Soccer Recap 16: The Kids Tie At Home, Seattle Next, Loons Go International, and the United States Men and Women's National Teams

 

Minnesota Soccer Spot 

Tuesday, June 11th

The Kids Tie At Home, Seattle Next, Loons Go International, and the United States Men and Women's National Teams

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

First, A Disclaimer

Look at me go. I've been a day late two weeks in a row. Most of it is on me, considering I'm the biggest procrastinator known to man. But part of it is me currently performing my civic duty with jury duty. As I write this, I am sitting at the Government center waiting to be told what to do. I brought my blog to write and Minecraft to play once I finish. I'd apologize for the late blog, but nobody but my dad reads this anyway, so I'll save my breath. 

The Kids Tie At Home

This past Saturday, Minnesota United’s U12 team took on FC Dallas at Allianz Field. With eleven players out due to injury or international duty, the Loons’ personnel were spread thin. Minnesota and Dallas would end up splitting the points in a moral victory for Minnesota and a devastation for FC Dallas, who should’ve walked away with more. 

Here’s how both teams lined up:

MNUFC Lineup

Dallas Lineup

Minnesota presented a 3-4-3 lineup. Backup keeper Clint Irwin steps in for the absent Dayne St. Clair in goal. With the absence of Tapias and Arriaga, Víctor Eriksson gets the start alongside Boxall and Padelford. The central midfield included Trapp and Dotson with Sang Bin and Clark on the right and left. They announced Sang Bin as a defender in the stadium, which felt like pure insanity, but both he and Clark almost functioned as fullbacks in defending moments. Bongi and Fragapane started as wingers with Jordan Adebayo-Smith making his first MLS start up top. In what would be Nico Estevez’s final horra, he put forth a 3-4-2-1. Dallas, who was only missing a couple of players due to international duty, had much more freedom and flexibility as far as personnel was concerned. As the game unfolded and Minnesota showcased their substitutions, it was clear that this was essentially Dallas’ A-team versus our children & their Grandparents. 

Overall, this game lacked many legitimate chances for either side. The Loons started bright, more specifically, getting Devin Padelford's long throw-in into the attack. Minnesota was putting the pressure on Dallas' backline as well, severely limiting any chances for their offense to break. The Loons' pressure would pay off in the ninth minute. Minnesota closing down space for Dallas would force Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes into a poor turnover. The ball would find Bongi Hlongwane at the top of the box. He takes a poor touch, the ball getting just too far away from him, but Dotson is there to clean up. He finishes perfectly, and the Loons are up 1-0 at home. Bongi will be credited with the assist, but most of the credit should be given to Dotson for the beautiful finish. 

Dallas would strike back in the fifteenth minute. A well-worked set piece would pay off for the Texas team: Jesus Ferreira takes the corner short, finding Illarramendi at the top of Minnesota's box. He squares the ball to Liam Fraser, who hits it first-time. He beats Clint Irwin, and the match is 1-1. Watching it live, there were debates as to whether that should've been a corner kick. From my vantage point, the ball looked to go off of a Dallas player last, but obviously calls like that can't be reviewed. Either way, we have a tie game. 

Throughout the rest of the first half, Minnesota would continue to put the pressure on. In the twenty-fifth minute, a ball over the top from Hassani Dotson would find the run of Adebayo-Smith, who forces Paes into a save. Just a few minutes later, the ball is worked well throughout Minnesota's defensive line to find Hassani Dotson. He hits it from distance, forcing Paes into his best save of the match. Dallas would lack many legitimate opportunities, but they had some decent looks. Somewhere in the midst of all of the chaos of the first half, Boxall slips, which gives Jesus Ferreira what appears to be a one-on-one opportunity against Clint Irwin. Almost out of nowhere, Eriksson comes in with a perfectly-timed challenge to deny Ferreira. In that moment, the Swedish international redeems himself from his mistake against Philadelphia earlier this season. The half would end 1-1 with Minnesota being the better of the two teams, but Dallas with the equalizer. 

The second half saw Dallas with most of the ball, but once again, Minnesota would start off brightly. In the fiftieth minute, a Minnesota corner kick would fall to the foot of Wil Trapp at the top of the box. He hits it well first-time, forcing Paes into another brilliant save. We are INCHES away from a Wil Trapp goal, but sadly, he is denied. The corner kick immediately following falls to the foot of Fragapane, who hits it, taking a wicked deflection on the way through. After these opportunities, it would be all Dallas: In the sixty-ninth minute, a well-worked ball down Dallas' right side would be served into Minnesota's box. It would find the head of Kamungo, whose opportunity forces Irwin into his first legitimate save of the match. The ball bounces in and around the box a bit before falling to Arriola. He hits the ball into the ground, causing it to take a wicked bounce. This then forces Irwin into a second save. The backup keeper keeps Minnesota United in the match. Dallas would maintain possession in the second half, but with a lack of true opportunities, the game would end 1-1. 

Why does he look like that?

In the second half, Minnesota United saw the appearances and even a couple of debuts of multiple young MNUFC 2 players. Patrick Weah, who has played with the first team before, was subbed on in the second half. In the seventy-ninth minute, Minnesota native Kage Romanshyn came onto the field to replace Adebayo-Smith. It was the first time in Minnesota United history that we had seen FOUR Minnesotans on the field at the same time. In the eighty-seventh minute, Morris Duggan would make his MLS debut for the Loons as well. It was a historic night, even with the game being as tame as it was. 

MNUFC VS FCD Highlights

Seattle Next

This coming Saturday, Minnesota United will travel to Seattle, Washington to take on the Seattle Sounders. It is the first matchup between these two teams since August of last year. The Loons, who have never won in Seattle, will look to keep their hot streak going and take advantage of Seattle's midness. Seattle, who are coming off of a loss in Kansas City, will look to right that wrong. 

Here's how I predict Minnesota will lineup:

I expect Ramsay to have a bit more of a defensive approach on the road against Seattle. With the return of most of the absent players, the lineup will have more of a familiar look. Assuming Tapias makes it back in time from his green card appointment, I assume he will get the start alongside Boxall and Eriksson, assuming Arriaga and Rosales will participate in Honduras' fixture against Ecuador this Sunday. With Taylor's injury timeline unknown, I predict to see Padelford take his spot with Clark as his counterpart. I predict the midfield will have a regular look with Lod, Trapp, and Dotson. I'd also like to see Sang Bin and Tani start up top together against Seattle. 

Here are where both teams sit in the Western Conference: 

Loons Go International

This past weekend saw several Loons compete for their national teams. I'll go over a summary of each Loon and what their National Team role looked like. 

Dayne St. Clair:

During Canada's international window, Dayne St. Clair only appeared in their match against the Netherlands. In the 4-0 loss, St. Clair is credited with six saves. People online were doubting St. Clair's performance. I didn't watch the match, but in a performance where the Netherlands were able to get eleven shots on target, I feel it is safe to assume the entire team struggled, and that this loss didn't just fall on Dayne's shoulders. He was on the bench for Canada's 0-0 draw against France. 

Tani Oluwaseyi:

Tani Oluwaseyi made his debut in Canada's second match against France. In the 0-0 draw, he came off of the bench in the eighty-fourth minute. It's his first National Team debut. What a moment for the youngster! 

Robin Lod:

Robin Lod started the first match against Portugal on the bench. In this match, he would have one assist to a Teemu Pukki goal in a 4-2 defeat. In the second match, he would start in the midfield. He played all ninety minutes in that match. 

Teemu Pukki:

Teemu Pukki came off of the bench against Portugal in Finland's first of two friendlies in this past international window. He scored two goals in the 4-2 defeat. In the second match against Scotland, he started, playing fifty-seven minutes. 

Teemu Pukki Goal, Lod Assist

Joseph Rosales:

Rosales did not appear in Honduras' first match against Cuba. He started against Bermuda in his second match. He played all ninety minutes in the 6-1 victory for Honduras. 

Kervin Arriaga:

Arriaga came off the bench in Honduras' first match against Cuba in the seventy-eighth minute. He started in their second match against Bermuda, scoring the opening goal in the fourteenth minute. Honduras would go on to win that match 6-1. 

Kervin Arriaga Goal For Honduras

Zarek Valentin:

Valentin started in the one and only match against El Salvador, playing all ninety minutes before returning to Minnesota this past weekend. 

Alejandro Bran:

Alejandro Bran was an unused sub against Saint Kits and Nevis in Costa Rica's first match during this international window. They ended up winning that match 4-0. He was also an unused sub against Grenada in Costa Rica's 3-0 victory this past Sunday. 

Carlos Harvey:

Carlos Harvey was an unused sub in Panama's first match against Guyana. Panama went on to win that match 2-0. He was also an unused sub in Panama's 3-1 victory over Montserrat this past Sunday. Panama will take on Paraguay this coming Sunday before heading to Copa America. 

U.S. Soccer Update:

USMNT:

I was unable to watch this match, which I am eternally grateful for. From what I heard, this 5-1 loss from the United States Men's National Team was a questionable defensive display along with questionable tactics. Sometimes, I feel like Berhalter gets the majority of the blame when it's a combination of many things. But I can understand the frustration. With the quality of players on the roster, they should be doing better, even against superior opposition. In my opinion, he should've been gone after the World Cup. With all of the drama surrounding the World Cup, I feel it would've been more beneficial than keeping him. Not only that, but I'm a strong believer in coach rotation. Having him be the coach for both the 2022 World Cup and Copa America seems like such a long time to hold the National Team coaching position. It is also important to mention that he has a 7.1% win against top twenty teams, four of those wins being against Mexico. It is not good enough for where this federation wants this team to go. 

The USMNT will take on Brazil Tomorrow night. 

USMNT VS Colombia Highlights

USWNT:

This match I attended in person. In this dominant performance from the USWNT, fans saw a lot of things to be excited about. Having Rodman, Smith, and Swanson come off of the bench and still being up a goal? It really shows the depth of the United States Women's National Team. The 3-0 victory for the USWNT featured goals from veteran Crystal Dunn (who was playing as a winger?), Sophia Smith, and sixteen-year-old Lily Yohannes in her National Team debut! With the Olympics just around the corner, it will be interesting to see who makes that roster. 

That's all for this week!