The chances were part of a madcap second half that saw both teams put five shots on target. It was the reverse of the first half, as well as a reverse of the game between these two teams a little over three weeks ago. In those three halves overall, both teams had five total shots on target.
“We didn’t like the first 15, 20 minutes of the game; that wasn’t how we intended to look — far too deep, far too passive, not building pressure well enough,” said Ramsay. “We were able to make a couple corrections at halftime, and nudge the players to be more aggressive, less passive, more front foot in the way we defended. That started to force the game a little bit, but then as we open up, so does the game.”
Minnesota and RSL have now played more than two full games without either team scoring. For that, you have to go back to April 6, in St. Paul, when Tani Oluwaseyi scrambled home a goal in the 86th minute to earn the Loons a 1-1 draw.
Ramsay isn’t going to change how his team plays for Game 2 on Saturday, but he’s counting on the Allianz Field energy to carry his squad.
“The atmosphere at home, the energy at home, obviously the lack of altitude that you experience [in St. Paul] — that will all contribute to us looking different, more exciting, more energetic, [and] more dynamic,” Ramsay said.
St. Clair was focused on St. Paul, too. “We’re definitely looking at [Game 2] as a must-win, because we don’t want to come back here,” said the keeper.
