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NASL Minnesota United FC

First Place Minnesota United Set to Face Undefeated Indy Eleven Saturday

May 20, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Last Saturday's win against the Jacksonville Armada coupled with other results around the league have propelled the Loons to the top of the table with 13 points and an impressive seven goal differential. Now it's up to the Loons to string together four more results to hoist the Spring Season trophy at NSC Stadium in Blaine on June 11th. United faces a tough test this Saturday against the undefeated Indy Eleven, who sit just three points back of the Loons. The match is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CST at Carroll Stadium. Fans can watch all the action live on MY29 TV and beIN Sports.

"I've spoken to the lads and said look we've got to believe we can win this thing, and we've got to act as if we've already won. Champions go forward and do what they've got to do," said Minnesota United Head Coach Carl Craig. "We know we're in for a tough game, it's a tough place to play, but we've got to make our own luck."

UNITED NOTES | FULL PREVIEW

Indy Eleven currently sits in fourth place in the NASL standings, with six goals scored and just four against. Defensively this looks to be a close matchup, as both teams are at the top in defensive concessions. Where the Loons hold the edge is in offensive prowess, tallying a league-best 11 goals so far this season with a high-pressure mentality that forces opponents to make mistakes then punishes them.

"There's always an opponent who is trying to score against us and beat us, so it's not a given that we can do whatever we want," said Craig. "But, I think we have to be more assertive and we have to defend as we did for large portions of the game the other day-in terms of pressing the opponent and forcing errors-and if we're doing that and improving on our possession I think we'll be a tough team to beat."

For United, solidifying their spot at the top of the table is key, and small improvements every week will help keep the top of the standings black and blue according to Craig. Now is the time to bring all of those small improvements together for a signature victory in Indianapolis.

"Certainly for now we've done quite well to this point, it's very important that we start to bring more of the pieces together more often," said Craig. "Most games we've shown some real quality football, but I don't think that we've actually sustained that for long periods, so it's really important that we start to control the game now."

Minnesota United kicks off at Indy Eleven on Saturday, May 21st at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Catch all of the action on MY29 locally, or tune in on BeIN Sports. Join other United fans at the official watch party being held in St. Paul on Saturday at Lake Monster Brewing.

Minnesota United Match Details

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CDT

Date: May 21, 2016

Opponent: Indy Eleven

Broadcast: MY29, BeIN Sports

Watch Party: Lake Monster Brewing

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