A night before Minnesota United FC’s highly-touted U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal in St. Paul against the Chicago Fire, the Loons hosted a match with significantly lesser stakes.
That was reflected in the lineup.
Featuring a bunch of faces from Minnesota United 2 — the franchise’s reserve squad — and first teamers who haven’t seen much in the way of minutes thus far this season, the Loons played Holstein Kiel of the German Bundesliga to a 0-0, scoreless draw at Allianz Field in an international friendly Monday night in St. Paul.
The contest — played in front of a healthy crowd — provided a chance for a number of the Loons’ lesser-known players on the second team to take center stage.
One player who took advantage of the opportunity was Minnesota United backup goalie Alec Smir.
Holstein Kiel, which is in its preseason at the moment and currently gearing up toward its campaign and gaining information to finalize its roster, touted possession for most of the evening and fired eight shots on target.
Smir stopped them all.
The Loons, who emptied their bench over the course of the match, tallied just one shot on target on an evening where the likes of Tani Oluwaseyi and Kelvin Yeboah had the night off. Minnesota United didn’t push much offensively, especially down the stretch.
But the Loons were solid defensively, keeping much of Holstein Kiel’s activity to the outside. But Smir delivered whenever reasonable chances were produced, such as when he stopped a header in the 82nd minute that maintained the tie.
Devin Padelford picked up a yellow card in the 29th minute.
And now, for Minnesota United, it’s onto the match that matters on Tuesday evening, as it sits just three wins away from claiming a trophy.
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