MINNEAPLOLIS — In League Two, opening matches are often a grind. Players are arriving in town from colleges and universities across the country, and coaches race to establish basic cohesion between their charges with only a handful of training sessions at their disposal. A common goal is: battle to an ugly result, early, and make it pretty, later. But, in defiance of norms, Minneapolis City SC looked well-along in its progress on Saturday evening. Contributing to that impression were the scheduling fates, who were kind to the Crows this season.
First up for City was the 2025 season’s last-place Heartland Division side, the Chicago Dutch Lions. And Minneapolis was hosting. The outcome was a 6-0 route with the Crows scoring thrice on either side of halftime. And the black-and-pink were in control from the jump.
In the sixth minute, defender Islam Houssni arched a well-weighted pass from over 35 yards onto the foot of a streaking Hakeem Morgan. Back with City after a one-year absence, the forward buried a close-range volley to open scoring. Houssni had raised an arm prompting a run from Morgan that carried the latter behind the Dutch Lions’ back line and inside the 18-yard box, leaving goalkeeper Patryk Stechnij with little chance.
Full candor is that 3 points were the expectation facing Chicago at home. But danger lies in a favorite taking comfort in a one-goal lead. Which is why Nathan Donovan assisting Masango Akale just 10 minutes later, to double Minneapolis’ lead, was the most-crucial of goals scored on the day.
Morgan would assist Akale in added time, sending the Dutch Lions to their locker room down three. Four minutes after the restart, Akale would return the favor with an assist to put Morgan on a brace.
Second-half substitute Julian Banks drew a penalty, which Morgan converted for a hat trick in the 68th minute. And captain Jake Swallen set Akale up for a hat trick of his own, after Swallen dispossessed Bryan Peña, to put the final nail in Chicago’s casket in the 71st.
“Everyone’s coming from different places, and we have like one week, eight trainings, to get ready for the first game,” said Morgan. “But we’ve been — everyone’s been super humble. The coaching staff has been super organized. And it’s been, I would say, flawless, for the most part. It showed today.”
Selecting between nearly-identical stat lines from Akale and Morgan, the Minneapolis Citizens chose the latter as their Player of the Game. The author asked the former his thoughts on the decision.
“He deserves it, you know? [Morgan] had a top performance as well,” Akale said. “He’s a top player. I just met him maybe two weeks ago. And, you know, we’re already having that connection, linking up with each other. We speak the same language on the pitch, so it’s easy.”
Postgame, head coach Jon Forsythe placed the victory in perspective.
“I think these early games, it’s very touch-and-go for a lot of teams, even us,” said Forsythe. “We’re missing three or four players from the roster, and so to be able to have a complete performance, to have some ideas as a team…
“Again, a lot of very new players to the club. To have a key performance like this is great, but even more, we have a lot of film that we can look at. We have to improve. We have to be a lot better in a month, and in two months, than we are right now. And so this is a really good jumping off point for that, so we can continue to improve.”
Hat Trick History
Akale and Morgan became just the second Crows’ duo to record hat tricks in the same game. They are the first pair to do so in a League Two match, and join Eli Goldman as the only players to record hat tricks against League Two opposition.
Back on July 7, 2018 — in the club’s NPSL era — forwards Justin Oliver and Branden McGarrity netted three apiece, away, against Dakota Fusion FC. And while Oliver needs no introduction to City fans, a prompt to briefly reminisce on McGarrity’s fleeting tenure is a welcome tangent.
The short of it was six goals in seven games, coming from a lethal and enigmatic striker who would often leave texts from Minneapolis’ sporting brass on read. Which is why the 2015 MIAC Player of the Year and single-season goal scoring record holder for Carleton College lives on as just a footnote in Crows history.
Returning to the present, Akale’s performance was dually-notable for a debut. His three goals are a new club record, and when taken in combination with assisting on Morgan’s second, contributing to four scores also established a new high watermark. The man Akale bested is current Seattle Sounder Brandon Bye, who before making over 200 MLS appearances, tallied a goal and two assists against the Sioux Falls Thunder in June of 2017, in his first game for City.
Quiet Contributions
Behind the highlight performances of Akale and Morgan were a number of encouraging efforts from fellow Crows.
Goalkeeper Daniel Sessler was not called into action often, but made a pair of fine saves that came against the run of play to preserve a clean sheet.
Defender Jason Ramos was indomitable in the air. Partnering the veteran in Minneapolis’ back three was Houssni, who made excellent use of his athleticism to smother what might have been dangerous chances in transition. And rounding out the trio, Jeloni Murray-Powell held his own in the first half, and looked even better once deployed in his natural position as a midfielder.
Absent much pressure in City’s defensive end, with the rest of his teammates able to break Chicago lines, the flow of the game left Swallen with less to do than he is likely accustomed. But the reigning Heartland Division Player of the Year found a way to impact the game by winning the ball further up the pitch.
Alex Moreno showed poise in possession, linked play well, and forced a highlight-reel save from Stechnij in the first half with a well-placed, curling shot that would have found the postage stamp sans intervention.
With the Crows able to attack through the middle, wingbacks Shea Bechtel and Phil Caputo were selfless in getting up and down the touchlines to support the attack and guard the flanks. Caputo also showed an ability to create his own shot, and forced a pair of saves from the Dutch Lions’ keeper.
Former divisional rival Nathan Donovan drew a high grade from Forsythe in his first game for Minneapolis.
“Even though he didn’t score, I thought Donnie was unbelievable in the combination play, and getting guys behind,” Forsythe said.
Defender Ari van Mol, who replaced Bechtel in the 46th minute, was also singled out for praise.
“[Van Mol] came in right at halftime and had a lot of power going down the left side,” noted Forsythe. “Had a really good presence, there.”
The Work Ahead
So, in spite of the lopsided margin of victory, what went lacking?
For Morgan, it was, shockingly, offense.
“We scored six. I think we could have scored 10, maybe,” the forward offered. “Being sharper in the final third — there were some mistakes that we had, even myself. Like holding the ball too long or taking too much time on the ball. Being a little-bit lackadaisical, if you want to say. Just things that the more the season comes, and teams are more prepared, and have more of a unity, that we need to be a little bit sharper in those situations, and put games away, right-away.”
Forsythe, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on the other end of the field, where Chicago failed to capitalize on the odd Minneapolis turnover.
“There were some things I liked, and some things I didn’t like,” said the Crows’ head coach. “We have to work a little on the defensive structure.”
Up next, this Friday, is a Minnesota Super Cup group-stage tilt against Minnesota United FC’s MLS Next side. The author pressed Forsythe on whether squad rotation was in order, ahead of a midweek trip to face cross-metro foe St. Croix the following Wednesday.
“We need the whole squad,” came Forsythe’s reply. “I’ve been a part of a few different summer teams in different areas, and the summer is crazy. We have a game every three, four days, a lot of times. Casey [Holm], Matt [VanBenschoten], the whole staff did a great job of recruiting not only top-quality talent, which you saw today, but a really competitive squad that’s very deep. For sure, we’re going to use different cup games for guys to have opportunities to earn their minutes. So, we’re really excited to see what the guys bring this coming Friday.”
Sprint for the Heartland!
Welcome to any new Crows fans. We’re going to keep close tabs on the Crows’ quest to repeat as Heartland Division champions. And while it’s repeat-or-bust for us with spirits high in the early going, additional drama will arise from the Heartland sending its top-two teams into League Two’s national playoffs. With every side playing just a 12-game regular season, there is little room for error.
It is, as Akale described in his postgame, “a series of 12 cup finals.” And to this end, in a league without strict match weeks — where Sueno FC will have taken the field twice before River Light FC and RKC Third Coast play their season openers — we will keep track of each team’s maximum points possible, to keep you best apprised as this nine-horse race is run.
On the young divisional campaign, only three matches have been played so far. The top-two finishers from last year, the Crows and Dreamers, looked impressive in their debuts. Rochester FC and the Dutch Lions got drubbed. Also, Edgewater Castle FC won and Rockford Raptors lost in their respective League Two debuts. Edgewater, like City, is a grassroots not-for-profit, so bully for the Rooks picking up points whenever they aren’t facing the Crows.
