Fan Reactions: Two matches, two points, eight words

Five goals for, five goals against, two points. That just about covers Minnesota United FC’s last two matches, away to Kansas City on March 15 and LA Galaxy at home on March 22. In fact, a lot can be said of both draws in eight words.

Northland Soccer Journal has published recaps of both matches but our readers’ eight-word reactions are a reliable barometer of the supporters’ feelings after two rough outings. I selected a handful from each of these two matches and… Well, they summarize the highs and lows of both draws better than I expected.

March 15: Sporting Kansas City 3 – 3 MNUFC

Timeline (MIN, SKC): Dotson 15′, Oluwaseyi 31′, Oluwaseyi 46′, Salloi 68′, Duggan 72′ (OG), Joveljic 80′

Attacking Play

• sisterzilla: Happy seeing Tani score, Dotson banger, the collapse.
• other-guy: That sucked because we were the better team.

Defensive Play

• megs0328: What the fuck? I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.
• jakeduhjake: Loons mustn’t get shaken up, must play on.

Overall

• jrscassady: Gifted floundering SKC two points, buoying Peter Vermes.
• redveale: The MLSiest match in recent MLS history. (Editor’s note: Sometimes seven words have the weight of eight.)

Minnesota head coach Eric Ramsay took responsibility for his squad’s late collapse, pointing to his own tactical and personnel changes, rather than placing full blame on a few substitutes’ poor showings. Meanwhile, Sporting Kansas City hasn’t registered a win since the fall of 2024 – a long winless streak which began with their loss to MNUFC. It was kind of the Loons to give them hope for an end but SKC head coach Peter Vermes remains in the warm seat – His club has secured last place in the West, losing 2-0 to LAFC at home this past weekend.

March 22: MNUFC 2 – 2 LA Galaxy

Timeline (MIN, LA): Yeboah 18′, Ramirez 26′, Yeboah 87′ (PK), Garcés 90′

Attacking Play

• hpbear149den: One brace, three dives, missed calls, one point.
• dc612: Disappointment still abounds when the Loons lead late.

Defensive Play

• cfitchett: Only makes sense that Christian would score first.
• nubia3: Too bad Christian scored for the bad guys.
• andy.hopepunk.club: Truly impressive Michael Boxall impression from Nicolás Romero.

Overall

• nottooserious: Snatched a tie from the jaws of victory.
• hsquared8: Tori Penso way better ref than Chris Penso.

Like SKC, LA has struggled to get results in league play, coming into Minnesota with 1 draw and 3 losses, and now holds 14th with one more point than Kansas City. Leveling early seemed to help the Galaxy find their front foot. Christian Ramirez was kind enough to not celebrate his equalizer in front of the Wonderwall but it was his first goal for LA as a starter (his previous two goals, one each in MLS and Champions Cup play, came in substitute appearances) and seemed to light a much needed spark for his teammates. The late equalizer came from another supersub, Garcés, who registered 1 goal and 4 passes in a 9 minute shift – a highlight for a club that is struggling to find an edge in league play.

Kelvin Yeboah’s brace represented a more positive draw than Tani Oluwaseyi’s the week before. Trading goals versus dropping a 3-0 lead is good right? Given the circumstances – the international ‘break’ which drew half of Minnesota’s starters away from the club for the week – the score could have been far more lopsided. Romero and Duggan did well to hold off more chances for the Galaxy, reducing the impact of the decisions made by match official Chris Penso (Tori is certainly the preferred Penso in Minnesota).

With Real Salt Lake coming to town this weekend (along with some salty weather), the Loons have some work to do to avoid a draw streak.

• Three goals, two goals, next a one-one tie?
• Will Diego Luna take charge in Minnesota sleet?
• Can Yeboah and Oluwaseyi both bag a brace?

Your turn. Minnesota hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 29, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 PM. Follow and interact with us on Bluesky.