Minnesota United and Austin play to a 1-1 draw at Allianz Field

Minnesota United coach Eric Ramsay considers draws to fall within a broad spectrum. For Ramsay, ties can be disappointing displays where much-needed points were left on the table, or they may pack positives for his squad to build on.

Ramsay considered Saturday night’s 1-1 result against Austin FC in Allianz Field to fall within the latter category.

“We were for sure, undeniably the dominant team, the team that had the foot on the opponent’s neck for large portions of the game,” Ramsay said. “In terms of the completeness of the performance, it’s a step forward, and we’ve been wanting to look like that more.”

When the teams last squared off on May 3, the Loons punched in a pair of goals in the first 35 minutes and put forth a comprehensive defensive effort to prevail 3-0.

On Saturday, center back Michael Boxall put Minnesota in front with a headed goal in the 16th minute, but Žan Kolmanič‘s 27th-minute equalizer on the counter marked the final goal in a physical affair.

Boxall, whose goal came off a corner kick, said the Loons present myriad threats on set pieces. Boxall‘s goal was his first this season.

“We’ve got pretty dangerous targets who can attack the ball pretty well,” Boxall said. “We know that if someone’s going to keep it alive we [need to] just stay on our toes.”

An early duel on the flank ensued between Austin midfielder Osman Bukari and Minnesota defender Nicolas Romero. While Bukari presented a significant test through his electrifying pace, Romero’s physicality helped keep the Ghanaian international at bay.

But Bukari, who Ramsay considers one of the league’s most menacing threats on the flank, broke free amid the Loons’ ill-fated attempt to add to their lead.

With Boxall pulled way up the sideline for a long throw-in attempt, Bukari broke loose behind the Minnesota backline. Bukari played a central ball to midfielder Myrto Uzuni, who squared a ball in the direction of a darting Kolmanič. The defender slotted a one-timed effort beyond Dayne St. Clair’s grasp and into the bottom left corner, leveling the match at 1-1.

“They haven’t got to the point yet where they’re firing on all cylinders as a club, but there’s some very good players at the top of the pitch,” Ramsay said. “We just had to deal with that first and foremost.”

In an instant, the match’s momentum seemingly shifted hands, and it became Uzuni and Brandon Vazquez giving their opposing markers fits. An errant headed effort from Jefferson Diaz gifted a golden opportunity for Uzuni to score in the 43rd minute, but the attempt sailed wide of the post.

With possessional and shooting stats practically even through the opening 45 minutes, the teams wrapped up the first half knotted at one apiece.

MATCH SUMMARY: Minnesota United 1, Austin 1

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As the second half commenced, the match’s end-to-end action persisted. Austin made a few runs deep into the Loons’ defensive third, but the hosts who drew the bulk of the half’s looks at goal.

A powerful 67th-minute strike from Joaquín Pereyra flew toward Brad Stuver’s net, but Austin center back Brendan Hines-Ike made perhaps the most pivotal defensive play of the night, stepping into the line of fire to block the strike.

About 20 minutes ahead of stoppage time, Austin coach Nico Estevez opted to sub off his top scorer in Vazquez for midfielder Owen Wolff. The move marked an apparent commitment to shore up the defensive effort.

While tensions flared and cards flew in the match’s latter stages, neither team found a decisive moment.

“We could have approached the end of the game with more balance, more caution,” Ramsay said. “As the home team, it was sort of our responsibility to take risks, have less balance than we would early in the game.”