Minnesota United fell to Atlanta United in a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup defeat on Tuesday night. And the worst part of the defeat? It was in their hands.
Michael Boxall will not want to watch a repeat anytime soon.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final was an intense affair between two very good teams. Atlanta United dominated the play, their superior midfield and attacking talent allowing the defence to push up and shrink the pitch, but Minnesota United sat deep initially before putting together a spirited fightback in the second half.
By the end of the match, Minnesota, despite being largely under the cosh for large portions, missed crucial chances to win their first trophy since joining MLS. And Boxall was chief among the perpetrators.
As his centre-half partner Ike Opara nodded a long cross at the far post back into the six-yard box, Boxall found himself, free of a marker, with the ball nicely in front of him, begging to be volleyed into the back of the net. And as he swung his right leg around, smartly looking to sidefoot the ball with control rather than rash power, all was going swimmingly. That was until, in true defender fashion, Boxall leaned back. Never lean back.
He knew. He slumped to the floor, his hands covering his face. He agonised over a better contact, the net rippling, the equalising goal in the dying seconds. Never lean back. For Minnesota, they knew too. This was the chance, the one that every commentator mentions as a tight game enters its closing stages. And Boxall missed it.
It would be egregiously harsh to blame Minnesota United’s heartbreaking loss solely on Boxall. Yes, he missed a gilt-edged opportunity, but other individuals contributed to the Loons’ demise. Vito Mannone, who made three superb saves in the second half, failed to tip Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s freak cross over the crossbar. Romain Metanire backpedalled and backpedalled until he could backpedal no more, allowing Justin Meram to shimmy to the byline and flash a low cross into Gonzalo Martinez. Even head coach Adrian Heath ceded his mistake at half-time by immediately asking his team to push higher up the pitch.
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While Atlanta United should be praised for the completeness of their performance and their team, the latter of which is increasingly unheralded in MLS, this was a match that Minnesota United could have won. They may not have deserved it, and it may well have been of the smash-and-grab variety, but in search of their first trophy since 2011, no one would have cared how it came, just that it did.
The only thing more heartbreaking than losing a heartbreaking final is knowing that you could have avoided that heartbreak solely by things that you can control. Had Atlanta simply played the Loons off the park, their sheer brilliance undeniable as they strutted through the match at a level that Minnesota could never even dream of matching, the agony is not quite as intense. It is only worsened by the fact that Minnesota had chances — good chances — to stop the pain.
The U.S. Open Cup trophy was in Minnesota’s hands. And they dropped it. Michael Boxall will not want to watch a repeat anytime soon.