With that being said, I should shine a little more light on the Loons, who were pretty much dead in the water just a month ago. In their only match of the screening Week, they went down to Houston and defeated the Dynamo last Saturday, 2-1. And they did it without Emanuel Reynoso, who was kept off the pitch due to injury. Adrian Heath kept his patented 4-2-3-1 formation. So who replaced Bebelo as the pivot? Of course, it was Joseph Rosales. He stayed on the whole Match and apparently acquitted himself nicely, even though he didn't figure into the box score. Meanwhile, United FC didn't need Rey on this night to score. Franco Fragapane scored in injury time in the First Half, and then, hold onto your butts, Bongokuhle Hlongwane finally scored in a Minnesota United uniform, striking from distance in the 72nd Minute. Bongo's blast turned out to be the Game-winner as Houston's Fabrice Picault cut it to one in the 86th. (By the way, Dynamo Striker and former Loons Striker Darwin Quintero had no Shots.) The defensive midfield pairing of Robin Lod and Nabilai Kibunguchy (the latter making his debut with the club, I think) also stayed on for the whole 90 and did well enough.
Combine that with Real Salt Lake's Loss to FC Dallas that same evening meant Minnesota, out of the playoff picture barely 30 Days prior, is now third in the Western Conference. The top two teams in the West, LAFC and Austin FC, are double-digit Points ahead of the Loons. But it's one damn impressive run (six in a row unbeaten) that has propelled them back into relevancy. Can the XI keep it going with a home date this/Saturday afternoon against the Portland Timbers, who are unbeaten in their last seven (and whose last Loss, by the way, was to Inter Miami ... the last squad MNUFC lost to), in a Match that will be broadcast on ABC?
By the way, Robin Lod isn't going anywhere. After a rumor surfaced that Ligue 1 organization Toulouse wanted to pay him $2 million to pry him from the States, yesterday/Friday he signed an extension that will keep him and his family here for a few more Years. Not bad for a guy who had a horrible start, blossomed into a creative and resourceful Goal-scorer, and is now taking one for the team and embracing his new role as a Defensive Midfielder.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). Yeah, this franchise is starting off the second half of the season similarly to the way it ended the first half: Wobbly. They began the Week with a two-Game sweep in Detroit, but then they were swept over two Games in Milwaukee. And last/Friday night they began a proper three-Game set in San Diego by getting the shit kicked out of them, 10-1. They've lost three in a row, but they still maintain the lead in the A. L. Central, albeit only by 1 1/2 Games over Cleveland. This may not be their Year after all. But what would this ballclub look like if they had out of the blue traded for relief pitching, oh, a Month ago?
After finishing this weekend against the Padres, the Twins come home for a trio versus Detroit. My friend has invited me to the Game on Tuesday. After that series, Toronto comes in for four beginning on Thursday.
#-3: Lynx (Last Week: -3). Lost at home to Connecticut by seven on Sunday, they defeated the Dream in Atlanta by seven on Thursday. But they're not gaining any ground for a playoff spot; they are two Games behind Los Angeles and Dallas for the final spot in the postseason, and both of those teams have played two fewer Games than the Lynx. Yeah, Sylvia Fowles's last season is unfortunately going to end in a whimper.
The team's on the road this Week -- at said Sparks tomorrow/Sunday night, at Seattle Wednesday night.
#-Infinity: Aurora FC (BRAND NEW!!!). I've said what I needed to say here. But I want to add something that I should have come up with immediately after I saw it but didn't until the next day. The Penalty Kick in Added Extra Time by Morgan Turner that was blocked was pretty much like Gary Andersen missing that Field Goal in '99. I don't know if Turner had been perfect in PKs up to that point, but my point stands: If you are a cursed Minnesota sports fan, you know that was when Aurora FC fucking lost that Game. You just knew it. I did.
My belief that that franchise should go fuck themselves has abated, but only by a tiny bit. That damned team of failures ain't showin' up back here until they win it all (maybe ... after all, it is only a semi-pro league) or somehow lose their chance at a championship in excruciating fashion once again. Until then, good goddamn riddance.
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