Make that two in a row for our captain. Michael Boxall reprised his spot in the Team of the Matchday this week, earning his second honor of the season. With a defense-first mentality driving them, MNUFC has relied on the solidity and professionalism of their defenders in the opening weeks of the season, and with such a strong, experienced captain leading the way, this approach is paying dividends.

The Black and Blue’s back five have allowed just a single goal through three games, tied with NYRB and San Diego for the second-best total in the entire league. The compact, disciplined approach to defending that has shone through is a staple of the style that Coach Ramsay wants to play, and it’s proving difficult for the rest of the league to break down. Two clean sheets in a row correspond with Boxy’s pair of TOTM selections and saw the Loons keep the likes of Chicho Arango, Josef Martínez, and Cristian Espinoza off the scoresheet, among others.

With a rivalry match against a struggling SKC side up next, the Loons will be hoping to see Boxall’s fine form continue for another week. His long throws have added a dangerous dimension to the team’s attacking setup, essentially creating set-piece opportunities anytime the ball goes out of bounds across the halfway line. Between solid defending and increasingly effective contributions to his side’s goal-scoring ambitions, Boxy has started his ninth season with the club in fantastic fashion.

F: Yuya Kubo (CIN), Hugo Cuypers (CHI), Anders Dreyer (SD)

M: Albert Rusnák (SEA), Yannick Bright (MIA), Jovan Lukic (PHI), Cedric Teuchert (STL)

D: Mathías Laborda (VAN), Michael Boxall (MIN), Andy Najar (NSH)

GK: Roman Bürki (STL)

Coach: Brian Schmetzer (SEA)

Bench: Carlos Coronel (RBNY), Noah Allen (MIA), Kai Wagner (PHI), Edvard Tagseth (NSH), Jonathan Shore (NYC), Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (SEA), Paul Rothrock (SEA),Tadeo Allende (MIA), Rafael Navarro (COL)