Minnesota United’s reserve side, MNUF2, held their home debut at Allianz Field on Sunday afternoon. Sporting KC II made the trip up to Saint Paul to take on MNUFC2 under a cold a dreary sky that gave way to a wintry mix. It wasn’t quite the same level of a snopener as the senior team had experienced in 2017, but it did snow for a while during the inaugural match at Allianz Field which was apropos for another Minnesota United home opener.
MNUFC2 fielded a side for kickoff that included players from the first team. Jacori Hayes, Justin McMaster, Niko Hansen, Nabilai Kibunguchy and Fred Emmings all made the start. Having a team for the fringe players and ones coming back from injury will be a great benefit for the club. Most importantly this will give a field for the Loons of the future to develop and grow into the Minnesota United system. Starters selected from the MNUFC2 roster included Delvin Padelford, CC Uche, Jason Ramos, Nick Mendonca, Emanuel Iwe and Tommy Williamson.
Members of the senior side took up seats behind the bench to show support for MNUFC2. Players such as Wil Trapp, Emanuel Reynoso, Hassani Dotson, Dayne St. Clair, DJ Taylor and Patrick Weah were spotted in the stands.
The reserve side gave up a goal in each half and lost by a score of 2-0 to Sporting KC II. A few hundred fans were in attendance to cheer on the up and coming Loons. Despite the loss, “Wonderwall” was still played at the stadium. It wasn't pumped through the stadium PA system this time, it was emanating from the visitor’s locker room after Sporting KC II secured a victory.
The next game up for MNUFC2 is on April 4, 2022 when they head to Utah to play Real Monarchs. The next home game will be on Sunday, April 17 against Colorado after the senior sides duke it out the day before at Allianz Field.
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