What a surprising Evening.

On Wednesday night, MNUFC hosted Everton from the Premier League and the result was surprising.

Both teams appeared to play their starters and it was Minnesota who got off to an early lead with a Reynoso PK which he converted with excellence. Not long after that he took and injury and would be out of the rest of the game, with Adrian Heath siding on the side of caution with his all-star.

From there, instead of holding tight, MNUFC unleashed it’s fury on the unsuspecting travelers from England. A nicely crafted kick in front of the net resulted in an own goal of an active Everton defender. Minnesota would add another goal before half with a 3-0.

MNUFC in the second half added another nice goal with Danladi finishing off of an excellent assist by newly signed Alan Benitez.

I don’t put too much weight in friendlies, but despite that, it was an excellent effort. What excited most about the game last night was the 2nd half performance by Benitez. He seemed smart, active, and in-sync with the team around him. Pretty impressive for his first appearance with mostly 2nd team players around him.

MNUFC after suffering an embarrassing game against Inter Miami just a few weeks ago, seems to be hitting their stride. Bongokuhle Hlongwane has been active, and although still seeking his first goal, I find his youthful exuberance to work well with the team, and when goals start hitting for him, they might come in bunches.

A nice side-note from the game last night was the amount of interest in from other MLS fans. The MLS has for a while been a punchline of professional soccer, and with more frequent strong performances from MLS clubs, it will help to gain some respect which will help evolve the sport here in the U.S.