Johan Venegas wasn't even looking.
When Ibson slid the ball to him, Venegas' back was to the goal. Without even turning, he stuck his right foot out enough to pop the ball up and over Orlando City's back line, right into the path of Christian Ramirez, who would go on to score. Somehow he just knew the forward was there, onside and ready to score.
"He didn't even look because he knew I was waiting for it," Ramirez said. "Throughout the whole game, he was telling me, 'Look, I know where you are. Even if I'm not looking at you, just expect it.' "
While Ramirez basked in most of the glory for scoring the decisive goal in Minnesota United's 1-0 result against Orlando on Saturday, Venegas' no-look flick to set up the forward was certainly a magnificent play, and a play the Loons have been waiting for their midfielder to make.
Venegas had been a starter up until the May 7 match against Sporting Kansas City, when he lost his spot to rookie forward Abu Danladi. The week after that first match on the bench, coach Adrian Heath told a "frustrated" Venegas to stay away from practice and clear his head. That absence lasted only a day before the Costa Rican apologized and came back to training with a "clean slate," Heath had said.
Venegas likely would still be on the bench if not for Danladi suffering a groin injury against the Los Angeles Galaxy on May 21. So after three matches, Venegas returned to the starting 11 against Orlando.
In Venegas' absence, Heath experimented with Kevin Molino in a more central playmaking role, pushing Danladi wider to the right. On Saturday with Molino out because of an illness, Venegas returned to his initial position in that spot as more of a second striker while Miguel Ibarra played on the right, and Ish Jome started for the first time on the left.
"Johan's got qualities, we know that," Heath said. "Now we need to try and find out where we can get the best out of him. And when Molino's fit, try and get the best out of that combination. Not quite sure we know which the best combination is yet, and where we play him."
Heath said he didn't think the team used Venegas enough in the first half Saturday, but that changed by the second.
"He was free so much throughout the whole game, and at halftime, Coach came in here telling us to not avoid the obvious, and we started finding him," Ramirez said. "Once he gets turned [on], he's very difficult to defend, and he starts to pick out passes like he did on the goal.
"So any time the ball's coming into him, I'm on my toes, making a run."
Ramirez said the pair combined a few times but were just unlucky with Orlando defenders picking off the passes. But he knew eventually, it would all click.
"Once he gets the ball," Ramirez said, "there are very few passers like him in the final third."
