It was more dramatic than Minnesota United FC head coach Adrian Heath might have liked. But when it comes to surviving and advancing in Leagues Cup play, style points are irrelevant.
The Loons certainly didn't make it easy on themselves in Tuesday night's Round-of-16 clash with Liga MX side Toluca, relinquishing a 2-0 second-half lead at Allianz Field and seeing midfielder Hassani Dotson sent off with a red card for a PK-inducing foul in the 73rd minute.
Yet thanks to a gutsy defensive effort down the stretch and some more heroics from goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota are moving on to the tournament quarterfinals, where they'll take on Nashville SC at GEODIS Park on Aug. 11. Toluca, meanwhile, became the 14th Liga MX side to be eliminated from the tournament.
"It was a great Cup night. I don't think I'd like to go through it every week, I've got to be honest," Heath joked after the match.
Second-half theatrics
The match became a test of Minnesota's moxie, even after a first half that went about as ideally as the home side could have hoped. The Loons were holding a 2-0 advantage at intermission, thanks to a dynamic attacking performance that featured a 13th-minute opener from Joseph Rosales and a 32nd-minute tally from Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who tied Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi as the tournament's top scorer (seven goals) with his composed finish.
Things took a wild turn in the second half, though, as the visitors halved the deficit, then got an equalizing penalty kick on the same sequence in which Dotson was sent off for a high elbow issued while defending a corner kick. But the Loons didn't fold, getting the match to penalties, where the home crowd was sent into euphoria after a save from St. Clair and another missed spot-kick from Toluca delivered a 4-2 victory in the shootout.
"I think it's been a great night for the tournament again," Heath said. "I know there's been penalties all around and I imagine the atmosphere's been the same as it has here, so I actually think the competition's here to stay and I think it will just get bigger and bigger as it grows."
It was the second straight Leagues Cup result in which Minnesota prevailed on penalties after their Round-of-32 bout with the Columbus Crew ended in a 3-3 draw. Much of the credit goes to St. Clair, the 26-year-old Canadian international goalkeeper who is showing an impressive aptitude for delivering in big moments in the tournament.
"He's a big kid," Heath said of St. Clair. "I said to him again before the game, I said make them beat you. Make them score the penalties. Don't dive early, don't be trying to be too clever. Save the bad penalty. And he's done that.
"I'm pleased for him because we had a penalty shootout last year and he went the wrong way for four or five of them. So now he's had a big night. Did everything we expect of him."
Music City road trip
The result sets up an all-MLS quarterfinal matchup with Nashville SC, who also found themselves on the victorious end of a wild PK shootout over Liga MX power Club América on Tuesday.
The Hany Mukhtar-led side will be considered an odds-on favorite playing at the notoriously hostile confines of GEODIS Park. But as Heath noted, the Loons boast one of the league's best road records in 2023, with five wins to their name in 12 matches away from Allianz.
"We obviously all wanted to be at home," Heath said. "So we'll go and do it again. Our away record, there's only one team with more points on the road than us this year. So if we have to go and do it again, let's go and do it again.
"We'll certainly go there. We've won there in the past. It's a great environment to play in. We know it's going to be difficult, they've got really good players, certainly in forward areas. So, hey, let's go and spoil the party again."
