(DUDLEY FIELD, El Paso, TX) -- As the Patriots and the Thunder tore at each other defensively with as little mercy and as much gusto as their nicknames suggest, a slow and steady shadow began to creep collectively into the thoughts of each soccer player and fan in the place. And with the shadow came a sense of dread worthy of Alfred Hitchcock - the end was near and it was going to reveal something ugly.
Indeed, the match delivered, exposing soccer¹s dirty little secret: The Scoreless Draw! (Insert Psycho theme here.)
One hundred and ten minutes of blood, sweat and tears, and each team is rewarded with a single point - the sport's equivalent of a gold watch. But as with any good horror flick, as apprehensive as the teams might have been walking into the theater, they both left glad they came.
For Minnesota, it was the first game of a next year the organization has been looking forward to for a long, long time.
For El Paso, it was the second game of a new season that has seen the team stretch its muscles in a relatively easy premier.
Patriots head coach, former Brazilian international Milton Queiroz quickly assessed Minnesota's size and strength advantage over his smaller, quicker team. The resulting philosophy was simply to play more long ball in the hopes the bigger team would falter under a hail of mortar shells sent in from the back.
However, Thunder head man Buzz Lagos has seen it all. The Thunder merely packed in the defensive midfield with five players, with three more behind them. Minnesota's offense relied much on the ball-handling wizardry of Liberian play-maker John Menyongar.
Through much of the match Minnesota's defensive paid off with possession and opportunities for Menyongar to create.
But the Patriots this season are a stiffer crew defensively, and Menyongar along with forwards Thiago Martins and Jakob Fenger never really found their way into the 18-yard box. Solid defensive work by Man of the Match Federico Juárez and well-timed, well-organized positioning from El Paso's back three of Sidnei dos Santos, Fabio Terra and Guillermo McFarlane thwarted virtually every Thunder attempt.
Living up to the Patriot missile's legacy, El Paso's deep stabs perhaps yielded a few more balls in the Minnesota box. The Pats outshot the northerners, 9-6, in regulation. But Thor's Hammer - alias a strapping corps of Thunder defenders - simply chased the Patriots backwards.
The match-up of a couple of hometown opponents - Patriots' forward and native El Pasoan Matt Stewart and Thunder defender, St. Paul's Chris Gores - was a microcosm of the Patriots offensive woes.
Every touch the 5-5, 137-pound Stewart would make, the 6-3, 200-pound frame of Gores was right on him. With Gores' expansive body creating a moving force field around him Stewart literally had nowhere to turn.
Stewart was subbed out at the half, but even with the sturdier, fresher bodies of Matt Millett and Benjamin Waldrum helping the Patriots along the wings, El Paso's offensive core of Dominic Schell, Luis DaGama and Jose Abarca was wearing down.
Each team managed one shot on goal in the first 10-minute overtime, but Minnesota dominated the final OT period, outshooting El Paso, 3-0.
In goal, Jesse Llamas for the Patriots and Jon Lowry for the Thunder weren't challenged a great deal, but were nonetheless there for their teammates to ensure a co-shut out.
Frankly, Minnesota was probably happier to get the draw on this long road trip and first game than their homestanding opponents. They also dominated in terms of time of possession and exposed El Paso's glaring weakness up front - the Patriots simply lack a forward who can receive and hold the ball. The Patriots were also badly outmatched by the Thunder defense on set plays, where a taller head might have won El Paso a few more shots at Lowry.
However, the prevailing opinion is that last season the Patriots would have crumbled, giving up a goal in the clutch and Minnesota a road win. Though the lack of offense is disturbing, a rough-and-ready defense is helping to set the tone early on in the 11th campaign for the USL's oldest franchise.
With the tie, El Paso still lays claim to the top spot in the Western Conference with six points.
It's not the ending anybody wanted, but who wants to know that before they go to the theater?
MINNESOTA 0, EL PASO 0, 2OT
MINNESOTA - John Lowry (110), Chris Gores (110), Mark Schulte (110), Adam Eyre (110), Hugo Llamas (110), Eric Otto (110), Aaron Biddle (110), Mike Gentile (100, Jamie Clark 10), John Menyongar (110), Jakob Fenger (110), Thiago Martins (90, Marshall Morehead 20).
EL PASO - Jesse Llamas (110), Sidnei dos Santos (110), Fabio Terra (110), Saul Quinones (110), Guillermo McFarlane (110), Federico Juárez (110), Paul Cabrera (76, Benjamin Waldrum 34), Luis DaGama (110), Jose Abarca (45, Matt Millet 65), Matt Stewart (45, Jose Lomeli 65), Dominic Schell (110).
Minnesota 0-0-0-0 - 0
El Paso 0-0-0-0 - 0
Shots on Goal: MIN 3-3-1-3, 10. ELP 5-4-1-0, 10. Saves: MIN, Lowry 2-1-1-0, 4. ELP, Llamas 1-1-0-1, 3. Fouls: MIN 7-6-1-0, 14. ELP 6-6-0-0, 12. Offsides: MIN 2-2-0-0, 4. ELP 2-2-0-1, 5. Corner Kicks: MIN 1-3-0-0, 4. ELP 1-0-1-0, 2. Cautions: ELP, DaGama (10), Millet (68), Schell (72), McFarlane (79). MIN, Gores (58), Menyongar (84), Clark (109). Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela. Senior Assistant: Enrique Sanchez. Junior Assistant: Jesús Guerra. Fourth Official: Tony Kelly. Attendance: 1,872.
