by Ian Katan
MINNEAPOLIS — For a third time this summer, Minneapolis City SC squared off against Rochester FC. And for a third time, the Crows took down the Loons, this time by their largest margin yet.
The avian-derby’s first installment of 2024 was City’s season-opening game in the MN Super Cup. A pair of goals from Juan Moreno and Sidike Jabateh proved too much for a Rochester side that managed a lone strike. Then, the Crows flew to southern Minnesota, where Nick Kent delivered their first win of the League Two season.
On Saturday night, energy for a three-peat was high from start to finish.
An in-stride Eli Goldman brought down a pass and might’ve fashioned a shooting chance only two minutes in, had the referee not judged that the ball was controlled with bicep instead of chest. A few minutes later, center back Max Kent took an ambitious, (to say the least), first-time cannon shot from 30 yards out. Though it didn’t threaten Daniel Miklosi in net, the intent from Minneapolis was clear: take the game to its opponents.
In the 14th minute, the attacking confidence paid off. University of Portland teammates Joe Highfield and Morgan Olson combined along the right sideline, before Highfield set off down the wing. With a deft nutmeg, the forward breezed past an opponent into the box and cut onto his left foot. Highfield’s incoming shot was prevented by a tug, and the referee pointed to the spot.
“Got the ball out wide, I wanted to just dribble at pace, and took the guy on. Beat him, and then I went around one guy and felt him pull on my shirt,” Highfield remembered, one of multiple hard-working moments that earned him the Minneapolis Citizens’ Player of the Match award.
Goldman, who topped the University of New Hampshire’s scoring charts for the past two years, and is Minneapolis’ second all-time leading marksman, stepped up and sent Miklosi the wrong way from the penalty spot.
His 14th career tally gave City the early lead it was looking for. Coming off a trio of games without any points, including the team’s heaviest defeat of the season last week in Milwaukee, correcting course with only three league outings remaining was imperative.
“The last game [against Bavarians] was, like, a big eye-opener for us, where we felt like we were closer than we really were,” head coach Justin Oliver reflected after the win. “Then it was like, ‘Alright you guys, we’re going back to the basics of everything that we’ve been talking about.’ And we were just really focusing on how well we’re gonna compete today.”
Speaking on the field at Rochester’s stadium after the match in early June, Oliver emphasized the importance of staying switched on in important periods of the match, such as around stoppages and after goals. His team had conceded on either side of halftime the match prior, and Oliver commended them for better controlling those vital minutes. In addition to improved game management, defender Nick Kent and winger Bernard Assibey-Rhule had also attributed the 1-0 result to a strong team spirit.
Both points that brought City success in that match were seen again on Saturday, back at Edor Nelson Field. Following Goldman’s opener, with Oliver’s messages still in mind, the Crows didn’t sit back. Minutes after scoring, high-pressure from Goldman and Highfield forced a turnover just outside the Loons’ six-yard box.
Highfield pushed the ball away from a tangle of legs for Goldman to run onto, but his goalbound shot was blocked by a last-ditch sliding challenge. Not only had City weathered the stretch of time after taking the lead, they were continuing to attack.
And in the 26th minute, an example of that aforementioned collective effort could be found. Hakeem Morgan, deployed in the lineup as a striker, dropped deep into a central defensive-midfielder role to help win the ball off an opponent. The Crows were fighting for each other across the field, and getting results from it.
Struggling at times through early parts of the season, City’s offense was now finding rhythm. Goldman, Highfield, and Mizael Harris all had feet too quick for their markers, who picked up yellows trying to keep pace.
“We got really, really good play from our wide players, Mizael, and especially Morgan Olson,” Oliver said, complimenting the Pilot midfielder for a number of skillful moments on the ball. “Morgan out on the right side was just kind of cooking, so we got him the ball one-v-one as much as possible.”
“I’m always looking to try to beat my man and create chances for the team,” Olson said. “I succeeded in it a couple times today, and so yeah, I was happy with it.”
“I think getting the ball out wide to our wingbacks was a really big help,” said Highfield. “They pinned their defense back really far, and opened up space for everyone else.”
Faced with in-form wide players on either side, Rochester’s tendency to retreat into a 5-3-2 while defending meant pulling numbers from their midfield, and ceding freedom to the Crows in central areas. Defender Ryan Keefe noticed and exploited this open turf, making multiple runs forward to add numbers in attack. And just before halftime, his fluid running allowed the Crows to do something they had been unable to do in league play so far this season: extend their lead.
Two minutes into first-half stoppage, Goldman popped up on the right flank thanks to a through ball from Olson. While driving into the box, the forward lifted his head to pick out a pass. Morgan’s front-post dummy froze defenders, allowing Keefe, who had sprinted halfway up the field unmarked, to cruise onto the end of the cross.
The connection wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to bundle the ball over the line. Keefe’s meaningful, though unglamorous goal was Minneapolis’ first from open play since Morgan’s chipped finish against RKC Third Coast, one month to- the- day earlier.
“One of our focuses in the pregame talk was to come out strong with a lot of energy, and that’s exactly what we did, scoring two goals in the first half,” Olson said.
The attacking energy stayed true throughout the second period, though no more goals came, legally. Ten minutes after halftime, Harris was run over from behind in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. The sunny mood of the home fans at the possibility of going three up, helped by City’s first blue-skied game in weeks, was short-lived. Harris was deemed inches offside, and the score stayed at two.
Facing off against the same team three times in one summer can be challenging, as each opponent becomes more familiar with strengths to watch for and possible weaknesses to target. As the minutes between Minneapolis and Rochester this season ticked towards 270, the Crows worked hard to shut the door on any possibility of a comeback for their familiar opponents.
“It was interesting. Rochester actually played us in a different shape today that they hadn’t played against us in the first two games,” Oliver said. “When they changed to a 4-3-3 in the second half, it kind of caused us a bit of problems, and they went direct to their wingers. So we made a change with about 30 minutes left to go, […] and I think once we sorted out that, everything got a lot more comfortable for us.”
A 78th minute second-yellow for RFC’s Bo Drath also took some pressure from the final minutes, the visitor’s seventh of an eventual nine total cautions. But rather than rest on their advantage and numerical edge, Minneapolis continued to search for the net.
With five minutes remaining in regulation, Hakeem Morgan tucked home a cross from Assibey-Rhule, the final touch in a slick sequence that cut from back to front in three passes. The finish would have given Morgan a goal in his final game for the Crows, but the offside flag spoiled the fun once more.
Though the two best chances to pull further ahead were called back, four significant goalscoring opportunities, and many more half-chances, represented one of the best attacking performances of the year.
“We played really well on the ball, competed really, really well,” Oliver said. “We checked a lot of the boxes that we talked about to have a complete game.”
“It was great. It was a good learning experience for sure,” Olson said, reflecting on his first summer with the Crows. “I’ve been playing in a position that I haven’t normally played before, so it’s been a learning experience, but I’m happy to play wherever helps the team. It’s been a good first season, and I’m happy with it.”
“Super nice, super nice. I was really excited to play in front of fans,” Highfield said of his feelings for the year, after an injury prevented him from logging any minutes for the Crows in 2023. “It’s like my favorite thing to do, getting on the field this summer felt really good, and it was a lot of fun.”
Though the match against Rochester was the final game for the two Pilots, before disappearing into the locker room, Highfield suggested that the 2024 season might not be their last in black and white. Slight solace for fans and teammates otherwise disappointed to see the pair leave.
For the rest of the squad, attention turns to a challenging away trip to Thunder Bay Chill, currently third in the Deep North division and on a four-game unbeaten run. But as with any tough match, confidence coming off a deserved victory can only help.
“Go into training with the same intensity that we’re gonna go into the game with,” said Highfield, assessing what the team needs to do over the next week, regardless of who would take to the field in Thunder Bay. “And look forward to the 3 points.”
