Minnesota United’s long throw-ins have become a part of the team’s identity under head coach Eric Ramsay this season. But chucking it deep from the sideline is not considered a Hail Mary strategy.
It has recently produced big results: Joseph Rosales’ toss ended with Bongi Hlongwane’s second goal in a 2-1 win at San Jose on Saturday, and Michael Boxall’s heave was a precursor to Kelvin Yeboah earning a penalty kick in a 3-2 loss to Seattle last week.
Ramsay said long throw-ins are part of the repertoire, in part, because it’s one of his players’ strengths.
“First and foremost … we have probably an uncommon number of players in the team that can really throw the ball properly,” he said late Saturday from PayPal Park in San Jose.
Going into Saturday’s MLS match, Devin Padelford led the team with 136 throw-ins, with Rosales second at 98 and D.J. Taylor at 93. Boxall had chipped in 22.
Ramsay acknowledged it can “feel very repetitive” and not a lot might seem to be gained from it, but even incremental improvements in field position can add up.
“We’re getting corners as a consequence of throwing the ball long. We’re getting territory in a very meaningful, purposeful way, and we have the capacity to score in the way that we did (Saturday),” Ramsay said. “So, it would be … remiss of me to not use that when we have players that have real weapons in that sense. It’s something that we’re pretty persistent (in using).”
Forward thinking
With Yeboah scoring twice versus Seattle and Tani Oluwaseyi coming back from injury, it was tantalizing to think about the two of them starting against San Jose.
But MNUFC’s two-forward set-up is not limited to traditional strikers Yeboah, Oluwaseyi and Teemu Pukki. Bongi Hlongwane, who usually plays in wider areas, was the one who started next to Yeboah at forward on Saturday.
“He’s earned his spot by me knowing that he has the attributes to play that position well for us, and he gave us dynamism and unpredictability, which was obviously very effective in the opening stages,” Ramsay said.
Hlongwane scored in the ninth minute and again in the 64th; he has now moved past Oluwaseyi with nine goals in MLS play this season. Oluwaseyi did return from a month-long absence to play the final 27 minutes next to Yeboah. Pukki didn’t come off the bench.
“We now are in a position where we’ve got some nice tools at our disposal on that front line and we can do a couple of different things,” Ramsay said. “I’m excited to see what we’re able to get from the team and what those guys are able to produce.”
Options are going to grow in midfield, too, with Argentine signing Joaquin Pereyra set to join the team in training sessions before the Loons’ next game at St. Louis on Sept. 14.
Dotson on point
Midfielder Hassani Dotson, who won the ball back before Hlongwane’s first goal, was commended by Ramsay post-match.
“He’s been very good in the last two games,” Ramsay said. “He’s played with a real commitment. He’s been really dialed in. He’s obviously very athletic, very capable defensively as well as what he brings on the ball with his level of energy, his capacity to steal the ball in the middle and drive and give the team a really dynamic look.”
On duty
The Loons are off next weekend during the FIFA international window, but seven first-team players will head to their national teams: Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi (Canada), Robin Lod and Teemu Pukki (Finland), Joseph Rosales (Honduras), defender Michael Boxall (New Zealand) and Zarek Valentin (Puerto Rico).
Loaned-out MNUFC midfielder Alejandro Bran (Costa Rica) and MNUFC Academy Under-18 defender Tamer Ibsais of Eden Prairie (Palestine U20 team) are also off to represent their nations over the next week.
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Publish date : 2024-09-01 04:07:00
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