They will get a pair of very stern tests this Week. They go to 12th-ranked Purdue tomorrow/Friday night, then host 21st-ranked Washington Sunday afternoon.
#-2: United FC (Last Week: -4). Since May 9, the Loons had won only twice spanning all competitions. Meanwhile, since that same time span, St. Louis was undefeated in their past 21 Games in all competitions. So of course MNUFC won at home for the first time since May 2, duh!
Look, I anticipated a dreadful showing from the home side, a probable final nail in the coffin for a team that, at least on paper, was begging to be put out of its misery. And United FC obliged, allowing City to score in the 4th and 10th Minutes, and by the way, both Goals were pretty fuckin' soft. After that second Goal (scored by former Loon Sang-bin Jeong), I started concentrating on my phone and wondering if I should skedaddle early. Glad I didn't, because MNUFC mounted a comeback I haven't seen from any local team since ... well, the Vikings over the Packers in Week 1. Still, it was impressive -- AZ Jackson (thank goodness they brought him back -- now do Christian Ramirez) in the 49th to give the XI some life, Kelvin Yeboah (he's quietly having a great Year) in the 68th to tie it, and then Marcus Caldeira (elevated from the reserve club over the summer, he's rapidly become a mainstay and an important piece of this squad from here on out) with a beautiful individual effort (with the help of a cross-field bomb from Joaquin Pereyra) in the 86th to win it.
The odds are still stacked against them; with only four Matches left in the regular season, the Loons remain five Points behind ninth place and the last playoff berth. But in a very forgiving format, where half of the MLS teams qualify, they're not out of it. But it's incumbent upon them to beat the Dynamo in Houston Saturday night.
#-3: Timberwolves (NEW SEASON!!). Smashed the Heat in Miami by 17 last/Wednesday night to start the season off with a Win. Could've used without the bullshit no-call when Lamelo Ball took, like, six steps to get behind the arc for a Three-Pointer that went in. Ball spearheads the new look this franchise has. The hope is he can take play-handling duties off of Anthony Edwards so Ant has more time maneuvering and scoring from the off-Guard position. The thinking of this team is to outscore opponents. But they'll have to defend anyway, and they traded their 4 & 5 guys, Julius Randle and Naz Reid, in order to get Melo. How can they overcome their lack of (or no) depth in the frontcourt? And who's to say that Ball can shake off the injury bug that has become a feature of his career? Great start to the season, but who knows if, when and how those Achilles heels (I don't mean the actual injury, I just use that term as a stand-in for "problems") will haunt this T-Wolves team?
The Wolves start out the Year busy -- this Week they visit Orlando, host Toronto in their home opener, travel to Cleveland and host The Bastard Philadelphia Warriors.
#-4: Wild (Last Week: -3). Held off St. Louis and Columbus at the GCA, then came storming back from 3-1 to force a draw but, sadly, lose the Game in Overtime in Edmonton. But at least they're tied with The Bastard Winnipeg Jets for first in the Central.
The Wild are busy with their annual trek out to the Pacific Northwest and The Prairie Provinces of Canada. This screening Week will have the final four Games of the Wild's five-Game road trip, with tilts at Calgary, Seattle, Vancouver and said Utah Mammoth.
#-5: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2). I keep saying that only the Games versus Ohio St. and Wisconsin count for this program. That's still true, so I want to give dap that they managed to split against the then-top-ranked team in the nation, the Buckeyes. Moreover, they dominated Ohio St. in Friday's opener, whipping them 6-2. They lost 6-5 the next night; the Gophers came back from a three-Goal deficit with three of their own, then took a 5-4 lead early in the Third Period, only to cough up back-to-back Goals 42 Seconds apart. With that being said, I looked at last Year's schedule, and sure enough, the U. beat both the Buckeyes and the Badgers last season. They just didn't win in the NCAA Tournament, when it really matters. OK, so I may have moved the goal posts for this club. I'm sorry to concentrate this program's success on whether or not they can beat the two real blue-chip programs in women's college hockey when I wasn't cognizant that the U. has beaten both teams on a not-uncommon basis. Maybe I should say that they need to flip regular season victories over the Buckeyes and Badgers to tournament Wins.
Anyway, they host freshly-minted top-flight program Lindenwood (I believe they're based in St. Louis) for a pair this/Thursday evening and tomorrow/Friday afternoon.
#-6: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). I have to keep telling myself to give Bret Larson a mulligan this Year. Otherwise I'd gouge my own eyes out seeing they got emasculated Friday in Duluth by then-ninth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth, 7-1. The U., by the way, I think was ranked 20th. They won an extra Point Saturday after the Gophs came back from a Bulldogs 2-0 lead to tie it up and send it to a Shootout that they won, but I shouldn't expect anything from this squad this Year.
Ah, rivalries of yore: The Minnesota Golden Gophers host third-ranked North Dakota tonight/Thursday night and tomorrow/Friday night.
#-7: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -6). Oof. A 1-0 Loss at Wisconsin Sunday afternoon extends their losing streak, and scoring drought, to three Matches, and it looks as though bracketologists have pushed the U. off the bubble. Time's running out to right the ship; this Week they finish out the home portion of the schedule, playing 12th-ranked Washington tonight/Thursday night and Oregon Sunday afternoon.
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