Match Preview: MNUFC v St Louis CITY

MLS Decision Day 2024 has arrived and Minnesota United FC will observe the occasion at home, postseason berth in hand, facing St. Louis CITY. Three points could see the Loons avoid the wildcard match (#2 vs #7) while St. Louis has a chance to play spoiler and get revenge on the team that ripped them apart at home last month. After a tumultuous midseason stretch, that last meeting with St. Louis marked the beginning of a redemption tour during which Minnesota did just enough to pull some badly needed points into the final month of the season. But the Loons will need to do even more on Saturday night to improve their playoff position.

Form (W-L-D)

MIN | 7th, 49 pts. 14-12-7 (6-6-4 at home), GD +6. Last 5: W-D-W-W-L

STL| 12th, 37 pts. 8-12-13 (1-7-8 on the road), GD -10. Last 5: W-L-W-W-L

Last meeting: Sept. 14 @ CITYPARK: STL 1-3 MIN

STL | Teuchert 4′

MIN | Hlongwane 23′, Reid 52′ (OG), Yeboah 62′ (P)

Availability

MIN | Out: Kmet (thigh)

STL | Out: Ostrák (ankle), Pompeu (lower leg). Questionable: Durkin (knee), Vassilev (knee)

The Road to Decision Day

Before we dive into tonight’s match, let’s take a look at that redemption tour that brought us here, as summarized by some of our followers eight-word reactions.

Sep. 21 @ Sporting Kansas City: 3-0 Win

Goals: Yeboah 65′, Hlongwane 90+4′

AustinErtelt: “That Lod pass… Plus 3 at SKC… Finally.”

timcities555: “Kelvin Yeboah is a complete grown ass man.”

DC_612: “We won in KC. Is this for real?”

bill_sicora: “Eight-words. Eight-years, finally win in KC.”

Sep. 28 v. Colorado: 3-0 Win

Goals: Yeboah 16′, 47′; Dotson 82′

erikvorhes: “I can’t sleep, I had a double espresso.”

loonybinpodcast: “Ramsay Ball coming into view a little clearer.”

brian_asleson: “Great game – made the season long wait worthwhile!”

hpbear149den: “Best match of season. No reds. Happy flock.”

Oct. 2 @ Real Salt Lake: 0-0 Draw

Red card: RSL, Vera 90+3′

timcities555: “Bowling shoe ugly game but not a loss.”

ClosetMetro: “Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, halftime, sloppy,sloppy, spit, draw.”

iAmMattOlson: “Three consecutive clean sheets were unimaginable in August.”

BillSou: “But they got a point and they’re playoff-bound!”f

Oct. 5 @ Vancouver: 1-0 Win

Goal: Dotson 24′ (P)

ChrisLongKSTP: “Wow. They just may survive that midseason nosedive.”

BenTallen: “For my next trick: A vanishing own goal.”

ClosetMetro: “The lack of non penalty goals frightens me.”

VerskAntonio: “Strong defense + Dotson converts = win! Lots of cards.”

Decision Day

You probably noticed some themes in those eight-word reactions: Robin Lod’s clean passing, Kelvin Yeboah’s finishing, four consecutive clean sheets for Dayne St. Clair and his back line, and the squad’s ability to redeem poor moments with decisive comebacks. These are all factors to keep in mind as the Loons take on St Louis tonight.

• Robin Lod: Named a nominee for the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year award, Lod has set new records for the club this season (all-time leading scorer – 31; most regular-season goal contributions – 57) and could break two records tonight (tied single-season assist record – 15; tied single-season goal contribution record – 21).
• Kelvin Yeboah: In his first 6 games for MNUFC, Yeboah tallied 7 goals. Though he didn’t score in the last two matches, he was key in raising the offensive tempo in both, as a starter against RSL and as a sub against Vancouver. Yeboah connects well with both Lod and Bongokuhle Hlongwane, the two players who most often join him in Eric Ramsay’s rotating front-four, and Yeboah himself is largely responsible for this quick chemistry. Following his brace against Colorado, he told NSJ, “We need everybody to be involved in the team. Playing with other players is different, so I have to adjust myself in between who I play with. I try to position myself more comfortably so they will see me to play me the ball, because everybody has different qualities and techniques.”
• Dayne St. Clair: When the squad is having trouble finding goals, DSC is called upon to make sure the opponent doesn’t find any either. His performance through the last four matches set a new club record for consecutive clean sheets. For a squad that has lived and died by goalkeeping, this consistency is a big factor in the club’s standing at this stage of the season.

The Minnesota-St Louis series (which consists of three matches, a poor sample size for this stat, but we’re going with it) is one in which the away team always wins. The last time St Louis CITY visited Allianz Field (in 2023), they walked away with a 2-1 win. While Indiana Vassilev, who has two goals against Minnesota, is questionable for the finale, Simon Becher is available and would like to add to his own two-goal tally in the series.

In their last 12 matches, Becher, Marcel Hartel, and Cedric Teuchert, have combined for 17 goals and 11 assists. Teuchert scored CITY’s lone goal against Minnesota in the last match and, given how that game ended with three unanswered goals from Minnesota, the CITY trio will be primed for any opportunity to end their season with goals and a win.

While they are guaranteed nothing less than a wild card match, Minnesota cannot afford to let three points slip from their grasp tonight and it’s all hands on deck on Fan Appreciation Night. If you can’t be at Allianz, be sure to follow Northland Soccer Journal for live updates, post-match coverage, and some special features in the coming days and weeks.

For the last time in the 2024 regular season, Come On You Loons.