Positive Numbers: United FC (Last Week: -6). First of all, I have to acknowledge that until last/Thursday night (which I'll cover at the bottom of this survey), the Twin Cities sports scene was on a roll that is unprecedented in WMNSS history. Unless I am wrong (and I could be; someone please check), the teams I cover here went 11-0 between Saturday and Wednesday. Think about that; not only did local sports go on an unbeaten streak, they were perfect for five straight days. OK, Monday doesn't count because there were no sports teams playing that evening, but it's more impressive to say five straight days.
So how do you figure out who's on top when so many teams (eight, to be exact) had undefeated Weeks? The tie-breaker, at least for me, at least for this screening Week, was the effect those Wins had for a particular team's postseason prospects. That does favor squads that are closer to the end of the regular than the beginning, but the impact the Loons' 2-0 week had in making the MLS playoffs is hard to deny.
Of the two Matches, their road one against Austin Saturday night was the winnable one, and they did win, 1-0 on a Goal by Franco Fragapane in the 16th Minute. Then they came home to host Philadelphia Wednesday evening. (It was a Game I thought about going to, but supporters groups have assailed the organization recently for not tightening up their pandemic policies, and so many of them are boycotting the rest of the season, and I will too -- even though I already bought a ticket to the USWNT Match, Carli Lloyd's final one for the National Team, which is on Tuesday.)
The Union are where MNUFC want to be: Not opening the wallet for every Designated Player they could find, but consistently staying in the mix (and they have a playoff spot right now) through a combination of savvy signings and development. The Match at Allianz was a wild affair, especially in the Second Half; Philly scored twice to come back from a 1-0 Minnesota lead, but Goals from Robin Lod (who subbed in -- look at Adrian Heath with the deft use of Substitutes!) and Fragapane four Minutes apart gave them the 3-2 victory and a precious three Points at home. I saw What the Constitution Means to Me at the Guthrie that rainy, chilly evening, and even though the play is really good, I kind of wish I was at the Match -- now that I know they won.
Now, if you look at the standings, you'll see that United FC basically maintained; they moved up from seventh in the West to sixth. They didn't sew up a playoff birth, absolutely not. But back-to-back clutch Wins shows toughness, and using that toughness to tread water in a congested postseason race is something admirable ... and a sign that the team on top should get Positive Numbers.
Last Week marked the beginning of a stretch where they play five Matches in a fortnight. The gauntlet continues Saturday night versus LAFC, then a Wednesday tilt in Vancouver.
#0: Wild (Re-Entry!). I can see Wild fans getting up in arms over not putting their hockey club in the top spot of the WMNSS ... well, if they cared about this survey ... or if they even know about it. Hey, a 3-0 start to begin their season -- their first such start in six Years -- is impressive. But it's just a start. They've got 79 more of these to go. Also, while road Wins are always valuable, the club started off their season dispatching Anaheim and Los Angeles, and for at least the second Year in a row, all California teams are just ass. They just are.
Tuesday's home-opening victory over The Bastard Atlanta Thrashers is the most gratifying of the three, and it also points to the team's future, and its potential. The Wild came back from deficits of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, and 5-3. Four ties, the last of which came on a Goal by Joel Eriksson Ek, who is fast becoming a great player, with 59 Seconds left in regulation. Then, in the crapshoot that is NHL 3-on-3 Overtime, a repelled Ducks rush turned into a 3-on-1 going the other way. A tic-tac-toe move wound up with Eriksson Ek shoving the puck past Jet Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for the OT winner ... and gave JEE a Hat Trick.
The ability to come back four times is the best thing I like about the Wild so far. And people see how these guys are skating, flying down the ice, back and forth. A small sample size, but it looks to be a byproduct out of ushering out the previous regime of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Michael Russo of The Athletic had an extensive pre-Season interview with Wild General Manager Bill Guerin. Guerin was candid in saying that he believes locker rooms get stale, and he bought out Parise and Suter because, well, there should just be new people on the team. Furthermore, even though it is implied and not explicated in Russo's story, there was a feeling that Parise and Suter had too much of a hold on the team, to the point where their influence made the other players walk on eggshells around them. If all that was needed to breathe new life into the franchise was to push away old players, well, I guess I don't have much to complain about.
Busy Week: Back-to-back home Games versus Anaheim and Nashville this weekend, then they hit the road Tuesday in Vancouver and Thursday for their first-ever contest against the Seattle Kraken.
#-1: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). As you can tell, I failed to do and publish this survey overnight. In fact, I am cutting it close doing it this evening. I don't remember the last time I had to incorporate an afternoon Game the day of into the WMNSS, but I did, surprisingly, for the University of Minnesota women's hockey program, which played and beat Colgate, a team ranked above them, this/Friday afternoon, 5-3, in Hamilton, N. Y. Combine that with sweeping a home-and-home with MSU-Mankato over the weekend by a combined 9-2 score, and all is right with the world. They finish a two-Game series vs. the Raiders tomorrow/Saturday afternoon.
#-2: Timberwolves (Re-Entry!). And holy crap, the T-Wolves got into this winning crap! They began their season Wednesday with a 124-106 Win over Houston at Target Center. Sure, it's the post-Harden/Paul Rockets, so they're firmly in rebuilding mode. But you only have to go back to last Year to know that those Woofie Dogs would have struggled against the dregs of the NBA. Now they're seems to finally be clear skies devoid of injuries and alignment on how to move forward. Karl-Anthony Towns seems to have put COVID-19 behind him. D'Angelo Russell is making shots and staying off the DL. And Anthony Edwards continues to blossom.
Of course, it's only one Game. They play two at home against The Bastard Charlotte Hornets and then travel to Milwaukee and play the defending NBA Champion Bucks Wednesday. We'll see hot they are after that Week.
#-3: Gopher football (Re-Entry!). A gutty (is that the right word?) performance in getting off to a fast start and then holding on in the Second Half for a 30-23 victory over Nebraska at Huntington. And don't look now, but the Big Ten West might be the Gophers for the taking. Iowa looked mighty vulnerable in losing to Purdue -- whom the Gopher beat -- at home. And Wisconsin clearly has some issues. It's not a stretch to say that the U. might play in the B1G title Game. But first they have to play Maryland tomorrow/Saturday afternoon in Dinkytown.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -2). It doesn't really matter that Kirk Cousins found K. J. Osborn for the Game-ending Touchdown in Overtime over the Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday. Yes, they're 3-3 and would actually make the playoffs were the season to end today. But these guys had an 11-Point lead and coughed it up. Championship teams don't blow 11-Point leads; that's why these guys are down here. Cousins is saving the Defense's -- and Mike Zimmer's -- ass right now, and even though his limitations will bubble up to the surface at some point, right now he is carrying the team.
This is their bye Week.
#-5: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -3). The seventh and final team that went undefeated last Week are the U. volleyballers, who had only one Match and swept lowly Indiana at the Sports Pavilion. But this weekend brings a great test: They host Penn St. tonight/Friday night (in fact it is starting as I am blog posting this), then hosting Ohio St. late Sunday afternoon. Both are ranked. Can this club show any marked improvement?
#-6: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). Split a home-and-home with St. Cloud St. over the weekend. Both road teams won. But Minnesota really shouldn't have emerged victoriou Saturday. In fact, it's absolute fucking bullshit that the Gophers won. Because just look at this no-call:
Blake McLaughlin (#FlyTogether) steals the puck with what should be a penalty and then sets Sammie Walker (#GoBolts) up in front for the overtime goal.
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) October 17, 2021
Minnesota wins 4-3 in overtime, regrettably, on perhaps the worst non-call I've seen in some time. I feel for St. Cloud State. pic.twitter.com/DWu1G4DElD
I can't think of a lesser-deserved Win by a local team ever. And that includes the Vikings. What's worse: That gift allows the U. to pick up a valuable win for PairWise purposes. Unbelievable.
Another home-and-home this weekend, this time Minnesota-Duluth.
#-7: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -5). Finally, we get to the U. footballers, who followed up their 1-0 victory at Northwestern Sunday with a 1-0 defeat at Iowa Thursday. It's the first time in conference play they were shut out. Moreover, that loss ended the Twin Cities winning streak, so because I'm bitter, I'm placing this XI in last place in this Week's survey.
Minnesota is at 4-5 and in a four-way tie for sixth place in the B1G. All 14 squads have one Game left to play in the regular season. With the exception of Illinois-Rutgers, which will kick off tomorrow/Saturday afternoon, all the other conference Matches will be played between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday. The latter is the kickoff time for the Gophers. The top eight make it into the Big Ten Tournament. While the U. is still fighting for a spot, Nebraska, Minnesota's opponent, is officially eliminated from tournament play. That should mean a Win, especially considering this Game's at Robbie Stadium. But I don't know if a Win is going to be enough for this team to get to the B1G. Fingers crossed.
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