With an 8-1-2 record and 26 points out of a possible 33, the Loons have the most points in MLS since late June. Manager Adrian Heath called it an exceptional run in his coaching tenure. But this, the last home stretch of seven regular-season games before the MLS Cup Playoffs, is what it’s all leading up to. Third-place The game between Minnesota (13-9-5) and Real Salt Lake (10-8-9) will be played on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m.
CT from Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. At 2:30 on Saturday, MNUFC will play fourth-place FC Dallas (11-8-10) at Allianz Field. Dallas has 43 points, while RSL has 39, and the Loons have 44. Dallas has played 29 games and is off this week, while Minnesota and RSL have each played 27 games. Regarding the standings in the Western Conference, Heath observed, “Everything is so tight in there.” “… Two really significant games.
It would be a wonderful setup for the remaining schedule if we could keep up this run. The next five games for Minnesota feature the league-leading LAFC, two teams slightly outside the playoff field (Portland and Vancouver), and two teams near the bottom of the Western Conference (Kansas City and San Jose).
Heath stated that his starting lineup at Salt Lake, where it is anticipated to reach more than 90 degrees before kickoff, will be rotated somewhat given the current stretch of three games in eight days. On top of that, I’m also playing at altitude. Due to several players’ demanding schedules and with an eye toward Saturday’s home game, the team has been refreshed.
The first full game without Bakaye Dibassy will be against RSL; on Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Houston, the regular center-back suffered a quad injury that would end his season. While Callum Montgomery (thigh) and Nabi Kibunguch (knee) are his backups, Brent Kallman is anticipated to line up next to Michael Boxall. Heath announced on Monday that the team would not sign a free agent before the Friday roster freeze deadline.
Kemar Lawrence, a left back, will also miss the game on Wednesday due to a knee injury, but he trained on Tuesday in Minnesota and could play on Saturday against Dallas. Since joining the MLS in 2017, Minnesota has yet to win at RSL, going 0-3-1, but on July 3, they defeated Salt Lake 3-2. At the time, MNUFC was in 11th place, but the team has since improved. Supporters will now watch to see if the Loons can maintain their position through early October.
