Three goals in six minutes helped Minnesota United FC (MLS) erase a one-goal deficit in the second half as the Loons defeated Detroit City FC (USL Championship) 3-1 at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Mich.
Yazeed Matthews scored his second goal of the US Open Cup early in the match to give Le Rouge the lead, but Franco Fragapane, Emmanuel Iwe, and Luis Amarilla all were able to get on the scoresheet to turn the tide in favor of the Major League Soccer side.
Detroit was able to make their statement early in the match in the fifth minute as Matthews and Devon Amoo-Mensah were able to trade passes after intercepting a clearance. This ultimately culminated in a Matthews strike from about 25 yards out. The ball went past a diving Clint Irwin, bounced off the left post, and trickled in toward the opposite side, eerily mimicking the penalty kick goal scored by Maxi Rodriguez last year in this round that brought DCFC the win over the Columbus Crew.
a series of fortunate events in 5 minutes#MNUFC | #DETvMIN
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) April 26, 2023
The goal by the home side appeared to wake up the visitors from St. Paul, as they turned up the pressure quickly. The pressure steamed over in the 15th minute as they failed to capitalize on a counter-attack, with the pass to Cameron Dunbar in the box deflecting back off his feet. Oneil Fisher, who had played for the Loons last year (appearing in two of their USOC matches), was able to collect the ball and move toward the line, where Amarilla caught up with him and checked him into the sideline. Words were exchanged involving the referee, Kervin Arriaga, and MNUFC head coach Adrian Heath, ultimately leading to Heath being shown a yellow card.
The remainder of the first half saw both sides trading chances. One set came in the 28th minute, as Fragapane slid the ball forward for Amarilla, but Steinwascher was able to slide in and collect. On the ensuing counter for Detroit, Ben Morris sent the ball wide to Fisher, who pushed a one-time pass into the box where Connor Rutz wasn’t able to get the shot on frame. Arguably the best chance for Minnesota in the first half was in the 38th minute when they had a pair of corners, both of which led to shots on frame only to be blocked.
Minnesota United was able to put their stamp on the match in the second half, pressing the Detroit City back line and testing Steinwascher a multitude of times, forcing him to make five saves in the first 15 minutes. The breakthrough came in the 60th minute as Fragapane received the ball in the box, and laid it off for Dunbar, who passed it back to Fragapane behind the defensive line. Fragapane was able to put the ball in the top shelf to tie the match at 1-1.
From that point, the goals for the Loons came quickly. Just three minutes later in the 63rd, Iwe received the ball off a deflection, took a step to the left, and fired a shot that deflected off a guarding Michael Bryant and over an unsuspecting Steinwascher. Just like that, Minnesota went from down 1-0 to up 2-1, turning the match on its head.
The goals didn’t stop there, though. Again just three minutes later, in the 66th minute, Minnesota widened the lead. A corner kick resulted in a header by Brent Kallman that was cleared by Abdoulaye Diop. However, that clearance landed at the foot of Amarilla 12 yards out, who volleyed the shot, again deflected, into the net.
DCFC’s best chance to make up ground came in the 85th minute as Skage Simonsen sent a ball past midfield to a streaking Morris on a counterattack, hoping to catch Irwin off guard. Irwin was able to make a diving save, shutting the door to the possibility of a comeback by the underdog side.
With the win, Minnesota earned its first win of this year’s competition after getting upset by Union Omaha (USL League One) last year. On the other end, Detroit City FC loses their first US Open Cup match in regulation time since 2015, when they, as an amateur side, were defeated 3-0 by the Michigan Bucks (now Flint City Bucks).
