[ad_1]
Minnesota United fell to Austin FC 1-0 after playing with 10 men for over an hour. A slower pace kept the score low and while the Loons tried to stick to their principles despite the disadvantage, Austin’s composure proved too much to overcome in the end.
The Loons started with what was 5-4-1 on paper, but not in practice. In possession, the locals operated more in 3-4-3, while returning to 5-2-3 in defense. The formation was similar to what fans are used to seeing, and matched well with the 4-2-4 that Austin often dropped into. El Tree’s wide midfielders were virtually non-existent for most of the match, but found most of their success when pressing forward.
The opening 25 minutes of the half were relatively uneventful, with methodical and technically sound football taking the place of the high-octane track encounter we witnessed in Dallas earlier this week. Small errors were the only thing that prevented the Loons from putting the cherry on top of some remarkably clean passages of play, while Austin’s patience with the ball could easily have been seen as a lack of urgency. But in the 26th minute everything changed.
After picking up his first yellow card of the night just a minute earlier, Hassani Dotson took his marching orders with second caution. This forced MNUFC to abandon their preferred back five, as Kervin Arriaga moved into midfield to join Wil Trapp. The shape looked more like a 4-1-1-3 by the time it all settled down, with Arriaga sitting just behind Trapp, who was seemingly given the responsibility of linking the entire midfield through the middle.
The 10-man Loons did an admirable job of covering his absence, but with the space opened up by his dismissal, it was only a matter of time before Austin found a favorable position with their patient’s growth. The opener came just five minutes later as Clint Irwin’s cross fell to the feet of Diego Rubio in the area, with the Chilean striker taking his time to pick the right finish and, in the end, win the game for his side.
The second half was uncomfortable at times, but mostly uneventful. The Loons created better chances in the second 45, and the introduction of Caden Clark and Franco Fragapane in the 58th minute certainly provided a 10-minute spurt in attack, but a case of poor finishing – mixed with a scare general to hunt. ball—kept the local from putting anything in the net.
In the final ten minutes, Austin dominated possession, as gaps in midfield allowed them to string together more organized sequences and wear down the undermanned Loons side. Sang Bin Jeong continued to apply high pressure until the final whistle, often alone, and a spark from Joseph Rosales and Caden Clark in the 85th minute saw the Honduran come from behind, giving Sang Bin a chance to produced the equalizer. .
Too much effort ultimately resulted in too little for MNUFC tonight, and while the hosts certainly dealt with their hour spent playing down a man admirably, it’s a tough task to get a result without 11 men on the field. The whole back line put in a good shift over the 90 minutes and if someone had gone to Rubio a bit sooner he would have earned the clean sheet he deserved. Wil Trapp was often a one-man midfield after Dotson was sent off, while Sang Bin’s tireless efforts did not go unnoticed.
Although there were moments of quality throughout the match, Austin’s patience and some costly mistakes prevented MNUFC from taking any points tonight. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference after this result, with 29 points from 19 games. The Loons will hope to return to form in their next game against Portland at Providence Park next Saturday, June 29 at 9:30pm CT.
[ad_2]
