FC Minneapolis picked up an important road victory on Sunday, defeating Rochester FC 5–2 in a strong attacking performance away from home.
The City Lions opened the scoring through Morrison Johns, who gave FC Minneapolis an early advantage. Rochester responded from a set piece to bring the match level before halftime, sending both teams into the break tied at 1–1. FC Minneapolis also came close to adding more in the first half, with Aaron Machall hitting the crossbar twice.
In the second half, the City Lions came out with renewed energy. Morrison Johns found the back of the net again to restore the lead and make it 2–1. Shortly after, Ariel Gbalenchey extended the visitors’ advantage with FC Minneapolis’ third goal of the match.
Rochester pulled one back on a counterattack, looping the ball over City Lions goalkeeper Theodore Kaster to make it 3–2 and keep the game alive.
FC Minneapolis then made key substitutions, with Samuel Ramos coming on for Tyler Nguyen, followed by Bultum Fuad replacing Morrison Johns and Timothy Rurup coming in for Blessing Quaqua.
The City Lions regained control late in the match. Ariel Gbalenchey scored his second goal of the game to make it 4–2, before Aaron Machall finally got his reward just minutes before fulltime, scoring FC Minneapolis’ fifth goal after a strong attacking display throughout the match.
The coach made two final changes before the final whistle, with Emmanuel Menniboe coming in for Evan Campbell and Frank Centeno replacing team captain Amorim Josemar.
The result gives FC Minneapolis a strong road win and valuable momentum as the team returns to Maple Grove this Saturday for a home matchup against North Star FC.