With a 3-0 win at the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening, Minnesota United FC has back-to-back road wins for the first time in club history – both over Western Conference foes.
The breakthrough came almost immediately after halftime, as Darwin Quintero smashed home a penalty kick in the 49th minute, awarded after head referee Marcos de Oliveira consulted video assistant review. He judged that San Jose left back Marcos Lopez flung his left arm at an overhead flick from Miguel Ibarra.
Carrying momentum, Quintero drove a counter attack forward in the 52nd minute, slipping Miguel Ibarra through on the right side. The winger cut back onto his left foot, bending a strike past the outstretched arms of San Jose goalkeeper Daniel Vega.
Chasing a foothold in the match, the Earthquakes were dealt a major blow in the 75th minute when a free kick from Jan Gregus deflected in off Harold Cummings’ shoulder for an own goal.
In what was San Jose’s second straight loss under new head coach Matias Almeyda, veteran striker Chris Wondolowski nearly bagged a monumental goal. In the 41st minute, he turned a Cristian Espinoza cross onto the post, coming inches from matching Landon Donovan’s all-time record for career regular season goals in MLS (145).
Otherwise, a Minnesota backline anchored by offseason acquisition Ike Opara went into bend-don’t-break mode and goalkeeper Vito Mannone, on loan from Reading, recorded his first shutout in MLS.
Goals
- 49' – MIN – Darwin Quintero (PK) | WATCH
- 52' – MIN – Miguel Ibarra | WATCH
- 75' – MIN – Harold Cummings (OG) | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Minnesota has five straight road games to open the 2019 season before Allianz Field field opens April 13 against New York City FC. For a club that went 1-14-2 away from the Twin Cities last year, such a spell might seem ominous. So far, it's been anything but for head coach Adrian Heath's team, securing six points from a possible six.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: If San Jose were to claw back into the contest, they needed to put Quintero's penalty kick in the rearview mirror. Rather, Miguel Ibarra's quick footwork and cushioned finish created a two-goal cushion and deflated San Jose right after halftime.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: For the second straight match, Darwin Quintero was at the heart of almost every Minnesota attacking move. In banging home his penalty kick and setting up Miguel Ibarra's curler, the Colombian playmaker now has two goals and three assists on the year.
Next Up
- MIN: Saturday, March 16 at LA Galaxy (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
- SJ: Saturday, March 16 at New York Red Bulls (3:30 pm ET | Univision, MLS Live on DAZN in Canada; Streaming on Twitter)
