themselves down 2-0, but in a period of eight minutes toward the end of the second half, the Galaxy were able to find the back of the net three times, cementing their victory and continuing to be a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
LAFC Scoring Drought Over:
Recently, defending Western Conference champions LAFC have found themselves in a bit of a scoring drought. That all changed thanks to Nashville Goalkeeper Joe Willis' idiotic decisions this past weekend. The first poor decision was on a set piece, when Joe Willis came off of his line nowhere near the ball, leaving space for Timothy Tillman to finish. The second decision was him once again, coming off of his line later in the match, handling the ball with his arm outside of the box, and being sent off. These decisions along with defensive errors led to a 5-0 victory for LAFC. Honestly, I am grateful I am not a Nashville fan.
The Houston Dynamo stole all three points from Colorado at the end of Saturday's match!
Lewis Morgan scores three against his former club, Inter Miami, in a 4-0 victory over the Eastern powerhouse.
Ashley Westood scores a banger against the Columbus Crew!
A first for the former Sounders man in Orlando City colors!
That's all for this post! See you next week!
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