In terms of picking up points in the standings, you’d have to say that Minnesota United has their problems solved. After a summer stretch in which the Loons lost eight of 11 games last year, Minnesota has now lost just three times in their last 19 regular season games.

As the Loons take on Vancouver Sunday afternoon, defending their current eight-game unbeaten run, they are trying to solve a new problem: how to get all three points for a win, instead of settling for just one for a draw.

Read more: Minnesota United face Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS showdown

What could the Loons do at the end of the transfer window?

It’s a bit of an oddity that MLS has, effectively, two different trade deadlines. Rosters are frozen five weeks or so before the end of the season, but even beyond that, there are only two designated transfer windows during which Minnesota United can add players.

The secondary transfer window (July 24-Aug. 21 this year) is often when bigger-name players from Europe arrive, since that’s the European offseason. But the primary transfer window closes Wednesday, so the Loons take on FC Dallas on Saturday knowing this is the team’s last chance to reinforce the squad — at least until the season is almost three-quarters over.

Read more: Minnesota United approaches MLS trade deadline with no obvious needs

Minnesota draws 0-0 with Dallas

For the second week in a row, the Minnesota United defense was impenetrable — but its offense was punchless, and the game Saturday at Allianz Field ended in the Loons’ second consecutive 0-0 draw, this time with FC Dallas.

The Dallas starting lineup was missing former MLS MVP Lucho Acosta and a designated player, striker Petar Musa. Dallas was also missing two former U.S. national team players and several other recognizable names.

So, easy pickings for Minnesota United, undefeated in seven games and returning home from a two-game road trip as conquering heroes?

Not hardly.

Read more: Minnesota United settles for draw against FC Dallas

More from Eric Ramsay and others about MNUFC’s draw

Minnesota United is on an eight-game unbeaten run and has given up only one goal in the past four games combined. Unfortunately, the Loons also have gone four hours of game time without scoring a goal of their own, and so the talk is less about what’s going well — and more about what needs to improve.

Read more: Analysis: Minnesota United can’t lose, but it also can’t score

GAME STORY: Minnesota United and Toronto FC play to a draw

Minnesota United didn’t play its best game in a 0-0 draw at Toronto on Saturday. Facing a Toronto side that was set up, more than any other team this year, to deny its opponent chances to counterattack, the Loons couldn’t figure out a way to break through.

Eventually, they ended up with just one shot on target, no shots of any kind in the final 25 minutes, and one certainty: If they keep having success, this sort of thing is going to keep happening.

Read more: Analysis: Minnesota United learns success comes at a cost

Minnesota United’s trip to Toronto on Saturday afternoon is just another don’t-forget-the-passport road trip for most, a “free hit,” as manager Eric Ramsay described it two weeks ago — a chance to pick up some points against an Eastern Conference team.

Except, that is, for Dayne St. Clair and Tani Oluwaseyi. For those two, they get an extra responsibility on Saturday: ticket broker.

Read more: Minnesota United visits Toronto - a home game for Tani Oluwaseyi and Dayne St. Clair

In June, U.S. Bank Stadium will host something Minnesota has never seen before: a knockout game in a major international tournament. And CONCACAF has gone one better, by putting a doubleheader in Minneapolis.

On June 29, two of the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup — the biannual tournament for men’s international teams in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean — are coming to U.S. Bank Stadium. Games will be at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Assuming it works like other CONCACAF events, like when Allianz Field hosted group-stage games in 2019, ticket packages will include seats for both games.

Read more: U.S. Bank Stadium to host Gold Cup quarterfinal doubleheader

Game Story: Minnesota United takes down NYCFC in visit to Yankee Stadium

Minnesota United has a six-game unbeaten streak, and four wins in that stretch. The Loons have scored first in all but one match this year.

In other words, their main problem this season is a problem that other teams might wish they had: It’s just so dang hard defending all these second-half leads.

Read more: Analysis: Minnesota United keeps pulling ahead, then pulling back

Minnesota United is only six games into its season, not even 20% done with its schedule. There is an awfully long way to go in 2025.

But if you look at the numbers going back to last summer, after the Loons acquired the players who have helped transform the team — well, something special is brewing in St. Paul, whether it’s getting much national attention or not.

Read more: Minnesota United vs. New York City FC MLS preview Yankee Stadium

Game Story: Minnesota United tops Real Salt Lake on Tani Oluwaseyi’s goals

With Minnesota United midfielder Hassani Dotson set to miss an extended stretch of time following surgery on his knee last week, the Loons need the rest of the midfield to pick up the slack.

Luckily for them, Joaquín Pereyra seems ready to go.

Read more: Minnesota United’s Joaquín Pereyra emerging just in time

What the heck, let’s empty the notebook before the RSL game and see who reads it…

Minnesota United doesn’t really have a rivalry in MLS. Chicago’s closest, but in the wrong conference. Sporting KC is in the right conference, but has its own rival now, in St. Louis. Seattle is Minnesota’s nemesis, in the same way the Yankees are the Twins’s nemesis - which makes it not really a rivalry at all.

They say rivalries are made in the playoffs, and at least for Loons manager Eric Ramsay, that’s bearing itself out with Real Salt Lake.

“I think it’s probably the game, I would say,” said Ramsay. “You sort of talk about the Kansas rivalry in terms of proximity and some of the stuff that’s gone before. But I think this one is the game that has got that that real edge to it.”

Minnesota played RSL in the first game of their preseason preparations this year, a closed-doors scrimmage that wasn’t broadcast anywhere - but according to the coach, it was more contentious than would have been expected. “You guys wouldn’t have seen it, but the preseason game had that edge to it, for the first outing,” he said. “You could tell there was a spillover from last year for sure.”

Not only did the Loons play Real Salt Lake in the first round in the playoffs last year, but also in the third-to-last game before the end of the season - a 0-0 draw that was nevertheless memorable. RSL defender Brayan Vera was sent off for spitting at Loons captain Michael Boxall, a galvanizing moment that added plenty of bite to the first-round playoff matchup.

To be fair, Boxall said the opposite from Ramsay, though he also offered that it was part of trying to approach each game calmly. “I’m just trying to lay off the yellow cards,” he said. “Trying to just make sure I’m available more.”

RSL fans will probably remember Loons goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair’s antics during the penalty shootouts in the playoffs, including one of Minnesota’s most iconic moments in franchise history: St. Clair pulling out his best Vince Carter imitation after a shootout save, and motioning “It’s over” to the cameras.

“Our players thrive in those situations,” said Ramsay. “I’m sure they appreciate that type of that type of tone, intention to a game, because you don’t often get that in the MLS. It’s probably one of the things [that players miss] in comparison to leagues that have those really traditional long-standing rivalries that have been brought on by decades and decades of goings-on and geography and proximity and that sort of stuff. I think it’s it’s nice to have a game like that with that sort of feel for sure.”

Boxall might get a break?

The Loons captain played two games for New Zealand over the international break, helping his country to be among the first to officially qualify for the World Cup in summer 2026. It also meant, though, that he didn’t get back to training until Friday, after some flight delays caused him to miss Thursday’s session.

Much was still up in the air at the end of Friday’s session, but Ramsay sounded doubtful. “I don’t think he would be 100%,” he said. “There have been situations where we’ve rushed him back, but this this very likely won’t be one of those.”

Boxall’s delay in getting back wasn’t due to wild celebrations in New Zealand, though. “By the time you get out of the stadium and everything, it’s pretty late,” he said, sounding truly middle-aged. “I don’t know if you’ve been to New Zealand and tried to find somewhere to go out on a Monday night. It’s not a huge thing.”

Remember Kipp Keller?

Minnesota defender Kipp Keller hasn’t played for the Loons yet, thanks to a hamstring injury suffered in preseason. He was jogging during Friday’s training session, one of the first times he’s been seen running in weeks, even on the side.

According to Ramsay, it’s an injury that will linger longer than anyone would like, saying that Keller’s still a couple of months away from being fit. “Far more serious than anyone would have wanted,” said Ramsay. “He’s a guy that was chomping at the bit to get his opportunity, he’s a really enthusiastic guy.”

Minnesota selected Keller in last winter’s re-entry draft, hoping for him to provide some young, MLS-experienced depth on the back line. With the emergence of Morris Duggan and the arrival of Nicolás Romero, though, center back depth has become something of a strength for the team.

Minnesota United defender Anthony Markanich has carved out a role with the Loons since Minnesota traded for him near the end of last summer. He’s the team’s backup left wingback, a position that comes with more potential playing time than other backup roles.

We’ve seen the position’s importance already this year, as Markanich has started four of five games after an injury to starter Joseph Rosales — and it’s still unclear which player will start Saturday night against Real Salt Lake.

Not that competition is anything new for the 25-year-old Markanich. Given that his identical twin brother, Nick, is also a pro soccer player, it’s fair to say that he’s been competing his entire life.

Read more: Minnesota United and Anthony Markanich to face Real Salt Lake in MLS

On April 10, CONCACAF will hold a made-for-TV event to conduct the draw for this summer’s Gold Cup, which will hold games at U.S. Bank Stadium in June.

One request: Can the good folks at CONCACAF be sure to send us some teams other than the U.S. men’s national team?

Read more: USMNT isn’t showing up in international play; neither are its fans