Crows Press for First-Ever Win Against Chill - Mpls City SC (2024)

MINNEAPOLIS — In four prior meetings with the Thunder Bay Chill, the best Minneapolis City SC had managed was a come-from-behind, 2-2 draw on the strength of a second-half brace by Steevie Lamarre, last July. And entering Wednesday night, the Crows had been outscored 10-5 in the all-time series.

The defending Deep North Division champions came to town having piled up lopsided scorelines in preseason friendlies ahead of a 4-2 victory over visiting Milwaukee Bavarians in their League Two opener. City would be playing its third game under head coach Justin Oliver; the first a 3-1 loss to RKC Third Coast that, per Oliver, hinted at better things to come, followed by a 1-0 road victory over last-place Rochester FC.

Getting their first league win of the summer was undoubtedly an important first step for Minneapolis. But it remained to be seen how City would fare against arguably its strongest opponent of the summer, to date.

The contest was nervy, from opening to final whistle. Thunder Bay took control of the game immediately following the kickoff. But after a few minutes, Minneapolis began to assert itself via pressing, as it had done against Rochester on the weekend. In the 8th minute, that press forced a Chill turnover, and Eli Goldman, playing the No. 10, deftly slipped the ball to his right wingback, Bernard Assibey-Rhule.

Assibey-Rhule’s shot was saved. City ran a planned set piece on the subsequent corner, as Hakeem Morgan played a low, quick pass to a late-arriving Lionel Vang. Vang’s rifled effort from just beyond the penalty-area screamed just over the crossbar. In the moment, with the two chances having come against the early balance of play, it wasn’t unfair to wonder if City had not missed on chances that would prove too precious to squander.

The Chill were not sly about their intentions in attack, repeatedly looking for dangerman Diego Reveco on the counter. One of the more difficult asks of Oliver’s preferred three-man back line is that it often puts an outside back on an island, in space, against quick, technical wingers. Thunder Bay had taken notice, and was more-than-content to task Max Kent with solo-marking Reveco.

Countering after a 15th-minute Crows free kick, Reveco drove the ball into City’s 18-yard box, then cut the ball back for Mamadou Ba. The latter’s shot was snapped quick and low, but in the direction of keeper Evan Siefken, who smothered and held. It was surely a chance Ba would like to retake. It was, after a quarter of an hour, the first time Minneapolis’ keeper had been tested. And it would not be the last.

Then, City struck.

“We all bought in to what J.O. has been telling us, and applying. We’ve kind of just all bought into the system, and worked hard” Goldman said. “I think they had a few chances. We had a lot of chances.”

Goldman earned a corner off a counter. Hakeem Morgan tried to find outside-right defender Ryan Keefe, but the ball was played out off the Chill. Then, Vang found Keefe, this time at the near post, as the latter elevated above a crowd of players to bury his header and put City in front in the 16th minute.

Thunder Bay would mount a response immediately. And Siefken would maintain his reputation for controlling his 18, making a big clearance, claim and save in the span of two mintues.

A 21st-minute Crows turnover in their own defensive third gave the visitors numbers, but midfielder Joey Tawah, making his season debut, busted lungs to replace Max Kent in the back line, making a key block to deny service to open attackers.

Ba, shortly later, slipped loose from his markers as City defenders fought the setting sun, but sent an open header from close range over the crossbar in the 27th minute.

“It’s hard to weather the storm for the first five-to-seven minutes after we score, let alone the whole rest of the game” said defender Ryan Keefe. “Evan, huge keeper-saves; the back line, a lot of communication and showing up; and, it goes all the way to the front two. It’s everyone. It’s everyone’s work rate. That comes in handy, for sure.”

City had bent, but had not broken, yet. But, counting on defending a one-goal lead for 70-plus minutes is generally a poor plan, as it leaves no margin for error. And if Thunder Bay felt hard-done by missed chances, City would also throw its hat in the ring.

In incredibly-similar fashion, Keefe would get his head on the end of another corner, this time in the 31st minute. But Keefe’s second shot of the night was sent directly at keeper Joshua Moya.

“Oh! Of course I do!” Keefe said, with a smile, when asked if he wished he could have his second header back. “I wish I could have had a little brace, there; a little breathing room. Who knows? Two-zero is a dangerous lead in this game, so I’m fine just getting the win, for sure.”

Ba would miss, again, in the 42nd minute, and this time from just two-yards out. But, gesturing and looking for a ball played to his feet, a very short cross played to Ba’s head caught him by surprise, and the effort was sent over the bar.

“They definitely had some chances, for sure, especially in the first half when we struggled to do a bit of rotating. They found [Reveco] out wide a bunch and he was causing Max some problems. On the flipside, Max was also defending really well, when a player is that good, individually, skill wise,” said Oliver. “That’s just kind of the trade-off with our shape and style. So, they were able to exploit it a little bit, which gave them some looks.”

The scoring chances did not stop coming after the break.

”Evan has made some saves that he’s supposed to make,” noted Oliver. “I don’t think he’s had to make too-many crazy worldies, and we can only save the shots that are put on target.”

A nifty backheel from Morgan set Goldman up for a shot that skipped wide of the post in the 53rd. The Chills’ Karim Bachir Bey got on the end of a cutback and drove a low shot that Siefken did well to hold in traffic, nine minutes later. Then, in the 64th, Goldman with back to goal and a man on, executed a brilliantly-quick, two-step turn and shot. Only an impressive reflex save from Moya kept City from doubling its lead.

“If we finish those chances — if I finish those chances — we’re not worrying about that in the last 10 minutes,” said Goldman. “I think that’s going to be a big difference going forward, finishing our chances when we get ‘em.”

A draw against the Chill would have been a respectable result. Each side had come within inches of scoring multiple goals. And yet, as the unrelenting march of time persisted, and it reached late into the game, 3 points were within agonizingly-close reach for Minneapolis.

Staring around the 78th minute, Siefken began trapping the ball, and waiting until he was pressured before collecting it. Second-half substitute Juan Moreno threw himself about the field, providing a burst of energy, and when he got caught in a tangle of legs contesting a bounding ball, was slow to get up.

“We did well, there, but I think it’s something we can work on a little bit. Last 10 minutes, especially, knowing how to close out a game. Kill time,” Goldman said. “Just small things we cold have been a little bit better at.”

Oliver had acknowledged that away to Rochester, when City sat deep for the final quarter or an hour, it had to absorb a lot of pressure. Against, Thunder Bay, as the Chill pushed forward in search of an equalizer, the game opened up.

“Communication with everyone,” Keefe offered, as the key to defending with little margin for error. “Getting people in the right scenarios so we don’t have to overwork, and get tired, and use [early] subs. It’s like, if we know where each other are, and get each other in places to succeed, that’s going to help us minimize our mistakes, defensively.

“And then, when we get the ball, allowing ourselves to breathe, and showing up for each other, just physically, and all that.”

Three minutes into an announced five of added time — that would run for an actual, excruciating seven — Steevie Lamarre no-look back-heeled a half-volley to Futures call-up Mizael Harris, and the forward played Moreno in on goal. Moreno lashed his shot off the near post, and looked to have Moya beaten, if not for the woodwork. The near miss allowed the spectre of a concession and dropped points to haunt the game’s final moments.

“I think that I asked Matt VanBenschoten like four times, ‘How much time is left in stoppage?’ since he started the timer for us,” said Oliver, reliving the moment. “It’s funny, because when you’re out there playing, you don’t get that nervous, because you’re locked in your flow state. But over there [on the touchline], I’m just sitting there, like, ‘Alright, how long has it been? How long has it been?’ while still trying to communicate and organize things that we want. If we could have scored one of those goals in the last 10 minutes, my heart rate would have dropped a lot.

“But I’ll take the nerves and the heart rate being up for the 3 points every day of the week.”

Nothing quite came easy on the night but the exhalations of Crows coaches and fans when the referee blew his whistle for full time.

City had done it. It’s second clean sheet, second set-piece goal, and second win in as many games.

”We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league,” said Oliver. “Even though we didn’t earn the result [against RKC] like we talked about in that interview, I was like, ‘You guys, if we eliminate the bad turnovers, and do a better job of winning first, second and third balls, and we win the set piece battle, we can go toe-to-toe with every-single team in this league.

“We beat Rochester. We now beat the [division] leaders, last year, who had nine wins, one loss and two draws. I think that, again, we are starting to build a little bit of momentum. Haven’t conceded a goal in almost five full halves of soccer, now. Even though we’ve only scored [twice] in the last two games, I think that we could have left two games ago with three, and today with five. So, I think we’re creating. We’re just waiting for that dam to break.”