The last of a three-game home stand for the Twos takes place this Friday, as Minnesota hosts Tacoma in a battle that has some big potential to see the Loons jump a few spots up in the West. After a draw and shootout win against Houston and a 3-2 victory over Kansas City, it’s clear the boys are in fine form and are only going upward from here.

Performance of late has been strong across the board for the Black and Blue. Luke Hille notched his 10th goal in the Twos’ last match, tying him for the team’s single-season goal record, and currently leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots on target. Momoh Kamara also logged two more goals with a brace against SKC, bringing his total to three in just 421 minutes with the club. Keeper Kayne Rizvanovich logged a strong 90 in net with five saves, and Curt Calov and Troy Putt paid dividends with strong play and quick thinking that brought about the final goal.

The last time Minnesota and Tacoma met back in May, it was a 1-1 draw, with the Defiance pulling the extra point on a shootout. Tacoma is coming off a high, having beat LAFC 2 on Sunday in a 4-2 showdown at home. The Seattle Sounders’ affiliate has a much spottier record on the road (3-6-0), however, and is also in the middle of a big transition, having parted ways with head coach Hervé Diese toward the end of July.

Despite winning only one of their last five matches, the Defiance have scored 15 goals in that time, netting four in one match on three separate occasions. They rank third in the league alongside in goals scored with 49, and at the top of their scorer’s sheet is 24-year-old forward Yu Tsukanome, whose 12 goals tie him for third in the league’s Golden Boot race.

A three-point difference separates these two sides in the standings, and Minnesota’s position just above the playoff line makes this a critical juncture. They’ll look to make their postseason run more secure this Friday, August 15 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. You can catch the 7:00 p.m. CT kick on MLS Season Pass.