HEY MR. DJ, DROP THE BEAT: Romain Metanire has at last returned to the team after spending the last few weeks following the international break in France working to secure his green card. In his absence, Head Coach Adrian Heath first tried shifting Jukka Raitala — who generally plays left back and began the season playing on the left side of the centerback pairing as Bakaye Dibassy worked his way back from injury — over to the right side. But seeking a bit more attacking nous down the flank, he quickly switched it up and brought in defender DJ Taylor, a right back who grew up in North Carolina and played in Spain before returning to play for the USL’s North Carolina FC for the last three seasons. Taylor grew into the role over the last handful of games, finding his footing and delivering on both ends. He drew several corner kicks for the Loons on deflected crosses against Seattle as he helped to keep the Sounders on the back foot. It was clear that the visitors began the game intent on trying to get experienced left back Brad Smith — who’s played in the EPL and won MLS Cup with Seattle — to put the screws to Taylor, but the right back held his own as the team earned the 1-0 clean sheet win. While Taylor will likely make way for Metanire, he showed clear improvement over the last few games and at just 23, he’s young enough to make a case for being a part of the Loons’ future.
FATHER TIME’S UNBEATEN STREAK REMAINS INTACT: The Portland Timbers have fought through a substantial number of injures to currently sit seventh and just above the playoff line in the Western Conference as we pass from the first third to the second third of the season. The Timbers have long been a team on the precipice of aging out of their perennially elite status, and while Diegos Valeri and Chara have continued to be high level contributors, it’s clear the team needs to get younger if they’re going to continue to compete for the next several years. Valeri is 35, as is Chara, and the younger Chara — Yimmi — is already 30. Sebastian Blanco — whom Portland have missed sorely but who also appears on the way back after coming on in the 81st minute in their 1-0 win over Dallas last week — is 33. The youth vanguard is spearheaded by Jeremy Ebobisse and Eryk Williamson, who are both 24. The bad news for the Timbers this weekend is that Williamson is off with the U.S. Men’s National Team for the Gold Cup. That leaves them with an aging squad coming off an emotional last-minute win against LAFC on Wednesday night and just two days to recover before heading to the Land of 10,000. For their part, MNUFC is one of the few teams without two games this week, but they have fallen prey before to playing down to the level of competition when facing a team they have traditionally handled. San Jose came into Allianz Field just a few weeks ago and walked away with a point in a 2-2 draw. Portland’s win over LAFC vaulted them over the Loons for sixth in the West, so a six-point swing on Saturday would be massive for either team.
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Minnesota United’s first captain in MLS was, you guessed it, Vadim Demidov. The hope that the Latvian centerback would provide a measure of experience and gravitas for the expansion Loons in 2017 evaporated after just three games in which MNUFC conceded 16 goals. The captaincy was bestowed upon Francisco Calvo, then just 24 years old. The talented, fiery defender brought plenty of spit and venom to the role, but his inconsistency and tendency to get caught up going forward instead of keeping the back safe ultimately contributed to the club’s decision to move him to the Chicago Fire in 2019. The Loons were fortunate enough to have acquired Osvaldo Alonso prior to the start of the 2019 season and he stepped into the captain’s role with ease, having stewarded the Seattle Sounders to MLS Cup in 2016. Since then, whenever Alonso has been unavailable, Michael Boxall has donned the armband for MNUFC and done so capably. While perhaps less visibly commanding than defensive midfielder Alonso when it comes to setting the tone, plenty of opposing forwards have learned how little guff the New Zealand centerback will take. But with Boxall sidelined by an injury for the first time in what feels like forever and Alonso not an every game starter at this point in his career, the captaincy has come to rest on Wil Trapp. The 28-year-old has taken on that role before for both Columbus Crew SC and the U.S. Men’s National Team at various levels. As a player, Trapp — who plays the same position as Alonso — leans a little more cerebral, his game based a bit more on vision. It will be interesting to see how his measured, even personality and leadership can influence the team going forward.
