Hello again, you legion of lovely people. Odds are you’re feeling a bit better than you were last week around this time, as singing "Wonderwall" together in unison tends to raise the spirits of a rabid group of loyal fans like yourselves. Of course, we don’t sing unless we win, and the Loons did exactly that, finally putting a end to their painful nine-game winless streak by taking down San Jose 2-0 last Saturday. It was a boost of confidence for a club desperately in need of one as Major League Soccer hits the pause button on its regular season schedule and gets ready to kick off the second annual Leagues Cup. If you need a refresher on all the ins and outs of this massive tourney, my colleague Coach Kyle has all that covered for you right here. Or, if you’re already onto the pre-tournament prognostications phase, allow me to direct you to the free-to-enter Leagues Cup Bracket Challenge… just be aware that if you win anything, I’m expecting a cut, which seems only reasonable since I was a guiding force in your journey to bracket-predicting immortality… but I digress. We’re here to talk about the Loons kicking off their tournament action this Friday against a familiar Western Conference foe at their place. Of course, I’m talking about those pesky Seattle Sounders and their unwelcoming, often damp confines of Lumen Field. Now, let’s get into what it’s going to take for the Loons to exorcise their Pacific Northwest demons and get a jump on their Group F counterparts in securing a spot in the knockout round.
| Run of Form
Minnesota United FC
Run of Form: W-L-D-L-L (MLS Regular Season Competition)
Rather than looking at the regular-season run of form, which you are all too familiar with by now, let’s go back all the way to last year around this time. That’s when your Loons kicked off the inaugural Leagues Cup with a convincing 4-0 takedown of Liga MX side Puebla. While the boys fell 3-2 to the Chicago Fire just a few days later, the win over Puebla was enough to get the Loons into the knockout stage, and they certainly made some noise once they were there. Their surprising run to the quarterfinals of the tournament included knocking off the squad that would go on to win the 2023 MLS Cup, the Columbus Crew, on the road via penalty kicks. In the round of 16, they once again found themselves deadlocked with Liga MX side Toluca at the end of regulation but prevailed via PKs once more. While the run ended in the quarterfinals, falling to Nashville 5-0, the Loons left an impression on the rest of the field. Equally impressive from an individual standpoint was the breakout performance of Bongokhule Hlongwane, who notched seven goals for the tournament and finished second in player of the tournament voting to some up-and-coming prospect from Inter Miami. Not too shabby, you Loons…not too shabby at all.
Seattle Sounders
Run of Form: L-W-W-W-W (MLS Regular Season Competition)
On the flip side of the Loons’ tournament success in 2023, Seattle’s run through the inaugural Leagues Cup was short and anything but sweet. They were blanked 3-0 by Real Salt Lake in their first group stage match and ultimately met their tournament end following their 4-2 loss to Liga MX side Monterrey. While being the sole team to get bounced from your group is something , it’s safe to assume that nobody wearing the Loons’ crest on their chest is going to be sleeping in Seattle. With the shenanigans they’ve pulled in the past, we just know better than that.
| Keys to the Game
Poised Possession
While the boys looked better holding possession for extended periods against San Jose, it certainly wasn’t perfect. There were times when they looked flustered facing defensive pressure with the ball at their feet, leading to rushed passes or balls being forced into spots where they were easily snatched away by the opposition. To beat a club like Seattle in their house, the Black and Blue need to recapture some of the poise they showed on the ball in the early months of the season. Yes, I realize that feels like a distant memory at the moment, but if the Loons truly hope to right the ship for the Leagues Cup and beyond, poise under pressure will be pivotal to opening up more runs on the attack and creating more quality scoring opportunities to capitalize on.
Account For Absentees (Leagues Cup Edition)
Just when you thought it might be safe to assume that absentees would be less of a factor for the boys with Copa América in the rearview, think again. As we’re already aware, defender Michael Boxall will be in Paris playing in the Olympics. And now, as Loons’ head man Eric Ramsay announced earlier today, the Loons will unfortunately be without Sang Bin Jeong’s services over the next week or so as he tends to a personal matter. Not only that, Ramsay believes that it’s “very unlikely” that midfielder Robin Lod will be able to go on Friday, as he participates in the 2024 MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio, this Wednesday night… because everyone knows that the best time to schedule an All-Star Game is on a Wednesday night two days before the start of a tournament ¯\(ツ)/¯. Ramsay is good at keeping us on our toes when it comes to mixing up the personnel within the starting XI, and whoever steps in for Sang Bin and Lod will be critical to the attacking third finding success against Seattle.
More Shashoua
Last Saturday also served as the debut for one of the new Loons on the block, Samuel Shashoua. From the moment he was subbed on in the 77th minute against San Jose, the new fella made his presence known to the Allianz Field faithful. Shashoua not only flashed his speed but also showed that he has a skill set akin to a talented #10. Even in the limited amount of time he saw on the pitch on Saturday, he, Pukki, and Oluwaseyi appeared to sync up nicely as an attacking entity. He may be a breath of fresh air for this Loons’ lineup, in addition to being an unknown entity that Seattle isn’t accounting for yet. Either way, more Samuel Shashoua could amount to more success in pressuring Seattle at both ends of the pitch.
