ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minneapolis City SC’s glorious summer of soccer has, once again, been prolonged. An extra-time win on penalties against Peoria City, on Friday night, gained the Crows entrance into the round-of-16. But as it took 120 minutes and then penalties, it introduced the specter of fatigue; especially with a quick turnaround to play Heartland Division rival Sueno FC just 49-hours later.
Having dispatched perennial League Two powerhouse Des Moines Menace 4-2 in regulation, the Dreamers were spared the additional half-hour-plus of competitive soccer over the weekend. That the two Heartland teams had bettered the best the Great Plains Division had on offer serves as strong endorsement for the Heartland’s standard; it was the latter pair that were a continuous presence in the official League Two power rankings, while the former fought their way into mention as the season bore on.
Fortunately, on Friday, City head coach Justin Oliver had made liberal use of a full bench, deploying all seven-permitted substitutes against the Carp, with some entering the game as early as the 60th minute.
Forward to Sunday evening, Lightning in the area drove travelling members of the Minneapolis Citizens supporters’ group into their cars, while Crows players and coaches bunkered in their locker room, anxiously watching weather radar for Des Moines, Iowa. Local regulations required that Valley Stadium shut off its lights by 11:00 p.m. local-time, which in turn meant that if the game did not kick off by 8:15 p.m. it would need to be postponed.
Fortunately, the Crows and Dreamers were allowed to take the field for an 8:00 p.m. kickoff. And even more fortunately, City players showed no signs of weariness.
In the 11th minute, winger Bernard Assibey-Rhule played through a tackle after collecting a clearance. Following a few strides upfield, he launched a pass in the direction of forward Preston Kipnusu.
Much was rightly made of the Valley High School alumnus’ bicycle goal in the previous round. But Sunday’s, while less spectacular, was a better reference for the Drake Bulldog’s quality.
Kipnusu took the ball out of the air with a deft touch, having slipped behind the Dreamers’ back line by a couple of yards. But as his marker Daniel Firs regained ground, it was evident the centerback had Kipnusu for pace. No matter, as City’s no. 9 put Firs in his hip pocket, shielded the ball with a pair of rollovers, then slammed the ball between goalkeeper Maxwell Ionita and the near post.
In addition to Ionita, there were four Dreamers between Kipnusu and the next-nearest Crow, Joe Highfield, when the ball hit the back of the net. It was a remarkable solo effort.
And where Indiana’s Easton Bogard had scored against the Crows eight-days prior in Minneapolis, and thrice against the Menace, the Crows did quite well to contain Sueno’s dangerman, as well as the rest of the Dreamers’ attack.
There were a few counters that resulted in half-chances from distance, but it took until the 63rd minute for Sueno to place its first shot on target. And a diving parry from Crows keeper Daniel Sessler sorted it.
Meanwhile, back in the first half, City pressed and pressured. Dangerous all season from set pieces — with a disproportionate number coming from fouls committed against defenders trying to contain Kipnusu — City would double its lead from a free kick.
Highfield drove a ball, near-parallel with the end line, into the Dreamers’ penalty area. A diving header, caught full, by Alex Barger had enough pace to clear the 18-yard-box, until City winger Andrew Heckenlaible made a full stretch for it on the quick.
A touch to settle. A touch to step wide around centerback Grant Kelner. A touch to lash the ball past Ionita with his left foot. Heckenlaible had doubled Minneapolis’ lead in the 31st minute.
A large contingent of Kipnusu’s relatives had come out to watch their own score the opener. And the storyline of the hometown kid producing highlight-reel strikes on his old turf is delightful. But Heckenlaible, a native of nearby Ackeny, also impressed during his homecoming. As had Urbandale’s Cole Schrage; the lot in life of an ever-reliable defender is to contribute far more on field than one receives mention off it.
Unusually, Marion, Iowa’s Jackson Kirsch started the game on the bench. An indispensable part of the Crows’ closing the regular season by winning six of seven had been the midfield trio of Jake Swallen, Ian Shaul and Kirsch. Notable, too, in that Kirsch plays the no. 8 at Drake, but has primarily featured as the no. 10 for City. And in doing so, Kirsch — who scored two collegiate goals last season — has netted seven on the summer for City.
Playing Shea Bechtel and Morgan Olson alongside Swallen made for an attack-focused starting XI that still defended admirably. And then, what a luxury for a League Two side to bring the likes of Kirsch off the bench in the 63rd minute to close out a game.
Kirsch, along with fellow second-half additions Carson Kowalski, Otis Anderson, Tomas Menna and Elijah Fearing ensured that no late heroics were coming from the opposition. This was no small feat against a Sueno side that would have loved to get revenge for ceding the division title to Minneapolis in the last regular-season match for each; in which City needed to win by at least two goals and did.
At the start of the summer, the Crows were in pursuit of their first winning season since joining League Two. Starting 1-1-2, and having played the teams that would eventually place second and third in the Heartland, there was hope. As the wins started to stack up, that hope shifted towards the postseason. As other results fell in line, that hope shifted to a division title. As the Crows erupted for four first-half goals in their regular-season finale, it secured success as anyone in the City of Lakes would have defined it in early May.
Yet, over the last two-plus months, Oliver and associate head-coach Tudor Flintham have been consistent in their praise for a team gobbling up points, that per the aforementioned pair, had not yet peaked.
This past weekend saw the Crows play thrilling, determined and convincing soccer. It saw the Crows raise their ceiling, as they had multiple times prior this summer.
Now, a trip to Seattle, and a conference title on the line against the Flint City Bucks.
Will the Crows redefine expectations once more?
