WOODBURY, MN – On a warm, windy day the Minnesota United FC Reserves welcomed the Madison 56ers to East Ridge High School for the two teams’ fourth match of the season.
The Lineups
Madison lined up in a 4-3-3 with recent high school graduate Noah Heim in goal. Their plan of attack was to press high up the pitch, win the ball and attack with speed. The Minnesota United Reserves, meanwhile, set up in the same 4-2-3-1 we have seen in the NASL squad. United keeper Aaron Perez was in goal. United’s strategy was to keep the ball on the pitch and maintain possession much like the senior club.
Minnesota kept the ball on the deck, as head coach Andy Seidel prefers to play in that manner and the Reserves showed up with short squad; the 56ers had the vertical advantage across the pitch.
First Half
Unlike a typical match were both teams play conservatively and feel each other out, both teams charged forward and created half chances on their first possession. The 56ers pressed Minnesota and tried to limit their time on the ball.
Madison’s strategy of playing fast and direct nearly paid off seventh minute when they broke in on goal, but keeper Aaron Perez was able to slide tackle the ball away. At the other end, the United Reserves created a chance, but the weak shot was saved by keeper Noah Heim.
After the first twelve minutes, United adjusted to the high press of the 56ers and had more success keeping possession of the ball.
Ironically, it was not this possession that led to the opening goal. After Madison won a free kick very near Minnesota’s corner, the clearance fell to a United player near the midline. Madison keeper Heim came out to close down the angle, but the high chipped shot by Andres “Coco” Jaramillo found the net and the Reserves had their lead.
After being whistled for several fouls, Madison back off their early aggressive nature giving United more space to control play. Minnesota occasionally hit a long pass to keep the 56ers honest. The middle portion of the period was heavily controlled by United, with Madison struggling to connect their long passes, possibly due to the gusting winds blowing lengthwise down the field. Madison did make a late push but was unable to break through. Heim made a diving save off a header in the 40th minute, keeping the score to the 1-0 scoreline, which saw out the half.
Second Half
Madison shifted from the 4-3-3 they began into a 4-4-2, giving themselves defensive stability while still having speedy outlet men up top. Minnesota, cautious perhaps of continued pressure from Madison, sat back to defend to begin the period.
Sensing that momentum was with them, Madison made three quick changes between the 53rd and 60th minutes. A bad giveaway at midfield for United led to a chance for Madison, and shortly thereafter a Madison forward was pushed down in the box, but the ref waved away the penalty shout.
Madison continued pressing, but not quite as highly. The focus instead was on clogging the midfield, denying United the ability to play through to the attacking third. United compensated by doing an impression of Dmitri Payet; a blast by Rodrigo Galvan Yanez from 30 yards out found the top left corner of Madison’s net; the keeper had no chance to save the shot.
Madison surged forward, searching for anything. Their attack broke down consistently 30 yards out from Minnesota’s goal; runners slowed down, passes started going backwards, and the danger subsided. Having won a corner, Minnesota had a point-blank shot saved by Heim who played well for having allowed two earlier goals.
As the game wore on, play shifted towards the midfield, with neither team able to break into the final third. United made a few substitutions, bringing off a number of attacking players for defensive stability.
Madison continued pressing, but failed to test Perez; Minnesota defended well and cut off attacks before they developed.
Coaches’ Thoughts
Coach Seidel was pleased with the teams’ play, saying “We had some really really good moments, and there was probably 10 or 15 minutes we were on our heels.”
A convincing 2-0 victory sometimes doesn’t lend itself to displaying weaknesses, but Seidel found one to work on, saying “We’re gonna keep on trying to play our style. I think it broke down a lot in the attacking third… breaking through their back line and finishing with better chances on goal.”
Next week, the Reserves travel to Milwaukee to take on the Croatian Eagles who recently downed Minneapolis City.
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