RECAP | United 4, Armada FC 0

Photo Credit: Minnesota United

Minnesota United returned to its winning form with a confident 4-0 win over Jacksonville Armada FC. A man advantage and a flurry of goals made for an exciting midweek match at the National Sports Center in Blaine in front of a record crowd of 9,412 fans.

"We build on the positives from our last match, and the guys responded well to the opportunities tonight," United head coach Manny Lagos said. "We've found a way to play that shows we believe in ourselves, and that we are one of the top teams in this league. The second half really showed that we wanted to end the poor form we had recently." 

Minnesota got off to an early start with a surprising goal from distance. Juliano Vicentini won the ball back for United in the Armada FC half and turned toward goal. Seeing he had space to work with, Vicentini took a rip from distance that found the top corner of the net from outside the box.

Jacksonville started to build momentum late in the half, but a red card would turn the tide. A long pass was played into the United penalty area, and goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock came out to grab it while Alhassane Keita challenged him. Ndjock couldn't handle the ball cleanly, and Keita came in with a high boot that caught the Minnesota 'keeper in the face. Following treatment from team doctors for Ndjock, Keita was given a red card, leaving Jacksonville with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Minnesota took advantage of the being a man up and put in a flurry of goals in the second half. Daniel Mendes got his second goal of the season five minutes into the second half. Christian Ramirez flicked the ball over his head to set up the volley attempt for Mendes, who blasted the ball past goalkeeper David Sierra.

Ten minutes later, Ramirez would get one of his own. Ibson won the ball back for United as the Armada FC tried to organize a counterattack. His tackle sent the ball to the feet of Ramirez, who took a touch before firing a shot into the right half of the net to give United a three-goal advantage.

"Christian was excited,” Lagos said. "He had great energy and held up the ball well, brought guys into the game, and set up chances. Very solid night for him on both sides of the ball."

United didn't let off the pressure and continued to attack the Armada FC goal. J.C. Banks came in for Minnesota and two minutes later played a low cross through the Jacksonville penalty area. Ramirez let the ball pass between his legs, throwing the defense off guard. This set up a clear shot for Ibson who slotted a low shot into the bottom corner to seal the match for Minnesota.

The 4-0 victory ties Minnesota's club record for largest margin of victory.