July 27, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Minnesota United FC News Release
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – With another three points in their bag, the Loons make their way to Los Angeles this Wednesday night. The game against the Portland Timbers was in the Loons favor, having never lost to Portland at home, but a great second half execution is what earned MNUFC all three points at home. Against LAFC, Minnesota will look to extend its winning streak to three games. LAFC is a strong team that will fight and keep things close in every area of the pitch. The Loons need to take advantage of any defensive mistakes and play consistently in the final third, finishing their opportunities while locking down Carlos Vela on the other end to secure another three points.
ADRIAN HEATH ON THE GREAT RUN THE HAS BEEN ON, ONE LOSS IN 10 GAMES
“Good play. Good defensive mentality from the full group, not just the back four and the keeper and two central midfielder players. The collective has been outstanding. As you said, 21 points from the last ten games. We’re pleased with the run that we’re going on but we know it’s going to be difficult tomorrow night.”
EMANUEL REYNOSO ON THE DIFFERENCES HE’S NOTICED WITHIN THE TEAM IN THESE LAST TWO WINS
[SPA] “Creo que en Colorado, fue un tiempo en que nos dormimos un poco, que nos confiamos. Era un partido para ganarlo, pero sabíamos que era muy difícil de visitante, y que iba ser durísimo. Pero creo que fue todo nuestro, el error, porque creo que el partido lo perdimos nosotros. Después bueno con Seattle sabíamos que también era un partido dificilísimo dónde teníamos que ganar para seguir posesionándonos muy cerca en la tabla. Jugamos contra el puntero. Sacamos ganas de adentro, hicimos una semana muy buena. Jugamos de local y teníamos que ganar y eso fue lo que hicimos. Fuimos a la cancha, salimos a ganar y por eso se nos dio el resultado.”
[ENG] “I think in Colorado, it was a game where we fell asleep a little bit, were overly confident. It was a game we could win, but we did know it would still be difficult being on the road and that it would be tough. But I think it was all ours, the errors, because we lost the game. Then with Seattle, we knew it would be a super tough match that we had to win to move up in the table. We played until the last minute. We dug deep in our desire to win and we had a great week. We played at home, we needed to win and that’s what we did. We took to the pitch, went to win and that’s why we got the results.”
THE OPPOSITION
LAFC opens its doors to Minnesota after hosting the Vancouver Whitecaps this past Saturday in a 2-2 draw. Forward Carlos Vela gave LAFC its first goal in the 40th minute after VAR confirmation. In the second half, José Cifuentes tied the game with a right footed shot near the penalty spot, placing it in the left corner. LAFC will need to utilize its star players like Vela and Cifuentes, holding possession and keeping the things close on the scoreboard with the Loons creating chances in handfuls during their two game winning streak.
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NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS: It’s always been clear that Minnesota United were going to have to step things up considerably to overcome the 0-4 start that saw that sink to the bottom of the Western Conference after being tabbed as nearly a lock for a top seed before the season began. We’re now getting an understanding of exactly how hard the results of those first four games will be to overcome. The Loons’ 1.5 points per game is slightly better than LAFC’s 1.47 – although total points and goal differential both favor LAFC and put them a spot above MNUFC – but it’s well off the 2 points per game pace of Western Conference leaders Seattle and SKC. In the East, New England have managed 2.03 points per game so far. LAFC’s 2019 season, which saw them finish with a +48 goal differential and 72 points, had the Black and Gold scoring 2.12 points per game. But over their last 10 games, Minnesota United have lost only once and collected 21 points – a 2.1 points per game pace that’s just shy of LAFC’s historic 2019. And yet there’s still a lot of work for the Loons to do to climb up into the top seeds of the conference at this point and Head Coach Adrian Heath and his crew know it.
FIRST TOUCHES: Robin Lod scored his fourth goal of the MLS season and his third game-winning goal. Good for the third most game-winning goals in MLS this season.
PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT:
Minnesota United
OUT:
St. Clair – International Duty
Fragapane – Thigh
QUESTIONABLE:
Boxall – Thigh
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