Loons doomed by late penalty, lose 2-1 to Seattle
SEATTLE – Ethan Finlay scored only 21 minutes into his Minnesota United debut, sprinting onto a pass from teammate Ibson, shimmying around Sounders defender Joevin Jones and firing into the net.
It was a genuine feel-good moment for the Loons, the Duluth native commemorating his first game with his home-state club with a goal. Those moments have been few and far between during United’s inaugural season. Even if — perhaps especially if — you’re a last-place team, those are the ones you want to savor.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, the goal celebration could only last so long — 79 minutes plus stoppage time were still to be played, and in the very last of them, what had felt like a potential breakthrough gave way to more familiar heartbreak.
United was whistled for a handball in the final minute of stoppage time, and Seattle forward Clint Dempsey converted from the spot to give the Sounders a dramatic 2-1 victory on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field.
A draw would have at the very least lifted the Loons (6-13-5) out of last place in the Western Conference. As it is, they will reside in the basement for at least another week.
On paper, Sunday’s match was an easy call. Seattle came in as one of the hottest teams in MLS, unbeaten in eight and riding a club-record shutout streak. Minnesota, meanwhile, had won just twice since May, having sunk all the way down the conference basement.
In this league, though, mismatches are never as lopsided as they might seem. With the Sounders (11-7-7) hosting Portland in a nationally televised rivalry showdown next weekend, this had trap game written all over it. Say this for the Loons: They at least made the defending champions sweat.
The visitors started well. An early corner kick bounced into the path of Francisco Calvo, whose shot failed to make it through all of the green bodies massed in front of goal. Finlay forced Seattle’s Stefan Frei into a diving save with a bouncing shot from distance a few minutes later.
Finlay’s acquisition in a trade with Columbus earlier this month wasn’t quite as storybook as it might look with only a cursory look at his biography page. Though technically born in Duluth, the 27-year-old was raised mostly in Wisconsin. But he has spoken passionately about his affinity for the region. And his influence throughout Sunday night’s match was legitimate.
Finlay buzzed up and down the wing, the type of magnetic force that draws opposing defenders and frees up spaces for teammates. When his moment came, he took it well, controlling Ibson’s cutting through ball with his first touch and finishing with a nifty toe-poke.
Minnesota was done in by a pair of flaws that have become a season-long trend: A lack of reliable finishing from anybody other than injured forward Christian Ramirez, and set-piece defending.
With the hosts still reeling from Finlay’s go-ahead strike, Abu Danladi should’ve doubled Minnesota’s lead but instead fired into the side netting with the goalmouth at his mercy. Danladi missed a golden opportunity early in the second half, too, with the score still tied at one, pouncing onto a Sounders giveaway before once again shooting wide under little duress.
Seattle’s game-tying goal came far too easily, Chad Marshall rising unchallenged at the near post to meet Nicolas Lodeiro’s close range free kick. The big man gave Bobby Shuttleworth little chance, his header splashing into the back of the net.
Dempsey waited until the closing minutes of stoppage time to slip in the final dagger, winning the penalty kick and converting it himself, to the delight of the home crowd and crushing disappointment of the visitors.
Source- http://www.startribune.com/loons-doomed-by-late-penalty/441217523/#1
