- THAT'S ME IN THE CORNER: Every team has a weakness. Some are glaring, some get covered up or compensated for extremely well. Coaches spend a lot of time working to maximize their team’s strengths and then apply them to their opponents’ pain points, and one of the Portland Timbers’ glaring pain points is defending set pieces. At 6.06, Portland have the highest expected goals allowed from set pieces and corner kicks so far this season. For comparison, Minnesota’s xGA is a comparatively meager 1.95. If the Loons can capitalize on the Timbers’ shaky set piece defense by being aggressive and drawing fouls, plus putting in shots that force punched saves and deflections that can earn corner kicks, it could put the visitors on the front foot early this weekend. The bad news for MNUFC, though, is that their xGF on set pieces and corner kicks is a middling 2.17 on the year. But the arrival of Franco Fragapane and Adrien Hunou — who connected on a corner kick by the former and a header by the latter against Austin FC — bodes well for improved scoring from dead ball opportunities going forward.
- STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HERE: In a 34-game season, somewhere around 10 or 11 games in represents about a third of the season, and that’s about the time you can begin to get a decent sense of who a team is. There is, of course, still the second transfer window to go through and so teams can shift and change — clubs including this week’s opponent Portland have staged incredible second-half turnarounds to make it into the playoff conversation. So where do the Loons sit right now? Four losses to start the season had many writing off Minnesota, but a five-game unbeaten streak has them up in ninth in the Western Conference. That’s out of the playoffs, for now, but the squad is trending in the right direction. The four up front will get a boost from the return of Robin Lod, as he will likely slot in on the right wing with Emanuel Reynoso in the middle, Fragapane on the left and Hunou up top. That threesome showed off some deadly interplay against Austin FC and burgeoning collective sense of where each other were going to move and how they would cut in between the lines. Niko Hansen has looked good on the right, but Lod brings a desire to cut in and get on his left foot that mirrors Fragapane well and opens up space down the wings for the fullbacks to overlap. The Finn also brings strong defensive acumen to the frontline. It’s possible the stumble out of the gates ultimately means MNUFC will not have a home game to start if they make the playoffs, but they can surely be a strong upset pick if they continue to gel.
- AND NOW WE GO TO SENIOR METEOROLOGIST ROB THOMAS: The heat wave that has hit the Pacific Northwest is definitely going to affect this game. It's already pushed the start time from 9:30 p.m. CT to 10:00 p.m. CT and now to 10:30 p.m. CT. The forecast high for Portland on Saturday is 106°F — the average high for early June is 71°F. The Loons endured a hot spell here in Minnesota a few weeks ago and it seemed to help them down in Dallas, where they secured a draw and a point last week. But this could be on a whole other level for the Rose City. Expect hydration breaks and subs aplenty as the game wears on.
