MNUFC Stun Inter Miami In 4-1 Thriller, Garner Eight-Word Response from Big Name
Purposeful possession allowed Minnesota United FC to neutralize Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF on a summer-like Saturday at Allianz Field and the Loons’ convincing 4-1 victory spurred larger discussion about what it means to play – and to beat – such a high-value club.
Despite having only 31.6 percent of the ball, the Loons equaled the visitors on both shots (4) and shots on target (2) in the opening 45 minutes. While Dayne St. Clair registered two saves (the first a shot from Yannick Bright, the second from Lionel Messi), only Minnesota’s Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Anthony Markanich found the back of the net in the first half.
While Minnesota newcomer Julian Gressel started on the bench in his first match against his former club, the first half went much as he said it might. “Actually in the locker room today, [Gressel] said that they will be good for 30 minutes, and then after that, we’ll get a chance,” Michael Boxall said after the game. “And we scored in the 32nd, so he was spot on.”
Loons midfielder Joaquín Pereyra, who played a large part in most of the home side’s offensive opportunities while he was on the pitch, picked out Carlos Harvey and sent him the ball at the edge of the 18-yard box just as Bongokuhle Hlongwane made a sprint towards the six. Harvey’s pass was threatening enough to draw goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to the near post, giving Bongi a clear shot to the far post and Minnesota a 1-0 lead at the 32nd minute. It was the wingback’s first goal of the season and, coming as it did at the Wonderwall end, it blew the non-existent roof off of Allianz Field.
The Loons’ other wingback, Anthony Markanich, added a second goal in first half stoppage time, this time from a throw-in setpiece. Boxall’s long throw was flicked by Nicólas Romero and finished off with a neat header by Markanich. It was his second of the season and gave the Loons’ a 2-0 lead going into the break.
After a lot of success with setpieces – especially the long throw-in – early in head coach Eric Ramsay’s tenure, Minnesota has seen less success with them in 2025 but, Boxall said, it’s something they keep working on and testing with new pieces (ie. heads) in the box:
“Somebody here asked me a couple of weeks ago how we’ve just been not as successful with, or it’s been a while since we’ve had anything to come to fruition from the long throw. So yeah, being persistent has paid off and we’ve got big targets who love to get their heads on the ball. We got pretty lucky with that one.”
Going from 2-0 to 2-1 in the space of minutes (excluding the 15 minute halftime break) is often a cause for alarm in Minnesota games. However, when the goal is scored by Lionel Messi, amidst the circus that follows him and Inter Miami city to city throughout the season, the goal simply gives everyone what they came for.
There wasn’t much that goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair could do when Jordi Alba found Messi in the box in the 48th minute. Messi turned with the ball and, like Bongi in the first half, shipped it in toward the far post to score. But, unlike some previous results, Minnesota regained and then continued to grow their lead, not allowing Messi & Co. to draw anything back.
Loons dominate, Messi scores, everyone goes home happy.
— Brandon Veale (@redveale.bsky.social) 2025-05-10T22:59:08.323Z
“It was nice in the sense that Messi has his moment here, and those that have turned up solely for that reason are able to see that,” Ramsay remarked. “But from our perspective, winning and putting in a performance that the club as a whole can be proud of was what we set out to do, and I felt like we did that really, really well.”
Another set-piece, this time a corner sent in by Pereyra, brought the Loons’ goal tally to three and Inter Miami’s to two: Tani Oluwaseyi connected with Pereyra’s serve but the ball was deflected by Inter Miami defender Marcelo Weigandt into his own net and Minnesota took a 3-1 lead in the 68th minute.
The fourth goal came just two minutes later when Robin Lod, like Bongi, netted his first of the 2025 campaign. In Lod’s own words: “Yeah, I just saw that there was a lot of space so I just ran towards the box and yeah I saw Tani [Oluwaseyi] passing behind and it’s just one of those that you kind of knew when the ball was coming that you’re going to have a good hit and it will go in and today it went in.”
Minnesota United had to kill off another twenty minutes of play before they could celebrate but for those twenty minutes the crowd was the most exuberant we have seen at Allianz Field (or at least top three) and this rendition of ‘Wonderwall’ was especially loud.
The weather, fans, and team at their best.
— Dave Cary (@teamcary.bsky.social) 2025-05-10T23:51:01.635Z
The 4-1 scoreline though was not the most impressive part of MNUFC’s victory though. Every goal came from a counter-attacking opportunity or from a setpiece earned on the counter. Only one Miami midfielder seemed to be aware of Minnesota’s low press. Sebastian Busquets finished the match with 103 completed passes – more than Michael Boxall (30), Carlos Harvey (28), and Joaquin Pereyra (27) combined. Overall, Miami made more than twice as many passes as Minnesota.
Allowing Miami to take control of the ball only to absolutely posturize them every time they moved the ball into a threatening position is a testament to Minnesota’s squad unity; and the fact that they played it so well in this particular match is perhaps an indictment of Miami’s dependency on individuals and flashy play.
“I didn’t want to be the guy that’s trying to take the moment away from the club or the players or the staff or myself,” Ramsay said of the gravity of this particular match-up. “But I felt it was really important that we approached the game as we would normally approach games, and I didn’t become a different coach. The staff didn’t become different staff, and the players didn’t become different players. And we’ve won that game in the way that we’ve won most of the games we’ve won this year, and we’ve been really consistent in the way we’ve played.”
Convincingly dictated the game, even without the ball
Lod echoed Ramsay’s statement, saying, “We know that if we do the work as an 11 and defend well, it will put us in a good position to win the games and it’s not something that we are concerned about. It suits us really well and in this game the goals matter and we found a way that fits us.”
In an announced crowd of 19,710 spectators were many who simply came to see the GOAT. They saw what Lionel Messi can do – the individual brilliance that makes him the GOAT – and they saw what we have come to expect from Alba and Busquets. But they also saw another form of the game, the kind where an entire group finds an edge and exploits it for all it’s worth. It does not always work but this time it did and the club and its fanbase is justifiably excited.
Minnesota United FC took to social media to flaunt their move ahead of Inter Miami in the Supporters Shield rankings, referring to Miami as the “Pink Phony Club”, a play on Chappell Roan’s song ‘Pink Pony Club’. The jibe touched a few nerves, drawing a rebuke from Inter Miami owner and former England star David Beckham, who said, “Show a little respect. Be elegant in triumph.”
David Beckham was in the comments after Inter Miami were humbled 4-1 at Minnesota United, unimpressed with the Loons' admin 👀
— Men in Blazers Media Network (@meninblazers.bsky.social) 2025-05-12T13:16:19.848Z
Beckham also took issue with the Wonderwall’s prematch tifo which read “History over hype – Culture over cash,” (a direct comparison between Minnesota’s Forever United soccer roots and Inter Miami’s cash flow/salary cap history) responding with “Respect over everything” and including a heart emoji that Minnesotans are sure to interpret as a touch of passive aggressiveness.
If Becks wanted everyone to forget his club was thoroughly beaten by a humble Minnesota side, his comments had the opposite effect. In fact, there is a non-zero chance that “Show a little respect. Be elegant in triumph” winds up on a scarf or another piece of merchandise produced by supporters.
Michael Boxall, on the other hand, is ready to move on, ranking the result a bit lower than one would expect from the weight of the moment:
“Probably like at least top 100. Top 50. I mean, it’s three points. I’m happy that the crowd got to enjoy that. Obviously a performance and some goals that sent most of the crowd home happy. So yeah, something to build on. But we’re 12 games in now. We need to keep building on that. Look forward to Wednesday now.”
Boxall and Minnesota United FC are back on the road for a midweek match against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, May 14. Northland Soccer Journal will have [limited] social media coverage from the stands at Shell Energy Stadium, as well as a full recap.
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