Miami (AFP) – Ten-man Minnesota United rallied to eliminate Seattle 7-6 on penalty kicks after playing to a 3-3 draw in a Saturday thriller to advance in the MLS Cup playoffs. Not until the 10th round of shots from the spot was the matter decided when Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Thomas, injured making a save in the opening round after being inserted for the shootout, clanged the ball off the crossbar.
Minnesota won the best-of-three Western Conference first round series 2-1 to book a second round match against the winner of Sunday’s first-round series decider between Portland and top seed San Diego. Seattle equalized at 3-3 on a goal by Jordan Morris in the 88th minute set up by Cristian Roldan from Albert Rusnak’s corner kick. Ten minutes of stoppage time could not determine a winner, so the match went to penalties, and the Sounders lifted keeper Stefan Frei for backup Thomas.
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Minnesota’s Joaquin Pereyra missed the first penalty kick wide right, and Thomas hurt a hand diving for the ball but stayed in the match. Morris hit the crossbar in the second round of penalties, and the teams stayed deadlocked into sudden-death rounds. Thomas made saves on Minnesota’s Anthony Markanich in the seventh round and Hassani Dotson in the eighth. Seattle, however, missed both chances to win when Obed Vargas hit the left post in round seven and Osaze De Rosario’s shot was saved by Minnesota’s Dayne St. Clair, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
Level into the 10th round of kicks, it was St. Clair who hit a left-footed shot into the lower left of the goal just before the final miss by Thomas to give the Loons the victory. St. Clair surrendered two goals in the first eight minutes of the winner-take-all showdown as the Sounders seized command early. Slovakian midfielder Rusnak scored in the fifth minute, and US winger Danny Musovski followed from close range in the eighth for Seattle.
Argentine midfielder Pereyra answered off a free kick for Minnesota in the 19th minute, blasting in a left-footed shot from in front of the goal just outside the box. But Minnesota was reduced to 10 men when left back Joseph Rosales was issued a red card in the 41st minute for violent conduct after fouling Seattle’s Jesus Ferreira. United, however, found an equalizer when Colombian center back Jefferson Diaz nodded home a header in the 62nd minute off an assist from Morris Duggan.
Markanich scored in the 71st minute to lift Minnesota ahead 3-2, the American forward heading in a goal off a corner kick to the far post by Pereyra, setting up the late drama. Two later Eastern Conference first round series deciders find Nashville at Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Columbus at Cincinnati, with the winners to meet in the second round.
Miami is trying to avoid a third first-round exit in four seasons after falling to Atlanta last year and New York City in 2022. The Herons will be without star Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who was suspended one game by MLS for violent conduct in last week’s loss at Nashville.
© 2024 AFP
