FiftyFive.One
• Voices From Soccer's North •
Tag: Jan Gregus
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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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Matchdays Twenty-One and Twenty-Two: A Tale Of Two Draws
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Twenty-One and Twenty-Two: A Tale Of Two DrawsAfter the Loons’ thrilling 1-0 win against FC Dallas, Head Coach Adrian Heath went after… the writers at MLSSoccer.com… for… uh… ranking Minnesota too low in their Power Rankings. As a former writer of Power Rankings, let me offer this advice to players and coaches: ignore them. By the way, if you are a player…
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Matchdays Eleven and Twelve: Low One Week, High The Next, For Inconsistent Loons
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Eleven and Twelve: Low One Week, High The Next, For Inconsistent LoonsSaturday, May 11th, was the day that Minnesota United played the Chicago Fire out in Bridgeview, IL. It also happened to be the day before Mother’s Day and my grandmother’s birthday, and ended up missing that match. It was a lucky escape. I haven’t watch the highlights yet, and I’m not sure I plan to.…
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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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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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Matchday Two: Loons Overcome San Jose Bogeys With Emphatic Win
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Two: Loons Overcome San Jose Bogeys With Emphatic WinAre the Loons good? Here’s what we know so far, through two games on the road: they’re not bad. With Saturday night’s 3-0 thumping of the San Jose Earthquakes on the heels of last weekend’s win in Vancouver, the Loons have already surpassed last season’s entire win and point total on the road. They also…
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Matchday One: Offseason Upgrades Shine In Opening Win In Vancouver
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday One: Offseason Upgrades Shine In Opening Win In VancouverAre the Loons good? Yes, I know it’s only week one. Yes, I know Vancouver are a team who are so thoroughly rebuilding that they more resemble an expansion side than this year’s actual expansion side. But on a Saturday afternoon in the Rain City, Minnesota United did something I haven’t seen in over three…
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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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Preseason Match One: Loons and Phoenix Muddle Around, Settle For 0-0 Draw
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Preseason Match One: Loons and Phoenix Muddle Around, Settle For 0-0 DrawTechnically the Loons have already kicked off their preseason, winning a 9-2 scrimmage against incoming USL League One squad FC Tucson. But Saturday’s match against Phoenix felt far more like the season kickoff. There was a stream. There was Cal Williams. There was a stronger opponent—USL Championship runners up Phoenix Rising. At last, a long…