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Tag: Ethan Finlay
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Matchdays Twenty-Nine Through Thirty-Four: Playoff Spotlight
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Twenty-Nine Through Thirty-Four: Playoff SpotlightThe Loons are on the threshold of their first playoff match in MLS, their first playoff appearance in any league since November 8th, 2015, and their first home playoff match since the infamous Fort Lauderdale game exactly a year before that. In other words, it’s been a long time coming. Minnesota got here by the…
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Matchdays Twenty-Three and US Open Cup Semi-Finals: Spark Joy
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Twenty-Three and US Open Cup Semi-Finals: Spark JoyOne of the things that bound me (and I suspect many others) closely to the sport of soccer was the culture that was built up around clubs. Sports are fun regardless, and to some degree all teams, from the Boston Red Sox to the Vegas Golden Knights, create their own culture. But what’s exceptional in…
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Photo Gallery: Minnesota United Defeats Houston Dynamo
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Photo Gallery: Minnesota United Defeats Houston DynamoIt’s a cross… it’s a shot… it’s a goal! Romain Métanire has been a revelation as right back this season. Not only does the defender do well to squash opposition attacking opportunities, but bombs forward consistently with aplomb. Typically he delivers crosses into the area, but sometimes he hits a cross, or maybe a shot,…
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Matchday Ten: Loons Hard To Read After Dramatic Week, Captivating Draw Against Seattle
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Ten: Loons Hard To Read After Dramatic Week, Captivating Draw Against SeattleWhat a week! Normally I use the opening section to discuss the weekend’s match, but I actually don’t have a lot to say about it. I thought it was a really fun game, a draw was probably the fair result, and that the atmosphere seemed to be kicked up a notch. Soccer is fun. But…
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Matchdays Seven, Eight, and Nine: The Good, The Decent, And The Ugly For Minnesota In Three Key Games
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Seven, Eight, and Nine: The Good, The Decent, And The Ugly For Minnesota In Three Key GamesWelcome back to our regularly scheduled post-game notes. Three games in one this week, because I was on vacation last weekend, and after the midweek match, it seemed prudent to let these results percolate and see what came of this past weekend. What a series of three games it was. From one perspective, the Loons…
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Matchday Three: Minnesota Put Under Pressure By Galaxy, Beaten For First Time In 2019
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Three: Minnesota Put Under Pressure By Galaxy, Beaten For First Time In 2019Are the Loons mediocre? Maybe. They’re still not bad. Minnesota fans now what bad looks like. But after a 2-3 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the air should come out of some of the slightly silly hype that swirled around this team after their opening two wins of the season. The Loons are winning…
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After Productive Offseason, Loons Look Set For 2019, But Not Beyond
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: After Productive Offseason, Loons Look Set For 2019, But Not BeyondA couple months ago, after Minnesota United announced their roster cuts, I surveyed the wreckage of two years of a “soft open” approach to team building. The team’s roster had massive holes, especially in midfield and defense. Although the club did not move as swiftly and confidently as I expected, they have made five big…
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As Their Expansion Partners Lift The Cup, Loons Face Critical Third Year
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: As Their Expansion Partners Lift The Cup, Loons Face Critical Third YearThe 2018 MLS Season is now officially over. The Damned United are holding the cup, reaching the pinnacle of league success within just two years of existence. While the newly minted champions now face an uncertain offseason, with their coach and a number of star players leaving, this has been a moment that nobody can…
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Match Preview: Minnesota United FC vs. Houston Dynamo
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Match Preview: Minnesota United FC vs. Houston DynamoFour straight losses and a pulverizing injury to Ethan Finlay has Minnesota fans, and surely the team itself, reeling. The club does not appear to be one signing away from having it all figured out as the transfer window closure nears. As Houston heads north on Saturday, there are more questions than answers. Loons coach…
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Portland Timbers FC vs. Minnesota United FC
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Portland Timbers FC vs. Minnesota United FCIt seems about 95% of bye weeks are described as coming “at the right time.” Minnesota probably fits that narrative this time around. After encouraging back-to-back wins, the Loons have suffered consecutive losses, each with its own caveats, but each disheartening in its own way. Now, Minnesota enters a new phase of the season and…
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Matchday Three: Minnesota Bury Chicago In Dominant Second Half, Continue Impressive Form
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Three: Minnesota Bury Chicago In Dominant Second Half, Continue Impressive FormIt was a completely different home opener for Minnesota United FC in their second year in MLS. The sun was shining, the temperature was well above freezing, and the team on the field looked—dare we say it?—downright good. The previous Saturday, the Loons turned in a classic road performance and emerged clutching three points in…
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Match Preview: Minnesota United FC vs. Chicago Fire
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Match Preview: Minnesota United FC vs. Chicago FireWhich Chicago Fire will show up Saturday, the team that gave Toronto a run for its money in the Supporter’s Shield race for two-thirds of 2017, or the team that coughed up a humbling four goals at home to Sporting Kansas City last week? Which Minnesota United will show up, the team that carbon copied…
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Matchday Two: Loons Show Guts, Earn Glory In Excellent Road Win Against Orlando
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Two: Loons Show Guts, Earn Glory In Excellent Road Win Against OrlandoIn the annals of Minnesota United history, Saturday night’s 2-1 road win against the Lions of Orlando City was not one of the most important, nor one of the most beautiful. But it surely must count as one of the most satisfying. Adrian Heath, for one, will be absolutely ecstatic in defeating his former club…