City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O’Malley talk about City SC’s showdown with Minnesota on Saturday, a game it has to win if it’s going to keep its faint playoff hopes alive after yet another tie, this time with New England.
The end is at hand for ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC and its 2024 playoff hopes.
City SC lost to Minnesota United 3-1 on Saturday night at CityPark, and while five games remain in City SC’s season, the loss dropped City SC 11 points back of Minnesota, which holds the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. City SC's hopes were pretty long to begin with, and while the math says it’s still possible, the reality is Minnesota needs just a win and a tie from its final six games to lock out City SC, even if it won its remaining games. And there are two other teams in between, Austin and Dallas, that would have to have an equally bad finish as Minnesota. So this loss pretty much ends it.
It was another game where City SC couldn’t hold on to a lead and it ran afoul of the VAR twice, both times with calls going against City SC, once on the goal that made it 3-1 and another on a chance that could have made it 3-2. Cedric Teuchert scored for City SC early on, but City SC was blanked the rest of the way and left itself exposed in the latter stages of the game as it desperately pushed for the goals it needed to keep its season alive.
The loss snapped City SC's four-game MLS unbeaten streak. City SC will go on the road next week to face San Jose, looking for its first road win of the season.
It’s a sharp contrast to last season, when City SC won the Western Conference in the regular season as an expansion team.
City SC did what it needed to do, taking a lead in the fifth minute. After a long buildup, Jake Nerwinski, making his third straight start, played a ball into the box for Simon Becher, who was sandwiched between two Minnesota defenders. Becher went down, but the ball fell to Teuchert, who one-timed it home from about 15 yards to put City SC up 1-0. For Teuchert, it was his third goal in four games and his fifth overall.
In a break from previous games, City SC didn’t give up a goal immediately afterward, though Minnesota had a lot of time in City SC’s end, and Roman Burki was challenged a couple of times. Eventually, Minnesota broke through. A bad pass by Eduard Lowen was stolen by Bongokuhle Hlongwane, which started a quick counter that finished with Hlongwane putting in the rebound of a shot that Burki couldn’t hold on to.
Chris Durkin went down holding his right knee just before halftime and was subbed out for Jake Girdwood-Reich, and with City SC needing to win the game, interim coach John Hackworth took center back Henry Kessler out of the game, moved Jannes Horn from left back to center back and put in the more attack-minded Jayden Reid at left back.
Seven minutes into the second half, City SC’s worst fear happened: It fell behind. Kelvin Yeboah used his speed to get around Horn and cross the ball to Hlongwane who would have had an easy tap in but Reid got to it first and deflected the ball into his own net to put Minnesota up 2-1.
That meant City SC would have to score twice in the final 45 minutes to keep its season alive, and the situation became worse in the 62nd minute when Kyle Hiebert tried to head a ball away in the box but Minnesota’s Michael Boxall won it and headed the ball down on to Hiebert’s elbow from a foot or so away. There was no call in real time, but at the next stoppage, referee Marcos DeOliveira was summoned to the monitor by VAR Ismail Elfath and ruled it a handball. Yeboah rolled the ball in to make it 3-1.
VAR got involved again in the 67th minute, when Klauss was fouled and tumbled into the box, but DeOliveira ruled it happened outside the box. Elfath had DeOliveira take another look at it, but after a long inspection, he stuck with his original call, giving City SC a free kick about a yard outside the box. Lowen’s free kick was blocked.
Photos: ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC can't hang on to early lead in 3-1 loss against Minnesota United FC
City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O’Malley talk about City SC’s showdown with Minnesota on Saturday, a game it has to win if…
Minnesota United forward Bongokuhle Hlongwane celebrates after scoring a goal against ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC goalie Roman Bürki in the first half on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at CityPark.