The Black and Blue are on a roll logging two games every week of May so far, and guess what? They liked it so much, they decided to do it again. The Loons are home again on Saturday, and though the match is presented by Toro, don’t be fooled — they’re not playing Los Toros. Instead, your Loons are hosting Austin, El Tree, the Verde and Black. And the last time these two sides went head to head, everything came up Minnesota. Unlike most birds, loons don’t nest in trees. So I guess we have no problem cutting them down.

Run of Form

Minnesota United FC (7-3-4)
Run of Form: W-L-W-W-W (All Competitions)

Five games so far in the month of May, and the Black and Blue have won four — and their lone loss was with a heavily rotated lineup. Between a 4-1 victory over Miami and two 3-0 shutouts, these guys are on fire. Tani Oluwaseyi made his way back to the scoresheet this past weekend, and Joaquín Pereyra continues to make waves in the midfield. The 3-4-2-1 might be the new go-to starting formation for the Black and Blue, as it appears to have helped them rediscover their goal-scoring form and then some.

Austin FC (5-6-3)
Run of Form: D-D-L-W-L (All Competitions)

El Tree has experienced a pretty significant drop in the rankings since we last took them on, now ninth in the West with just a single victory (in USOC play) since their win over LA Galaxy in April. They’ve only scored nine goals this season, and their strong start has dwindled. I wouldn’t count them out quite yet, considering they held conference-leading Vancouver to a scoreless draw in their last fixture, but there’s a lot of legwork that needs to be done to restore this Texan side to its former glory.

Keys to the Match:

Numbers Don't Lie

I majored in English in college and left all the math to my roommate, but today I’m digging into the numbers a bit. The stats for these two clubs do seem to tell a pretty straightforward story, and it’s one where the first goal decides everything. Minnesota United has not lost a single game this season in which they scored first — that’s seven wins and two draws. But they’ve also lost all three matches in which the opponents scored first. On the other end, Austin has lost every game in which they’ve allowed the first goal — six losses — and all five of their wins this season have come from games in which they scored first. There’s definitely something to be said for setting the tone here. Neither side has really proven to be capable of a comeback yet. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but if the Loons can be the first ones to find the back of the net on Saturday, I’ll feel pretty good about our chances. Think my roommate’s proud of me?

Deadly Dead Balls

Minnesota’s all about off-the-ball work and capitalizing on minimal possession, which is to say that when they do have the ball, you can bet they’re about to make an impact. They supplement this style of play with a major reputation for set pieces — these guys know exactly what to do with a dead ball. And nobody’s creating dead ball opportunities for the opposition quite like Austin’s Besard Sabovic. The midfielder is second in the league in fouls committed with a whopping 27, only behind Houston’s Ezequiel Ponce. Maybe it’s a Texas thing. Austin’s earned 33 yellow cards in just 14 games. They’re a pretty physical team, and that means the Loons are going to have a lot of chances to turn dead balls into deadly ones.

Brad Stuver Redemption Arc

If you watched our last run against Austin, you’ll recall the scoring kicking off with a Pereyra slide that went right between Brad Stuver’s legs and earned him a spot in the Sad Goalie Club. That was great, but honestly, it’s out of character for this guy. Stuver boasts six clean sheets, just one fewer than our own Dayne St. Clair. He’s fifth in total saves with 49 in 14 games, with a save percentage of 76.56, putting him fourth in the league. He’s a pretty reputable keeper, all things considered, and less than a month after that brutal loss to Minnesota, he’s got a chance to redeem himself. I wouldn’t expect him to slip up in such dramatic fashion against the Black and Blue twice.