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Minnesota United FC at Colorado Rapids Preview

March 17, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Minnesota United FC News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - In their second match of the season, MNUFC battled as the snow fell, covering the pitch at Allianz Field on Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls, ultimately finishing in a 1-1 draw. The Loons will head to Rocky Mountains for a Western Conference matchup against the Colorado Rapids. The last time these two squads met was an intense, high-scoring game that saw Colorado take down Minnesota with four goals to three. Minnesota United will look to earn their fifth regular season win against Colorado - and first-ever win at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. MNUFC's ambitions will be met equally by a Colorado side who has yet to win a game or score a goal so far this season.

ADRIAN HEATH ON FINDING SCORING OPPORTUNITIES ON THE REBOUND

"I think the first goal in Dallas, Mender [Garcia] makes a good initial first move and drops it for Fraga [Franco Fragapane]. Fraga has a great strike and then he [Mender] follows it in. This weekend, I'm pleased for Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] because we keep telling him about getting in the right spots at the right time. I think he's started the season really well. He told me he's going to get 25 goals when he left, which I thought was a little bit of a stretch, but he's on two games [with] one goal. We want the wide guys to be scoring between seven and 12 goals a year, and he's had a good start, for sure."

KEMAR LAWRENCE ON THE TEAM IDENTITY

"Honestly, it's togetherness. We started to climb a little bit more in everything around the training facility, when you step onto the pitch, you bring in more. Right now, as you say, we don't have Rey [Emanuel Reynoso]. We don't have that one guy that we can say, 'alright, let's depend on him,' so we have to make it a full team effort, and it's been working.

TANI OLUWASEYI ON HIS MLS AND ALLIANZ FIELD DEBUTS

"It was just getting that first hurdle out of the way. Everybody said, 'Okay, you've got to make your debut.' Then once that was out of the way, I was like, 'Okay, what's next?' Something's always coming next. As professional athletes and competitors, we always have the next goal and the next goal. For me, as soon as I got the debut out the way, it was, 'How else am I going to contribute?' If I'm going to come on with [the score at] 1-1, how can I contribute? And I tried my best to get a goal there, it didn't work out that way. But, every time I step on that field, it's to contribute, get a goal, get a clearance, whatever it may be to just help the team over the line."

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

Matches in the Centennial State have been somewhat of a stumbling block for the Black and Blue since joining Major League Soccer. In 13 regular season games, MNUFC is 4-7-2 against the Rapids, with all four wins taking place at home. After seven attempts, the Loons have yet to win in the Rapids' house, accumulating a record of 0-5-2.

In the first two games of the season, MNUFC have demonstrated a defensive solidity that is among the best in the league. New signing Miguel Tapias has been a perfect partner for Michael Boxall in the heart of the backline, and fullback Zarek Valentin has added valuable experience and versatility. There is reason to believe this defense will stand tall, even in Colorado.

Scoring this weekend will be about more than just getting the win; it will be about finding a sustainable attacking rhythm that the squad can move forward with. Robin Lod appeared more comfortable at the CAM position against New York, but more work needs to be done to find a fluid link to connect the whole team.

PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT:

Minnesota United

OUT:

B. Dibassy - Thigh

D. Henry - Thigh

R. Jiba - Knee

M. Marques - Ankle

E. Reynoso - Suspended

QUESTIONABLE:

N/A

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ COLORADO RAPIDS

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK | COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO

03.18.23 | MLS Regular Season | Matchday 4

8:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass; MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2023 Record

MIN: 1-0-1 (1-0-0 on the road)

COL: 0-2-1 (0-1-0 at home)

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from March 17, 2023


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