Preseason competition starts this weekend, and I don’t know about you, but I’m getting so pumped that I had to go back through the archives and relive our first-ever MLS win in preparation for the many, many victories we’re going to claim this season. The game in question fell on April 1, 2017, but the only joke was on Real Salt Lake, who were sent home sulking after the Loons beat them by a whopping 4-2 margin at then-named TCF Bank Stadium. Join me, friends, on this journey of reliving the first of many times we would kick RSL’s butt.
A Back-and-Forth First 45
Minnesota took to the pitch with an XI featuring Bobby Shuttleworth, Kevin Molino, Johan Venegas, and Christian Ramírez. Just a few months into their first season in MLS, TCF was packed with over 17,000 fans rooting for the Loons’ first three-point night.
Things started out rough for the home team when Real Salt Lake’s Luke Mulholland opened scoring in just the fourth minute of play. But after an early injury on Salt Lake’s side, the visitors’ back line started to flag, and Minnesota was merciless in capitalizing on the shaky defense.
The Loons equalized in the 16th when some fancy footwork and a strategic cross from Venegas found its way into the box. Despite Salt Lake’s defensive efforts, Molino was ready with a lethal header that swept right by a leaping Nick Rimando.
The scoreline stayed level for the remainder of the half, but with no shortage of action; total possession came in at nearly 50/50, and corner kicks and shot attempts on both ends of the pitch made for an action-packed countdown to the halftime whistle.
Taking the Lead
The tie held only briefly in the second half. Christian Ramírez, fondly dubbed “Superman” by fans, grabbed a pass from Molino and broke away toward Rimando, winning a one-on-one duel against the decorated keeper just outside the goal box by sweeping the ball right over him and into the net.
They don’t call him Superman for nothing. Ten minutes later, he was back at it, capitalizing on a defensive error and making it a brace with a shot into an open goal. With the Loons up 3-1, spirits were waning for Salt Lake, and Minnesota wasn’t willing to let that momentum go.
Six minutes later, Molino made a push into the box and slipped the ball to a perfectly positioned Venegas, who found the back of the net to extend the Loons’ lead. RSL’s Yura Movsisyan bumped the visitors’ score up to 2 in the 87th minute, but it wasn’t nearly enough to salvage the match.
At the game’s close, the swaths of Minnesota fans launched into their first-ever Major League rendition of Wonderwall, marking the beginning of a longstanding tradition that remains a huge tenet of MNUFC fandom today.
After all — it was the club’s first three-point night in Major League Soccer. That’s something worth celebrating.
The Rewind series is part of Minnesota United's 10th Season campaign, a celebration looking back on some of the big moments that got us here.
