Sunday night in Los Angeles saw Minnesota United take a shock win over LAFC in the clubs second and final meeting of the regular season. MNUFC had to win to stay in the playoff race and did so in dominating fashion. Offensively three goals, including two in the first half, had the Loons on the front foot for the entirety of the match. A lone 90th minute goal from the hosts wasn't enough for LA to mount a comeback, though it did take away Minnesota's clean sheet.
“I think tonight was a really good night. We've been creating chances for the most part over the course of the season, scoring a decent amount of goals and in different ways. I think a set-piece goal is important for us. It's still a huge part of what we want to be as a club and what we want to do. And then certainly for Joaquín [Pereyra], I thought he was outstanding," said manager Cameron Knowles. "You know both him and Tomás [Chancalay] coming into the lineup, I thought they both came in and changed the game for us the other night. And then in both getting their first starts in a little while, and Joaquín off the back of that injury, he was exceptional. He was creating for others, he was controlling the tempo of the game for us with the ball, and then, obviously scoring his chances, so a really good night.”
Now with 53 goals scored this season, Cameron Knowles side is just three away from hitting the 56 goals scored last season. Should the club score three goals on Saturday it will tie their second highest scoring total since joining Major League Soccer. The current record of 58 was set in Eric Ramsay's first season as manager, a year when Cameron Knowles had the interim tag for the first few matches of the season.
But this has been done with a more compact schedule than any other time since the Loons 2017 accession to the top flight. With three matches in eight days this past week was no different in how packed the schedule was. Two wins in that space were accomplished using much of the same starting eleven. Knowles and the players have consistently praised the training staff for being able to keep them healthy and prepare them to play again in quick succession.
“When we look at the schedule and we look at that, we've had few rotations, but I also would credit our performance department with how they prepare the guys for these weeks. [Minnesota United Head of Performance] Dan Bell and his staff, and [MNUFC Head Athletic Trainer] Kayce Godwin on the medical side, the way that they turn these guys around and get them recovered and plan for this through the season, so that the training is hard," Cameron Knowles said to the media following Sunday's win. "The training prepares them so that when we get to this point, they're used to it and they can tolerate it. We've been so resilient in terms of injuries over the course of the year, and that helps too. But the guys are playing well, and the group has continued to play well, and we'll see what happens as we get to the next game, but I'm just really pleased.”
Injuries have occurred but haven't piled up during much of the season. Currently Wil Trapp is the only usual starter out with injury. That being due to a concussion suffered during training a few weeks ago. Peter Stroud is also now back from injury after re-aggravating one during the Loons home meeting against Vancouver. Now the club has a full week of preparation and recovery, alongside not having to tavel for Decision Day.
“We have time to recover. We have time to prepare and we're at home. And I think the feeling that we've had at home the last couple of games has been a really good one. And certainly the run we're on is a good run. We've had a couple of good games against San Jose, one in the [Lamar Hunt U.S. Open] Cup and one in the league," said Knowles. "And I'm sure they're gonna come with a ton of motivation, but there's every chance when you're looking five, six games back, that there wasn't really a decision to be made on Decision Day, and the players deserve all the credit for putting themselves in a position where there's a lot riding on it, and I know that we'll get the absolute best performance.”
