Friendlies can sometimes be deceptive, and Everton learned that the hard way Wednesday night against Minnesota United. The two clubs met at Allianz Field, and it was the Major League Soccer (MLS) team that caused the upset by winning 4-0.
The English Premier League side have been left without answers against a group that have been unbeaten in their last five games. The Loons had taken a 3-0 halftime lead thanks to goals from Emanuel Reynoso, Luis Amarilla and an own goal from Michael Keane.
Abu Danladi netted the home side’s fourth goal as Everton midfielder Dele Alli missed several golden chances.
At the Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte FC were able to snatch a net from Chelsea in second half stoppage time before winning 1(5) to 1(3) on penalties.
It was a fairly even duel between the MLS expansion team and the European superpower. The English club had opened the scoring in the 30th minute thanks to the American Christian Pulisic, but Daniel Rios equalized in the 92nd from the “penalty” point.
In the shootout, all five Charlotte shooters hit the target, and goaltender Pablo Sisniega was able to block Conor Gallagher’s shot to make the difference.
Less luck in Washington
At Audi Field in Washington, DC United enjoyed much less success against Bayern Munich, who were dominant in a 6-2 win.
The German outfit took a 5-0 lead before the home side finally responded in the 54th minute. Skage Simonsen and Theodore Ku-DiPietro shook the ropes for DC United, who will also be CF Montreal’s next opponent on Saturday.
Bayern showed no complex. Forwards Sadio Mané, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and young Joshua Zirkzee made people forget the departure of top scorer Robert Lewandowski by outsmarting all four of the opposing goalkeepers.
Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and defensive newcomer Matthijs de Ligt completed the scoring.
Orlando City SC lost their flag 3-1 at home to Arsenal. Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson were the goalscorers for the English visitors.
Later in the evening, the San Jose Earthquakes were also scheduled to face Spanish club Celta de Vigo.