The Conference Semifinal is finally here—in six more days. After what will be a total of three full weeks, your Loons are primed and ready to get back on the pitch to continue their quest to capture MLS Cup. With a matchup against the Western Conference’s highest-scoring team on tap, the Black and Blue are going to need to make the most of all that rest and come into this one ready to rumble.
Minnesota United (6)
After demonstrating composure and effectiveness against RSL that was miles ahead of their mid-season form, the Loons are proving that their season-ending form was no fluke. From front to back, the Black and Blue are getting the most out of every player, finding increasingly fluid passing combinations and movement between the lines. They’re building a solid, recognizable strategy, and there isn’t much that opposing teams can do about it, aside from hope for mistakes or create something truly special to break through.
LA Galaxy (2)
After tallying 69 goals in the regular season alone, the Galaxy notched nine in their first-round sweep of Colorado. Their difference-makers are making quite the difference right now, and given the form LA were in a few weeks ago, the Loons might actually be thankful for the lengthy break between games. The Galaxy are firing on all cylinders right now, and they’re going to present quite the challenge. Luckily, the Loons won’t also have to deal with LA traffic, seeing as their hosts aren’t ACTUALLY from the City of Angels.
Keys to the Match:
Stay on Solid Ground
Coach Ramsay has been saying it all year long: his team doesn’t plan their approach to any game based on the opponent. Instead, this Loons side has learned and grown into their skipper’s set of principles, and that commitment has helped them find their best form of the season when it matters most. It just so happens that those principles are conducive to keeping the ball out of their own net, leading to the concession of just two goals in MNUFC’s last seven games. That’s 0.29 goals allowed per game for all of you math people. A cascading combination of mid- to low-block defending has proven to be the perfect foil to their opposition’s plans, forcing teams to play out wide instead of through the middle. Across the whole season, the Loons allowed 49 goals in 34 games, an average rate of 1.44 goals per game. The best defensive record in the regular season belonged to the Sounders (boo), who allowed just 35 goals in 34 games—a clip of 1.03 goals a game. To say that the Loons’ recent form has been significant is an understatement; it’s been absolutely sensational. Now, with the conference’s highest-scoring team playing host to one of the league’s most effective away teams, we’ve got the makings of an all-time classic chess battle set to take place in the LA suburbs. As long as the Loons stick to what’s working, there’s no reason to think their defensive prowess is going anywhere anytime soon, regardless of the opponent.
Thinking Caps in Midfield
Wil Trapp and Hassani Dotson’s midfield partnership has been a huge part of their team’s recent success. The understanding between the two of them has seen them develop an extremely effective double pivot in the core of their formation, most closely resembling a 5-2-3. The Galaxy likewise have a talented midfield, with Marco Delgado and Edwin Cerillo providing a solid foundation from which Riqui Puig can run around and leave his unique mark on any game. An additional man in the middle is a big enough problem to deal with, but that man is Riqui Puig: Dotson and Trapp are in for a real challenge. The former Barcelona man has endless energy, and no matter how disciplined Trapp and Dotson are, he will pull at least one of them out of position sooner or later with his constant movement. When that happens, the Black and Blue need to find ways to efficiently fill whatever hole is left in the middle of the park without opening themselves up. If that means a center back steps up and the other two fill in, then so be it. If that means a wingback slides inside, even better. It’s impossible to carve out an exact plan for something so situational, but it’s nonetheless important that the visitors are prepared for a few problem-solving moments in the middle of the park.
Who Strikes First?
Kelvin Yeboah, Tani Oluwaseyi, and Teemu Pukki offer the Loons three very different options up front. Yeboah’s ability to drift wide and get involved in build-up play while still having the legs to catch up to a counter makes him the ideal starter in this system, as evidenced in recent times. Oluwaseyi’s vertical runs and tendency to play direct enables him to stretch games and open things up, with his impressive finishing ability adding some power to his pace. Pukki, meanwhile, offers fantastic positioning and quality on the ball, and while he isn’t quite as speedy as his fellow strikers, the Finnish legend still has plenty in his legs. Plus, he’s got an uncanny knack for scoring against the Galaxy. I’d expect Yeboah to get the starting nod, but in what will likely be a tight game, it’s almost a certainty that one of these three will have to be involved if the Loons are going to get on the scoresheet and avoid another shootout. The longer this match stays level, the more likely we are to see all three of these faces in some capacity. That said, I wouldn’t bet against MNUFC in a shootout right now, so the use of attacking substitutes might be dependent upon how the game is going in the 60th minute and how confident Coach Ramsay is that his team could nick a winner.
