NASL Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Begins Championship Run Sunday in Ottawa

Published on November 7, 2015 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


Minnesota United vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Minnesota United vs. Ottawa Fury FC
(Minnesota United FC)

OTTAWA, ON. (Saturday, November 7th, 2015) -- Minnesota United (3) has evenly split the season with Ottawa Fury (2) with three goals scored and three goals conceded (1-1-1). United's experience in the NASL postseason will be crucial on the road against Ottawa, with the Fury beginning their first trip to the playoffs since joining the league last season. The Loons are responsible for the Fury's only loss in the previous 25 contests. The match is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. CST at TD Place in Canada's capitol city - fans can watch all the action live on KSTC45-TV and ESPN3.

"Ultimately it's a great matchup and we're excited about it," said Minnesota United Head Coach Manny Lagos. "We've beat them, we've tied them and we lost to them. We have a full week of training to prepare for a great playoff match in Ottawa."

All 30 matches have been played and the league's top four teams now enter the NASL postseason-all with an equal shot at lifting the Soccer Bowl trophy in two weeks' time. For Minnesota United, the path to the Championship leads them to Ottawa for a Semifinal match against the second-seeded Fury.

"We're aware they've been consistently great this season-they're the Fall Season Champion and credit to them they've played some great soccer," said Lagos. "I thought we had a great second half to the season, but they matched us well."

The Loons have yet to claim any hardware this season, finishing the Spring campaign in fourth place and the Fall Season in second. They enter the postseason in third place and as the highest scoring team in the league. Minnesota fell short of the final in 2014 and with many players returning in 2015 that has been a source of motivation for a deep playoff run this November.

In the final match of the regular season between the two clubs, Minnesota United earned all three points. The match was decided at the death, with both teams pushing for a breakthrough. Second half substitute Daniel Mendes was the difference maker with a dipping free kick in stoppage time to earn a win for United.

For the Loons, Christian Ramirez has been impressive against the Fury this season, scoring two goals in three matches. Ramirez finished the season second in the NASL in goals scored with 12 - scoring 11 of those goals in the Fall Season. He heads one of the most dynamic scoring cores in the NASL. As a club, the Loons have scored an NASL single-season record 54 goals in 2015.

Defensively Ottawa held an edge on Minnesota during the 2015 NASL regular season, earning 14 shutouts in 30 matches. The Loons conceded 39 goals to Ottawa's 23 in 2015, but Minnesota has been improving, with two shutouts in its last five matches.

With a trip to the NASL Final on the line, Minnesota United travels to Ottawa this Sunday for the NASL Semifinal. The match is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. CST at TD Place Stadium. Watch it locally on KSTC-45TV or online at ESPN 3.

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VIEWING OPTIONS

Television: KSTC-45 TV

Online: ESPN3 (stream available on our website with subscription to ESPN3)

Watch Party: Turf Club, St. Paul

Twitter: @MNUnitedFC | @mnunitedgameday

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Minnesota United vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Minnesota United vs. Ottawa Fury FC
   



North American Soccer League Stories from November 7, 2015


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