MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United FC at Sporting Kansas City Preview

Published on October 20, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Minnesota United head to Children's Mercy Park to take on Sporting Kansas City in a high-stakes 'Decision Day' matchup which will determine Minnesota's fate for the postseason. The Loons, all-time in regular-season action, have not secured a road victory against SKC in Kansas City, and have only once earned a victory at Children's Mercy Park - a 3-0 win in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs. MNUFC was defeated twice already this season by Sporting, 0-3 on the road and 0-1 at home. A win for the Loons (and some added help from other Western Conference teams) is necessary in order to reach the playoffs for their fifth season in a row, while SKC notably also needs a victory to continue its season. With everything on the line come Saturday night, this matchup - deemed the "Friendliest Rivalry in Sports" - has the possibility to be quite the dramatic fixture to finish the 2023 regular season.

INTERIM HEAD COACH SEAN MCAULEY ON THWARTING THE OFFENSIVE THREAT PRESENTED BY KANSAS CITY...

"We're going to reflect on that game through the videos because we had a lot of chances in that game. Like I said, momentum can happen over a season, it can happen over a short period of time and into the playoffs... who knows where it takes you. It can also happen in games. I feel as [though] if we had taken a chance, it might have been a completely different story. The front three of them [Sporting Kansas City] are obviously a threat, and they do like to control the middle of the field with possession of the ball, so we need to manage that as well. The big thing will be that we've got to bring our own style and identity to the game to be able to put it onto the opposition."

MIDFIELDER EMANUEL REYNOSO ON GETTING A RESULT AT A HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT PLACES TO PLAY...

[SPA]: "Si, sabemos que es un partido muy difícil pero confiamos en nuestro grupo, confiamos en nuestros jugadores. Sabemos que tenemos un gran grupo que juega bien al fútbol, y ganamos el último partido de nuestra casa con nuestra gente. La confianza de esa también aumento al máximo. Vamos a seguir a ganar que es lo que queremos para cumplir el objetivo que es tratar de poder llegar a los playoffs."

[ENG]: "Yes, we know it's going to be really difficult but we trust in our group, we trust in our players. We know that we have a great team that plays good soccer, and we won the last game at our home with our fans. The confidence from that game as well raised our level [of confidence]. We're going to continue to win, which is what we want in order to complete our goal of trying to make the playoffs."

STORYLINES PRESENTED BY BMW

Storylines is feeling the pressure as Decision Day draws closer and closer. There's a lot on the line this weekend, with five teams fighting for the final three postseason spots in the Western Conference. Only two of these five teams are playing one another, though, making Minnesota United's matchup with Sporting Kansas City the most exciting game of the matchday. Though the future of their seasons will be on the line in Saturday's showdown, it's the history of these two sides that we'll be focusing on today.

These clubs have very different stories, both in length and substance. SKC have been around since the beginning of the league, though they were known as the Kansas City Wizards back in the day. They've taken part in every single Decision Day, while the upstart Loons have only been a part of the yearly tradition on six occasions. Both teams have seen their fates decided on the last day in years past, for better or worse.

PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT:

Minnesota United

OUT:

None

QUESTIONABLE:

None

SEASON-ENDING INJURY LIST:

R. Jiba - Knee

R. Lod - Knee

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ SPORTING KANSAS CITY

CHILDREN'S MERCY PARK | KANSAS CITY, KANSAS

10.21.23 | MLS Regular Season | Matchday 38

8:00 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass; MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2023 MLS Record

MIN: 10-12-11 (6-8-2 on the road)

SKC: 11-14-8 (8-6-2 at home)

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from October 20, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central