MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. FC DALLAS
TCF Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minnesota
09.23.17 | MLS Week #29 | MLS Game #29
7:00 p.m. CT (FOX 9+, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)
2017 Records:
MIN: 8-15-5; 6-6-3 at home
FCD: 9-8-11; 3-6-4 on the road
This Saturday, Minnesota United welcomes FC Dallas to TCF Bank Stadium for Kick Childhood Cancer Night. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and league-wide, MLS teams are “going gold” with gold nets, corner flags, captain armbands, official soccer balls and more. MNUFC is donating $5 from every single-match ticket sold for this Saturday to Be The Match and CureSearch — two organizations working to end childhood cancer. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with pre-match coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on FOX 9+ and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.
When we last left the Loons, they were celebrating a last-minute, comeback win against the Impact in Montreal. Forward Abu Danladi’s rocket of a goal gave MNUFC a 3-2 win — their second road victory of the season. Head Coach Adrian Heath, though, was quick to point out afterwards that they once again fell behind early in the match, conceding a goal in the first 10 minutes for the third straight match. They also surrendered a penalty — ultimately saved by Bobby Shuttleworth — in the 13th minute. His answer at training this week for how to overcome the team’s early-match woes was simple.
“Everybody doing the job that’s asked of them from the very first minute, and not starting after 12 or 13,” he said. “You know, we can’t have emphasized this enough. We’ve shown them video of their starting badly, turning the ball over cheaply in dangerous areas. Last weekend, we managed to get out of jail. Had [Ignacio] Piatti scored the penalty, that game probably would have been done and over. We’ve got to get that out of our mindset because we’ve got to start the games quicker, and realize that the game starts at minute one, not minute 15 or whatever.”
The Loons are likely hoping that the return of starters like forward Christian Ramirez —who started and scored the match-tying goal in the 60th minute (his 12th of the season) — and defender Marc Burch — who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since June 3 against Sporting KC — will improve the consistency of the side and allow players who stepped into starting roles to fill in the depth better. For Burch, he was glad to be out there again, but also didn’t want to overextend himself.
“Getting back on the field, all you want to do is win, not hurt the team, and try to help as much as possible,” he said. “I think I did that. There’s things that I like to do in a game, that I like to add to a game, I think I reserved a little bit, just to make sure I could be there defensively, and make sure I could be there with my legs for the full 90 minutes. You know, maybe not as many overlaps as I’d like, and not helping out support as much as I’d like forward. But I think I was doing a good job on the back end, and that was important for the first game back.”
Although the players on the pitch have changed from match to match, and the recent additions of Ethan Finlay and Jose Leiton have given Heath more options, there is now a core group of players who have been with the team for three-quarters of a year. That might not seem like that long, but it’s a lot more time in than anyone had when the Loons played their first match in March, just a few months after they started signing players.
“The group is tighter now than it’s probably been at any stage,” said Heath. “We’ve all gotten to know each other that much better, and I just think it was always going to be a time thing. I feel as though if we were starting from the season from where we are now, we’d be in a completely different position in this league. But that’s the way it is, you know: we can’t go back. But we’ve got a big game for us at the weekend — we haven’t had back-to-back wins all season.”
Given their current nine-match winless streak, it might seem like FC Dallas could be ripe for the picking, but Heath and the rest of the squad know better than to look past a squad that also started the season with a nine-match unbeaten streak and comes into the match hungry for a win. Dallas’ last victory came all the way back on July 22 against the Montreal Impact — who just hung a 5-3 win on the Eastern Conference-dominating Toronto FC. Fortunes — as always — have a way of turning and Heath is not underestimating their opponent.
“I’m expecting to see one of the best teams in the league, which is what they are,” said Heath. “They’ve had a little blip, and they’re probably a little bit concerned. But I know that we’re going to have to play well to beat them. I’ve got enormous respect for Oscar Pareja and his coaching staff. I think they do everything right, play football the way it should be. They've got pace in the right areas. Maybe their confidence is a little bit down at this moment in time, but I’m aware that if we don’t play well, we’ll find it very, very difficult on Saturday.”
Up next for MNUFC is another Texas opponent, but this time they’ll head south and face Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. That match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, with pre-match coverage getting underway on FOX 9+ and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN at 7:00 p.m.
INJURY REPORT
Minnesota United
OUT:
M - Bernardo Anor (left lower leg injury)
M/D - Thomas de Villardi (left Achilles injury)
D - Jermaine Taylor (head injury)
M - Sam Cronin (head injury)
FC Dallas
-none-
DISCIPLINARY REPORT
Minnesota United
-none-
FC Dallas
Matt Hedges — Yellow card accumulation
FIRST TOUCHES
- Javier Morales and Collen Warner were teammates in 2010 while playing for Real Salt Lake.
- Ryan Hollingshead and Abu Danladi both played their college ball for UCLA.
- Jacori Hayes, Collin Martin and Sam Cronin all played for Wake Forest in college. Hayes and Martin are both natives of Maryland.
- Chris Seitz and Marc Burch were teammates on the Maryland Terrapins roster in 2005.
- Maynor Figueroa, Cronin and Burch all played for the Colorado Rapids in 2015.
- FC Dallas Head Coach Oscar Pareja coached Burch in 2014 when Pareja was in charge of the Rapids.
- FC Dallas has scored just seven goals in its nine-match winless streak.
- Minnesota United won its past two road encounters with Eastern Conference teams.
- The clubs last met early in the season on April 8 in Dallas. The Loons fell by a 2-0 margin to the hosts. MNUFC has a 7-11-4 record since that match, with FC Dallas going 6-8-10 in that stretch.
- Ethan Finlay provided an assist last match against the Impact. He now has two goals and three assists in his five appearances for the Loons.
- Minnesota was awarded its first penalty kick since May 13 at Toronto. Kevin Molino converted the kick for the Loons, scoring his first penalty kick since March 18 at Colorado.
- Abu Danladi scored his fourth match-winning goal of the year last week. He now leads the team in that category, passing Christian Ramirez (3). Miguel Ibarra has the one remaining match-winning goal.
- Molino set a new single-match record for the club by drawing seven fouls last match.
- Minnesota’s 3-2 win over Montreal was the fourth time the club has scored three or more goals this season.
- Bobby Shuttleworth is third in MLS with 94 saves this season. He is five behind leader Joe Bendik with two fewer matches played.
- FC Dallas has allowed the second-fewest shots in the league at 311, behind only Sporting Kansas City’s 280.
- FC Dallas has not lost when scoring first in a match.
- Minnesota is 3-0-0 when leading at halftime.
