Soccer Recap 8: Loons Take The L, Charlotte Next, A Look Around MLS, Columbus Cooks CONCACAF, and the USWNT

 

Minnesota Soccer Spot 

Tuesday, April 16th

Loons Take The L, Charlotte Next, A Look Around MLS, Columbus Cooks CONCACAF, and the USWNT

*Disclaimer: My takes are not thoughtful, and they are NOT based in knowledge.* 

Hello again reader(s). My post is super late, and I apologize. I will not make up excuses for my behavior. I had set aside time to finish writing it, but I have to be honest: I spent that time doing absolutely nothing. And after that, I went shopping. I did find a leather jacket for super cheap, so it was worth it. Nobody can judge me for that. What you should judge me for are my soccer takes, so let's get into that. 

Loons Take The L

Minnesota United really does put the "L" in "Loons." Over the weekend, Minnesota United took on the Houston Dynamo in the walls of Allianz Field. It was a hard-fought match, but in the end, the Dynamo were able to escape the north with all three points. This was the first time Houston had beaten Minnesota in Minnesota, and the Loons' struggles at home continued. 

My lineup predictions, as they always are, were wrong. Surprisingly for Minnesota, Alejandro Bran got the start in the midfield, forcing Hassani Dotson to the bench. This past weekend also saw a debut for center back Hugo Bacharach, taking the place of Tapias who has been out with an injury. For the Dynamo, Carrasquilla slides into the center of midfield, with Latif Blessing taking the left wing, and Gregus (my favorite member right-wing propaganda promoter) drops to the bench. 

MNUFC Lineup

Houston Lineup

Both teams took a bit to a bit to grow into the match. In the thirty-fourth minute, intense pressure from Minnesota United results in a poor back pass to Steve Clark. Wil Trapp gets on the end of the pass and takes a shot. Steve Clark gets a hand to enough of the ball to deflect it upward, and a last-ditch defensive effort clears it off the line. People on Twitter have been roasting Trapp for not being aggressive enough. In my opinion, Trapp does what he is supposed to do there: He follows up the shot. The defender was closer to the ball and would've gotten there first anyway. If anything, let's give credit to Bartlow for the great defensive clearance. There are plenty of reasons to critique Trapp. This is not one of them. 

In an otherwise boring first half, Houston was able to find the breakthrough. In the thirty-eighth minute, a well-delivered corner takes a deflection off of Alejandro Bran and finds the back of the net. It was a truly unlucky moment for the young midfielder, and the Dynamo found themselves up 1-0. 

My Sleep Paralysis Demon

The second half saw more promise from the Loons. Lod and Pukki were cooking once again, and Padelford grew more into the game attack-wise. In the sixty-first minute, a well-served ball from Padelford finds the head of Pukki (or maybe a defender. I have no idea). It falls kindly to the feet of Sang Bin, whose shot hits the post. Just a few moments later,  Boxall has a hit that goes just a few inches wide of the post Sang Bin just hit. In the sixty-fifth minute, Franco Fragapane and Tani Oluwaseyi were introduced to the game. Just a few minutes later, the Loons find the equalizer. Wil Trapp gets around a couple of defenders and finds the feet of Lod with the perfect pass. Robin Lod splits the defense, finding the run of Fragapane, who makes no mistake. At this point, the momentum had shifted, or so we thought. 

In the seventy-seventh minute, the Houston attack would strike again: Trapp is pick-pocketed in the middle of the pitch by Artur who passes it to Bassi. Bassi does what he does, finds the run of Sebastian Kowalczyk, who nutmegs Bacharach and finishes beautifully. A string of unlucky events for Minnesota, and they are punished for them. 

The chances for the Loons didn't end there: In the eightieth minute, DJ Taylor serves a ball into the box. Tani Oluwaseyi gets a head to hit, but Steve Clark outdoes him with a fantastic save off the crossbar. In the ninety-ninth minute, a bicycle attempt from Fragapane is saved by Clark, and in the last play of the match, a header from who knows where is beaten by the FINGERTIPS of Steve Clark. He sacrificed his literal life for those three points, and with that, Houston win 2-1. Overall, it wasn't a poor performance from the Loons, but we do see history repeating itself. This is not two matches in a row at home without a win, and the attack is struggling to put clear-cut chances in the back of the net. In all reality, Houston had very few chances throughout the match, but the few they did have they put away, something the Loons should take notes on. 

Steve Clark cooked. He's not used to playing with an actual soccer audience watching him in Houston. Having one must've unleashed another side of him. 

MNUFC VS Dynamo Highlights

Charlotte Next 

Next week, the Loons will travel to the queen city. Charlotte, who is coming off a big win at home against Toronto, will be looking to keep the winning streak alive. (Charolette won 3-2. It should've been 4-2. Abada's goal being taken off for a foul is ridiculous. Contact is not always the equivalent of a foul, but whatever. We don't need to get into that). The Loons, who have struggled at home, will look to make up for that on the road. 

Here's how I would like Minnesota United to line up. (I'm going to be completely honest: I know nothing about Charlotte. With all due respect, I do not think about them ever. I'm not going to pretend I have knowledge when I don't). Rosales should be back, so I assume he will take the place of Padelford. I think Bacharach played well enough to continue starting, assuming Tapias will still be out. I would bring Dotson back into the lineup for Bran. I would also take Bongi out and replace him with Fragapane. Hlongwane has been struggling his past couple of starts, and I think with the goal and added energy Fragapane brought to the field, he deserves the opportunity to start. 

Lineup. Let Them Cook.

The Loons, who have done well on the road, will look to continue this streak. This game is a winnable one for the Loons. The team just needs to be more precise in the final third and put away their chances. The last few matches have lacked the same intensity they started the season with. I'm hoping Minnesota United will enter this match with more of an intensity than we've seen recently. These two teams will face off this Sunday, April 21st at 5:00 PM Central Time. 

A Look Around MLS

In all honesty, I did not get a chance to watch MLS matches other than the Loons' match, but it won't stop me from complaining. Here are some of my complaints and highlights from this week. (Complaints are highlights. It's all about perspective). 

GOALS:

Bogusz Brace (1:36 and 4:34): In a dramatic 2-2 draw in Portland, LAFC striker Mateusz Bogusz bagged his brace, one from open play and once on a free kick. These two bangers are worth checking out. 

Ariel Lassiter Goal (4:59): Ariel Lassiter won it for Montreal! This banger ended up being the winning goal against the reigning Supporters Shield winners. I love this goal not only because it's a banger, but because Matt Miazga gets absolutely cooked on this play. Who doesn't love to see him suffer? My beef with him is alive, real, and personal. 

NYCFC Bangers: Not much to say here. Let them cook.

Erik Thommy Brace: Erik Thommy scored two goals in Sporting Kansas City's loss to Inter Miami over the weekend. Even though the score ended up being 3-2 in favor of Miami, you cannot discount these bangers from the midfielder. 

Gomez Goal: This goal is one of three goals Miami scored over the weekend. The finish was great of course, but the assist from Messi goes insane. 

Messi BANGER: I'm honestly not sure why everyone is hyping this goal up so much. I could do this on an average day (kidding). 

Painstil Goal: The Galaxy traveled home from Vancouver with three big points, and this goal played a big part in that. Like the Gomez goal, the finish is great. But the assist from Puig is as some commentators would say "mouthwatering." (I would not say this. Don't shoot the messenger). 

Wiley Goal From Distance: AMERICAN BANGER RAHHHHHH 

Wagner Goal (4:30): In their 2-2 tie against Atlanta United, Philidelphia Union had a couple of nice goals, this one being the more impressive of the two. Yeah, Wagner may be a racist POS, but he is good at soccer, unfortunately. This goal proves that. 

TIME TO COMPLAIN:

I only have a couple of things to complain about from this past weekend, the first being in the LAFC Portland Timbers match. Portland, who had been playing down a man for the majority of the second half, had been holding on while LAFC had been struggling to find the winner. In the ninety-sixth minute, Timmy Tillman found the back of the net for LAFC, which would've been the game-winning goal. A foul is called on the field on an LAFC player in the box, and the goal doesn't stand. I don't agree. This is another case of contact not being a foul. It's ridiculous at this point. This happens so much in soccer. Both players are fighting for the ball, making contact with one another. Neither one of them commits a clear foul, and they both go to the ground. This goal should've stood, and LAFC should've walked away with all three points. 

The final thing I have to complain about is this Union goal not standing. I get it's not clear and obvious, but I would rather goals this close stand. It is so close, and it's infuriating. And you guys wonder why Americans hate this sport? This is why. 

Bro.

Columbus Cooks CONCACAF

Last week, I said that Messi might be our only hope in CONCACAF Champions Cup. I stand corrected: After a 1-1 draw at home to Tigres a couple of weeks ago, Columbus did the unthinkable: They went into Mexico and emerged victorious, knocking Tigres out of the cup. 

I missed the first half due to watching the USWNT, which is probably for the best. Columbus struggled in the first half: In the third minute, a disastrous giveaway from goalkeeper Patrick Schulte led to the opening goal for Tigres. The ball gets caught under his feet, and Gignac punishes him. A couple of minutes later, a poor defensive touch leads to a goal for Tigres, but the goal is called offside. At this point in the match, Schulte began his redemption arc: A point-blank shot from Flores is saved by Schulte, who does a fabulous job reading the play. The Crew escaped the first half only down by one when it could've easily been three or four. 

The second half is when Columbus began to grow into the game. In the fifty-first minute, Yeboah was taken down in the box. It SHOULD'VE been a penalty, but video review didn't recommend a second look. It is an absolutely atrocious display by the officials in this match. But karma would strike a few minutes later: A brilliant play from Cucho found the foot of Farsi, and the ball ricocheted straight to Diego Rossi, who put it in the back of the net. The match is 1-1. 

This is a joke

Link To The Play: THIS IS A PENALTY!

The rest of the second half was pretty even possession-wise, but I'd argue the better chances went Columbus' way. It ended up going to extra time, which favored Columbus. In the one-hundred-ninth minute, a shot from Cucho deflects off of a Tigres defender, almost resulting in a massive own-goal. Tigres lacked legitimate chances during extra time, and the match went to penalties. 

Patrick Schulte's performance in the penalty shootout quieted the critics from the first half: He saved the first two penalty attempts, almost having saved the third one. Cucho had the chance to put the shootout away, but he hit the post. Eventually, the job fell to Max Arfsten, who put his penalty away, sealing the victory for Columbus. It was the first time an MLS team didn't win the first leg and eliminated Mexican opposition. It is a very specific statistic, yes, but still impressive and a massive statement from MLS. 

Link to the highlights: Tigres VS Columbus

With all of the results in, Columbus is the only MLS team left standing in the C.C.C. WE MUST RALLY BEHIND THEM! 

I can't believe we have to rely on Ohio to do something good. 

USWNT Victorious

This past Tuesday, the USWNT emerged victorious against Canada to win the She Believes Cup for the seventh time. It was yet another match where this young generation of USWNT players showed their character, determination, and heart for the game. 

Overall, the USWNT was the better team. Throughout the entire match, they had the better chances. The majority of the play in the first half was in the Canadian half. In the twenty-ninth minute, a shot from Jaedyn Shaw is saved by the Canadian goalkeeper. Against the run of play, Canada finds the opener. Naeher comes off her line in a position where she arguably shouldn't, and Deanne Rose finds the back of the net. Julie Foudy LOVES to over-credit teams opposing the United States: The reality is that Canada did not have any legitimate scoring chances other than the goal they scored. The United States could've easily equalized through multiple chances at the end of the first half. 

The United States came out strong in the second half, finding the equalizer just five minutes into the second forty-five. Sophia Smith provides a brilliant finish at the top of the eighteen, and the United States is back in it. The United States would then pull ahead in the sixty-eighth minute: A clever ball from Jaedyn Shaw splits the Canadian defense, finding Trinity Rodman. Rodman finds the feet of Sophia Smith, who puts it away for the United States' second. 

MVP MVP MVP!

This is where things get extremely questionable. Throughout the match, the officiating had been poor. There were multiple fouls committed by Canadian players that were missed. They weren't even those "could go either way" calls. They were blatant fouls. This trend of awful officiating reached its breaking point in the eighty-fourth minute: Crystal Dunn was defending Evelyne Viens near the top of the eighteen. Viens literally falls in front of Dunn, and the referee points to the spot. Dunn is shocked, and so is everyone watching: There was barely any contact and any contact there was a normal amount of contact when defending. It has to be one of the most ridiculous calls I've seen, just as insane as the penalty miss at Tigres. (There were a lot of poor penalty calls this week, damn). Leon was not going to miss that penalty. She had her brace, and the game ended 2-2 and went straight to penalties. 

The United States, who had just won a penalty shootout against Canada a few weeks ago, had to have been feeling confident. Canada converts the first penalty. Trinity Rodman steps up to take the second penalty and misses. You gotta feel for Rodman, who had otherwise had a great game, in that moment. Canada puts away their second, and Smith puts away the United States' second. As one would expect, Naeher makes the big save to get the United States back into the shootout and immediately converts a penalty of her own. She then SAVES ANOTHER PENALTY (this woman is nuts), and Horan converts for the United States. Sonnett had the chance to put it away, but she sails hers over the bar. Canada converts again, and Dahlkemper puts it in the net. Yet another Naeher save and an Emily Fox penalty would give the United States the deserved victory. 

That's all for this week!