FiftyFive.One
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Tag: Vito Mannone
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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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Matchday Twenty: Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Twenty: Where There’s A Will, There’s A WayAlmost from the opening whistle, Saturday’s game against FC Dallas looked like a 0-0 draw. True, the Loons did start the game with a nice spell on the front foot. But as soon as the visitors found their footing, the game devolved into something that wasn’t entirely pleasant to watch. If great soccer has the…
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Matchdays Seventeen: Hope For The High Road
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchdays Seventeen: Hope For The High RoadWhen we last left off with Minnesota United, back at the start of the month, the club was reeling off the back of three straight league defeats. An embarrassing mess in Atlanta. A gun punch at home against Philadelphia. Worst of all, an ugly display in Colorado. The club was notably struggling on offense, and…
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Matchday Five: Minnesota Bounce Back, Beats Red Bulls With Grit Plus Luck
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Five: Minnesota Bounce Back, Beats Red Bulls With Grit Plus LuckGood? Bad? Is there even a word that encapsulates the Loons right now? One week after their worst performance of the season, a deflating 1-2 loss to bottom feeders New England, Minnesota United marched into the fortress of the defending Supporters Shield champs, and came away 2-1 winners. They will now head into their homecoming…
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Matchday Four: Clueless Minnesota Embarrassed By New England
Categories: NewsContinue Reading: Matchday Four: Clueless Minnesota Embarrassed By New EnglandOkay, are we so sure the Loons are not bad? Were we all too quick to decide, as I wrote after the opener, that Minnesota are on track to exceed expectations? Depends on your definition of expectations. On Twitter following United’s unacceptable capitulation against the New England Revolution, I had a back and forth with…
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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…