They call it “The Heart of America,” but I’m not sure I agree. They say there’s good jazz there, but I don’t really listen. To top it all off, some people say they’re our rivals, but, you guessed it, the jury’s still out. There’s been a lot of hearsay regarding this Saturday’s opponents, and while I enjoy geography, music, and a good old-fashioned rivalry, I’ve always preferred to let the game do the talking. Unfortunately, the Loons don’t take the pitch against Sporting Kansas City for a few more days, so you’ll have to make do with my words in the meantime. Let’s preview!

Minnesota United (2-1-0)

Run of Form: W-W-L

Now that’s what I call an organized team. Your Loons have started 2025 in impressive form, putting on display what may be the league’s most clearly defined and disciplined style of play. They’ve played three tight games, all ending with just a single goal separating them from three unique opponents. All three matches have been balanced on a knife’s edge, but we don’t mind playing that way. We’ve seen a cavalcade of defense-first performances from the Black and Blue, and until the rest of the league proves that they can break this style down, I wouldn't bet on it changing anytime soon. The players have clearly listened to the lessons that Coach Ramsay was teaching during his first preseason in charge, and it’s paying dividends early on.

Sporting Kansas City (0-3-0)

Run of Form: L-L-L

Meanwhile, things aren’t going quite as smoothly in Kansas City. Peter Vermes’ squad has started the year with five losses in five matches, including two Concacaf Champions Cup losses to Inter Miami. They’ve lost 2-1 — at home — to a San Jose side that played down a man for nearly half the match, blew a 1-0 lead on the road to a DC team that struggled in 2024, and gifted Austin an opening day victory with some of the worst corner defense I’ve ever seen. There’s been a lot of change in KC this offseason, and it’s pretty apparent that the pieces haven’t clicked into place just yet. Knowing the history of this club, though, that aha moment could come at any time, and when it does, the rest of the league had better watch out.

Keys to the Match:

Welcome to the Blue Hell

This offseason, SKC said goodbye to Alan Pulido and hello to Dejan Joveljić, presumably hoping that the Serbian striker would give their attack a sharper edge. Joveljić is coming off an MLS Cup-winning season with the LA Galaxy, during which he managed to rack up 15 goals and six assists, so I can’t really say I fault their thought process. That’s a more productive year than Pulido ever had in SKC, so a quick glance suggests that they’ve upgraded; but, a quick glance doesn’t tell the full story. If you surrounded me, a semi-retired college athlete, with Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Riqui Puig, I bet you I could score at least one goal by just standing in the box and waiting for them to do the hard work for me. I’m not knocking Joveljić’s skill, nor am I trashing his new teammates — I’m merely pointing out that scoring goals in Kansas City is going to take a little bit of adjustment for their newest attacking piece. He got off the mark with a penalty against San Jose, but he’ll be looking to score from open play sooner rather than later to get that monkey off his back. I’m expecting a sharp game from SKC’s big signing, and if he can keep any building frustration in check, he could offer the Loons’ backline their toughest test yet.

Formation Innovation

In five 2025 matches, SKC has played three different formations, all of which have yielded the same result. Their 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 setups in league play operated quite similarly, while the 4-5-1 they pulled out against Inter Miami indicated a more defensive approach. The tactics don’t differ too much from formation to formation, but the instructions given to the wingers and midfield three ultimately make the difference. Against a team that will cede possession of the ball — like your Loons — I expect to see Peter Vermes revert to that 4-3-3, and I expect his instructions to be on the aggressive side. Everyone takes a different approach to moving a seemingly immovable object, but the best strategy is the one that plays to your strengths. In the two matches that they’ve dominated possession, SKC has found a way to score, so they’re clearly comfortable with the ball. Look for the hosts to throw numbers forward in an effort to break the Loons’ resistance with intricate passing and intentional off-the-ball movement.

It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right

It’s easy to say that the Loons should score more goals if they want to have a big 2025: duh. Outside of Kelvin Yeboah, no other MNUFC player has scored this season, and that needs to change this weekend. The two-striker system that the Loons have taken up this year is certainly different from tactics of the past, meaning that while Tani Oluwaseyi and several other players have found themselves in positions to score, the positioning and rhythm has been thrown off just enough to make scoring a bit more difficult. It’s more of a comfort issue than anything else, and the best way to gain confidence in finishing is by hitting the back of the net a few times. Thus far, the Loons have been underperforming their total expected goals, getting just two actual goals out of 4.5 xG. That means the system is working; they’re creating the quality chances that they want, they just aren’t putting them away. SKC’s 4.4 expected goals allowed proves that they’re prone to giving up quality chances, and if you ask me, that’s a match made in heaven. If Oluwaseyi can start to find his rhythm without disturbing the squad’s defensive solidity, they’ll be virtually impossible to stop.