This week has capped off a series of glorious firsts for the Loons, so I don't know where to start. Well, I'll start with this first milestone: They went 2-0 in a screening week for the first time on the survey. After getting upbraided by Head Coach Adrian Heath for almost giving away the game against Real Salt Lake on the 14th, the squad gutted out a 2-1 victory Wednesday over New England.
But the big result, the near miracle, happened last/Sunday night. LAFC (I prefer to refer to them as Laugh-See -- see what I did there?) came into town second in the Western Conference. In a league where there are enough loopholes to put a lie into the salary cap which is supposed to be a bedrock of the single-entity system, LAFC is not an expansion team. In fact, they are one of the best teams money can buy. I hate moral victories, but given the Loons' recent spate of good play -- discounting that humiliating 2-1 friendly loss to Deportivo Saprissa, they have yet to lose at home in July -- I was OK if they had lost only by a score of 1-0. A draw was unheard-of to me. A win against those guys? Huh, you're smokin' some good shit, aren't ya?
But goddamn, what the hell was that? Not only did MNUFC take it to 'em, they won. And not only did United win, but they beat the hell out of Laugh-See. 5-1?!?!?! No, I did not see that coming. It was very nice to see players who usually do not figure into the scoresheet contribute to the five Goals. Rasmus Schuller scored the first Goal for United, and Erin Miller assisted on one. The turning point of the match occurred just before Halftime, when Christian Ramirez and Darwin Quintero broke a 1-1 deadlock with Goals a minute apart, Quintero's coming just before the whistle. I was afraid that LAFC was going to mount a comeback in the Second Half, but the defense buckled down. And when Miguel Ibarra and Ramirez scored (for the second time) two minutes apart, the opposing team just shut 'er down and checked out of the match. Lucky for the home team!
There were many superlatives achieved during the match. The five Goals are the most this side has racked up in their short tenure in Major League Soccer. They have won three matches in a row for the first time in their time in MLS. They have extended their overall home winning streak to four. And, anecdotally, even though Matthew Doyle of MLS.com gives the nod to their 3-2 road win versus Atlanta, I believe that this is the biggest win MNUFC has had in their brief stint in MLS.
It could not have come at a better time. There have been bigger crowds, but -- and this is just a feeling -- there were a lot of newcomers in the 22,739 who came out to TCF Bank Stadium to watch this match. I can tell you that a group of over a dozen family members (some of them total babes, by the way) were sitting near me. One of them confessed that this was her first-ever Loons game she watched in person. They were able to watch a win, which is a good thing. But moreover, these guys beat a team that on paper has a decisive advantage in talent. On top of that they routed them, totally kicked their asses. And it is in that environment where, for the first time maybe since they crushed D.C. United at home 4-0 last year, the crowd could relax and really belt out the chants that soccer matches are known for. People all over the stadium (at least in my section of TCF Bank) were belting out "M! N! U-F-C!" and the "Black And Blue" chant at points during the game. And I don't remember seeing so many people raise their scarves and sing the chorus to "Wonderwall" so loudly before. This is a landmark victory on the pitch, a high that proves how much this franchise, even as an underdog, can achieve if they deploy the right pieces and tactics. Therefore, this is a milestone for the organization off it. Every one who was at last night's game, I can assure you, will want to come to another one, either this season or in one of the seasons at Allianz Field. I think last night's win was that pivotal for Minnesota United FC -- the business as well as the team.
Oh, and by the way, as of press time the Loons now sit seventh in the West, only two Points behind Salt Lake City for the final playoff spot. But now they turn to a road-heavy portion of their schedule. It was imperative for this team to defend home turf if they want any chance of sniffing the postseason. But they've got to claim some points on the road, too, and they have a chance to do just that Saturday when they visit the Vancouver Whitecaps, a side that sits just two Points behind them.
#-1: Twins (Last Week: -1). They return from the All-Star Break (Jose Berrios pitched a scoreless Fifth Inning in the All-Star Game -- good) by promptly getting swept at the second-worst team in all of Major League Baseball, the Kansas City Royals.
This is how shitty it got. It was 2-all in yesterday's (Sunday's) game in the bottom of the seventh. Two gone but two on for Catcher, and former Twin, Drew Butera. He's batting well below the Mendoza Line -- .168 as it stands after the game. No wonder he's batting ninth. Trevor Hildenberger gave Butera a 2-2 pitch down and in, and Butera was able to lift it to Right-Center Field. CF Jake Cave, a guy I'd praised for his jolt of energy in the past, tried to dive for it and end the inning, but he missed and the goddamn ball rolled all the way to the wall. Butera -- remember, he's hitting less than .200 ... oh, and he's slow as fuck, too -- was able to chug all the way around for an Inside-The-Park Home Run, and K.C. took the sweep, 5-3. And that's why I skipped 0 and put these guys in negative numbers. Yep, these Twinks have to be sellers now.
Eeesh ... three at Toronto and then four in Boston. The Blue Jays are below .500 but God, this club could be in tatters this time next week.
#-2: Vikings (Re-Entry!). My God. I was passing by Hooters MOA yesterday afternoon when I looked at the TV and saw the breaking news on the crawl: Vikings Offensive Line Coach Tony Sparano died yesterday morning at the age of just 56. He went to the hospital complaining about chest pains on Thursday, but after taking test, he was released Friday. He and his wife were preparing to go to church Sunday morning, but she found him unconscious and he wasn't able to be revived.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Sparano family. Also, my thoughts go out to the Vikings. The offensive line turned into a major weakness towards the end of last season, and yet I cannot fathom how that unit is going to come together in the wake of the untimely and undeserved death of their position coach. Maybe this becomes a rallying point for them.
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