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  • Minnesota United Collapse as Fury Win 2-3

    Wes Burdine

    September 18, 2016
    News
    Minnesota United Collapse as Fury Win 2-3

    “First half everyone thought we were Johan Cruyff. The second half… well, we made stupid mistakes,” Carl Craig summed up his team’s performance in the post-match interview. Minnesota United had three points in their hands with six minutes left in the match, only to see them snatched away.

    The Loons opened the match promisingly. In the first minute, a deflected Lance Laing cross had to be tipped over the bar by Romuald Peiser. Minnesota continued to harry the Fury with a particularly high press.

    The Fury weren’t overrun, however, and had their chances. Carl Haworth’s free kick in the 8th minute drew a smart save from Sammy Ndjock.

    The deadlock finally broke in the 30th minute when Ottawa’s Timbó turned a Jamie Watson shot into his own net. Speaking to our own Jeff Rueter after training, Christian Ramirez had predicted that he would score in the 30th minute. Instead, he sent a magnificently weighted ball to an on-rushing Watson down the right flank. Jamie fired in a shot that went off the Fury defender and in (as of writing it has been credited as a Watson goal).

    But in a foreshadowing of the rest of the evening, the lead lasted briefly. The Fury’s Giuseppe Gentile finished coolly after Ottawa forced the Loons midfield to turn the ball over.

    The Loons went into the half on top, however, after Christian Ramirez converted a penalty in the 44th minute. Ramirez had earned the penalty when he was knocked over from behind.

    In the second half, Minnesota abandoned the gegenpressing of the first and allowed Ottawa to enter the match. Carl Craig also replaced Tiago Calvano, dropping Aaron Pitchkolan into the center of defense and bringing Juliano Vicentini into the midfield.

    Ramirez had a perfect opportunity to double his tally in the 55th minute after Ben Speas set him free, but his shot was blocked by a defender. For some time, the match seemed even, but in the last 15 minutes, Ottawa gained a full head of steam.

    The Fury finally broke through in the 84th minute. Eddie Edward sent in a hard cross that Ryan Williams headed in. Minnesota responded by throwing everyone forward to try to take back the momentum, but a turnover in the midfield resulted in Jamar Dixon sending in a cross for Danny Mwanga to head home.

    After a late-match collapse to the Ottawa Fury, Carl Craig sat motionless on his bench for several minutes; the frustration amongst the players and staff was palpable.

    A loss from Miami FC means that Minnesota still hold a four point lead in the playoff race (though Miami have a game in hand).

    After the match, Carl Craig, Jamie Watson, and Christian Ramirez addressed the media. Watch their comments here.

    Minnesota United FC, Ottawa Fury FC
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    7 responses to “Minnesota United Collapse as Fury Win 2-3”

    1. Tres Gatos Avatar
      Tres Gatos
      September 18, 2016

      Sure, they have a 4 point gap over Miami who have a game in hand. But we need to hope FtL drops some points this evening against OKC. Currently the Strikers are 5 points back with 2 matches in hand. Destiny is currently out of United’s hands. 🙁

      Reply
    2. Peter Scholtz Avatar
      Peter Scholtz
      September 18, 2016

      I have no confidence that this team can pull a playoff spot, with or without control of their own destiny.

      Reply
      1. Tres Gatos Avatar
        Tres Gatos
        September 18, 2016

        Agreed

        Reply
      2. Wes Avatar
        Wes
        September 18, 2016

        or, if they do clinch it… things really need to start shifting to build up some actual momentum for the playoffs.

        Reply
      3. Melissa Danner Avatar
        Melissa Danner
        September 19, 2016

        It won’t matter if they make it or not. They’ll have to beat the Cosmos in New York in the first round to even get to the championship game, and with the way the Cosmos are playing vs. the way the Loons are playing, there’ll be no contest.

        Reply
      4. Tres Gatos Avatar
        Tres Gatos
        September 19, 2016

        Thankfully, Fort Lauderdale dropped some points last night with their draw against OKC. For what it is worth, “destiny” is back in our hands. lol

        Reply
    3. Chris RB Avatar
      Chris RB
      September 18, 2016

      Gross. United couldn’t connect passes, couldn’t control the ball, and were outplayed for a vast majority of the game (from my seat, at least). Watson made several runs that went unnoticed, but he also isn’t great at controlling them. Jeb was a disaster in terms of possession last night, Viva was hesitant to get forward…

      Laing actually did several good things, including some not as-hard-as-possible crosses, but also gave the ball away a lot.

      Just not good enough.

      Reply

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