Minnesota United FC grabbed an early lead, an early second-half lead, then held off the San Jose Earthquakes to win on Wednesday evening at Allianz Field, breaking the Quakes' six-match unbeaten string.
An action-packed first half, in which the teams combined for 21 shots, produced two goals. Minnesota struck first in the 5th minute on a nicely-worked team goal, with Miguel Ibarra and Ethan Finlay triangulating to Darwin Quintero for the finish. Whereas MNUFC couldn't finish on several enticing changes to add to their first-half lead, the Quakes found luck in stoppage time. A Magnus Eriksson free kick deflected off a defender and found a stationary Tommy Thompson, who was credited for the goal resulting from the ball clanging off his midsection and over the line.
Seven minutes into the second half, Michael Boxall made a run that took him into the final third and got a heavy touch on the ball, but it was erroneously poked back into Boxall's path by Quakes d-mid Judson. Boxall was then able to finish, scoring his first goal of the season. Vito Mannone was crucial in preserving the lead, with deft saves on subs Danny Hoesen and Paul Marie keeping the Quakes from finding their 7th straight result. Kevin Molino, who subbed on fresh from a Gold Cup trip with Trinidad & Tobago, scored on a neat breakaway goal in second-half stoppage time to seal the win.
Goals
- 5' – MIN – Darwin Quintero | WATCH
- 45' + 2' – SJ – Tommy Thompson | WATCH
- 52' – MIN – Michael Boxall | WATCH
- 90' + 2' – MIN – Kevin Molino | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Though FC Dallas will have something to say about the West's top places with their Thursday night match, MNUFC sat 4th in the conference once the final whistle blew, looking confident doing so. Though the Quakes' current unbeaten streak has come to an end, they've done quite a bit to help themselves in the playoff race — though perhaps teams now have a bit of a blueprint for how to play them.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Boxall's bold charge toward goal early in the second half turned out to be the difference maker in the match. In a match where MNUFC had a number of solid chances, Boxall succeeded where more likely goal scorers couldn't.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Quintero was dangerous from the get-go, scoring early, and threatening throughout, including on one wicked in-the-box backheel that was very nearly an assist for an unlucky Angelo Rodriguez.
Next Up
- MIN: Saturday, July 6 at Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, TVAS in Canada)
- SJ: Saturday, July 6 vs. Real Salt Lake (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, DAZN in Canada)
