After a busy Phase One of Leagues Cup, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming as your Loons return to regular-season play for the final stretch leading up to playoffs. The first of nine remaining games before the MLS Cup playoffs starts this Sunday as the boys get ready to rumble against the Colorado Rapids. I’ve never been whitewater rafting, but I don’t think a river actually poses a big threat if you’re a bird and you can just fly over it. But also, Loons are great swimmers. Let’s root for the Black and Blue to seize this opportunity to break the even-keeled head-to-head record of 7-7-3.
Run of Form
Minnesota United FC
Run of Form: L-D-W-W-D (All Competitions)
Leagues Cup was a mixed bag for your Loons, with a decisive win, a simultaneously impressive yet heartbreaking draw, and a rough loss that didn’t string together enough points to make the quarterfinals. If the brief tournament run showed us anything, though, it’s that we still have a depth of talent on this squad that gives Coach Ramsay several effective options, from Morris Duggan on the backline to Owen Gene in the midfield to attack-minded wingbacks in spades. But let’s take a quick little time machine trip to before Leagues Cup — I know, feels like years ago, right? The boys put together a win in St. Louis in a PK-dominated match and managed a tight draw in Portland. They’ve been scoring, but the clean sheets from earlier in the season seem to have become increasingly sparse, and a big shutout to mark the start of this final stretch before playoffs would create some very important momentum for Minnesota with some big matches on the horizon.
Colorado Rapids
Run of Form: D-L-W-L-D (All Competitions)
It’s a time of rapid change for Chris Armas’ side, pun intended. News of a massive player departure is shaking the ground down in the Centennial State, but we’ll get into that in a minute. Colorado had a similarly mixed trio of results that wasn’t enough to advance them in Leagues Cup play. Prior to Phase One, they struggled against league-leading Philadelphia, drew in a high-scoring Seattle fixture, and notably shut out Vancouver 3-0. Their performance is all over the place, but it shakes out to an average that puts them right above the play-in line with an even 30 points. With just nine games remaining in the regular season, it’s crunch time for the Rapids, who need to secure more steady footing as soon as possible to guarantee a spot in the playoffs.
Keys to the Match:
Who’s In, Who’s Out
Well, we have to address the elephant in the room, or on the pitch, or whatever. The club officially announced last night that star midfielder Djordje Mihailovic has departed for Toronto FC in a club record-breaking cash-for-player trade of $8 million. The unexpected loss of one the Rapids’ top scorers and playmakers to a struggling Toronto side leaves a gaping hole for the Rapids to fill by the end of the transfer window. The cash trade presents a unique opportunity for the club to make a big move, but certainly not before Sunday. Prior to Mihailovic’s trade, the club signed English center back Rob Holding, who spent seven seasons with Arsenal and is sure to be a monumental addition to the backline.
Getting Possessive
It’s old news by now that Minnesota is a low-possession team. Ramsay’s side excels in off-the-ball movement and is decisively intentional when they do have the ball, but this can also be a weakness when they’re forced into more possession than they prefer. We saw this firsthand against Atlético de San Luis, when an uncharacteristic possession percentage of 60.9 paired itself with a 0-2 loss. The Black and Blue most notably overcame this barrier in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, where they logged 59 percent possession against a ten-man Chicago Fire side and managed a comeback that ended in a 3-1 win. We need to see that type of adaptation now — Colorado has the third-lowest possession average in the league, only above Dallas and your Loons. If Minnesota can take that on-the-ball play and convert it into a high-octane push with the likes of JoaquÃn Pereyra and Robin Lod pulling the strings, the Black and Blue will be in a good spot this Sunday.
Striking a Balance
With Leagues Cup out of the way and the Open Cup semifinals still a few weeks out, Minnesota’s schedule has suddenly become a lot less congested. Ramsay’s side has been moving through double-game weeks like nobody’s business, and now the need for squad rotation isn’t quite so acute. Now it’s a matter of how and when he chooses to leverage Minnesota’s depth, with that constant competition for starting spots on the backline now leeching into the front half of the pitch. Gene is a strong contender in the midfield for on-the-ball play, and Yeboah and Oluwaseyi have proven effective both individually and as a unit. Is consistency in the starting XI the key going forward, or is it a fluid formation that makes a high-impact bench just as important? Minnesota will have to be pragmatic in their approach to rotation in the coming weeks, striking the balance between consistency and risk in the way they did earlier in the season. Regardless of who we see take to the pitch on Sunday, this match will be a tone-setter and an indication of how the Black and Blue intend to play in this final stretch.
