Tani Oluwaseyi scored what proved to be the game-winner and Dayne St. Clair made three saves as visiting Minnesota United moved into first place in the Western Conference with a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United on Saturday night.
It was third straight game that Oluwaseyi scored a goal. Kervin Arriaga also scored for Minnesota United (6-2-2, 20 points), which won its third consecutive match.
Saba Lobjanidze scored for Atlanta United (3-4-3, 12 points), which has gone winless (0-2-3) in its last five matches. Brad Guzan finished with three saves.
Three minutes after intermission, the Loons nearly broke the deadlock when Sang Bin Jeong attempted a right-footed shot from the edge of the box, but Guzan deflected it over the crossbar.
Arriaga then made it 1-0 in the 54th minute with his first goal of the season, snapping a header inside the back post. Joseph Rosales got the assist with a looping corner kick to Arriaga, who was unmarked at the far end of the six-yard box.
Minnesota increased its lead to 2-0 in the 60th minute when Oluwaseyi stole the ball at midfield and then drilled a left-footed shot from outside the box into the right corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season and fourth in the past five games.
Atlanta cut it to 2-1 in the 82nd minute on Lobjanidze’s second goal of the season. The score came off a crossing pass at the top of the box from Daniel Rios at the end of a 2-on-1 break. Lobjanidze then hit a right-footed shot into the far left corner of the net.
Atlanta nearly tied in the first minute of stoppage time, but a header by Giorgos Giakoumakis in the center of the box caromed off the crossbar.
The game ended in the ninth minute of stoppage time after St. Clair snatched Thiago Almada’s free kick from just outside the left side of the box.
–Field Level Media
