So far, the Loons have been pitted against earthquakes, galaxies, and one really salty lake. None of that stopped us, and next on the docket is… the common pigeon?
The Loons touch down in the Bronx this weekend for their first Sunday showing of the season against New York City FC, yet another blue-clad bird team. Avian aficionados will know that the pigeon is not, in fact, New York’s state bird (that title goes to the Eastern bluebird). Meanwhile, Loons have the distinction of being an official state bird, are four to five times heavier, and generally just sound a lot cooler. It seems the pigeons’ greatest strength is just that they’re… well, everywhere. And they’re persistent — but will that be true of the 11 on the pitch this weekend?
Run of Form
Minnesota United FC (3-1-2)
Run of Form: W-D-D-W-W
Look at that run of form, would you? Minnesota is on a five-game unbeaten streak and looking to stretch it to six this weekend. Fresh off a decisive win over RSL, the Loons have slotted comfortably into fourth in the Western Conference. Tani Oluwaseyi’s brace solidified a 2-0 score and an all-around dominant performance despite the inclement weather. Defensive depth is abundant, the striker duo up top is yielding great results, and Joaquín Pereyra is emerging as a phenomenal playmaker in the midfield. With nine goals and three wins to their name, the Black and Blue are in good shape.
New York City FC (2-2-2)
Run of Form: L-D-W-W-L
Out in the Big Apple, New York City FC is fresh off a dramatic 4-3 loss to Atlanta — a game in which they blew a 3-1 second-half lead. They’ll be happy to return “home” this weekend, as the Pigeons have won both games they’ve played at their beloved baseball stadium in the Bronx (are they homing pigeons?), but I like to think that’s because they haven’t yet fought the Loons. If I were choosing my fighter, I don’t think I’d place my bets on one of those beady-eyed little guys that sometimes finds their way into a subway station and can’t get out. But putting respect where respect is due, wins are wins, and Pascal Jansen’s consistent 4-3-3 has helped his team find two. Jansen, who has only been with NYCFC since January, is dealing with a team that’s lost James Sands, Jovan Mijatović, and Talles Magno to loans, Christian McFarlane to the Premier League, and DP Santi Rodríguez to Botafogo. He’s called up some second-teamers like forward Seymour Reid to bulk up the roster, but the team has a lot of space to fill if they want to re-establish themselves as a perennial Eastern Conference power. Jansen and Coach Ramsay both seem to abide by the whole “consistency is key” thing, especially in starting formation, so we’ll see how those two consistent sides stack up against one another this Saturday.
Keys to the Match:
Positioning Statement
For those of you who don’t live in the marketing and sales world, a positioning statement lays out how your product fills a need in a way competitors don’t. So how’s this for a product pitch? Tani Oluwaseyi is always in tune with the rest of the field. He’s exactly where you need him to be, capable of finding the back of the net with either foot, always ready to take a solid pass and turn it into an assist. As for the competition? Well, Salt Lake sure didn’t reciprocate on Saturday. Striker duo Oluwaseyi and Kelvin Yeboah have found significant success scoring off long passes this season, positioning (hah!) themselves near or in the box and hunting for opportunities to finish with a calculated touch. Their respective strengths and playstyle are inherently complementary of one another, with Oluwaseyi tending to drift wide and Yeboah’s poacher’s instinct making him a major threat in the box. If they can keep slipping through defensive gaps and putting that spatial awareness to use, the Loons should be able to keep up their recent volume-scoring.
Ready for the Rebound
NYCFC's top goal scorer, Costa Rican striker Alonso Martínez, has found repeated success on the rebound this season. He’s tallied four goals so far this season, on par with Yeboah and Oluwaseyi, and has a no-hesitation instinct in the box that makes him as much of a threat as our favorite Italian striker. Martínez is relentless on the attack, always ready to follow a shot. That means either Dayne St. Clair needs to give the ball a really nice hug, or the Loons’ attentive defenders have to rebound just as quickly as the ball. Hannes Wolf has also stayed vigilant on the conversion, taking opposing deflections and putting them right back into the net from close range. Personally, I’d love to see us turn this on its head by scoring on a rebound right off a Matt Freese save.
Total Football
Jansen came to MLS from Hungarian side Ferencváros, where he managed for a short stint of seven months before being named head coach of NYCFC on a four-year contract. He’s probably most well known for his stretch with Dutch Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar, having played there in his youth and served as an assistant coach before being promoted to manager in 2020. Jansen’s European experience — particularly in the Netherlands — means he’s used to a more fluid kind of soccer, one where players can slip into other positions as needed and create constant movement on the field. You know, Total Football. Ted Lasso ringing a bell? Jansen’s roster is more aggressive on the press than Nick Cushing’s 2024 team, but that’s not enough to get them to the level of positional flexibility Jansen is looking for. His midfielders especially need to be able to pivot at any time, and because MLS teams tend to be more rigid about specific roles than their European counterparts, this is a big ask for a team to adapt to on such a short timeline. Jansen has to get his team accustomed to him, each other, and his tactics all at once. Meanwhile, Ramsay’s boys have had a chance to settle in, both to their coach and their 5-3-2 system. The home-field advantage might not be enough for the Pigeons against a steady Loons side this weekend.
