The Loons knew heading into St. Louis that defeating a team with five straight wins was a tall order. Aside from the team’s talent, the atmosphere at CITYPARK featured a lot of noise that needed to be cut through in order to focus on the task at hand. With most starters coming back from international duty, MNUFC stepped onto the pitch with renewed vigor, and under a clear St. Louis night sky, accomplished what five other teams could not.
“I knew it was going to be tough because you’re coming into the lion’s den a little bit,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “St. Louis is 5-0, and the place was on fire before the game. They’ve had a great start, but I was so pleased with my group tonight. We’ve had so much adversity this year, through one thing or another. It’s been something every week. When I look at the shift that some of the guys have put in, I’m so pleased for them because they’ve got a reward for everything that they’ve done.”
St. Louis has an almost New York Red Bulls-style of pressing and has been extremely successful in forcing mistakes from the opposing team's defense – which made their high press public enemy number one to MNUFC. Heading into the match, the Loons knew it had to be a full-team defensive effort, and their line held firm.
“We handled it really well,” said Heath. “We had to get ourselves in good spots nice and early, and I thought the two fullbacks picked the right time to play short and the right time to play long. The press comes and, at times, leaves themselves [St. Louis] vulnerable to counter-attacks – man-for-man at their back. I said to the team, ‘if you’re not sure in the midfield, get it to the front men and go play from there.’ Even in the first half, I thought we looked really dangerous on the counter-attack. As I say, we managed their press really well.”
The stars of the night were the players in the back line – as shown by Miguel Tapias once again earning Bell Bank’s Man of the Match. It is known that the Minnesota United defense is hard to break down, but with such a high press, there was little room for mistakes, and the shift put in by the defense was rock solid.
“We’ve conceded two or three goals in five games? Which speaks volumes, so we’re doing something right,” said Heath. “When the ball went wide, I always looked in the box: people were tight, and people were marking, making it difficult for St. Louis to make good runs. We’ve done a lot of good things today. I thought that in the second half, there’s nobody here who didn’t think we deserved the win because we were, far and away, the better team in the second half.”
On the other side of the pitch, the offense covered a lot of ground and was successful in finding dangerous spaces. “Especially in the second half, the front four were excellent,” said Heath. “The two wide guys were coming into the pockets at the right time, and we got the fullbacks high. I thought the two [strikers] combined a bit more. The one thing I do know about the two front men — their output, their miles-distance covered, and their high-speed running is off the charts. I’m delighted. I’m sitting here now, just so pleased for the players. They got the reward for the effort they put in. I’m also pleased for the 150 or 200 fans here. We could hear them in the corner of the stadium, which wasn’t easy because this is a loud stadium. It’s been a really good day to be the coach.”
MNUFC accomplished a lofty task on Saturday, which was made even sweeter by the ongoing doubt directed toward the Loons from national pundits. “I’d love to know the amount of press coverage dedicated to Minnesota United compared to any other team in the league,” said Adrian. “We get continually written off and I like it for the players because there’s nothing better as a player than proving people wrong, and we’ve gone and done it again today. Nobody gave us a chance, which I quite liked because I knew that gave me a little bit of ammunition to stir the guys up. This is not luck; we are better than people think.”
With this win, Minnesota United is one of three teams left in the league who have yet to lose. It is an amazing start by any measure, but especially for a team that’s overcome so many obstacles. The positivity from the success has been contagious and the guys have gelled off the pitch as much as they have on it. “It’s especially easy to be together when you’re getting good results,” said Dayne St. Clair. “This probably has been one of our best starts since I’ve been here, at least. When the vibe is good, of course, the guys are going to get along.”
“The guys have stepped up incredibly well and the atmosphere within the group, in the dressing room, is as good as we’ve ever had it,” said Adrian Heath. “They’re very together, they want to do well for each other, and they’re a great group to be around at the moment.”
The Loons flew into the lion’s den and put up one heck of a fight before gathering three points, eating some ravioli, and exiting the building. MNUFC continues to defy the odds and find success as their early season hot streak just keeps climbing in temperature. Currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference with a game in hand, Loons fans everywhere can be really proud of this team and excited for a trajectory that is set due north.
Up Next
Chicago Fire v. Minnesota United FC
Soldier Field | Chicago, Illinois
04.08.23 | MLS Week No. 7 | MLS Game #6
7:30 pm CT (Exclusively on AppleTV’s MLS Season Pass)
