MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. ATLANTA UNITED FC
TCF Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minnesota
3.31.18 | MLS Week #5 | MLS Game #5
7:00 p.m. CT (FOX Sports GO, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)
2018 Records:
MIN: 2-2-0; 1-0-0 at home
ATL: 2-1-0; 0-1-0 on the road
After losing 3-0 at Red Bulls last week, MNUFC will be looking forward to the return of Francisco Calvo, Michael Boxall and Rasmus Schuller to the squad as the team prepares for its second home match of the season. Last year’s series against Atlanta United was a tale of two very different matches: a 6-1 loss in the #SnowOpener and then a stoppage time comeback for a 3-2 win late in the season, making the Loons the first team to hand Atlanta a loss at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With a bye week following this match, Minnesota United will be giving this one all they’ve got in a match that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 31. Pre-match coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Go and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.
While some of last week’s starting XI may find themselves on the bench this week, Head Coach Adrian Heath is confident that the match against New York Red Bulls will be an integral part of the growth of young players like Wyatt Omsberg and Carter Manley. The two rookies got their first MLS starts last week and were joined by fellow rookie Mason Toye in the 71st minute.
“They’ll certainly benefit from playing against one of the best teams in the league who play at home with a full press,” said Heath. “They never give you a minute, they’re always all over you. It was a bit of a baptism by fire for them. So they’ll be a lot better for that, but they understand the level that they have to get to. This is not college. You make one mistake, it ends up in the back of the net. Carter and Wyatt will benefit from that game.”
From goalkeeper Matt Lampson’s perspective in the net and with a brand new backline in front of him, the loss to Red Bulls was less a matter of inexperience or lack of organization and more a lack of effort. While he knows the team needs more, he’s not panicking.
“We lost a game,” he said. “So you just go back to the things that made you successful. Obviously you want to win every game, but that’s tough to do in this league. We just gotta get back to the things that helped us get those wins. The way we played in Orlando was huge. To me, that was probably our best game of the year. And that came down to just defensive organization and the numbers. Like I’ve always said, we need guys — every single player on the team — to put in a shift to get results in this league. And that’s what we were getting in those games, and we did not get it at Red Bull Arena.”
Playing at home gives just about every team a leg up, but the Loons will need more than just home cooking to come out on top against an Atlanta United team with perhaps the best attack in the league. Forward Josef Martinez notched the fourth hat trick of his still nascent MLS career last time out, pulling him within one of all-time leaders Stern John and Diego Serna. And he’s only played 23 matches. Shutting down the tandem of Martinez and Miguel Almiron will be a top priority, but it won’t be easy.
“You’ve got to make sure that you’re concentrated at all times,” said Heath. “Especially when you have the ball, in the other end of the field, when the space in behind you. They already had [Hector] Villalba. They already had [Josef] Martinez and [Miguel] Almirón. Now they’ve added [Darlington] Nagbe and [Ezequiel] Barco. Attacking wise, they’ve probably got an embarrassment of riches. Certainly, probably the most offensive team, most dynamic team in MLS. And we know from a costly game last year at home. If you give them space, they will hurt you. We also proved, in Atlanta, that if we have a good game plan, we stick to it, then we can cause them problems.”
Much like Red Bulls, Atlanta likes to press high and keep players in the opponent’s half of the pitch. It can lead to a lot of scoring chances both ways because of the way it opens up the team pressing to counterattack. There were moments against New York when the Loons’ counterattack looked potent, although the final ball went begging. They’ll look to take better advantage on Saturday, based on how Houston was able to ring up a 4-0 win in Atlanta’s first match of the season — their only away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium so far.
“You look at the first game that they played,” said Heath, “although it was on the road, away in Houston, there are certain things that they do that do give you a little bit of hope. They’re an incredibly offensive team. They try and get six and seven, eight men in your half of the field. Keep you camped back. But also, it leaves space to counter. There are certain things that I think we can maybe have a look at, try to exploit. But we know it’s going to be a tough game.”
INJURY REPORT
Minnesota United
OUT:
M – Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction)
M – Kevin Molino (torn left ACL – out for season)
QUESTIONABLE:
D – Jerome Thiesson (left hip)
Atlanta United
OUT:
M – Ezequiel Barco (right quad strain)
F – Jon Gallagher (ankle injury)
F – Brandon Vazquez (left hamstring tightness)
D – Jose Hernandez (quad strain)
GK – Mitch Hildebrandt (let knee sprain)
DISCIPLINARY REPORT
-none-
FIRST TOUCHES
- Harrison Heath and Tyrone Mears were on Atlanta’s roster during the 2017 season.
- Mitch Hildebrandt played for Minnesota from 2012 through 2015. He made 24 appearances for the Loons, making 52 saves and earned ten, including four clean sheets, across all competitions.
- Sam Cronin is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.
- Michael Parkhurst and Ethan Finlay were teammates on Columbus Crew SC from 2014 through 2016. Matt Lampson was also on the roster in 2014 and 2015.
- Mikey Ambrose played for Orlando City SC and Orlando City B in 2016, where he was a teammate of Kevin Molino and Harrison Heath’s.
- Romario Williams played for Orlando City SC’s U23 team in 2014 when Molino was on the first team.
- Chris McCann and Mears played together for Burnley from 2009 through 2011.
- Atlanta Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra and Minnesota Director of Player Personnel Amos Magee were teammates on the Chicago Fire in 2001 and 2002.
- Matt Lampson currently leads MLS with 18 saves on the season.
- Lampson is the only MNUFC player who has been on the pitch for every minute of the season.
- Lampson tied his season high of six saves last weekend against New York Red Bulls.
- Jerome Thiesson missed his first match since joining MNUFC last March. He made 37 consecutive appearances across all competitions.
- Three MNUFC players made their MLS debuts last week against New York Red Bulls. Defenders Carter Manley and Wyatt Omsberg started the match and midfielder Frantz Pangop came on as a substitute in the second half.
- This will be Minnesota’s fourth consecutive match against as Eastern Conference team. It will not play a team from the East again until it hosts the Montreal Impact on May 26.
- Josef Martinez is the MLS scoring leader with four goals this season.
- Miguel Almiron leads the league with 22 shots taken. Just two of those have been on goal.
- Almiron took the first penalty of the 2018 MLS season. His attempt struck the left post in an eventual 4-0 loss to Houston in Week 1.
- Francisco Calvo and Abu Danladi obtained their green cards earlier this week and no longer occupy an international slot on the Loons’ roster.
- Atlanta is one of two teams to have an own goal scored in their favor this season. Vancouver’s Aaron Maund deflected the ball into his own net in an eventual 4-1 loss to Atlanta on March 17.
- Minnesota has scored five of its six goals this season in the second half — three of them in the final 15 minutes.
- Atlanta is looking for its third consecutive win this weekend.
- Both teams are undefeated this year when scoring first.
- In its two matches against Atlanta, MNUFC has faced three different goalkeepers: Alec Kann, Kyler Reynish and Alex Tambakis. Kann started in the first meeting between the clubs in March 2017. Reynish got the start in the October meeting between the clubs but was ejected from the match, forcing Tambakis to be subbed on in the second half.
