MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United FC at New York City FC Preview

Published on August 19, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - As the regular-season resumes, Minnesota will travel to Citi Field to face NYCFC. Between the sides, New York leads the all-time series 2-1-1 (W-L-D) earning its second victory against MNUFC just last season. With the offensive form the Loons found during the Leagues Cup tournament, it's important that Minnesota continues finding the back of the net to secure positive results and climb in the Western Conference table, where the club sits 10th. With 12 games remaining in the regular season, every point counts to bring the MNUFC into playoff contention for its fifth season in a row.

HEAD COACH ADRIAN HEATH ON NYCFC'S COUPLE-WEEK BREAK AND APPROACHING THE MATCH AT THE WEEKEND...

"They'll be fresh. But sometimes turnoff weeks... do you over-work, do you under-work? That's the secret and I'm sure they've played games internally. It's never easy. It's always a little bit different with playing on the baseball diamond [Citi Field]. But they've got good players, young players. [Maxi] Moralez is back as well which will be a big boost for them. I'm a big admirer of him as a player, [he] makes things happen. It's never easy against New York City and I don't think it'll be any different this weekend."

MIDFIELDER HASSANI DOTSON ON THE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE LEAGUES CUP TOURNAMENT...

"We should be confident and know that we can compete with anyone. It's not the way we wanted to end the tournament but if we fixed a couple of plays, we could've gone even further."

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

Let's focus on the bigger takeaways from the boys' performance in the tourney [Leagues Cup]. First, aside from the Nashville matchup, goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair looked as confident as he's looked all season between the posts. Seeing him step up in those high-pressure shootout scenarios to make the big stops should spur optimism in regards to the rest of the season. As the Loons jump back into their 2023 MLS regular season schedule, that kind of Canadian clutch will be needed to move up the ranks of the Western Conference. The other big takeaway? Yes, Bongi, of course...but the attacking third as a whole showed the ability to score more in big time spots throughout the tourney. Another promising development for a Loons team that hasn't traditionally been known as a high-scoring squad.

PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT:

Minnesota United

OUT:

None

QUESTIONABLE:

None

SEASON-ENDING INJURY LIST:

K. Arriaga - Knee

R. Jiba - Knee

R. Lod - Knee

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ NEW YORK CITY FC

CITI FIELD | QUEENS, NEW YORK

08.20.23 | MLS Regular Season | Matchday 27

6:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass; MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2023 Record

MIN: 7-8-7 (5-6-1 on the road)

NYC: 5-8-11 (4-2-4 at home)

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 19, 2023


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