Just four games remain in the regular season for your intrepid Twos, and this weekend marks a big opportunity as the boys head down to St. Louis for their third meeting of the year. As it stands, any team in MLS NEXT Pro looks like the underdogs against league-leading St. Louis. But Minnesota sports sure love a good underdog story.
In their last meeting with John Hackworth’s side, the Loons fell 4-0 on the road, and the City Red have shown no signs of slowing down. They’re riding a whopping 15-match unbeaten streak stretching back to mid-May, and they’re looking primed to win the league with 55 points — good for a four-point margin on second-place New York Red Bulls II, and a nine-point lead on Western Conference runner-up The Town FC. St. Louis midfielder Mykhi Joyner continues to set the pace for CITY2 with his goal tally of 14, good for second in the league.
That doesn’t mean St. Louis is inevitable, though, and it’s worth noting that a struggling Houston side managed to draw them into a shootout and prevail in their end-of-August showdown. Perhaps this portends the beginning of the end of CITY’s long run of victory, preparing them for a loss at the capable hands of a very determined playoff contender. Like, oh, you know, Minnesota.
The Twos are on a steady climb, continuing to put points on the board and showing a real depth across their last few matches. A recent home win over Austin ties Minnesota for sixth in the conference with 37 points. They lost only one of five matches in August, notably beating second-in-the-west The Town FC 1-0 at home. Logan Dorsey logged his seventh goal of the season off a great assist by recent first-team signing Kieran Chandler in his last contest, adding to his four-game scoring streak, including two game-winning goals in as many matches. Keeper Kai Zeruhn kept a clean sheet against Austin, keeping the streak going after Kayne Rizvanovich did the same against The Town. Curt Calov leads the club in assists with seven, just one behind St. Louis’ Brendan McSorley, who’s third in the league. Consistent performances up and down the pitch, from first-team contributors to Academy regulars, could be the rising action that carries the Twos into the postseason.
A win against this beast of a team would be a massive boost for the Twos with playoffs looming on the horizon. Be sure to tune in on Friday, September 12, on MLS Season Pass at 7:00 p.m. CT.