Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay put “cold, hard truths” on the table after his team gave up 90th and 91st-minute goals in a 3-2 loss to D.C. United on Wednesday at Allianz Field.
“We have really lacked that desire and killer instinct to close a game out,” Ramsay said postgame. “There is no one in (the locker room who) is going to disagree with me in that sense.”
The most frustrating part for MNUFC was the scouting report had D.C. striker Christian Benteke alone on the top line. His importance in a printed game plan would have been circled, underlined and covered in a bright yellow highlighter. With 14 goals coming into the match, the 6-foot-3 forward was clearly the most dangerous man for D.C., especially in the air on set plays, an area that doubled as the Loons’ defensive weakness.
Benteke ended up contributing to all three of his team’s goals — two goals and one assist — including two on set pieces.
“We’ve unfortunately lost the game to one player,” Ramsay said. “We are really disappointed.”
MNUFC took a 2-1 lead on Teemu Pukki’s goal in the 80th minute, but Benteke’s header was an assist on Aaron Herrera’s equalizer in the 90th minute, and he scored the game-winner himself in stoppage time. It flipped what looked like a win for the Loons (8-10-6, 30 points) into their ninth straight game without a victory. D.C. Untied (6-11-8, 26 points) won two straight for the first time since April 2023.
“Stupid goals,” Pukki lamented.
The Loons handed a goal to D.C. in the 15th minute. Caden Clark’s brutal giveaway pass allowed D.C. to spring a counterattack. Benteke bulldozed through Hassani Dotson, Bongi Hlongwane and Dotson again to score the opener past goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
Ramsay made a questionable choice to task Carlos Harvey with defending Benteke on set pieces. Harvey gives up at least four inches in height to Benteke and is a central midfielder filling in at center back.
Ramsay said that decision came down to where to place his best headers of the ball: either free to roam and attack based on the flight of the ball or to man-mark the huge threat in Benteke. “We’ve decided to strike an even balance there by using Carlos; he’s a good size and he’s a really strong boy,” Ramsay explained. “He goes up against Benteke with a view to making sure that you have (Micky) Tapias, (Michael) Boxall and a couple others in a position to go win a ball.”
In the end, the Loons found a new, painful way to drop points.
Briefly
Tani Oluwaseyi, who returned to MNUFC with St. Clair after six weeks with the Canadian men’s national team, equalized for the Loons in the 32nd minute. It was his team-leading eighth goal of the season. … Loons captain center back Michael Boxall received a yellow card in the second half Wednesday and will be suspended for Saturday’s match against San Jose due to yellow-card accumulation. … The Loons granted a Make-A-Wish to 7-year-old Carter Lucero on Wednesday. The kid from Tucson, Ariz., was an honorary starter, scored an opening goal and celebrated in front of cheering fans in St. Paul.
