Last May, every MNUFC fan was counting down to the same day. Inter Miami was set to take to the pitch at Allianz Field for the first time ever, bringing with them a lineup of soccer superstars including Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets.
Miami was coming off a 4-1 bashing of Red Bull New York. Minnesota had just shut Austin out 0-3 on the road. Both clubs were on a roll, but hosting and beating the eventual Cup winners was a tall task for anyone.
Your Loons more than rose to the challenge. Sure, there were some big names on the field, but the Black and Blue approached this game like any other, level-headed and ready to defend the home turf. It hasn’t even been a full year since this glorious Saturday, but I just couldn’t resist reliving a game for the ages.
Getting Ahead
It was a stadium sellout on May 10, and it was loud even in the first half hour, when the scoreline remained nil-nil despite a number of attempts on both sides. That excitement hit a fever pitch when Minnesota opened the scoring with Carlos Harvey’s through ball to Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who found the back of the net in the 32nd minute to put the hosts up 1-0. Take it from someone who was filming from the Roof Deck — the stadium had never been that electric.
Anthony Markanich doubled down in stoppage time with one of his classic close-range headers, closing out the half with the Loons up 2-0. Against a team that had lost only twice in the regular season so far, Minnesota was making waves.
It was a special day not only for the fans in the stands, but the ones on the pitch. To dominate against such a high-caliber team is no small feat. Wil Trapp still has a photo of him having a conversation with Messi in Spanish, Messi mid-laugh in front of the visitors’ bench, both to remember a fantastic performance by the Black and Blue and the momentous occasion of sharing the field with a global superstar.
Doubling Down
Miami came out swinging in the second half, fighting to catch up. Their momentum paid off when Messi netted one for the Herons in the 48th off a cross from Alba.
“You play against him and you’re like . . . the apex predator is on the field,” Trapp said. “Jordi Alba’s crossing it to where he’s not even there. There’s no space, and then the ball shows up at his foot.”
But it was one and done for Miami that day. Defender Marcelo Weigandt gave the Loons their third with a brutal own-goal in the 68th, unable to head Joaquín Pereyra’s powerful corner out of danger. With the home team up 3-1, the Wonderwall was shouting for a fourth.
Robin Lod delivered with 20 minutes left on the clock, striking a beautiful leftie from outside the box off a Tani Oluwaseyi assist. Nothing says cinema quite like Minnesota’s highest-scoring match of the season, matched only by that same 4-1 scoreline against San Jose in July.
That victory was one of the crowning achievements of a record-setting season for the Loons, but more than that, it was a testament to the sheer energy and joy this game brings to the Twin Cities. It was a day no Black and Blue fan, player, or avid staff writer will soon forget.
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.
