Your Loons are back on the road this weekend, this time trekking down to Missouri for a Saturday night showdown with Yoann Damet’s red-hot St. Louis CITY. After a pair of narrow losses to Portland and Dallas, the Black and Blue are feeling the clock ticking down on the regular season and an increased sense of urgency to find some results to push them back above the playoff line. Let’s break it down.

Run of Form

Minnesota United FC (7-9-8)
Run of Form: L-L-D-W-L

Frustration abounds for the Loons after a late Dallas goal made for back-to-back losses. The goals have started coming in greater numbers, but the wins haven’t, and the boys need points to find a comfortable spot in the postseason picture as the number of matches remaining in the regular season hits single digits. A series of high-scoring matches is a showing of hope to cling to, but the Black and Blue need to find their way back to the magic of that 1-5 rout in San Jose sooner than later.

St. Louis CITY SC (10-6-8)
Run of Form: D-W-D-W-D

Damet’s side is on fire. St. Louis is riding the second-longest unbeaten streak in league history, with their 14-game run stretching all the way back to May. For a team that won only one of their first 10 matches to start the year, this is a crazy 180, and their spot at sixth in the West is well-deserved. They’ve played the top five teams in the conference without losing, racked up 38 points, and made roster additions that have already paid dividends — but more on that shortly.

Keys to the Match:

What a Window

I said shortly, didn’t I? St. Louis was brilliantly active in the secondary transfer window, making three signings with the potential to transform the roster. In July, attacking midfielder Carlo Holse joined the ranks as a DP. The 27-year-old, fresh from the Turkish top-flight, has already made six appearances and logged a goal and an assist. The club also acquired striker Damion Downs on loan from Southampton last week, a versatile young attacker with USMNT experience. He’s still working his way up to a starting spot, but has a lot of promise even as an impact sub.

Now, the big one. Rafael Navarro, formerly of the Colorado Rapids, joined the club last week as a DP striker in the largest cash-for-player trade in league history. He tallied 44g/16a in 114 games with the Rapids, and has already made waves in his two games with St. Louis, bagging a brace in last night’s game against Portland to extend CITY’s unbeaten streak. With Rafa in the ranks, St. Louis’ already-prominent attack has leveled up, and they’ll prove a daunting opponent for Minnesota’s struggling defense.

Shaping Up

The formation shift that led the Loons to their high-scoring form against San Jose, Orlando, and Portland has proven massively effective in the attack, but created a number of defensive issues. The new goal for the Black and Blue is finding a shape that balances this newfound attacking prowess with the disciplined defense that served them so well previously. We saw the squad searching for this elusive balance throughout last night’s contest, as Minnesota played with their formation several times in the final quarter of the match. Though the five-man backline stayed consistent, the midfield and attack shifted from a front three to a front one (and then, briefly, a front four in a last-ditch effort to level the score). Varying numbers in the midfield and front line created some interesting situations, forcing our guys to get creative in combination and find new ways to break lines. Though Knowles hasn’t quite found that magic lineup yet that will allow Minnesota to simultaneously maximize their defense and confident up-field play, it feels like the answer may not be far off. Whether that ultimate shift comes from messing with the double pivot or mixing up personnel in the back, the final piece clicking into place has the potential to drastically change this team’s form.

The Terrific Trio

It’s like the Fantastic Four, but not trademarked (yet). The Loons have scored 14 goals in their last five matches (40% of their total goals this season). These goals have come from six different scorers, but three in particular stand out. Kelvin Yeboah has tallied four goals and two assists in his last four games, taking the club’s leading goal-scorer to 12 on the year. Next in line with seven goals is defender Anthony Markanich, our beloved highest-scoring-defender-in-the-world, as that one guy said that one time. Three of those seven have come in his last five games. Marcus Caldeira, in only seven appearances, has become Minnesota’s third leading scorer with four goals. Alongside Yeboah and Joaquín Pereyra, he’s proven to be a vital piece of a blossoming attacking unit. 

We’ll see if they can rack up those goal tallies even more this Saturday, September 12, as the Loons take on St. Louis CITY at Energizer Park at 7:30 p.m.