In his third installment of Rewind That, Jeff Rueter looks at what went right in the Loons’ historic first positive MLS result. While the defense improved, half of the back line is out for next week’s match. So how can Minnesota United stay on track?

To the #FreeIbarra camp that was upset when my mock lineup had him on the bench: you were right.

Miguel Ibarra was one of four changes to Adrian Heath’s lineup in the week between the loss vs. Atlanta and Saturday’s 2-2 draw in Colorado. Last week, I suggested a drastic change to the lineup that switched to a 4-4-2 instead of the 4-2-3-1 which had proven porous for Minnesota. Aside from two players, it fit the script.

For what it’s worth — I would absolutely continue using the lineup that Heath rolled out on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids. The back line looked massively improved. In fact, the interplay between Justin Davis/Francisco Calvo on the left and Brent Kallman/Jérôme Thiesson on the right was very promising. The balance between Rasmus Schüller and Collen Warner will grow with time. Meanwhile, the attacking quartet of Ibarra, Johan Venegas, Kevin Molino, and Christian Ramirez was potent. Hell, Bobby Shuttleworth made some crucial saves and did well to set up walls against free kicks. It appears that Heath found the map from laughingstock to respectability.

Only one little problem. I’ll let the club’s weekly media email explain the roadblock:

That’s right: five of the Loons’ XI that earned the club’s first point aren’t up for selection this week. Half of the field players, very evenly dispersed across the pitch. With so many holes to fill, it wasn’t easy to figure out how to line up Minnesota next week. This is my best stab to get another result this week:

Losing the collective ability of Molino, Calvo, Johan Venegas, Schüller, and Davis is a frightening prospect. On top of that, Heath confirmed on Tuesday that Joe Greenspan, John Alvbåge, and Patrick McLain were unlikely to line up. Then, rookie Thomas de Villardi picked up a knock of his own and is doubtful.

In short, the faces on the field will change. That doesn’t mean that the positioning has to as well.

Offensive progress

Going into the season, Minnesota United was seen as having a fluid, lethal attack. Pieces like Molino, Johan Venegas, Ibarra, and Kadrii played without a defined position. Ramirez can score at will when he has confidence and Josh Gatt would come in hungry for his shot. Despite this, the Loons netted just two goals in their opening 180 minutes, with one off of a penalty kick.

While Minnesota had a lot of creative buildup play, they struggled to find their targets on crosses. In fact, rather than relying on crosses, they opted to pass centrally. After all, Ramirez’s historic opening of Minnesota’s MLS account was on a pass down the center of the pitch. With the luxury of two full-time wingers, the Loons let their wings fly and deliver crosses.

You better believe that pun was intended.

Trial two…

On both attempts, the crafty wide players are able to dribble into space to create their chance. Molino and Venegas each deliver a lethal cross into the six-yard box. While Rapids’ goalkeeper Tim Howard is well positioned, he doesn’t leave his line. This gives Ramirez a chance to get to the ball, missing on his first two.

The Tweet of the Week comes from Daniel Mick:

https://twitter.com/DanielMick/status/843581234034950146

While the real Brek Shea earned a red card in his match, Dollar Store Brek Shea (known to his close friends as “Jared Watts”) matched up with Ramirez. Again, Ramirez finds a cross headed his way without a charging Howard.

This time, the cross comes from Thiesson. Ramirez delivers a perfect header and knocks it in. With Davis suspended, Thiesson is likely to cover on the left side, naturally a two-footed player. If anyone else can deliver that ball from the right back position, it’s Kevin Venegas. In fact, when Kevin Venegas signed with Minnesota, Heath called his ability on deliveries “Beckham-esque.” For the Loons to stay potent out wide, it might be time to unleash Viva.

An interest in playing defense

Whether the right back is Thiesson, Venegas, or Jermaine Taylor, they’ll look to uphold the respectable performance in Colorado. The back line was able to keep the Rapids at bay after allowing five and six goals in their opening matches. Still, both goals allowed came in momentary mental lapses.

Schüller takes an uncertain touch on the ball, and Calvo’s attempt to clear is just as rushed. Dominique Badji takes advantage, chooses his place, and slots it home. On the second goal, Minnesota fails to reset after a first clearance.

Nobody bounces back in defense. While Davis and Calvo do well to clear the initial attack, nobody is marking the three Rapids at their backs. The ball finds Marlon Hairston (later the receiver of Davis’ red card-inducing foul), who heads it home. It’s a safe bet that Kallman and Thiesson will start, with both likely shifting to the left side of the back line. Kallman played as the left center back for most of his 2016 NASL appearances.

This also means that Vadim Demidov will likely be reinstalled to the right center back post. Demidov was often caught out of position by the athletic Fanendo Adi and Josef Martinez. However, he’ll need to get his head back on straight in time to face Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara. Demidov’s mentality is possibly his best trait, and he was given the captain’s armband for a reason. After a week off, he’ll certainly be hungry to prove his detractors wrong if he starts.

The future is now?

The back line’s biggest question will be who starts at the full back spot opposite Thiesson. The midfield, meanwhile, will certainly feature Warner, who’s started all three matches thus far. His deputy will likely be one of Ibson or Mohammed Saeid. Ibson came in for the second half and added a crucial spark off the bench. I like his odds to repeat this against tired Revolution legs and would start Saeid instead. Kadrii is likely to start on one wing, with Ibarra against the other.

So who fills Johan Venegas’ second-starter role?

Oh hey, @abudanladi9 #COLvMIN | 2-2 pic.twitter.com/5GWwbSeUfW

— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) March 19, 2017

Hey, indeed. Abu Danladi came in just before Davis’ red card and immediately had to put more focus on the defensive side of the game. However, the rookie comes to the team as the SuperDraft prospect with the highest offensive ceiling. In this performance from November, you can see why.

Not only does Danladi take an impressive shot in the box to open the scoring, but his three assists are equally remarkable. He shows creativity and poise in the box, able to set up teammates with clever looks.

Take a look at the movement that set up the second half penalty kick.

First off: thats a world-class ball from Ibson to Molino, who’s switched spots with Johan Venegas in the attack. Molino looks up and finds a surging Warner, who gets the ball in the box. Warner is taken down from behind, drawing the foul; however, he only has this space thanks to Molino’s vision.

Let Danladi play the second striker role. I think this is repeatable, and given Danladi’s skill set, he’s a capable replacement. On SuperDraft day, the club was adament that Danladi was a center forward. “We think the upside of this kid is absolutely massive,” Heath remarked in the moment.

Let’s see what he can do at Foxborough.

---

FiftyFive.One is now on Patreon. Do you like the independent coverage of soccer news from Minnesota and beyond that FiftyFive.One offers? Please consider becoming a patron.