Are we witnessing the return of the Dark Knight? Getting his first start at home Sunday, Miguel Ibarra made the most of the opportunity as a fan favorite. His header in the 72nd minute propelled Minnesota United FC to its second win of the season behind another strong second half from the team.
In the previous four games, Minnesota United nabbed five points. It has been due in large part to the second half performances by the team. Sunday’s 1-0 win followed the same script.
The Colorado Rapids came into Sunday’s game struggling. The team was missing key contributors like Tim Howard, Axel Sjöberg, Jared Watts, Nana Boateng, and (of course) Sam Cronin and Marc Burch. The only point for the Rapids in the last four games came against the Loons on March 18 at home. Since the two teams met, the Rapids allowed two late goals to give away the Rocky Mountain Cup to Real Salt Lake last week and was on the wrong end of a 3-1 result in Kansas City two weeks prior.
The Loons, meanwhile, picked up their first win of the season three weeks ago against RSL, and bounced back from a 2-0 defeat at FC Dallas to come back against Houston Dynamo for a point over a challenging two-game Texas road trip.
This was probably the first match in Minnesota’s MLS history where the team was favored.
First half
Head coach Adrian Heath, and most of the defensive line, admitted the first half went to Colorado.
“Anybody knows me, knows that I like to control the game through possession,” Heath said. “I thought we started really slowly this evening and let the opposition take the initiative and started to control possession, which is something that I don’t particularly care for.”
Early on, the Rapids looked dangerous from play on the wing. They almost opened the scoring within the first five minutes when Dominique Badji redirected a cross from the left, but his own teammate, Marlon Hairston, accidentally blocked the ball from nestling in the corner of the Minnesota net.
At the end of the first half, the Loons successfully navigated a clean sheet heading into the locker room for the first time this season.
“This whole week was about defending the box,” Brent Kallman said. “If the ball was out wide, we needed to get in good spots to defend the box properly. I think that was the key for us in the first half.”
“We did a really good job. One guy out, three guys in, defending the box. Guys came up with some key clearances to keep the game 0-0. If we keep the game close and keep the game 0-0, we give ourselves a chance because we can score at any moment. We’ve showed that.”
Second half
As lackluster the first half seemed for the Loons, the second half proved to be the exact opposite offensively—starting with Kevin Molino putting a low and hard shot on frame in the 54th minute. Zac MacMath came up with the save and Kortne Ford put out the rebound for a corner ahead of a sliding Christian Ramirez, but the attempts seemed to jumpstart the Loons and the 17,491 fans in attendance.
Yet despite the positive momentum going forward, the Loons were in for a scare, when Badji inexplicably smashed a one-time shot from within the six-yard box off the bar. Reprieved, Minnesota locked in and dominated the rest of the match.
Ramirez nearly put United in front in the 62nd minute, sending in a looping header from 12 yards out. MacMath put his stamp as a Save of the Week contender by tipping the ball over the bar. Later, a cross from Kevin Molino was headed just wide of the Colorado goal by a defender.
The goal would come from the resulting corner kick. The ball was headed out of the box and fell to Ibson, who took a touch to control it and then volleyed a shot back on goal. The ball knocked off the far goalpost and fell directly to Johan Venegas, whose diving header put the ball back across the open goal frame. Ramirez and Ibarra were the only two players alert to the opportunity, and it was Ibarra whose diving header met the ball. In the 72nd minute of a tie game, it was a fantastic time for the longtime Minnesota favorite to score his first MLS goal.
“It was actually a surprise for me to be in the box,” Ibarra said. “I don’t normally do that.”
This was the third start for Ibarra in Minnesota since leaving for Club León in 2015. After struggling in the first few opportunities, Ibarra seemed to find his footing against Houston last week.
“I didn’t really get time out there, so now just getting playing time and getting my confidence back,” Ibarra said. “I’m getting back into it and it feels just really good to get out there and play.”
Match statistics
Minnesota United 1 — Colorado Rapids 0
Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium
Kickoff: 5 p.m.
Weather: Sunny
Scoring summary
Miguel Ibarra (72′) — assist from Johan Venegas
Discipline
Dominique Badji (18′)
Kevin Molino (33′)
Mekeil Williams (90’+2′)
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