Since Minnesota United started losing players at the beginning of June, to international teams and to injuries, the Loons have simply been trying to hold on until they had their team back together – and hold on to points, late in games.
They couldn’t do it in Portland, they couldn’t do it in Los Angeles, but Saturday in Houston, Minnesota finally managed it, drawing 1-1 with the Houston Dynamo. It ended Minnesota’s six-game losing streak, and gave Minnesota a precious point in the standings for the first time since June 8.
Of course, it also extended the Loons’ winless streak to eight games, but after six consecutive games with zero points, even earning one must have felt like a weight coming off Minnesota’s shoulders.
“We leave content in one sense, but disappointed in that we weren’t able to see the game out, and weren’t able to execute the really fine details that we needed to, defending our box toward the end,” said Loons manager Eric Ramsay. “So it’s bittersweet in that sense, because I think it’s a really important point.”
Minnesota broke the deadlock in the 70th minute – and they did it, as they so often have this season, from a set piece.
Joseph Rosales took a corner kick from the left, and while his initial ball into the penalty area was cleared, Franco Fragapane picked up the clearance. Fragapane played an outstanding pass back to Rosales, curving it with the outside of his right boot and leaving Rosales wide open to play in another cross. This time, Robin Lod was making a run at the near post, and he flicked the pass inside the post to give Minnesota the lead.
Twelve minutes later, though, Houston was back level, from a corner kick of its own. Minnesota’s defense failed to get a head on the corner, which bounced to Sebastian Ferreira, who had time to steady himself and blast a shot from five yards away that was moving too fast for any Minnesota player to affect it.
“We’re in the incredible position of being the best team on attacking set players, or certainly one of the top two or three, and one of the worst on defending set plays, which is a strange position to be in and something that we’ve really got to improve on,” said Ramsay.
MNUFC’s best chances of the first half came barely 200 seconds in, as a pass from Lod found Joseph Rosales open on the left side of the penalty area. The Honduran’s shot was straight at goalkeeper Steve Clark, however. Moments later, a cross found Bongokuhle Hlongwane making a run at the near post, but his flick cannoned off the outside of the post and away.
Kickoff of the game was delayed for almost an hour, due to lightning in the area.
Minnesota will finally welcome Tani Oluwaseyi and Dayne St. Clair back this week from Copa América. Both of the Canadian Loons started the third-place playoff against Uruguay, marking Oluwaseyi’s first start ever for Canada. The striker played 66 minutes and the teams tied 2-2 after regulation, but Canada lost the penalty shootout 4-3.
“We’ve done some objective analysis this week, and we are worse off than any other MLS team, in the sense that we’ve had more minutes spread across the fewest players over this period and that obviously takes its toll,” said Ramsay. “Players are right at their physical limit, and we can only make so many changes from the bench. That will now change, as we approach a (transfer) window, and we welcome the last couple of pieces back from the Copa America.”
