On Tuesday night, the clank off the crossbar from Braian Ojeda’s missed penalty kick attempt would leave the crowd at America First Field in stunned silence. The only noise that could be heard post-clank was a celebratory Minnesota United side, as they would prevail over Real Salt Lake via PK shootout, 5-4, following a tightly-contested, scoreless 90 minutes and change. Much of the reason for neither club finding the net in regulation could be attributed to the stellar performances by MNUFC’s Dayne St Clair and RSL’s Zac MacMath, with both standing on their heads to keep the net clean. From a strategy standpoint, Coach Eric Ramsay cooked up a masterful game plan that had Boxy and the boys frustrating RSL’s attacking playmakers to no end.
Now, the Black and Blue return to the friendly confines of Allianz Field with a seismic opportunity to advance onto the next round of the 2024 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs…HOWEVER, the job is far from done. Real Salt Lake was on a heater of their own coming into the playoffs, and another slugfest is almost a certainty with their season on the line. So, how do the Black and Blue turn Saturday night into a dream sequence for Loons’ fans? Let’s go there…just let me grab my keys…
| Keys to the Game
Don’t. Blink.
For a defensive third that has seen its share of ups and downs throughout 2024, the Loons’ defensive third truly looks to have saved their best for last. Boxy and company have been crucial to the late-season surge, and they seem to have found something stingy with the combination of Boxy, Jefferson Díaz, and Carlos Harvey occupying the middle of the defense. And, for 89 minutes of Game 1, they put in one of the best performances of the season. But, then there is that 52nd minute of Game 1, which is the minute that a lapse in focus could have changed the course of the entire match. With a lesser keeper in net, the Loons may have surrendered a cheap score off of RSL’s Chicho Arango’s quick free kick to Diego Luna. To their credit, the defensive third has been less prone to giving up the cheap ones as the season has gone on, but a split-second lapse could have changed the entire playoff trajectory. But, if you were able to catch Coach Ramsay’s postgame comments to his team, I don’t expect complacency to be a problem on Saturday.
Don’t Take The Bait
Obviously, there is a chippiness to this matchup, but I suppose that tends to happen when your spittle gets on Boxy. Speaking of that spittle in question, RSL defender Brayan Vera is due to return in Game 2 from the suspension he rightfully earned from that October 2 incident. That alone may cause tension to be high with Vera and Boxy on the same pitch. Top it off with a do-or-die for RSL’s entire season, and things could get downright combustible amongst the lads. Chicho Arango was visibly flop…ahem…I mean frustrated by the way the Loons were able to press and take away his space to operate and make plays. The boys will have to play hard and avoid getting baited into being carded, especially the red kind, because those are the kind that change the dynamic of the match on dime.
Follow The Blueprint*
Coach Ramsay’s brilliant strategy has been on display in each of the two recent matchups against RSL, as Minnesota held the Claret and Cobalt scoreless across 180 minutes on the road. Did the approach look all the different between the two matches? No; in fact, the approach felt extremely similar across the regular-season and playoff matchup, and bore similar results each time. This may lead one to think that Ramsay will roll out a similar blueprint on Saturday in Saint Paul. But, you may have noticed the asterisk, and it’s intentional. It stands for staying the course, but be open to taking risks. Risks, such as seeing how RSL would handle the Loons’ defensive line pushing up to the centerline to take the attacking action to the RSL half of the field. I’m not sure they could handle our attack in that scenario. Bottom line, don’t abandon what has worked thus far, but be open to taking some strategic risks to keep RSL’s defenders on their toes.
