For those of us who are steeped in American sports, the beginning of the playoffs means one thing: finally, the games count, for real. The “regular season” is over, with all of the qualifications that term brings: regular. Normal. Workaday, ho-hum, quotidian… boring.

One of the fascinating things about MLS is that, while the league still treats the playoffs with American reverence, many of the participants weren’t raised with that same mindset. And you can include Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay in that group.

“I look back with a lot of pride on the 34 games,” he said. “I think it’s a measure of a coach, a group of coaches, and a team of players, what they can do over 34 games on a really consistent basis, and that’s sort of the yardstick that I’m used to measuring team success by. And I think to a large extent that is sort of the body of work that I will look back on, at the end of this season, irrespective of how the playoffs go.”

In soccer terms, the playoffs are simply another cup competition, with slightly more restrictive qualifying criteria. Ramsay understands how much more weight the playoffs carry, here, and calls them a “really exciting thing to be part of” – but should the Loons fail to advance, he’s not going to call the season a failure.

“I don’t think they’re necessarily the competitions to judge the progress of a group, or judge the group’s ability,” he said. “Lots is controlled, to an extent, by it being a best-of-three, but anything can happen in these sort of one-off occasions… Irrespective of how it pans out over the coming weeks and months, [it’s crucial that we] not forget what we’ve done this season, and how it represented such a step forward in comparison to last season.”

In some ways, then, we can already write the summary of the Loons’ season: club records across the board. The Loons set MLS records for points (58, five more than 2019), wins (16), fewest losses in a full season (8), and goal difference (+17). They had more points per game (1.70) than the 2020 season, as well.

All of that said, you can be guaranteed that the players aren’t taking the playoffs lightly, even if it’s not the measure of their season. You could see it in training last Friday, as a minor skirmish broke out after a team-wide drill; the competition is ramping up.

“It shows that everyone wants to play and everyone wants to win this game,” said Bongokuhle Hlongwane. “So I think this game means a lot to us.”

Injury updates

As always, Ramsay wasn’t tipping his hand on Sunday about who might start, but he did say that Kelvin Yeboah and Morris Duggan were available for selection.

“Both have trained somewhere near fully with us, making some allowances for the particularities of their injuries,” said Ramsay. “But if I opted to start both of them, both would be available.”

Carlos Harvey, who’s been doing outside training sessions as he recovers from meniscus surgery, is still a bit further away. “Obviously, [Game 1] is a step too soon, and it will be touch and go for the second game,” said Ramsay. “I think if [the series] goes to a third game, then he’s got every chance of being involved in that one, and that will take us somewhere near to the full contingent.”

The playoffs have meant that both Yeboah and Harvey are on accelerated return timelines. “I think we’re at that delicate stage with both Kelvin and Carlos, whereby I think if it was a different stage of the season, you’d probably show more patience,” said Ramsay. “We’ve got to force the issue, within the parameters of safety and health for the players. But both of them are itching to get going, and we’ve got to make sure that we make sensible decisions.”

MNUFC2 and the “biggest upset in league history”

Minnesota United 2 is making the most of its first-ever playoff run. The Loons beat Real Monarchs (Real Salt Lake’s second team) in the first round, and Sunday, pulled off an even bigger upset: a 2-0 win against St. Louis City 2.

Logan Dorsey capitalized on a defensive mistake in the first half and lashed home the opener, and Darius Randell headed home a corner kick in the second half to give the Loons an insurance goal.

At the end of the game, broadcaster Jake Griffith referred to it as “the biggest upset in league history,” given that SLC2 was the top seed in all of MLS NEXT Pro, was playing at home, and was viewed as something of a juggernaut.

The Doubloons played SLC2 three times in the regular season, losing all three – 3-2 at home and twice on the road, once in a penalty shootout and once 4-0.

Next week, MNUFC2 heads back to the mountains for the Western Conference finals, to play Colorado Rapids 2. It’s a feather in the cap for the second team, which is having by far its best of the four seasons of its existence.

“We’re really pleased with them because they’re a really good group of guys,” said Ramsay. “The players, they’re a phenomenal group to watch work.”

MORE, FOR THE STAR TRIBUNE: MNUFC plays Seattle Sounders in first round of MLS Cup playoffs