SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
CenturyLink Field | Seattle, Washington
4.22.18 | MLS Week #8 | MLS Game #7
3:00 p.m. CT (ESPN, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2018 Records:
MIN: 2-4-0; 1-3-0 on the road
SEA: 0-3-1; 0-2-0 at home

The Loons return to the Pacific Northwest after falling 3-2 to the Portland Timbers last week to face Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Although the Sounders are winless on the year, it will be no mean task for Minnesota United to come out on top against the likes of Nicolas Lodeiro and Clint Dempsey, the latter of whom returns this week from a suspension. The Loons will continue the work of integrating midfielder Darwin Quintero — who scored once and set up a Portland own goal last week — into the fabric of the team as they prepare for the debuts of midfielders Maximiano and Alexi Gomez. The match will be nationally broadcast on ESPN with a kickoff time of 3:00 p.m. CT. Pre-match coverage gets underway on MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Against the Timbers in a one-goal match that featured a goal called back for each team and an own goal, MNUFC found many positives despite the poor result. In the first half, Quintero looked like he was pressing in places, perhaps eager to make a good impression in his Loons debut. By the second half, he had settled in and began to pick his spots and find holes in the defense. It then became a matter of his teammates finding him or anticipating his passes and dribbles. That will continue to be a work in progress, but Head Coach Adrian Heath found much to praise.

“I think our ball retention, our ball circulation, our movement on and off the ball was excellent,” he said. “I thought we were the better team over the 90 minutes, but as I said, conceding three goals on the road for the third time, we’re not going to win a lot of games doing that. But there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Nice to get Darwin Quintero on the pitch. He showed us a little cameo of what we can look forward to.”

Midfielder Ethan Finlay, who will find himself often working in tandem with Quintero in the middle as he navigates the right side of the pitch, saw a multifaceted player who could take Minnesota United’s offense to a level that’s perhaps been lacking since losing midfielder Kevin Molino to a torn ACL early in the season.

“Obviously, he’s going to be a difference maker for us,” said Finlay. “I thought what we saw the other night was his ability to be a playmaker at times, but also his ability to do it on his own. And you saw that in his goal, obviously. And just some of the dangerous passes he made throughout the game to get guys in good position. We’ll continue to work with him, and continue to figure out where he wants to find the ball, and from there, how other guys can try and impact the game and influence the game from there.

“When he starts to find pockets on the right-hand side,” he continued, “then I can pull myself a little bit wider, and I can start making runs from the outside-in, it can be a really dangerous combination. I had a combination like that years back with [Federico] Higuaín in Columbus. It worked out really well with me. It has all the pieces for something very similar. And his ability to beat guys one on one, and take a couple of defenders on, that will be special. So hopefully we can have a mutually beneficial relationship.”

The partnerships Quintero will build with his teammates will grow stronger with every training session, but the team as a whole also has to turn its attention to another match in a tough atmosphere after being treated to a raucous Portland crowd at the Timbers’ home opener.

“We’re going into another cauldron this weekend,” said Heath. “Along with Portland, arguably one of the most atmospheric grounds in the U.S. And they’re very, very good at home. If you look at their record over the last three years, they probably collected more points at home than most teams in the MLS. Obviously [Clint] Dempsey is back again and it’s going to be a difficult game. But: can we improve on what we did last week? If we do, that will give us enough to give us a really good game.”

Following the match against Seattle, MNUFC returns to TCF Bank Stadium to face Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. CT. Pre-match coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

INJURY REPORT
Minnesota United

OUT:
M – Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction)
M – Kevin Molino (torn left ACL – out for season)
D –  Tyrone Mears (right leg injury)

QUESTIONABLE:
D –  Marc Burch (knee injury)

Seattle Sounders

OUT:
F – Jordan Morris (torn ACL – out for season)
D – Kim Kee-Hee (right calf strain)

QUESTIONABLE:
D – Waylon Francis (right hamstring strain)
M – Harry Shipp (right ankle sprain)

DISCIPLINARY REPORT
-none-
FIRST TOUCHES

• MNUFC Assistant Coach Mark Watson played for Seattle Sounders FC during its USL days, donning the green in 1997.
• Clint Dempsey and Miguel Ibarra played together on the U.S. national team in 2014 and 2015.
• Nouhou Tolo and Frantz Pangop are both natives of Douala, Cameroon.
• Seyi Adekoya and Abu Danladi both played for UCLA from 2014 through 2016.
• Chad Marshall, Ethan Finlay and Matt Lampson were teammates on Columbus Crew SC in 2012 and 2013.
• Waylon Francis and Francisco Calvo are both members of the Costa Rica national team and were teammates at Herediano in 2013.
• Ethan Finlay made his MNUFC debut vs. Seattle Sounders FC on August 20, 2017. He scored his first goal for the club 21 minutes into the match.
• Jerome Thiesson returned to the MNUFC starting lineup after missing two matches due to injury. He is currently tied with Ibson with 37 appearances for most in club history since joining MLS.
• Darwin Quintero made his MNUFC debut last week against Portland Timbers. He scored his first goal in the 64th minute of the match and earned an MLS Team of the Week appearance for his efforts.
• Carter Manley assisted Quintero’s goal to tally the first point of his professional career.
• Quintero has scored three goals against Seattle in CONCACAF Champions League play. He scored in each leg of Club America’s quarterfinal series with Sounders FC in 2016 and scored the series-winning goal for Santos Laguna in the 2013 semifinal meeting.
• Seattle scored its first goals of the season last week. It did not score a goal in its first three MLS matches.
• Sounders FC has won the Western Conference title the last two seasons. It won MLS Cup in 2016 and was runner-up last year, playing Toronto FC both times.
• Clint Dempsey returns to the Sounders FC squad after serving a two-match suspension for a violent-conduct incident in Week 3 at FC Dallas. He was initially given a one-match suspension, but the MLS Disciplinary Committee handed him an additional match ahead of the club’s Week 6 match against Sporting Kansas City.
• MNUFC received its first own goal of the season last week, as Portland’s Bill Poni Tuiloma put the ball in his own net. The last own goal the Loons received came on July 29, 2017 in a 4-0 win over D.C. United.
• Ibson is the ninth most-fouled player in the league. He has been fouled 15 times in six matches.