There seems to be no amount of good feelings about a match that St. 香港三级片 City SC can鈥檛 find a way to dash into the rocks.
After a quick comeback that turned what looked like another loss into a surprising 鈥 and desperately needed 鈥 win, City SC did what it always does, giving up late goals to blow its lead. This time, the goals came in the 85th and 88th minute, to a most unlikely candidate, defender Anthony Markanich, who the team traded away at the end of last season because it had acquired players that had dropped him from first to third on the depth chart at left back. So give City SC points for creativity but nothing else as it lost to Minnesota United 3-2 in the round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard, very hard, to be honest,鈥 said goalkeeper and captain Roman Burki, 鈥渢hat we couldn鈥檛 reward ourselves for the solid performance we had until then. It鈥檚 just, it鈥檚 unexplainable. What is going on at the moment here we can not believe. ... It鈥檚 unbelievable.鈥
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It鈥檚 also another hit for coach Olof Mellberg, whose team has been ahead or tied in three of its past four matches after 70 minutes and has won none of them. On Wednesday, all the team had to do was close out the final five minutes, plus four minutes of stoppage time, and instead, it gave up two goals and nearly a third. Meanwhile, City SC couldn鈥檛 convert two excellent scoring chances of its own in the closing minutes, including an open shot on net by Cedric Teuchert that could have put City SC up 3-1 and put the game away. A win may have bought Mellberg some time, but now the clock is ticking louder and louder.
鈥淓xtremely disappointing,鈥 Mellberg said. 鈥淨uite a few games now, when we鈥檝e had the lead, so disappointing to concede those goals. It was disappointing to concede the first goal as well. They had very little in the first half. It was quite a soft goal to concede.鈥
The way the team鈥檚 recent results have played out 鈥 with City SC giving up late goals 鈥 is only getting worse. City SC has given up nine goals in the 70th minute or later over the past five games against MLS opponents, but an amazing eight of them have come in the 77th minute or later. No lead is safe as far as City SC is concerned. If the team knew how to shut down a game, in its past six games, it would have two more wins, one more tie and still be alive in the Open Cup.
Mellberg doesn鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a mental block for his team.
鈥淚 think there are other explanations,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ith that said, we should still be able to get through these games. There have been quite a few now, and we鈥檝e lost points in various ways, too many games now where we had the lead and haven鈥檛 been able to push through till the end.鈥
鈥淚n these situations, you always start best when you look at yourself,鈥 said Burki. 鈥淚 still think if I鈥檓 getting back into rhythm more and more, I probably could have saved the first Anthony goal from this angle. I should not concede that ball. It鈥檚 hard to say. If we don鈥檛 concede the second goal, then I think we鈥檙e going to win this game, so I kind of blame myself as well there. But overall, we have to be more hungry to win these games, even if you鈥檙e up or down. Minnesota is a really good team, and you see they are down and they don鈥檛 lose focus, they play their playing style until the end and obviously they brought in some of their top players who made a difference, but I think it鈥檚 just keep going until the ref whistles and putting everything on the field like you are 1-0 behind.鈥
While the team鈥檚 10-game winless streak in MLS play is unaffected by this game, it runs the drought to 11 against MLS opponents, with four losses and a tie in the past five games. The team showed some offensive spark in the second half to regain a lead after falling behind for the first time this season, but its defense is increasingly an issue. The team has allowed 16 goals in its past six games against MLS opponents over all competitions.
None of this is good news for Mellberg, whose team can鈥檛 buy a win. Another blown late-game lead is not going to help his job security in the least. It鈥檚 a very quick turnaround to City SC鈥檚 next game, on the road Saturday at Colorado. After three straight weeks with one, there will be no midweek game next week, giving them a week before its following game, at home against San Jose. At a time when Mellberg needs wins to save his job, they are not happening.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how it is, that鈥檚 business,鈥 said Burki. 鈥淲e are trying on the field. I see the desperation that we have, that we want to win games and before games we are talking, we are having good energy. We go into a game, we start the game well, and then somehow, I don鈥檛 know what it is, something is blocking us from just keeping positive and being optimistic that we are good enough to win games.鈥
City SC gave up a goal in the 10th minute, and every time, it had fallen behind this season, there had been no coming back. City SC took six shots in the first half, none of them on goal.
In the second half, it changed, and for the better. First, it was Marcel Hartel, heading in a cross from Timo Baumgartl to tie the game. Then, nine minutes later, Klauss heading in a cross from Hartel to put City SC ahead, its first comeback of the season. The goal by Klauss came in the 65th minute, which meant 25 nailbiting minutes of City SC hanging on.
But with each minute, it looked like they would finally do it. Then, in the span of two minutes, the game was stood on its head three times.
First, Tomas Ostrak lost the ball, got it back, tried to pass and had that blocked, which led to a great chance for Minnesota鈥檚 Kelvin Yeboah, who scored the Loons鈥 first goal, that Burki had to punch away. That led to a counter for City SC, with Cedric Teuchert getting behind the defense and taking a shot from the top of the box that went wide.
Then, substitute Joey Zalinsky let Markanich get behind him, and he dribbled unchallenged into the penalty area angled one past Burki, looking more like his brother Nick, who led North America in goals last season in the USL Championship before heading to Spain. That tied the game in the 85th minute.
In the 87th minute, it looked like Minnesota would get the game winner when Minnesota鈥檚 Tani Oluwaseyi fought off Josh Yaro on a break, got around Burki and had an open net to shoot at, only for Yaro to scramble back and clear the ball off the line.
But that wasn鈥檛 the last challenge for City SC to have to dodge. On the ensuing corner kick, Markanich outleapt Xande Silva in the penalty area and headed the ball into the net, the first time he ever scored twice in a game.
Simon Becher almost tied the game in the 90th minute but his header in the box was saved by goalkeeper Wessel Speel.
鈥淭hese unfortunate defeats in the end of games,鈥 Mellberg said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you see a team that looks beaten when we play. I mean, that鈥檚 obviously something we just have to continue that belief that we can turn things around.鈥
