MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
TCF Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minnesota
5.12.18 | MLS Week No. 11 | MLS Game No. 11
1:00 p.m. CT (FOX Sports North, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2018 Records:
MIN: 4-6-0; 3-1-0 at home
SJ: 1-5-2; 0-3-1 on the road

It’s been a busy week for MNUFC with a 2-1 win against the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps last Saturday and a 2-0 loss to LAFC on Wednesday in the books. The short turnaround plus a combination of injuries and a suspension led Head Coach Adrian Heath to shift his formation to a 4-3-3 and give several players their first starts of the season in Los Angeles. Although the result was a disappointment, Heath found some positives to take away from the match as he prepares his men for a rematch against the Earthquakes, whose only win of the season came against the Loons in the season opener, a 3-2 result in San Jose.

The match kicks off at 1:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 12 at TCF Bank Stadium with pre-match coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

TICKETS

“I thought there were some good performances,” said Heath. “I thought one or two people did well. Darwin continued where he set off and looked dangerous all evening and looked as though he might create something, which is what we thought we were getting when we brought him in. We were disappointed with the goals we conceded. Individual errors cost us again the other night. But we’re at home now.”

The Loons’ home form has been exemplary, posting a 3-1 record in their four home matches so far — better than the home records of three of the four teams above them in the table. Meanwhile, their five away losses is second only to Montreal Impact, whom the team will face on May 26 at TCF Bank Stadium. While the team’s form has generally been good, it’s individual errors and moments of poor decision-making or lack of focus that have cost them, including defender Francisco Calvo failing to challenge forward Latif Blessing in the box on a header that turned into an assist on a goal from midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye.

“Latif Blessing is smaller than me and shouldn’t be winning headers in our penalty area,” said Heath. “We have to take that on the chin. It was poor defending. We spoke with the people involved and hope it doesn’t happen again. Everyone is aware of the consequences if it does. I’ve said in the past, sometimes you change the shape of the team and sometimes you change the individuals. We can’t keep doing it.”

With rookie forward Mason Toye back from a one-match suspension for a red card against Vancouver and Christian Ramirez off the injury report and reportedly ready for selection at the weekend, look for Heath to return to his customary 4-2-3-1 formation and for the return of midfield linchpin Ibson, who did not travel with the team to the West Coast for rest.

The match against San Jose will be significant for both teams. Although the Loons lost the last meeting, they did manage to claw back from 3-0 to 3-2 and looked dangerous doing it. The Quakes, meanwhile, have lost their last three by one goal each and will be looking to do everything they can to turn their fortunes around.

“It seems like only yesterday that we played them on the opening day of the season,” said Heath. “We were 3-0 down, couple of bad mistakes that day, but we could have got something out of it. We’ve watched that game back and we had plenty of opportunity and plenty of ball possession, but didn’t make the most of it. It is a difficult time, but the one thing I know is players always bounce back and re-group. The more criticism teams have, generally a group of people band together and make it difficult for everybody. I’m sure they’ll have a bit of a siege mentality tomorrow and we have to make sure we cope with that.”

For their part, the Loons will have to stay focused on the task at hand and not look ahead to Western Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City, who come to town on Sunday, May 20 and share a long history with MNUFC, stretching back to matchups in the U.S. Open Cup. That match kicks off at 1:00 p.m. CT with pre-match coverage on FOX Sports Go and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN beginning at 12:30 p.m.

INJURY REPORT

Minnesota United
OUT:
M – Sam Cronin (cervicogenic dysfunction)
M – Kevin Molino (left ACL tear)
M – Ethan Finlay (right ACL tear)
D – Marc Burch (left knee surgery)
F – Abu Danladi (right ankle)

QUESTIONABLE:
D – Tyrone Mears (lower legs)

San Jose Earthquakes
OUT:
M – Tommy Thompson (illness)
D – Yeferson Quintana (ankle injury)
M – Eric Calvillo (knee injury)

DISCIPLINARY REPORT
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FIRST TOUCHES

• Mason Toye returns to the squad for the match versus San Jose after serving a one-match suspension.
• Maximiano, Harrison Heath and Collin Martin got their first starts of the 2018 season in the 2-0 loss at LAFC. It was Maximiano and Heath’s first appearances for the club.
• With two shots on goal against LAFC, Miguel Ibarra now leads MNUFC with seven shots on target this season.
• Ibarra is the fifth most accurate shooter in MLS, with 70% of his shots ending up on goal.
• Bobby Shuttleworth has made at least four saves in each of his four appearances for the Loons this season.
• Shuttleworth’s 76.9% save percentage is the third highest in MLS.
• Shuttleworth made his 160th regular-season start in MLS versus LAFC.
• San Jose has not kept a clean sheet in 2018.
• The Quakes only win of the season came against MNUFC on March 3, a 3-2 win at Avaya Stadium. Kevin Molino scored both of the Loons’ goals.
• San Jose goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell has given up two goals in both of his appearances against Minnesota.
• Ibson did not travel with the team to LAFC midweek. Prior to that match, he had played 37 consecutive matches in all competitions for MNUFC.
• The Loons have not had a draw in 2018.
• MNUFC is 3-1-0 at home in 2018. San Jose is 0-3-1 on the road.
• MNUFC has outscored opponents 10-5 in the second halves of matches. However, it has not been as productive in the first periods, as it has been outscored 2-13 by the opposition.
• The Loons have won all three matches where they have scored first. The Quakes have lost the four matches when they have conceded first.
• San Jose is one of six teams without a road win this season.
• Danny Hoesen is tied for the fifth most shots on goal in MLS with 12.
• Four MNUFC players (Francisco Calvo, Ethan Finlay, Molino and Jerome Thiesson) have career goals against San Jose. Molino is the only player with two against the Quakes.
• Thiesson is the only Loon who has scored a goal and gotten an assist against San Jose.
• Jackson Yueill is a native of Bloomington, Minnesota. He was a teammate of Abu Danladi’s at UCLA from 2015 to 2016.
• There are four Minnesotans combined on MNUFC and San Jose Earthquakes’ squads. Yueill (Bloomington) is joined by the newest member of the Loons, Eric Miller (Woodbury), Brent Kallman (Woodbury) and Ethan Finlay (Duluth), the latter of whom is out for the season rehabbing a right ACL tear.
• Minnesota assistant coach Mark Watson has held multiple coaching positions with San Jose. He was an assistant from 2010 to 2013, then took over as interim head coach for the latter part of 2013. Watson was named head coach for the 2014 season.
• Shea Salinas and Michael Boxall played for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2011.