Soccer Recap 23: Loons in Leagues Cup, Necaxa TONIGHT, A Look Around Leagues Cup, and U.S. Olympic Soccer Domination

 

Minnesota Soccer Spot 

Tuesday, July 30th

Loons in Leagues Cup, Necaxa TONIGHT, A Look Around Leagues Cup, and U.S. Olympic Soccer Domination

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

First, An Acknowledgement

I debated whether or not to cover Leagues Cup content for two reasons: The first is that I understand the want to boycott these matches. O.G. American soccer fans will be the first to tell you how important the U.S. Open Cup has been for the sport in the United States. But Don Garber likes his moola, so I understand the beef. The second one, and the obviously less important one, is my schedule. You would think not having a job would give me a lot of free time, and maybe it has & I'm just being dramatic, but now that I don't have my front desk job, I can't get paid to type it up at work. That used to be my excuse for procrastination. "I'll just do it when I get to work." Now I have nothing to blame other than my abilities. But in the end, I decided to cover Leagues Cup. This is my team, and this blog is my civic duty. 

Loons In Leagues Cup

This past Friday, Minnesota United traveled to Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington to take on the Seattle Sounders. I have to say, when the Leagues Cup group was first announced, I accepted our fate. Since Minnesota's introduction to Major League Soccer, the Loons have ZERO wins and counting against Seattle in Seattle. This trend continued to stay in style, and my negative mindset was proven righteous. 

Here's how both teams lined up:

Loons Lineup

Seattle Starting Eleven

For Minnesota, Eric Ramsay opted to go with a 5-4-1. Dayne St. Clair gets the start in net, of course. The back-five is, well, interesting. With the absence of Michael Boxall (International Duty), the three centrebacks have a different look. (I'm also realizing that I've been spelling 'centreback' wrong this entire time). Mickey Tapias and Carlos Harvey maintain their starting positions. Hugo Bacharach returns from injury, taking the place of the absent Boxall. Rosales keeps his starting position at left-back, and Loïc Mesanvi takes the place of a suspended/injured DJ Taylor. With MLS' cap-limit rules inapplicable to Leagues Cup, Mesanvi has no limit to how many matches he can play in Leagues Cup. The central midfield features Hassani Dotson and Alejandro Bran in the absence of Robin Lod (MLS All-Star traveling). Bongi Hlongwane gets the start on the left, and Franco Fragapane gets the start on the right (Sang Bin absent for personal reasons). Ramsay opts to start Teemu Pukki over Tani Oluwaseyi, which is an interesting move from the young coach. 

As far as Seattle is concerned, Brian Schmetzer opts to go with a 4-2-3-1, taking a page out of Adrian Heath's playbook. Thomas gets the start in goal over Steffan Frei. Seattle's backline looks all too familiar minus the presence of Yeimar, who is serving a one-match suspension from last year's competition. Obed Vargas and João Paulo (grandpa and grandchild) get the start in the midfield. Rusnák takes on the ten role with de la Vega and the more bitchy Roldan brother as wingers. Jordan Morris gets the start at the nine. 

Cristian Roldan Cira 2013

To start the match, both teams had legitimate opportunities: In the eleventh minute, Seattle's midfield works the ball well along Minnesota's left side. A smart layoff from Jordan Morris finds the splitting run of Cristian Roldan. He then lays it off to Rusnák, whose shot forces St. Clair into a smart save. Minnesota would respond with a chance of their own: In the twenty-fifth minute, Minnesota's on the counter-attack. Rosales serves a ball into Seattle's box, finding the run of Hlongwane. Hlongwane's header hits the crossbar and is sent over the end line. 

Both teams would have a couple more half-chances before the half would end: A long-distance shot from de la Vega almost takes advantage of a slipping Dayne St. Clair. A header from Jordan Morris goes straight into the arms of Dayne St. Clair. Minnesota attempts to strike on the other end, but Rosales' angle is cut short, and Thomas makes the save at his near post. Just before the end of the half, Seattle hits on the counter, but Dayne comes up big once again in a one-on-one with Jordan Morris. The half would end 0-0.

The second-half chances wouldn't truly begin until almost the sixtieth minute. A solid cross from Alex Roldan falls to the foot of Rusnák, who forces Dayne into ANOTHER save. Just a few minutes later, a long-distance shot from Rosales would force Thomas into a great save. Rosales' long-distance shot created a corner-kick opportunity for the Loons. At this point, it looked like Minnesota was starting to pick up some momentum, but history would repeat itself once again: Rosales' ball is headed away, and it looks as though Seattle is about to counter. Hassani Dotson comes in with a nasty challenge on Ruidiaz and is shown red without hesitation. Looking at the replay, it is unnecessary and reckless from the midfielder. Because of this challenge, Minnesota is down to ten men for the rest of the match. 

Minnesota is able to hold on for a while. Seattle is able to generate half-chances throughout most of the second half. Minnesota even creates a chance of their own on a counter attack, but Tani gets the finish wrong, and Thomas makes the save. Eventually, Seattle would break the deadlock in the eighty-sixth minute. A well-worked ball finds the foot of Rothrock (substitution), who is kept onside by Tapias. He crosses the ball to Morris for a tap-in, and the Sounders lead 1-0. 

Seattle would have an opportunity to go up 2-0. In the ninety-first minute, Minnesota United's Samuel Shashoua, who came on as a sub, is caught in a challenge just inside the box, and Seattle is awarded a penalty. Rusnák steps up to take the penalty, and it is SAVED by St. Clair. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Seattle would go up 2-0 not long after the save: Shashoua would have another poor moment, giving the ball away just outside of Minnesota's box. Morris finds the run of Rothrock, who finishes first-time. It's a replica of how Minnesota lost to Seattle earlier in the year, and the match would once again end 2-0. 

Overall, the Loons' showing was alright. They generated more chances against Seattle than I have seen in the past. In the end, another ridiculous sending-off of Hassani Dotson would cost them the match. At this point, I would argue for the benching of Dotson, considering this is his second-sending off (in the most ridiculous fashion, mind you) in the last three weeks or so. With that being said, Minnesota's losing streak against Seattle in Seattle continues. 

MNUFC VS Sounders HIGHLIGHTS

Necaxa TONIGHT

Tonight, July 30th, Minnesota United will take on Necaxa of Liga MX at Allianz Field. For Minnesota to stay alive in the tournament, tonight is a must-win. There are no scenarios where a tie or loss would keep them in the tournament. 

Here is how I think Minnesota should line up: 

I think the backline will remain relatively the same. In my opinion, Bacharach and Mesanvi both proved themselves worthy of starting. The only question would be Bacharach's fitness. It would be interesting to see Padelford playing as a fullback with Rosales on the wing, considering how influential Rosales has been in the attack. I think Hlongwane should then take the right side since he is able to play well on either side of the midfield with Rosales thriving on the left. With the suspension of Dotson and Trapp still not being at one-hundred-percent injury-wise, Bran is our only midfield option. Lod should return to the midfield as well. I also think Tani should get the start over Pukki up top, especially considering this is a must-win match for the Loons. This is not to slander Pukki's name (dad). Tani has proven himself to be the more effective goalscorer of the two. 

(It's unlikely that Minnesota's new signings will play until the regular season starts back up again, but I just wanted to mention that they do exist).

Minnesota will take on Necaxa TONIGHT, July 30th, at 8 PM. 

A Look Around Leagues Cup

Leagues Cup has taken off over the last few days. The first round of matches showcased MLS dominance, the only victory for Liga MX being Atlas' 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. As a patriotic American soccer fan, it's my job to root for MLS teams, no matter how much I would normally despise them. 

Here are some highlights:

Austin FC VS Pumas: 

Austin FC took on Pumas this past Friday at Q2 Stadium in Texas. This match was insane: Austin would open the scoring in the eighth minute with a goal from Alexander Ring. From there, thing would take what you would think would be a turn for the worse for Austin. Bukari is sent off due to a double-yellow occurring over a period of six minutes. Austin fans have been arguing the first yellow was, in their words, "bullshit." I haven't seen it, so I cannot say either way, but if this competition has proven anything, it's that refs are incompetent. But even with a man down, Austin would hold on for all three points. Gyasi Zardes would strike on the counter just before the end of the first half, making it 2-0. Pumas would half the deficit in the final play just before the halftime whistle was blown. Ten-man Austin would increase their lead in the fifty-fifth minute. Pumas would come back to make it 3-2 in the seventy-second minute. In the final moments of the match, VAR would award a penalty to Pumas, but backup keeper STEFAN CLEVELAND would make the save, securing Austin's result. It's a massive three points for them considering the circumstances. 

My guy speaks for MLS fans everywhere

Cleveland PK SAVE

LAFC VS Tijuana: 

LAFC defeated Tijuana 3-0 this past Friday. Olivera and Bouanga cooked together in the attack. Olivera's brace featured both assists from Bounaga, and Bouanga's goal featured an assist from Olivera. It honestly could've been a much larger margin of victory if not for Tijuana's keeper. They may have wanted more out of that match, but LAFC will take the deserved three points. 

Portland VS Leon:

What a match this was! The Portland Timbers defeated Leon at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. Leon struck first in the twelfth minute, but from then on, Portland would come back to win it. The Timbers took advantage of their set pieces, Evander absolutely cooking on the services and McGraw providing the finishes in stoppage time at the end of the first half, then again in stoppage time in the second half. Zac McGraw and Evander are Leon's dads, I guess. It's a big three points for the Timbers. 

What if I told you this American army veteran plays for the Canadian Men's National Team? (Zac McGraw, pictured on the right)

U.S. Olympic Soccer Domination

Over this past week, both the U23s and USWNT have competed almost if not all of their group stage matches. Both teams have provided dominating performances that have gotten them into the knockouts of this olympic cycle. 

The U23s got off to a bit of a rocky start. In the first match of the group stage, the U23s took on France and suffered a 3-0 defeat to the hosts. It was a disappointing result for a match that I believe they played well in despite the scoreline. The youngsters turned it around against New Zealand with a thumping 4-1 victory over the Kiwis. (RIP Michael Boxall. You can come back to Minnesota now). That match featured goals from Mihailovic, Zimmerman, Busio, and baby Aaronson. Patrick Schulte played a key role as well with a couple of important saves. The U23s would then go on to defeat Guinea with another three-goal advantage. This match featured an impressive free-kick from Mihailovic and a brace from Kevin Paredes. Even with the loss at the beginning of the group stage, the U23s have clinched their spot in the quarterfinals. 

The USWNT have been dominant in their group stage matches so far. Their first match was this past Thursday against Zambia. This was an easy 3-0 victory for the United States with a brace from Swanson and Trinity Rodman's first national team goal of the calendar year. That match could've easily had five or six goals in favor of the United States. Their second group stage match was this past Sunday versus Germany, the most anticipated match in the group. With a win there, the USWNT would advance to the knockouts. In a 4-1 victory over Germany, the USWNT proved to be the dominant side we've been missing for the last year or so. This match featured a brace from Smith, and goals from Swanson & Williams. The U.S. Women's National Team is proving to be competitors for the gold once again. 

The U23s will take on Morocco in the quarterfinals this coming Friday at 8 AM (gross). 

The USWNT will take on Australia in their final group stage match tomorrow at 12 PM. They will then play their quarterfinal match next week. 

 

That's all for this week!