With the Loons’ return to Allianz Field less than a month away, it feels like an appropriate time to revisit the first-ever game at our iconic stadium. There’s nothing quite like the roar of nearly 20,000 fans and the reverberation of the drums, the shouting and the smoke, the few hours where everyone in the stands wants the same thing. And it all started on an April day in 2019.

The sweeping complex boasts 346,000 square feet, and the first time the Loons took to their home pitch, the place was bursting. Attendance came in at a resounding 19,796, filling the new pillar of the Midway community. It was as much a symbolic event as it was an action-packed match between Minnesota United and NYCFC — a battle of the birds. Let’s dive into Allianz Field’s inaugural matchday.

A First-Half Flurry

Minnesota started with a lineup featuring keeper Vito Mannone, the one and only Michael Boxall, and the likes of Ike Opara, Ozzie Alonso, and Darwin Quintero, all names that have gone down in the Black and Blue history books. It didn’t take long for the Loons to launch into the scoring, buoyed by the rowdiness of a crowd of Minnesota loyal, excited to finally have a permanent soccer home.

Just 13 minutes in, Alonso scored a stunner worthy of being the first scored in this new stadium. A scuffle in the box looked like it was going to slip through the Loons’ fingers when a New York defender headed the ball out of the box, but Alonso was ready with a powerhouse kick that sped right by keeper Sean Johnson to put the Loons on the board. 

If you haven’t seen this goal, go watch it a minimum of five times and just revel in the intensity of it. The masses filling the stands at Allianz Field were hungry for the first goal to be in favor of the Loons, and they were absolutely not disappointed. 

In the 16’, Valentín Castellanos leveled the score for the visitors, with Ismael Tajouri-Shradi following up just two minutes later. Unwilling to let New York hold the lead for long, Ethan Finlay broke away in the 20th minute and played an excellent cross to Angelo Rodríguez, who dove for the equalizing header. 

Four goals in just 20 minutes? What an insane start to soccer at Allianz Field, but we’re not even done yet. In a low moment for the Pigeons, Johnson failed to get his foot on top of a rogue ball, instead kicking it back into his own net. Oof. That’s not a great place for any keeper to be in, but in front of an absolutely deafening crowd of proud (and nice) Minnesotans? Pretty rough. Johnson’s own-goal put the Loons up by one, and after a VAR review that canceled a potential penalty kick for New York, the five-goal flurry of a first half ended in Minnesota’s favor.

An Unfortunate Equalizer

When Mannone came out of the net to meet New York’s attack in the 64th minute, Tajouri-Shradi took advantage of the open goal to score the final equalizer of the day. The scoreline didn’t budge for the remainder of the match.

On paper, it’s not a very climactic ending. Yes, it would’ve been the cherry on top if Minnesota United won their first match in their home stadium. But if you watch this match back — especially those first 45 — every goal (except the own-goal. Sorry, Sean) was a powerhouse, and this back-and-forth game was truly some top-tier soccer that we’re still talking about today. Sometimes a real push and pull is even better than a total rout, and though we all wish Minnesota had found the back of the net just one more time, the Minnesota soccer community still won something that day. Or, maybe more accurately, Allianz Field did: the hearts of 20,000 fans saying hello to their new home.

The Rewind series is part of Minnesota United's 10th Season campaign, a celebration looking back on some of the big moments that got us here.