ST. PAUL, Minn. — The scheduling fates were less than generous to Minneapolis City SC, handing the Crows a pair of the Heartland Division’s better clubs to start the summer. Aided by drawing a red card and a pair of penalties, the Crows scraped a 3-3 draw against RKC Third Coast at home in their season opener. To stay on level terms with the preseason favorites — while Justin Oliver and Tudor Flintham are still getting their team to gel — checks the box for acceptable result.
Thursday’s ask might have been tougher yet, travelling 400 miles to Aurora, Ill. before facing another formidable side in River Light FC. For the second match running, the Crows would concede in the dying moments of the first half. This time it was a header from Lights centerback Tomasz Slawek. But, unlike in that first match, it was the Crows who would score last to snatch a result.
Four minutes into stoppage time, attacking midfielder Jackson Kirsch zipped a 25-yard free kick into the near, bottom corner. A kickoff followed in deference to custom. But Kirsch’s was effectively the last kick of the game, stealing a point via a 1-1 scoreline. This after Kirsch’s collegiate teammate at Drake, forward Preston Kipnusu, had won the free kick.
Standing over the ball — evidently with ice water in his veins — Kirsch was conscious but unbothered by a sense of urgency that had reached its height.
“Just take a few deep breaths,” Kirsch said, “embrace the pressure of the moment. Kind of enjoy that maybe it is the last kick of the game. I had a chat with [fellow midfielder] Ian [Shaul]. We had an idea of what I should do with the free kick. And then… just go with it.”
It was Kirsch’s third set-piece goal in his first two games for City.
Shaul, the Notre Dame midfielder, pulled double-duty on the day, adding free-kick whisperer to playing the full 90-plus as the No. 8 for the Crows.
“The wall set up a bit inside, and it was too close to go up and over,” Kirsch noted. “So actually, it wasn’t my thought. Ian whispered to me, ‘Maybe under the wall?’ I was like, ‘Well, shoot. Yeah.’ I went for it; ending up going right under and around the wall, and it slid into the bottom corner. And then, we’re off to the corner to celebrate.”
City defender and fellow Bulldog Cole Schrage noted the lift Kirsch’s strike gave the team.
“It makes it a lot easier,” said Schrage. “That would have been a long six hours on the bus after losing that game.”
Schrage, for his own part, played a key role in a gritty defensive performance to help keep the game within reach for a moment of magic to salvage the night, earning Man of the Match honors.
“It’s pretty difficult,” said Schrage, on defending with the knowledge that another concession could mean defeat. “Just got to keep pushing. Can’t let them get another goal to seal off the game. Also, have to keep pushing forward as much as you can to try and find that tying goal.”
As it stands, the Crows have flapped and clawed to a pair of points against the Seagulls and Lights, which keeps them in fine position to compete for their first-ever League Two playoff berth. Pending reinforcements only add to the excitement around City’s chances, as midfielder Jake Swallen and forward Joe Highfield are expected to be available for selection against Chicago City Dutch Lions on May 30.
Earning the Right to Play
That the Lights scored at the end of a first half where they had the run of play is both incredibly frustrating — Oliver has oft spoken of the need to maintain focus and intensity at the start and finish of halves — and also, perhaps, karmically just. It could also be argued that the Crows were due a late goal of their own, after halftime adjustments produced an improved performance in the second half.
City did not muster many dangerous scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes, but Kipnusu, at center forward, remained a handful for opposing defenders. Both starting centerbacks for the Lights — first Vaughn Osga, then Slawek — earned first-half cautions for bringing Kipnusu down.
“[He] just frees the game up for us,” said Kirsch. “He’s such a hassle for them, that they gameplan for him and sometimes overlook players like me, Ian, Morgan [Olson] — the lads who are in that midfielder role — that can get underneath him. And, it just helps free us up.”
Expecting that the Lights would press his Crows high upfield, and having that confirmed from the opening kickoff, Oliver had his holding midfielder, Joey Tawah, drop into the back line in possession. Kirsch and Shaul also sat deep to try and create even numbers up top, as City looked to play direct to Kipnusu.
“You got to see that Preston turned both of their centerbacks and got them on early yellow cards, which was very big,” Oliver said. “Because of the threat we had shown by going to Preston, they kept their No. 6 free in the second half, which more-often gave us a clear plus-one, so we were able do a lot better in possession in the second half.”
Oliver, for the second-straight game, made use of Jared Hecht’s positional flexibility, moving the 6-foot-5 Gustavus alumni from centerback to forward, pairing him with Kipnusu up top after the break.
“Switching Jared up front at halftime, and having Preston and Jared up there, we were still a bit direct for the first five minutes,” said Kirsch. “They realized those lads up top were too big for them to keep going in an all-out press. After that, they dropped off, and we were able to keep our foot on it and keep the ball in their half, more.”
“Second half,” said Schrage, “we’re winning first and second balls. We’re winning up higher. We’re keeping it more in their half. I think that was the big difference.”
For Oliver, that change was part of the flow of the game.
“Sometimes you have to earn the right to play,” the head coach offered. “If a team is going to show that they will man-to-man press you — whether you have a three-two build, or a four-one build — you have to show them that you can threaten them behind, or with somebody up top that can cause them problems.”
Keeper Rotation
Jack Roach made his senior-team debut, replacing Daniel Sessler in goal to start the second half. It was a bit surprising given Sessler’s performance across the opening 45 minutes, having kept the game within a goal for the Crows. Thankfully, it wasn’t injury that prompted the change.
“I came into the game with the intention of wanting to give Daniel and Jack, both, a half,” said Oliver.
This, after Sessler’s heroics had denied the Lights on a five-on-two break.
“The kid cut in on his right foot, and Sessler made a huge, huge save,” said Oliver of the sequence. “[From the bench] we had the perfect angle to see how huge of a save it was. It was big time. And then, he made another great reaction save, close, as well.”
As unorthodox as the change was, Roach proved equal to the task and did not concede during his shift.
“[Roach] had the one threat that hit crossbar, that would have been a worldie had they scored on it,” Oliver said. “He did everything else really well, and it was comfortable for him. So, Jack went in and did what was needed after Sessler had two huge saves for us.”
Given the importance of the presumptive top-of-the-table tilt, rotating his netminders was a gamble that could have drawn some ire had it not come off well for Oliver. But the coach’s faith in Roach was well placed, and now the Crows head into the heart of their schedule with confidence in their entire keeper room.
Race for the Heartland
The Heartland Division regular season is not a marathon, but rather, a 12-game sprint. This season, we’ll be presenting the race for its two postseason berths in terms of points dropped. And, fear not, Crows fans. Results are there for the taking in City’s next five games.
