Minnesota United settles for 3-3 draw at Colorado after coughing up two-goal lead

No Major League Soccer manager worth his salt will ever turn down a draw on the road. It’s too hard to win away games in MLS, too difficult to travel and play in different conditions — say, at an elevation of a mile high — and still win.

Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay knows this, even in his first season in the league. But he felt like his team let one slip away in the Denver suburbs on Saturday night.

Minnesota led Colorado inside 10 minutes, then led by two goals after just 33 minutes had been played. The Rapids, though, fought back with two second-half goals, pulling out a 3-3 draw after the Loons had appeared to be cruising.

“Chaos,” Ramsay said. “It certainly wasn’t the match that we wanted it to be. Part of me expected that to be the case, based on what people have told me about coming here — but certainly not to that extent. I think we leave here happy to have taken a point. [But] I would have much preferred that we produced a better level of performance.”

Sang Bin Jeong scored twice for Minnesota, giving him three goals in two games, after the South Korean had scored just once in his first 32 appearances for the Loons. MNUFC plays more through-balls than any other team in MLS, and both of Jeong’s goals came from two of the prettiest passes in behind the defense that you’ll ever see.

First, Robin Lod bisected the defense to find Jeong running in behind, in just the eighth minute of the game. Later, Tani Oluwaseyi was the provider, splitting all four Colorado defenders with a pass that Jeong could run onto and finish.

In between, Oluwaseyi latched on to a rebound from a long shot and turned it home, for yet another goal for the 24-year-old striker, giving him a team-leading six. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but after referee Filip Dujic checked the replay, he decided that Oluwaseyi was level with the last defender when the shot was taken, rather than being behind the second-to-last man, and allowed the goal.

Kévin Cabral had scored for Colorado early as well, briefly leveling the game at 1-1, but with Minnesota leading 3-1 at halftime, the Loons had to feel like they were 45 minutes away from what would have been a third consecutive road victory. Instead, after Jeong had missed a one-on-one chance with Rapids keeper Zack Steffen, Minnesota’s defense began to crumble.

The Loons have made a habit of scoring from corner kicks, but in the 62nd minute, it was Colorado that got the ball in the net. Rafael Navarro flicked on a header at the near post, and defender Moise Bombito may or may not have gotten a touch to turn the ball into the net. Regardless, the goal made the game 3-2.

The moment seemed to open the floodgates for Colorado. First, Loons defender DJ Taylor gave away a penalty kick, fouling a Rapids attacker just as he let go a shot in the penalty area. Minnesota keeper Dayne St. Clair saved Minnesota momentarily, kicking away Navarro’s penalty attempt to keep the game 3-2.

If that was St. Clair’s best moment of the season, though, his worst came just a minute later. Cabral managed what was a relatively tame header, down into the ground and into St. Clair’s hands — but the ball clanged off the keeper, then trickled over the line to tie the score.

BOXSCORE: Minnesota United 3, Colorado 3

From there, the Loons struggled to climb back into the game. For the night, the Loons had barely 26% of the possession, and completed 115 passes to Colorado’s 480. When it was 3-1, Minnesota’s lack of possession was understandable. For the evening, though, it made for tough work for the defense.

Despite the lack of chances, Teemu Pukki nearly won the game for Minnesota in the 87th minute, but after picking up an errant back-pass and rounding the goalkeeper, his shot at an empty net hit the far post of the net and bounded away.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.