Hassani Dotson calls young Minnesota United striker Tani Oluwaseyi “Big Toe,” a nickname that proved apropos in the 87th minute of Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field.
Tani Oluwaseyi’s late goal gives Minnesota United 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake
Tani Oluwaseyi’s goal Saturday night was the Loons’ fifth this season that came in the 87th minute or later.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 7, 2024 at 5:02AM
From the goal’s doorstep, Oluwaseyi stuck out his right leg before RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath could do so himself, redirecting Robin Lod’s seeing-eye pass off the near post and in.
“Hassani has called me `Big Toe’ all season cuz I have size 12 feet,” Oluwaseyi said. “It paid off, it pays off. I got a toe in there. It came in handy today.”
It was Oluwaseyi’s second goal this season, this one coming on as a second-half substitute who has helped change games — including the home-opening draw with defending MLS champs Columbus Crew.
The Loons (3-1-2) have scored five of their nine goals this season in the 87th minute or later.
“We’re just continuing to believe we can come away with something, we can get a point from the game,” Oluwaseyi said. “We’ve said all season we’re always going to go down to the last minute.”
Oluwaseyi, Lod and coach Eric Ramsay all lamented the two points lost Saturday because the Loons failed to win, leaving them in fourth place in the 14-team Western Conference. Lod called the one point earned by each team “kind of fair.”
Ramsay disagreed, pointing out a second half that increasingly tilted in favor of the home team, even if Oluwaseyi couldn’t convert another prime scoring chance soon after he tied it up.
The Loons outshot RSL 24-10, had more shots on target 8-6 and had the advantage in possession time.
“That’s the team we want to be,” Ramsay said. “The team you see in the second half that plays with a real dynamism and a real energy and plays forward quickly and presses well and counter-presses well and keeps the ball in the opposition’s box.
“We were faster, more purposeful and that’s the team we want to be.”
Lod created the tying goal by dancing with the ball inside the 18-yard box before his cross from the right went through RSL defender Emeka Eneli legs right to Oluwaseyi near the goal line.
Oluwaseyi held off another defender behind him and outreached MacMath in front of him, and Lod’s pass deflected off that big toe into the goal.
“I saw Robin take the touch and my mindset was just try and stay onside,” Oluwaseyi said. “I had a feeling he was going to get a shot off. The only thing I was thinking was let me get a touch before the goalie does. I was glad to be there in the right position to get a touch off.”
Lod took an entry pass from fullback DJ Taylor and went to work penetrating the RSL defense.
“I just think when time is running out, you need to do something and you need to force it a little bit,” Lod said. “You just need to go inside the box if you want to score. Lucky that Tani was in the right space today. … I don’t know if I saw Tani that well. In that moment, the gap between the legs was the only option, so good thing Tani was in there.”
Until then, Real Salt Lake star Chicho Arango’s 24th-minute goal stood as the go-ahead goal.
Last week, Arango scored three goals in 21 minutes late in a game against St. Louis City and walked away a 3-1 winner.
Loons striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane started for the first time time season, finally deemed fully fit in his fifth appearance. He played the first 64 minutes before Ramsay subbed Caden Clark into the game for him.
“I think Bongi is still finding his feet,” Ramsay said. “He had some nice moments, but certainly I think you’d hear he say he wants to play at a higher level, more consistent, show more quality. It certainly wasn’t a lack of trying in his case. I don’t think he had a bad game. There was no particular reason we took him out of the game other than a roll of the dice and a change and some fresh legs.”
Starting left back Joseph Rosales received a second yellow card Saturday late in the game, which will be a red card suspension for next week’s game against Houston.
The Loons again played on without star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso, who has played just 20 minutes this season because of injury, recovery and now because he has gone home to Argentina to obtain his U.S. immigration green card.
When he does, it will open one of eight international slots on the Loons roster that they can fill by acquiring another player.
Loons left centerback Micky Tapias missed his second consecutive game because of what Ramsay called a “hamstring irritation.” Dotson was subbed out at halftime for Alejandro Bran as a precautionary measure for a suspect hamstring.
Maplewood’s own Devin Padelford again started in Tapias’ place, as he did in last week’s 2-0 loss at Philadelphia.
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
