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MINNEAPOLIS — A week ago, following Minnesota United FC’s 4-3 win over Toronto FC, coach Adrian Heath was asked for his thoughts on playing an international friendly against Deportivo Saprissa in the middle of a crowded fixture list.
“Well, it’ll be good for a lot of people who don’t play, and that’s what it’ll be used for,” Heath answered. “You know, we’ve got seven or eight players who haven’t got minutes for over a month. And they need to get some games, so it’ll be perfect for them.”
True to his word, Heath started 10 players not regularly found in Minnesota’s first XI when the Loons lost 2-1 to the Costa Rican side Wednesday night at TCF Bank Stadium. The lone exception was captain Francisco Calvo. The defender stated postgame that he requested minutes after missing out on Saturday’s loss at Houston due to suspension.
Heath deployed his charges in the 5-3-2 he used against Toronto and Houston.
One interesting lineup decision was Heath’s use of Maximiano as a box-to-box midfielder, playing alongside Colin Martin and in front of Harrison Heath in a midfield triangle. The coach used the Brazilian in more of an advanced role than the No. 6 is typically assigned in order to get the midfielder more involved in the thick of the game.
A few fresh faces tonight vs. @SaprissaOficial
3-5-2 | #ScarvesUpMN pic.twitter.com/iP8RWb174y
— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) July 11, 2018
Once underway, the visitors opened the scoring when a 19th-minute error from Bertrand Owundi Eko’o — an under-hit backpass intended for Matt Lampson —put David Ramirez in on goal. The Saprissa forward rounded Lampson after the keeper came out in an effort to close down Ramirez’s shooting angle, leading to an easy finish.
Frantz Pangop leveled the match for the hosts five minutes later. The Cameroonian used a stepover to freeze La S defender Alexander Robinson, then rolled the ball from the top of the penalty area to the far corner of the goal.
With Swiss fullback Jérôme Thiesson translating, Pangop said Heath demanded every player use the friendly as a chance to show themselves, and Pangop was very happy he could score his first goal for the Loons.
Also looking to impress was 19-year-old Mason Toye. Taken by the Loons as the seventh-overall pick in the 2018 SuperDraft, the forward has logged just 254 league minutes this season.
And while Toye wasn’t able to join Pangop in scoring his first goal for Minnesota, the rookie also turned in an impressive performance. Toye’s highlights included a slaloming run around the Saprissa defense, resulting in a narrow-angle chip that flashed just wide of the goalmouth in the 31st minute; a 39th-minute nutmeg of Jaikel Medina; and a low, driven 57th-minute cross that rattled around the 6-yard box but was cleared before either Eric Miller or Pangop could get a foot on it.
“Me and some other guys coming in, it was a statement game for us, trying to prove a point to our coach that we should be out on the field” said Toye. “It wasn’t a friendly for any of us. We were trying to go out and win.”
Showing an improved ability to take on defenders, Toye attributed it to his work with Heath and assistant coach Ian Fuller during training.
Despite Toye’s best efforts, the scoreline held deep into the second half, until Saprissa forward Carlos Villegas scored the game-winner. Running onto a ball floated over the Loons’ back line, Villegas chipped Lampson from short range and put El Monstruo Morado up 2-1 in the 85th minute.
The skies opened up in added time, sending fans to TCF Bank Stadium’s lower-deck concourse. Shortly thereafter, the final whistle blew.
“The lads will be disappointed they haven’t gone on to take something from the game,” said Heath. “Mason did some nice stuff. I thought, at times, Frantz Pangop showed us some bits of quality. So, I thought there were some good moments for us.”
“Saprissa is the biggest team in Costa Rica, and they showed today how they play,” said Calvo, who spent two seasons with El S before joining MNUFC in 2017. “I think that for the huge clubs in the world, the most important thing is the bench. The bench makes the team strong. If the guys on the bench are in good shape and fight for spots, the guys who are playing – have to get to work. Some of the guys showed what they got to Gaff today.”
Heath said he was especially pleased with his players considering many on the pitch Wednesday had played “maybe one game in three months, two months.”
When asked if Minnesota’s 2-1 defeat was the toughest 2-1 defeat he’d experienced on the day, the Englishman paused before answering.
“Today? I’d like to say it is. Yeah, it was not a good day for the Three Lions,” Heath said in reference to England’s 2-1 loss to Croatia in a World Cup semifinal.
“I could have retorted with, ‘I didn’t see America there,’ but I wouldn’t go down that road. I’m not that type of guy, obviously,” Heath added in friendly jest.
https://dev-prosoccerusa.pantheonsite.io/world-cup/croatia-reaches-world-cup-for-1st-time-beats-england-2-1/