Local fans of the U.S. men’s national soccer team have caught a break: the home team is coming to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The USA finished off the group stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the winners of Group D, and will meet Group A runner-up Costa Rica next Sunday at 6 p.m., in Minneapolis in the tournament quarterfinals. It’ll be the first time that either the men’s or women’s national team has played a knockout-round game in Minnesota.

Read more: Team USA coming to U.S. Bank Stadium for Gold Cup quarterfinal vs. Costa Rica

GAME STORY: Minnesota United lose at home to San Diego FC

Minnesota United had one of the strongest defenses in MLS during the first half of the season, so it was a surprise to see the Loons begin the second half by giving up four goals.

Talking to coaches and players after Saturday night’s 4-2 loss to San Diego FC, though, it was one goal in particular that they kept zeroing in on: the third goal.

Read more: Analysis: One goal in particular bothers Minnesota United following loss to San Diego FC

San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps has made it, truly made it.

And we’re not talking about anything to do with his work putting expansion SDFC, which visits Minnesota United on Saturday evening, into second place in the standings.

Heaps, who grew up in East St. Paul, is living the dream that every Minnesotan has had at least once during the dark days of January: First, he moved to Monaco and its perfect Mediterranean weather, and then moved on to the year-round summer in San Diego.

“You could have never [told] me, when I was in East St. Paul playing at Conway Rec Center, that I’d end up here,” Heaps said. “But here we are.”

Read more: San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps to face Minnesota United

Even semi-seasoned soccer fans might look at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off Saturday night, and think, “OK, which international tournament is this, again?”

Read more: CONCACAF Gold Cup will be a proving ground for the slumping Americans

The true purgatory of the MLS follower is this: For every person who wants to tell you that soccer is boring or not a real sport, there is a purist on the other side of the aisle who’s desperate to remind you MLS is not one of the top leagues on the planet.

They aren’t wrong, of course — but over the past decade or so, there’s been a change that the most committed haters might not want to admit: MLS is starting to catch up.

Read more: MLS continues to grow as Minnesota United, others spend to win

In the middle of May last year, as Minnesota United climbed up the MLS standings, then-new manager Eric Ramsay said he was all about day-by-day process, not results. “I don’t think it’s necessary to talk about winning,” he said back then.

Fast-forward a year, and Ramsay has learned: When it comes to motivating his team, he might as well talk about the standings.

Read more: Minnesota United, under Eric Ramsay, off to its best start in MLS play

GAME STORY: Three-goal outburst in second half helps Minnesota United to rare victory in Seattle

Before Sunday, there were certain things that seemed inevitable in life.

Death. Taxes. Minnesota United losing in Seattle.

Eight-plus years into the Loons’ tenure in MLS, and the team had never managed to come away with so much as a point, in 10 tries. They had lost all eight regular-season games, once in the Leagues Cup, and once — most infamously — 3-2 in the 2020 conference finals, after leading 2-0 deep into the second half.

ANALYSIS: Minnesota United scores rare victory over Seattle Sounders in MLS play

GAME STORY: Minnesota United plays MLS leader Vancouver to scoreless draw

It’s probably going to be a rough video session for Minnesota United as they review Wednesday night’s 0-0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the underlying numbers don’t look any better for the Loons.

But “no goals allowed” and “a point on the road against the league’s best team” ought to take some sting out of the postmortem.

“I have said to the players at the end that if you’re coming to a place like this at the moment and you’re not going to win, don’t lose and don’t concede,” said manager Eric Ramsay. “The way in which we saw the game out, the willingness, the discipline, energy, fight, all the words that characterize this team, you saw that.”

Read more: ANALYSIS- Loons settle for 0-0 draw at Vancouver

MORE, from pre-Austin FC game: Surging in May, Minnesota United is set up for success

U.S. Soccer has announced the women’s national team roster that will take on China at Allianz Field on May 31, and it includes some of the biggest names in women’s soccer.

And one of those names is a Minnesotan — well, a Minnesotan by marriage, at least.

Read more: USWNT announces roster for May 31 game at Allianz Field

Maybe the Minnesota Aurora’s goal for 2025 is simple: more of the same.

After all, this is still a team that’s never lost a regular-season game in the USL W League. It’s still a team that has averaged more than 5,000 fans a game in Eagan, one that’s still raising money through community ownership — pulling in $850,000 in its latest ownership drive, along with more than 2,000 new owners from around the world.

So you could understand why the Aurora’s fourth season, which opens Thursday at 7 p.m. at TCO Stadium against Rochester FC, might look a lot like the first, second and third.

Read more: Minnesota Aurora have new coach Jen Larrick and a familiar cast

GAME STORY: Minnesota United FC front-liners defeat St. Louis City

Losing to Houston in midweek was bad enough for Eric Ramsay and Minnesota United, after the manager made eight changes to the starting lineup, and his team lost to a struggling team.

It would have been worse if his team hadn’t come back three days later and beaten a different struggling — and less rested — squad.

“I felt like it justified that decision,” Ramsay said after the Loons defeated St. Louis City 3-0 Saturday night at Allianz Field. “I wanted to reserve judgment on how good the decision that was until the end of the day, but I feel like we went all-in on this game and ultimately we got what we certainly deserved but also planned for.”

Read more: Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay sees roster strategy justified

GAME STORY: Minnesota United loses MLS game to lowly Houston

Minnesota United’s 2-0 loss to Houston on Wednesday night came in the second of four consecutive weeks in which the Loons will play both in the middle of the week and on the weekend.

It’s a schedule that would test any squad, and coach Eric Ramsay’s solution for dealing with it so far is simple: Play two separate teams, one in midweek and one on the weekend.

Read more: Analysis: Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay plots lineup strategy

BREAKING: MLS hands Minnesota United’s Joseph Rosales a three-game suspension

GAME STORY: Lionel Messi scores in Minnesota United rout of Inter Miami CF

“I mean, it’s just a MLS regular-season game,” said Robin Lod.

“At least top 100, maybe top 50,” said Michael Boxall, asked to rank this win in Minnesota United history.

Postgame, the Loons were pretty quick to play off Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Inter Miami, over Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, over the league’s marquee team, the side that leads every MLS broadcast.

For once, Loons fans should ignore what the team captain and the team’s 2024 All-Star have to say, because for fans it likely meant a whole lot more than that.

Read more: Minnesota United plays it blasé after win over Lionel Messi, Inter Miami