Image: MNUFC2
It’s not often you can take a distinct positive from being doubled-up on the road against a conference foe, but potentially finding a reliable replacement for your departed striker would definitely count as a plus.
Losing impact center forward Patrick Weah last week via a loan to FC Tulsa of the USL Championship, recently signed attacker Kameron Lacey filled the shoes quite nicely on Saturday afternoon, scoring a brace in MNUFC2’s 4-2 defeat to Portland Timbers 2. The goals were Lacey’s first since signing with the Doubloons in May.
“Kameron was rewarded tonight for his hard work,” said MNUFC2 manager Cameron Knowles. “The first goal is a direct result of putting the opposition under pressure and the second is a great pass from Loïc and a composed finish. [Lacey] works hard and is really honest in the way he plays, and I believe will continue to improve as he settles in to his role within the team.”
After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, Lacey opened his MNUFC2 account as halftime approached, putting pressure on the Timbers’ backline as they attempted to clear the lines. The clearance effort took a deflection off the Minnesota forward and into the back of the net.
Not the way you draw it up, but effective nonetheless.
Down 4-1 late on and looking for some sort of spark to get back into the match, it was once again Lacey providing, via a nice find from former Minneapolis City standout Loic Mesanvi inside the box for his second.
Despite knocking on the door, the Twos just couldn’t find another couple goals and couldn’t keep the hosts off the board, with the final whistle blowing and a 4-2 final showing on the scoreboard.
“The positive is that we have scored in every game this season and have shown an ability to threaten the opposition,” said Knowles. “But as we’ve said for the past few weeks, we need to be harder to break down. We will continue to work on that as a team and we need to take advantage of the upcoming home games to get back to winning ways.”
MNUFC2 find themselves in seventh place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings after the loss, holding a 4-4-3 record on 19 points. The Doubloons how have a rare eight days off before returning to the National Sports Center in Blaine next Sunday, taking on Houston Dynamo 2 at 6 p.m. CT.
David Naylor