Minneapolis City twice rallied to level after falling a goal behind, and tallied the game’s ultimate goal to secure a vital 3-2 victory over the Madison 56ers late Saturday afternoon.
Facing a number of injuries, as well as other roster issues, City was forced to travel to Madison with a 12-man squad. Club chairman Dan Hoedeman was the team’s only reserve, insurance against an injury to goalkeeper Matt Elder.
The hosts lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Connor Rortvedt in goal. Henry Simon, Scott Cameron, John Krutty and Abdul Kooistra filled Madison’s back four from right to left. Rolando Salas and captain Taylor Pill formed a base of a midfield triangle, with Lloyd Rowlatt at its point. Up top, center forward Anthony Amalo was flanked by Samuel Novak on the right and Alfredo Ramirez-Pinho on his left.
The Grumpy Cats started and ended the match with Matt Elder between the posts. Captain Trey Benhart took his usual place in the center of defense and was joined by Aaron Olson, who was pulled in from fullback due to the players available to coach Jeremy Iwaszkowiec. Lance Gaspar and Emmanuel Brown bracketed Benhart and Olson in City’s back line. Ian Smith sat in front of defense with Sam Forsgren making his City debut in midfield. Tim Willis began the game playing behind striker Andy Lorei with Isaac Forsgren and Will Kidd taking up on the wings.
First Half
Given the 90-degree temperature at kickoff, with the turf at Breese Stevens Field radiating the day’s heat, neither team opted for a high press, with both content to organize their ranks within their own defensive halves.
Madison had the initial run of play and drew first blood in the 11th minute after the 56ers were awarded a free kick 30 yards from goal. Pill, swinging the ball into the box with his right foot, found fellow 56er Novak at the far post. The right winger beat his mark, leaped and headed the ball into the back of the net.
Three minutes after the restart, the Crows’ would create their first decent scoring chance of the game. Gaspar, pushing forward from the back, knocked the ball past and ran around his mark, advancing up City’s right flank. Reaching the edge of the 18-yard box, the fullback pulled the ball back on the ground for Lorei, who squared himself with a touch before loosing a shot. Unfortunately for the Crows, two 56ers defenders had closed Lorei down and the shot was blocked for a corner.
In the 17th minute, Issac Forsgren played a clever ball over the top of the 56ers’ back line and initially looked to have put Willis in on goal, but the play was blown dead with Willis ruled offside.
The 56ers received a chance to double their lead in the 19th minute. In the immediate aftermath of a Madison corner, the ball fell to Ramirez-Pinho at the top of CIty’s 18-yard box. The left winger fired a low, driven shot in the direction of the near post, but Elder was able to save and hold.
For a spell, City wasn’t having much luck advancing the ball into the final third of the field. The Crows were able to hold possession comfortably in their own half, but were searching for the combination play needed to work the ball through Madison’s lines in attack.
That bit of combination play would come in the 27th minute. Andy Lorei, pushing forward after having dropped deep in an attempt to link play, ran on to a clever ball played through the 56ers’ midfield. Lorei, receiving the ball to the left of Rortvedt’s goal, crossed the ball to Isaac Forsgren at the back post.
The younger of the two Forsgrens, Isaac showed a bit of maturity in playing Lorei’s cross. The left winger could easily have headed the ball at goal, and perhaps even had time to trap the ball with his chest before attempting a shot, but instead, squared the ball with his head for his brother Sam who had made a run through the middle of the 18-yard box.
The pass left Rortvedt with little chance as the elder Forsgreen needed only a single touch to level the game at 1-1.
Two minutes later, a defensive miscue put the Crows’ goal under threat. Benhart was forced to play a lofted ball on a short hop, racing to beat Ramirez-Pinho to the ball. The combination of the turf and the spin of the ball sent the later over Benhart’s foot, giving Ramirez-Pinho a free shot on goal from the top of the 18-yard box.
Ramirez-Pinho fired low, attempting to beat Elder to the near post. Diving to his left, Elder was able to parry the ball around the post for a corner.
For the next ten minutes the run of play was fairly even, but Novak’s pace and strength was asking questions of the Grumpy Cats’ defense. The right winger would net his second goal of the game in the 38th minute, again popping up at City’s back post to score from a set piece — this time from a corner kick.
When asked after the game if he was surprised that he had scored a pair of first-half goals from set pieces, given the trouble he had given City down their left flank, Novak answered, “I’m not too surprised. I’m pretty good in the air, with my head.”
Down a goal, Iwaszkowiec addressed his charges at the break. “Alright, 45 minutes left, how do we all feel?” asked City’s manager. “Now we can press a little harder, step a little higher.”
Second Half
It didn’t take long for City to level the match for a second time. Just 4 minutes into the second half, the Crows would score from a set piece of their own.
A Grumpy Cats’ free kick rattled around in traffic before falling to Gaspar. Scott positioned himself to block Gaspar’s effort and received a shot in the face for his trouble. Adding insult to injury, the ball caromed off the 56ers’ defender into goal, tying the game at 2-2.
In the 53rd minute, the 56ers were awarded a dangerous free kick, 25 yards out and even with Elder’s right post. Pill elected to have a go at goal, but his powerful effort sailed over both the wall and crossbar.
Then, just a minute later, City struck again. Smith slipped a pass through to Lorei on the edge of Madison’s penalty area. Lorei drove the ball towards the near post, then squared the ball into the six-yard box. In the race for the ball between Rortvedt, coming off his line, and Sam Forsgren, bearing down on goal, the latter arrived a half step before the former, poking the ball over the diving keep and into the back netting.
Madison, playing from behind for the first time on the day, mustered a shot on target in the 56th minute when Ramirez-Pinho created his own space at the corner of the penalty area. The strike had Elder beat and would have gone in, were it not for a goal-line clearance from Smith, who had dropped to the back post in the nick of time.
The 56ers threatened to score again in the 63rd when Kooistra swung a long cross towards City’s back post. Elder came off his line, but was unable to claim, as Krutty rose to meet the ball. The centerback was able to reach the cross with his head, but only at full stretch, and the resulting header was redirected high and wide.
In the 67th minute, Olson stepped up to intercept a 56ers pass, but wound up getting turned by Amalo. The forward, racing toward goal, cut inside a pair of recovering City defenders on his way into the penalty area. With only Elder to beat, Amalo skied his strike over the frame while running at pace.
As the final 20 minutes progressed, City sought to see out the match and sat deep, content to retain possession in their own half until pressed.
In the 72nd minute, City’s earned its last real chance on goal. Kidd drew a foul just outside Madison’s 18-yard box. Sam Forsgren, looking for a hat trick, took the opportunity to have a crack at goal. The ball was driven firmly, but directly at Rortvedt, who was able to hold.
Fighting to hold onto three points, the Crows would turn away a series of 56ers threats.
With 13 minutes remaining, Madison was awarded a corner, which City was able to clear.
In the 81st, the 56ers won a free kick in the center of the field 25 yards from goal. Kooistra bent the ball around City’s wall, but also into the center of the goal where a waiting Elder comfortably gathered the shot.
In the 87th, Madison was awarded another free kick. Pill approached, then fired high and wide of Elder’s right post.
Finally, in extra time, during a scramble in City’s penalty area, a deflection fell to one of the 56ers in a crowd of bodies. The resulting volley was driven into the ground and, on a hop, appeared to be on path to tie the game. An impressive reaction save from Elder, shoveling the ball up and off the goal line with a strong right hand, preserved the lead for Minneapolis.
Shortly thereafter, the final whistle sounded.
The victory pushed City to the top of the Premier League of America West Division, though second place Milwaukee Bavarians trail by only three points with two games in hand.
Reactions
As to whether the 3-2 score line reflected the run of play, 56ers head coach Jim Launder offered, “As well as anything.”
“They played very clever — the timing of how they went about things, caught us on a couple of attacks,” continued Launder. “We didn’t score on… three saves off the line, they had. That’s three separate incidents. So, it could have been different, but overall, I think [City] is a smart, good team.”
Novack, who scored a brace for Madison, differed. “I think we should have taken that one home,” stated the winger.
City’s captain, Benhart, was pleased with his side’s effort. “The eleven that we had, everyone battled,” said Benhart. “With the hard work and the effort we had, we came out with three points.”
Asked if he was expecting three points coming in to a hot afternoon with a shortage of substitutes, Benhart laughed and offered, “The whole way down, Matt Elder kept saying, ‘Three points. Three points, only, today.’ We set our mind only on three points, and that’s what we got.”
Iwaszkowiec was also in good spirits after the match, stating, “We had some last-second roster issues, some adversity. I’m really proud of the eleven that came down. They played a full 90 in very hot conditions and did everything we asked of them. We had a talk before we took off and again at the lunch stop. I think their attitude was great.”
On conceding twice from set pieces, Iwaszkowiec replied, “[The 56ers] are very good at set pieces. Coming into the game, that was one of the keys. We felt like the last time we played them, in the run of play, we had them not figured out, but we did pretty well with them. Set pieces, though, we were cognizant that’s one of their strengths.
“They ran a few pick plays on that back post that took us a little while to figure out. Hats off to those guys, they’re very good at them,” Iwaszkowiec continued. “One, maybe lost a mark. One felt like we were there but [Novak] just made a play.”
Sam Forsgren reflected on scoring on brace on his debut.
“It feels pretty good. I didn’t know how I was going to perform. I haven’t played in three weeks — I was in France for the Euros. I was a little nervous before, I didn’t know what kind of shape I’d be in.”
On having his brother assist on his first goal for City, Forsgren added, “That was nice. I’ve been playing with him for a while, now. Just kind of work well, together. Always fun to play with him, and I thought we did well out there.”
At one point in the second half, Elder was struck in the nethers by a shot from close range and required a few moments to collect himself.
“I was nervous, obviously, because I didn’t want [Elder] get hurt,” said City chairman and emergency goalkeeper Hoedeman. “But I was popping up there, telling Jeremy, ‘I’m ready coach.’ I was totally all pumped up. We were playing well in the second half and I had visions of saving a penalty, being the hero, taking selfies…”
“And then I sat down.”
Looking ahead to the Crows’ final three matches and City’s pursuit of a berth in the PLA semifinals, Iwaszkowiec said, “We’re excited to get players back in the mix. Right now we’re a little dinged up, mentally and physically. This win will do a lot to help right that ship, and get us moving in a positive trajectory for this last, little bit of the season. Today was a good day.”
Minneapolis City will take a week off before hosting Milwaukee Bavarians at home on Saturday, July 9th.
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