Do you hear that? No, it’s not the rapids of Commerce City, because Commerce City actually has no major rivers (go figure). It’s the sound of the postseason fast approaching, and if you listen really hard, you might hear a triumphant little Loon call mixed in there. Your Twos are set to play their penultimate game of the regular season this Saturday, and they’re pitted against none other than Colorado Rapids 2 in a match that will be critical in staying above that playoff line.
The Twos are sitting tight in seventh in the West at 38 points, only staying ahead of Ventura County by the goal differential tiebreaker. Austin FC II, also with 38 points but one fewer win, or Houston Dynamo 2 with 37 points, are liable to slip past Minnesota if they’re not careful. To climb the table, the Twos need a win on Saturday; luckily, they’ve already beaten the Rapids twice this year, and they’re in good form. Recent first-team signing Alexis Fariña booked a goal in his debut last weekend, Logan Dorsey has reached a goal tally of eight, and the consistently solid performances of Muba Nour and Roman Torres are pushing the ceiling of the Twos’ talent even higher.
The boys will need to watch out for Colorado’s Billo Diop, who leads the club with 13 goals this season and has scored in every single one of his last 10 matches. Keeper Adam Beaudry, an imposing presence in net, also recently broke the club’s all-time win record with 16. Despite falling to 10th-place Houston earlier this month, the Rapids most recently destroyed Tacoma 1-4 with four different scorers, effectively eliminating them from the postseason.
Rapids 2 are currently third in the West with 48 points, just a single point behind The Town FC and battling for the second-place spot after St. Louis CITY2 secured the conference title. They’ll be looking not only to sneak past The Town, but also make sure they remain in the top four and get to choose their first-round opponents. Yeah, I know, it’s a crazy system, but I did not make the MLS NEXT Pro rules. I just write about them.
The Loons’ run of form has been a mixed bag this September, with the Twos logging a win, a draw, and a loss in consecutive matches. One more big win to cap off the first of the fall months would be a good feeling going into the final match of the regular season. Be sure to watch the Loons fight for that win against a motivated top-three Western side at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, September 27 at 3:30 p.m. CT. Catch the action on MLS Season Pass.
