Bridget McDowell

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Bongokuhle Hlongwane of Minnesota United voted TheCup.us Player of the Round

May 22, 2023 by Bridget McDowell

Bongokuhle “Bongi” Hlongwane of Minnesota United was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round for the Fourth Round of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Minnesota United FC

Bongokuhle “Bongi” Hlongwane of Minnesota United FC doubled his 2023 goal count in the Fourth Round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match against the Philadelphia Union, giving life to a team that had squandered two leads. The young international is the first South African to play in MLS and has been an exciting example of that brand of football. Two goals and four assists in 2022 secured Hlongwane’s place as a supersub and he cemented that role in stunning fashion in the Fourth Round with a penalty kick win against Union. With his two goals and one assist, the gentleman’s hat trick, Hlongwane was voted TheCup.us Player of the Round.

Hlongwane ran away with the voting for the award. He outpaced Daniel Griffin of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, followed by Andrew Tarbell of the Houston Dynamo and last round’s winner Christian Volesky of Monterey Bay FC. The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) of TheCup.us’ Patreon team.

In the absence of Minnesota’s All-Star designated player Emanuel Reynoso, Hlongwane has become a regular starter in Adrian Heath’s attack this season, starting in all nine league matches ahead of the Round 4 matchup and tallying two goals in that stretch. His ability to race end to end and willingness to put his body on the line in the counterattack has opened possibilities for a team struggling to find an identity and a consistent formation. This grit was the difference against Philadelphia.

Hlongwane opened the scoring in the 68th minute with a glancing header inside the six, and dropped a dime to Joseph Rosales just five minutes later, putting the Loons up 2-0 in the 73rd minute. His composure in possession is a trait sorely lacking in this squad but shone against through the tired legs of the both sides in this match. The Loons, in a not atypical fashion, gave up the lead with Chris Donovan going unchallenged in front of goal in the 78th minute and Kai Wagner scoring at the death, equalizing in the fourth minute of stoppage time. It was Bongi who renewed Minnesota’s hopes in the first half of extra time.

While Minnesota’s go-ahead goal was canceled out by another last-gasp goal from Wagner, goalkeeper Clint Irwin stopped his penalty kick, sealing a win behind Hlongwane’s efforts. Wagner also received consideration for the award and had he scored the PK to extend the shootout, there’s a chance he would have won.

For Hlongwane, being the striker who secured the first win at home of the 2023 season was special.

“It’s been a while. But I still need to learn the song ,” said Hlongwane. “I am happy when I hear it. It makes me feel good because I see the people’s joy.”

Just a week later, he was responsible for the first home win in league play as well, the lone scorer in a 1-0 win against Houston Dynamo on Matchday 13, earning MLS Team of the Matchday honors and overtaking Luis Amarilla and Mender García as the squad’s leading scorer with three in league play.

Bongokuhle Hlongwane has contributed five goals and two assists in all competitions and leads Minnesota United with 13 shots on target (Amarilla is in second with 7). A fan favorite for his goal celebrations, Hlongwane is on track for a productive breakout performance this season and may well be the difference for an MNUFC squad that faces personnel challenges moving forward in US Open Cup play.

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Minnesota United overcome Philadelphia Union comebacks, advance after PK shootout

May 10, 2023 by Bridget McDowell

Minnesota United players celebrate after defeating the Philadelphia Union 7-6 in a PK shootout in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United FC had an opportunity to better their one-and-done performance in last year’s edition of the US Open Cup and they did so in stunning fashion on Tuesday night against Philadelphia Union at St Paul, Minnesota’s Allianz Field. The fact that it took a full 68 minutes before either team found a goal was not a surprise. However, one Philadelphia player snatching a win away from Minnesota in the last minute of play, twice, was a surprise. Still, the Loons outlasted their visitors to advance to the Round of 16, winning 7-6 in a penalty kick shootout after a 3-3 draw. This sets the stage for the first round of ‘Wonderwall’ of the 2023 season.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP — Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

Head coaches Adrian Heath and Jim Curtin had every excuse to roll out heavily rotated squads, with Heath’s side struggling in league play and Curtin’s seeing so much play over the last couple of weeks, but held close to their favored lineups while keeping things fresh. Clint Irwin started in goal for the home side following a clean performance at Detroit City FC in the last round. Ahead of him was a 5-3-2 capitalizing on Minnesota’s defensive depth and the attacking energy of Sang Bin Jeong and Mender García. Mikael Uhre and Chris Donovan started up top for the Union and Andre Blake remained in goal. Defender Damian Lowe (of NASL-era fame in Minnesota) got his second consecutive start.

The match started with a probing shot or two from each side in the opening minutes, all high or wide and no real threat. The biggest threats came from the chippy one-v-ones between centerback Michael Boxall and Uhre, Mickey Tapias and Joaquin Torres. It was a physical match with no real scoring threat. In fact, neither team registered a single shot on goal in the first half. The second half was a different story.

“They left a few out on Saturday, didn’t they? And then they brought them back in tonight, so weren’t totally surprised by their team,” Heath said. ΅You look at the team that they had on the field at the end, they were all on there. Gazdag and Wagner had come on, and Flach had come on. As I’ve said, theyŕe a good team, and they never give in. It didn’t surprise me that it went as long as it did this evening.”

Substitute Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored the first goal in the 68’, heading in a cross from rightback DJ Taylor. Hlongwane notched an assist six minutes later, cutting a ball across the box to Joseph Rosales in the 74’ for a one-time finish.

“It means a lot, it helped my confidence because I haven’t scored in six games,” Hlongwane reflected. “I was talking to my mom today and said ‘today we play and hopefully we can score because it’s been a while.’ And she said, ‘that’s your job’, you have to, so people in Minnesota who give us their love, we can show our appreciation for them by scoring goals. So I am happy.”

Donovan put Union on the board minutes later, given far too much space in the box in the 78th minute. While that goal propelled Philadelphia’s attack, Minnesota held on and were one late whistle away from a win when another substitute made his mark. Kai Wagner, who entered the match in the 87th minute, stunned Allianz in the 94th minute with an equalizer in the final seconds of stoppage time.

Extra time was a mirror of the teams’ late game efforts with Minnesota scoring first – a fantastic brace by Hlongwane in the 103rd minute – and Wagner extending the game for Philadelphia in the 120′, the final breaths of OT.

In the Modern Era of the US Open Cup, only five matches have been stretched to PKs by goals scored in the final minute, the last in 2014 when NTX Rayados beat the Austin Aztec in Round 2.

The keepers in Tuesday’s match each had only one PK shootout in their USOC careers and neither was on the winning side. It took eight rounds, but a diving stop by Irwin finally secured the win for MNUFC. And he gave the rest of the squad the credit.

“From guys who came on, really put on a shift. Guys at the beginning put on a shift. I think Bongi was absolutely electric when he came on and just put pressure on their back-line and ran with the space and had some incredible finishes,” Irwin said. “Yes, I made a couple saves, but at the same time, all these guys who made their penalties, put us in that position to have that opportunity to keep the game going, to keep the pressure on Philly and then you just have to come up with one in sudden death. I think it was a total performance from everyone.”

The final score, 7-6 after a 3-3 draw, is a rare example of the score sheet reflecting the tone and energy of the game. Minnesota will need to harness that momentum as they enter the Rpund of 16.

2022 US Open Cup Round 4: 10-man Minnesota United edge Colorado Rapids in storm-delayed match

May 12, 2022 by Bridget McDowell

Oniel Fisher of Minnesota United dribbles against the Colorado Rapids in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Minnesota United FC

The Fourth Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup came to a thrilling conclusion on Thursday afternoon in Saint Paul, where Minnesota United FC defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in a match that took two days to complete.

The game was tied 1-1 from two early goals on Wednesday night when in the 18th minute (17:30 to be exact) the match had to be halted due to lightning. The two teams met the following day for a 1 p.m. local time kickoff and the Loons drew a red card and scored a goal, making the supporters’ afternoon trip back to Allianz worthwhile while marking their fourth straight home win in Open Cup play, and extending Colorado’s road losing streak in the competition to seven.

10 men?

no problem.

Rey gives us the late lead here in Saint Paul. pic.twitter.com/Yj0HJZSUUM
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) May 12, 2022

As storm clouds raced in over the Twin Cities, the action on the pitch got off to a quick start. Minnesota took a few minutes to settle into a rare 3-4-3 formation while Colorado picked through the midfield with a pressing 3-4-1-2. Diego Rubio and Bryan Acosta connected early to keep the Loons’ defense on their toes. But midfield turnovers were the story of the opening minutes. Adrien Hunou, Minnesota’s DP striker-turned-winger, collected a ball at midfield and sent a perfectly weighted pass downfield to Franco Fragapane, sprinting down the left side of the box. Fragapane poked a cross in front of goal to Abu Danladi who one-timed it past Colorado keeper Clint Irwin to put the Loons up 1-0 in the 8th minute.

The foot races continued with Minnesota carrying much of the momentum in terms of threats on goal, but the Rapids’ persistence paid off when they were awarded a freekick in the 15th minute. Minnesota’s wall failed to clear Rubio’s shot and the second ball lured Tyler Miller off his line. Michael Boxall and Brent Kallman were caught up in the traffic when the ball fell to Nicolas Mezquida at the far post. He easily tapped it around Miller for the equalizer. The players had hardly settled in to the restart of play when the whistle was blown for the weather delay in the 18th minute.

last night today pic.twitter.com/Ca847iipCH
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) May 12, 2022

It appeared the match might resume after a half hour’s wait, but the lull in lightning that brought players and officials back onto the pitch turned out to be a fluke. Lightning persisted and pouring rain turned Allianz Field into a pond, making the surface unplayable by the 11 p.m. cutoff, regardless of lightning status. Play did not resume until 16 hours later.

The same lineups returned to a drained pitch on a clear but humid afternoon to pick up where they left off, tied 1-1 with 17:30 on the clock on Allianz’s analog clock. The remainder of the first half was much like the night before, though both teams came out looking a little more organized after having a night to sleep on the early hiccups.

Colorado succeeded in putting more shots in dangerous areas, with Michael Barrios forcing Miller into a save in the 23rd minute (Mezquida with the would-be assist). In the 33rd, the post spared Miller another scare, deflecting a point-blank header from Anthony Markanich away from goal. Fragapane and Danladi each added misses at Colorado’s end. Neither side could finish an opportunity before the half and, once again, they went to the locker rooms tied 1-1.

Colorado coach Robin Fraser made two changes to start the half, replacing Rubio with Mark-Anthony Kaye and Acosta with former Loon Collen Warner. Minnesota came out on the front foot (again) and added two misses (again) before the day’s drama really began.

Loons centerback Brent Kallman drew the first yellow of the match in the 55th for a professional foul and from that point, turnovers and counters were replaced by fouls and free kicks, and veterans and first-teamers joined both squads.

Emanuel Reynoso, who replaced Hunou in the 65th minute, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who replaced Oniel Fisher in the 68th marked a sea change. As the speed of the match picked up, so did the fouls – as fans of the Minnesota-Colorado matchup are accustomed. A second yellow for Kallman in the 83rd minute put the Loons down a man. Mezquida’s freekick in the 85th minute toward an empty Wonderwall could have sucked all life out of the stadium, but he missed.

At the other end, Reynoso and Kervin Arriaga chipped away at a staunch defense. Arriaga sent a ball to Reynoso who dribbled and juked three defenders before sending a shot past a fourth and beyond Irwin to break the deadlock in the 87th minute.

The DP’s beautiful footwork continued the lore of the shorthanded win (preferable to the man advantage loss) and the goal was celebrated as such with fans who had followed the action to that goal after the half. Auston Trusty led Colorado’s efforts to force extra time but five minutes of added time weren’t enough for the Rapids to turn their luck and it ended 2-1 in favor of the Loons.

A changed formation worked in Adrian Heath’s favor and suggests a more flexible style moving into the next round.

“The decision your fullbacks have to make, of when to leave the back four to go out to their wingback is crucial,” said Heath. “We felt it was nearly man for man and it mirrored up with us and that helped us.”

He added the three-man backline may be used again.

We are from Minnesota and we love to talk about the weather. pic.twitter.com/dEf7mgodmx
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) May 12, 2022

A day late and a goal short, Fraser’s squad returns to Colorado to focus on a return to league play on Saturday. His frustration with MLS and USSF was clear following the rescheduled match when he told media.

“The ideal thing for us is to play on a different day,” said Fraser. “U.S. Soccer not really willing to work with us, don’t really understand that. I don’t want to make excuses and complain, but the two entities not really working together to help us — the two entities being U.S. Soccer and MLS — and here we ended up having to play this game today and then turn around and play in two days in the afternoon. My concern is about player safety, but that’s only my concern. Apparently not everybody else shares that concern.”

Minnesota coach Adrian Heath understood the sentiment.

“I would’ve been pissed had I been them last night and they have every right to be,” Heath said. “It’s not ideal for them and I feel for them, but it is what it is and we would have done the same had we been in their spot.”

And isn’t that the magic of the US Open Cup?