Star Tribune: Minnesota United shuts out Necaxa 1-0 behind record 16 saves from Dayne St. Clair
Jul 31, 2024
Game Story: Minnesota 1, Necaxa 0
Analysis
North American soccer fans have gone a lifetime without seeing a goalkeeping performance like Dayne St. Clair’s. St. Clair set a Minnesota United and Leagues Cup record Tuesday against Necaxa, making 16 saves in a shutout.
Technically, he didn’t tie the MLS record for saves in a game because it wasn’t a league game, but at least he won. Maxime Crepeau set the MLS record in a game his Vancouver Whitecaps lost, not in a clean sheet like St. Clair’s game.
Star Tribune: Loons adding players as they get set for Necaxa
Jul 29, 2024
Tuesday night, Minnesota United plays against Necaxa from Liga MX. It’s a rare chance for the Loons to play against an opponent that fans don’t know much about — and it comes at a time when Minnesota is remaking its squad.
The Loons have now officially made two signings in the summer transfer window. Monday, they added center back Jefferson Diaz after officially signing forward Kelvin Yeboah over the weekend.
They are also close to completing a deal for Slovakian right back Matúš Kmeť, according to a source.
Star Tribune: Loons lose Leagues Cup opener in Seattle
Jul 29, 2024
Game Story: Seattle 2, Minnesota 0
Analysis
Minnesota’s 10th loss in 10 games in Seattle might not have had many silver linings, but at least more help is on the way.
On Saturday, the Loons made their expected signing of forward Kelvin Yeboah official, adding a third designated player to the roster. Yeboah, who was on the books at Genoa in Italy but most recently played for Standard Liège in Belgium, is signed through 2027 with a team option in 2028.
Star Tribune: Leagues Cup vs US Open Cup, and notes
Jul 26, 2024
The tension between the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup
Friday night, Minnesota United kicks off the Leagues Cup by going on the road against the Seattle Sounders. It’s a team the Loons played a month ago, in a city they have already visited this season, in a game that doesn’t count in the MLS standings.
In a related story, when you try to explain the Leagues Cup to an uninitiated fan, one question always seems to follow: Why?
Read the rest at StarTribune.com…
MNUFC Notebook
Minnesota United have yet to officially sign any exciting young players in this year’s transfer window — but they have made a move to lock up one they already have.
Star Tribune: MNUFC Notebook
Jul 22, 2024
Game Story: MNUFC 2, San Jose 0
Analysis
Minnesota United is focusing on its first Leagues Cup game in Seattle on Friday night, but Robin Lod has a stop to make on the way — at Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio.
Not that the Finnish midfielder would ever display an excess of enthusiasm about anything, but he did allow he is excited about one thing: being in a team with former Barcelona (and current Inter Miami) stars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Read the rest at StarTribune.com…
Transfer News
Minnesota United is closing in on another summer signing. A source confirmed that forward Kelvin Yeboah is expected to arrive in Minnesota this week for medical testing, in what could be one of the final steps toward one of MNUFC’s most consequential acquisitions of the summer.
Star Tribune: Transfer window opens, Loons take on San Jose
Jul 20, 2024
For more than a month, Minnesota United waited to get many of its current players back from international duty. With the opening of the MLS transfer window on Thursday, the team finally can add new players, too — and now with fewer restrictions.
Read the rest at StarTribune.com…
Everyone knows what Minnesota United is capable of on the counterattack. The Loons have three players — Sang Bin Jeong, Joseph Rosales and Tani Oluwaseyi — among the 20 fastest players in the league this season, and so much of Minnesota’s offense is based simply on letting those players kick things into high gear.
San Jose comes to town Saturday, having lost three-quarters of its games this season (4-18-2). Minnesota might display that higher gear again, but the Loons are still struggling to find a lower gear to balance their attack. It’s rare to see them stringing together a bunch of passes to move down the field, slowly building up through possession, keeping the ball moving and making the other team chase.
Star Tribune: Defending set pieces continues to be an aggravating problem for Minnesota United
Jul 18, 2024
There’s no getting around it – set pieces are killing Minnesota United.
After Saturday’s draw at Houston, manager Eric Ramsay noted that the team’s own numbers ranked Minnesota as “one of the worst” teams in the league at defending set pieces. Wednesday against DC, the Loons got even worse, giving up goals in the 90th and 91st minutes, both from set pieces, to turn what looked like a win into perhaps the worst loss of the team’s now-nine-game winless stretch.
“I don’t think you could lose a game in a worse way,” said Ramsay.
Star Tribune: Minnesota United, nearing transfer window, will take its full roster into a pair of home games
Jul 16, 2024
There was something of a back-to-school air to Minnesota United training on Tuesday morning.
For the first time since the first week of June, zero players were away with their national teams. Tani Oluwaseyi and Dayne St. Clair were present and accounted for, having finally returned from their Copa América sojourn with Canada.
Star Tribune: A sit-down with Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad
Jul 11, 2024
Khaled El-Ahmad, Minnesota United’s first-year chief soccer officer and sporting director, knows what he wants for his club.
Specifically, the total elimination of disposable plastic water bottles. He wants those gone. Yesterday, if possible.
Star Tribune: MNUFC Notebook
Jul 10, 2024
Over the past seven games, Minnesota United has been in a free fall down the Western Conference standings. The Loons, in third place after defeating Sporting KC, have dropped all the way down to the 10th spot, out of the playoffs.
Since he took over the Loons, coach Eric Ramsay has mostly gone game-by-game with his approach. He rarely mentions the team’s spot in the table, or whether they might be in the playoff places — but that doesn’t mean he’s unaware. And he’s setting his goals for the rest of the season realistically.