Corner kick goals from Adrien Honou and Brent Kallman saw Minnesota United of Major League Soccer through to the fourth round of the US Open Cup and end Forward Madison’s hope of a major upset in the historic tournament.
On a cold and rainy night in Madison, the host side held its own in a goalless first half. Stalwart defending, especially by center back Eric Leonard, frustrated the visitors and limited them to only a handful of legitimate chances.
The Mingos nearly tallied with a Matheus Cassini shot from the top of the box that went just wide in the 50th. The Loons broke through in the 51st minute when Honou, Minnesota’s underperforming designated player, made a case for more meaningful minutes in league matches by tucking a corner kick into the corner of the net to give the Loons a 1-0 lead.
It was a nearly identical strike from Kallman that doubled the lead in the 83rd.
Midfielder Drew Conner made his long-anticipated debut for Forward Madison but it was a short one, as he was shown a red card for a studs-up tackle in the 84th. Also making his first appearance for the Migos was Trinidad & Tobago international Alvin Jones.
Forward Madison suffered another loss on the night as midfielder Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu had to come off in the first half after a hard challenge left his leg in what head coach Matt Glaeser called “bad shape.” It’s not clear yet how long Wheeler-Omiunu will be out.
Minnesota dominated the statistics, holding 66 percent of the possession and unleashing 15 shots, five on target, to Madison’s five, all wide or high. Still, Glaeser praised his team’s efforts.
“Really proud of the guys. They worked their socks off … they stuck to the game plan,” he said. “And I think we made it interesting for a better part of the game. There are certain things we’re going to improve on, I think that is clear to everyone. We’re gonna continue to improve and grow. But overall pleased with the results, pleased with the resilience.”
Glaeser said no specific player outshone the rest but the team effort was solid.
“The guys all worked hard. It was such a difficult task,” he said “I thought literally every player that came in and started the match came in and worked their socks off … I wish we had a GPS unit so we could see the amount of work that our group did. For me, no one particularly was outstanding but I thought the guys worked really hard in a really difficult game.”
Center back Eric Leonard, who had several key tackles and clearances, also has high praise for his teammates.
“I think defensively we stuck with them. We were organized which helped us clear and get the line up … I’m just proud of the team. We stuck with them the entire game,” he said.
Club officials said 2,663 people braved a cold and rainy night to attend the match. Forward Madison next hosts the University of Wisconsin men’s team in a friendly on Saturday, then welcomes the red-hot Central Valley Fuego to Breese Stevens Field on April 30.
