Minnesota United: 3 key takeaways from the NYCFC match
By Tyler Hanson
The Loons took an early lead, but were subsequently dominated by a better NYCFC side. Minnesota’s road woes continue, as they remain winless away from home.
Here are some match highlights:
Here are 3 key takeaways from Minnesota’s 3-1 loss to NYCFC at Yankee Stadium.
Superman gets his 10th
The lone bright spot for Minnesota was a 9th minute goal by striker Christian Ramirez. NYCFC keeper Eirek Johansson made an absolute mess out of a save on a Johan Venegas shot, and it spilled out to Ramirez, who smashed his 10th MLS goal into the back of the net.
The goal was a big milestone for Ramirez, as many people outside of Minnesota thought he’d be lucky to score 5 or 6 goals. Few thought that he’d be scoring at such a prolific rate in MLS, but I’m sure by know he’s caught the attention of Bruce Arena.
A back line in disarray
Despite the best efforts of Ibson and Sam Cronin in front of them, Minnesota’s back line was an absolute disaster on Thursday night.
Brent Kallman being out probably contributed a little, but it’s worth noting that the full backs were really bad as well. Kevin Venegas has looked shaky all season, but even the usually solid Jèrôme Thiesson really struggled. And whether it was due to being without his regular CAB partner or not, even Francisco Calvo, who has been All-Star level this season, was well below his normal level. With Kallman questionable to play against Columbus, we may see if it was just a bad night, or if the right CB pairing really does make all the difference.
Johan Venegas continues to underperform
Minnesota United acquired Johan Venegas with the hope that he would be a big piece for them. With the exception of 1 or 2 matches however, Venegas has been everything but that. Whether it be missed chances, attitude problems, or a lack of effort, Venegas has done it all this season. That is, besides perform on the pitch.
The frustrating part about it all is that Venegas is clearly capable of doing more, as we’ve seen in his performances for Costa Rica. Whether it be the fact that he just doesn’t give his all at club level, or he’s just going through a bad run of matches, Venegas needs to pick it up very soon, or he could easily be replaced by a new signing.