MINNEAPOLIS — As with Minneapolis’ last game against Milwaukee, a Bavarians’ goal in the final minutes put City on the short end of 1-0 final scoreline. And as with the Crows’ previous three contests, the Murder was unable, in spite of quality chances, to score from open play.
“If I could play my postgame press conferences on a loop… I feel like that’s what we’re getting to,” said Crows head coach Justin Oliver.
Things began in frustrating fashion, almost immediately.
A Nick Kent header from a corner, in just the 2nd minute, that had keeper Rui Aoki beat, was kept out by what looked to have been a goal-line clearance. Shouts went up, instantaneously and in unanimity, from the seven City players inside Milwaukee’s 18-yard box, that the ball had crossed the line. From the broadcast angle, and from the press box where the author was seated, it was impossible to ascertain whether the Crows had scored. Neither the assistant referee, correctly positioned on the end line, nor center official, perched inside the penalty area, made any signal.
“When you’re not scoring a bunch, it feels like it’s really hard for [goals] to come,” Oliver noted. “In the meantime, when you’re banging in goals, it just feels like they’re happening out of nothing. I feel like it’s just us waiting for the dam to break.
In the 9th minute, Mitchell Dryden got on the end of a long diagonal and slipped inside Crows’ wingback Morgan Olson. It took a clutch, one-on-one save from goalkeeper Daniel Sessler, getting down to deflect the hard-snapped shot just wide of the near post, to keep the game scoreless.
Having come within inches of an early lead via Kent’s header, City had escaped an early deficit, also by a matter of inches, thanks to Sessler.
In the 20th minute, forward Eli Goldman did more-than-well to slip a clever pass to midfielder Jameson Charles. Charles then played forward Hakeem Morgan into space down City’s right flank. With the afternoon’s rain having started up, once again, Morgan tried to chip Aoki from distance. Reaching back over his head to try and secure a wet ball, Aoki fumbled it to Eli Goldman, who had sprinted to get on the end of the play.
Aoki was starting to get up off his back as Goldman began a half-volley. Aoki also stuck an arm up in prayer to the soccer gods. And the soccer gods took pity. Goldman’s shot smashed into Aoki’s outstretched arm, and City were denied by a margin of inches, again.
The game stayed a tense affair, throughout. Credit could be given to how clean City’s players were in blocking a number of Bavarian shots. Concern could be raised about Milwaukee’s ability to find channels and shots inside the attacking third. And all the while, the game remained scoreless.
Chances crumbling to half-chances from a touch too many or a run a moment too late carried from the first half to the second, until the Bavarians offered up a nerve-wracking attempt on City’s goal.
Karim Bachir Bey’s inch-perfect cross from the left wing curled behind City’s back line, around and onto the foot of Dryden, inside the six-yard box. Once again, a lightning-quick reflex save from Sessler was the only thing preventing Milwaukee from taking the lead.
“Daniel Sessler made two huge saves; one on the breakaway in the first half, another really-big one on the cutback from six-yards out,” Oliver said. “They definitely had two really good looks they coud have scored from. When I play back our chances in my head… it’s another game where we did not take our chances when it was presented to us. Sessler made some big saves, I won’t deny that, but at worst I think we should have been leaving this game with a 2-2 draw.”
Both teams continued to push for a goal — any goal. From City, a 67th-minute effort from Morgan, and an 81st-minute free kick that Lionel Vang placed on Max Kent’s head, came closest to giving the Crows a lead that would never come.
In the 85th minute, Daiki Kumakawa found a pocket of space 20-plus yards out and loosed a shot in Sessler’s direction. The ball was sent directly at Nick Kent’s head, as Sessler was sighting it in. An instinctive flinch and the glace of the ball of Kent’s shoulder were enough to alter the shot’s path on its way into the top, near corner of the goal.
“Near post, took a slight deflection, up, so I was just unable to get there on that one. It’s just something, even if I know I’m not going to get to the ball, I still gotta throw myself at the ball and give myself a chance. I’ll put that one on myself, move on and learn for next time,” said the keeper, perhaps harshly, though not accepting the deflection as an excuse.
For others, appraisals — even accounting for the concession — were glowing. The Minneapolis Citizens supporters group would vote Sessler their Player of Game for his heroics on the day.
City nearly responded. A Joey Tawah tackle to steal the ball in the ball in the Bavarians’ defensive third led to a rushed cross. But the duffed clearance fell to Mizael Harris 18-yards out and directly in front of goal. The Augsburg forward’s outside-of-the-boot curler split a pair of onrushing Bavarian defenders, but sailed just wide of the far post.
Harris began the summer scoring goals in quantity for the Futures, and has since featured for City’s senior team in its last three games. On Saturday, he provided energy and an attacking spark off the bench after subbing on at the hour mark. Missing a goal of his own by inches, he put his own hand up, postgame.
“We have to capitalize on the chances we’re getting,” Harris said. “As you can see, the other team, they capitalized on a chance. And we had really good, three, four chances that we just didn’t finish. It’s more about… because we’re getting those chances, we just gotta finish.”
Vang would get a clean look to put his weight behind a low, driven shot a minute later, but it was then blocked before reaching goal.
The final whistle blew, and Milwaukee had taken all 3 points.
“The thing that I’m telling the guys,” said Oliver, “the big thing for us is, I’m sick of deserving results. I’m sure you guys are, too. We need to start earning them. Realistically speaking, now, if we don’t take our chances and put the ball in the back of the net, we’re never going to earn what we should, even though the performance is deserving of more.
“Once the first one goes in, the flood gates will open, and well get our confidence back,” offered Sessler. “The first one will go in, and they’ll just keep coming after that.”
“I do think it’s there and it’s coming,” concluded Oliver.
