An exciting night in Saint Paul ended with even scales as Minnesota United drew the visiting Houston Dynamo 2-2 at Allianz Field. A very end-to-end, evenly matched affair ultimately saw the Boys in Black and Blue go blow for blow with the fifth-placed team in the Western Conference, wrapping the match up with two goals and one point apiece at the final whistle. Several changes to both starting lineups played significant roles in this crunchtime contest, making for must-watch soccer until the very last moment. 

Your Loons came out in a familiar shape, but with slightly different personnel. Kelvin Yeboah led the way at the front of a 5-4-1, right in front of attacking midfielders AZ Jackson and Tomás Chancalay. The double pivot of Wil Trapp and Owen Gene protected the defense just behind them, while Cherrion Valerius stepped in for his MLS debut in place of suspended Jefferson Diaz alongside Michael Boxall and Morris Duggan. Bongokuhle Hlongwane lined up opposite Anthony Markanich on the flanks, giving the home side some speed and dynamism in the wide areas. 

From the outset, the hosts looked patient and calm, adding enough flair to make them dangerous. Tireless running from AZ gave the Loons a bit of pep in their step, and chances began to slowly trickle in as time ticked on. The Loons grew into the game steadily, establishing a higher and higher line to pin in their opponents, until a brief lapse saw the game open up. 

Houston’s new striker, Lyle Foster, got on the end of a ball over the top in the 18th minute, firing the visitors in front and taking advantage of the Loons flinching first when he got the better of Boxall. The goal clearly rattled the hosts, who, after playing well for the opening quarter of an hour, likely felt hard done by the smash and grab moment. After a moment to gather themselves, the game returned to its former state, with Houston slightly less willing to get forward and the Loons finding more and more numbers forward as they looked to break La Naranja down. Despite some dynamic, threatening moments, they couldn’t find the breakthrough before the halftime whistle. 

The second 45 began with the Loons very much on the front foot, creating a chance down the left side within the first minute of action. Their sharpness caught Houston noticeably off-guard, and it paid off quickly, with Kelvin Yeboah grabbing his 15th goal of the season to not only level the game, but set a new MNUFC single-season scoring record in the process. A deep cross from Duggan found the sliding finish of Yeboah at the back post, finally seeing the Loons cash in on the exact kind of chance they’d been creating so effectively in the first half.

From there, the hosts pressed just enough to make Houston think without trying to win the ball too high. Ben Olsen’s side regained their composure rather quickly, putting together sustained spells of possession and getting Mateusz Bogusz more and more touches on the ball. By the time both coaches turned to their benches in the 63rd minute, it was anyone’s game, and the changes were going to be crucial. In the same window, both Marcus Caldeira and Nick Markanich came onto the pitch, which may be relevant information in just a moment. 

With the changes in personnel, the Loons adapted their shape to a 4-4-2, pairing Caldeira and Yeboah up top. The shape worked, allowing Caldeira’s natural movement and superb link-up play to once again complement Yeboah’s knack for getting in behind. Right when they were starting to click, a lengthy medical break for Houston keeper Jonathan Bond saw the visitors sub in their backup in the 75th minute, sucking some of the momentum out of the stadium as Bond got the necessary concussion checks. 

Moments later, though, Loons’ debutant Valerius announced himself to the Loons faithful, pulling the strings down the right side of the pitch to combine with Caldeira, run forward, and serve it back to the Canadian international. Caldeira’s inch-perfect finish snuck past Houston’s freshly-subbed keeper, giving the hosts their first lead of the night in the 78th minute. 

Several more chances fell the Loons’ way, but nothing terribly clearcut. When the fourth official held up the board to announce 10 minutes of stoppage time, it felt like they would see out the result, but the length of time certainly added some nerves. Then, in the second minute of stoppage, Houston found their equalizer from a Bogusz cross played back in by Nick Markanich for a dink over Drake Callender, kickstarting a wild, wide-open finish to the match. It ultimately ended without another lead change, splitting the points. 

Before it was all said and done, 12 subs were used between the two clubs on the night, meaning more subs ended the match than starters. Some very promising fight from the Loons ended up going unrewarded, as a goal involving a Markanich proved to be a negative thing at Allianz Field for a change. Minnesota United will be back in action this Wednesday for a midweek showdown against the Colorado Rapids, before returning home next Saturday for a quick turnaround against St. Louis CITY.