by Troy Asseln
The stakes were high, the temperature was higher, and still a “young” squad that played like anything but found a way to deliver a much-coveted trophy. On a scorching July Saturday evening, your Minneapolis City SC defeated its longtime rival, Duluth FC, to win the Minnesota Super Cup for the first time. The win over the BlueGreens extends the Crows’ competitive winning-streak against Duluth to three, while being the victors in six out of the last seven matches.
It was a terse and physical affair in the early goings of the match, with three yellow cards being issued in the first 45 minutes. Minneapolis City, playing with a lineup comprised mostly of second-team players, showcased early that they were not afraid of their opponents or the moment. The front line applied heavy pressure to a Duluth side that seemed overly content to be patient and wait for the younger Crows to make a mistake. In response, Minneapolis City hunkered down and played a more mature game, focusing on moving the ball well while limiting turnovers and establishing their presence.
The BlueGreens, undoubtedly an experienced team, may have underestimated how hungry this Minneapolis side was for victory. While they waited for their opportunities to strike, Duluth’s first-half efforts on the counterattack were regularly thwarted. Defender Sam Diebold seemed to be everywhere on the pitch to catch the few leak-outs that the BlueGreens had. While his heroics did earn him a yellow card in the 44th minute, the supporters celebrated his performance by chanting that Diebold should “do it again.” Key stops from Diebold in the 8th and 29th minutes ensured that the game stayed at 0-0 going into halftime, despite a handful of opportunities for the Crows.
Second-team coach Josh Roy knew his team was doing the right thing coming out of the break, and his confidence never wavered: “[We were] enjoying a lot of the ball and a lot of territory, which put us in good attacking moments. So, by having territory, we put players around the ball, pick up second balls, create overload moments. By doing that and just continuing to pressure their back line and force their back line into moments. It was going to break — all dams break at some point.”
Boy howdy, did that dam ever break. The Crows sent a shot off of the bar in the first 30 seconds of the second half, and as the pressure continued to mount, Duluth’s Caio Gomes committed a costly yellow card-worthy foul just outside of the 18-yard box. Surveying the free kick from a dangerous vantage, City winger Ondieki Maina and midfielder Ronan Selbo hovered over the ball in the 49th minute. Following a lengthy conversation, Selbo sent a one-yard pass ahead of Maina’s running start, as Maina curled a scathing shot around the BlueGreens’ wall and into the left pocket of the net. The floodgates opened after that, as Maina caught the ball on a counter two minutes later, via a Carter Hermanson header, and poked another hard-fought goal past Duluth keeper Dawid Chrobot.
Just like that, it was 2-0 to the Crows, and Duluth finally started to find some motivation. Their first shot on net came in the 56th minute of the game, forcing a clean stop from City goalie Eddie Puglisi. He was forced into another pair of saves three minutes later, as a visibly frustrated BlueGreen side found itself in a less-than-ideal scenario in the rapidly-waning minutes of the championship. As a flurry of chances started to pile up for Duluth, Minneapolis was more dogged in their efforts to maintain a solid defensive presence. The BlueGreens’ torrid offensive gradually petered out after the 75th-minute water break, and the Crows held on to win the cup 2-0.
“We were moving the ball well, which is fantastic,” said Maina of the first half. “I feel like that led to them being a little tired in the second half, probably because they didn’t have the ball as much. And then, once they were spread out, we were driving around players who were tired and beating them one-on-one. As long as you’re patient, opportunities will come as long as you finish something.”
When asked whether or not he can single out players who are tired and easy to drive past, Maina cracked a wry smile. “Sometimes, it’s like if I’m tired, then I know that he’s definitely tired because he’s been playing for the same amount of time. But if you just work harder than that, then you’ll be fine.”
Winning this specific cup against Duluth FC is a big moment, and that moment was not lost on Crows players despite the circumstances. As Coach Roy remarked: “They knew sitting in the locker room. You could feel it when they were in the locker room that they could look at the guy to the left, right, or across from him and know that person was going to put in 100-percent effort. That allowed them the confidence to continue putting in 100-percent effort.
“High tides lift all boats, and the guys just kept building off of each other, and it gained confidence. That allows you to run that extra five yards, push a little bit harder in 50/50 moments, and I think that’s what inspired our guys to do it.”
It is, undoubtedly, a tremendous way to end the season for Minneapolis. Spirits were soaring as the players lifted the cup in front of their fans. As the smoke from the supporters’ section dissipated, Coach Roy reflected on what this win and this experience meant for them.
“Two things stand out to me with this trophy. One, it’s a testament to the overall club ecosystem. We had players from the first team, we had players from MC2, and we had players from the Futures that all played today. So all three levels of our program, our club, were represented on the field for this final, and we won together as a club. I think that is a huge testament to what we have going on.
“The second piece of it is it’s a big payoff for guys that have been on MC2 and Futures all summer long. They didn’t get games, they didn’t get significant games, so to be able to push their development, to continue to train with purpose and intent and then be called on in a short moment: ‘Hey, we need you guys to play and be able to turn up and say we can do this.’ It’s a credit to the mentality of those players just to be willing to commit to what they’re doing this summer.”
