MNUFC Scores Three in Win against Real Salt Lake

July 3, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Minnesota United FC News Release

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Holiday weekend. Sun-soaked. Sell-out crowd. Saturday night at Allianz Field had all the makings of a spectacular summer night that was only missing one thing:

The fireworks, of course.

In this case, there were fireworks of the offensive variety. And, Emanuel Reynoso was the heart of it, as he sparked an offensive performance that fired up the Loon faithful to a fever pitch. In fact, the Minnesota United offensive attack as a whole was worthy of the loud response, as they out-ran and out-muscled Real Salt Lake from the start.

Emanuel Reynoso lit the fuse on this offensive explosion right away in the eighth minute when a quick juke from the right side of the box got him clear of his man and with enough of a window to hammer home a beauty.

There was no let up for the rest of the first half, as the attack put the Real Salt Lake defensive unit on its heels much of the time with MNUFC peppering goalkeeper Zac MacMath regularly. That is, until the stoppage time of the first half, when Emanuel Reynoso was tackled in the box, which resulted in a penalty kick. The initial block of the PK by MacMath wasn’t enough to stop Reynoso from putting the rebound in the net.

The attack came out of the half equally as potent, continuing to pepper the Real Salt Lake defense. Then, in the 61st minute of the second half Amarilla got loose on a breakaway off a beautiful assist from Reynoso, as Amarilla perfectly placed a chip shot past MacMath to make it 3-0, Loons.

With the way the attack was going and the defense of the Minnesota United holding steady, this one didn’t have the feel of their last win versus LA Galaxy, that saw a furious comeback in the closing minutes that almost brought the teams even.

The listless Real Salt Lake attack then suddenly woke up. Jefferson Savarino got RSL on the board with a goal in the 71st minute. Not long after, in the 76th minute, it was Anderson Julio’s header that tightened the match.

The Real Salt Lake attack showed no signs of letting up, while the Loons showed signs of being worn down from the aggressive offensive effort. RSL had the fresh legs to keep up their suddenly energetic attack and continued to have scoring opportunities, but Michael Boxall, DJ Taylor and Abu Danladi each made key defensive clearances that kept the wolves at bay for just long enough to escape with an exciting-yet-heartburn-inducing 3-2 victory.

While Loons fans could…