Minnesota Advances on Penalties After Dramatic 3-3 Draw
St. Paul, MN — Minnesota United FC secured their place in the Western Conference Semifinals after defeating Seattle Sounders FC 7-6 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Allianz Field on Saturday. The victory gave Minnesota a 2-1 series win in the best-of-three Round One matchup before 18,645 spectators.
Seattle struck early when Albert Rusnák finished clinically in the 5th minute, controlling Danny Musovski's through ball before slotting past goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. The Sounders doubled their advantage three minutes later as Musovski converted from close range following a corner, seemingly putting the visitors in command.
Minnesota's path to victory became significantly more difficult in the 41st minute when Joseph Rosales received a straight red card for violent conduct. Down to ten men and trailing 2-0, the Loons faced elimination.
Yet two minutes before halftime, Joaquín Pereyra ignited Minnesota's comeback with a superb free kick from 25 yards that bent into the bottom corner. The goal gave the home side crucial momentum heading into the break despite their numerical disadvantage.
Playing with exceptional discipline in their compact defensive shape, Minnesota took a shocking lead in the 62nd minute when Jefferson Díaz powered home a header from Morris Duggan's precise delivery. The goal rewarded Minnesota's tactical resilience and efficiency on the counter-attack.
Seattle responded with sustained pressure, dominating possession with 59% of the ball and completing 85.3% of their passes compared to Minnesota's 78%. The Sounders' persistence paid off in the 71st minute when Anthony Markanich pulled one back with a header from six yards.
The dramatic finale arrived in the 88th minute when Jordan Morris converted Cristian Roldán's acrobatic cutback to level at 3-3, forcing penalties after Minnesota had defended heroically for nearly 50 minutes with ten men.
The shootout extended to ten rounds before Minnesota prevailed. After both teams converted their opening attempts and traded saves and misses, St. Clair stepped up to convert his penalty in round ten. Andrew Thomas then struck the crossbar, sending Minnesota through.
St. Clair, who made five crucial saves during regulation, became the hero by scoring the decisive penalty. Pereyra's earlier goal and assist highlighted his influence despite playing a man down for most of the match.
Minnesota now awaits the winner of Saturday's Portland Timbers-San Diego FC series finale to determine their Western Conference Semifinal opponent.
