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Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United FC vs. Real Salt Lake Preview

April 5, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Minnesota United returns to Allianz Field this Saturday to take on Real Salt Lake. MNUFC is ranked fourth in the Western Conference through five matches played in the regular season while Salt Lake is third in the conference with six matches under their belt. The previous two matches between the teams ended in consecutive draws during the 2023 regular season. The Loons played Salt Lake at Allianz Field in May 2023 with the match ending in a 1-1 draw, followed by a trip to Salt Lake City where the game ended in a 2-2 draw in June 2023.

Minnesota heads into Saturday's match after traveling to the East Coast for Matchday 6 and facing the Philadelphia Union. Minnesota was without starting center back Miguel Tapias due to injury, but Homegrown defender Devin Padelford stepped up and earned his second start as the team battled against the Union's full squad. The match ended in favor of Philadelphia with a 2-0 result, leaving MNUFC with its first loss of the 2024 regular season.

Real Salt Lake are coming into Matchday 7 with a previous win against St. Louis CITY SC. RSL secured a win after a late comeback, taking the lead in the second half. The Salt Lake captain Chicho Arango was a key player with a hat trick that helped Salt Lake capture the victory. Real Salt Lake needed a home victory after losing to Colorado by one goal, being the second loss of the season.

Both Western Conference teams will come head-to-head in St. Paul, Minnesota this Saturday. Minnesota United and Real Salt Lake will battle to secure a win to add to their record. Will Salt Lake continue their winning momentum or will Minnesota comeback from their previous loss with high intensity and continue to capitalize on mistakes from their high press?

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY ON PREPARING FOR THE MATCH AGAINST REAL SALT LAKE...

"They [Real Salt Lake] are a well-organized team, as I've seen so far. They are a team that really likes to use the ball well, they've got quite an intricate way of building up and they've got forwards that can hurt you. As I say repeatedly and will say more often than not, in preparation for these games, we're a team that focuses on us, our principles, and our shape. It's only really the subtleties of the way in which the opposition play that I'm bothered about, so it's not that we're going to be a different Minnesota because we're playing against Real Salt Lake this week. That the message the players get and that's what I'm big on."

HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY ON ANYTHING ABOUT THE LEAGUE THAT HAS BEEN A SURPRISE...

"No, I'm still getting a good feel for where the land lies and sort of taking one game[s] as [they] come. I can't really look too far ahead of that, given that I'm getting to grips with everything here and everything in the country in general but it's an impressive level. One thing I would say is there is real evenness from top to bottom; one team on any given day can hurt you as much as the next. I would say it's a nice thing in one sense that you've always got a really good chance on any given day but also it's something that you've got to guard against because most teams can hurt you in one way or another. I haven't yet looked at an opposition that I think is going to give us a comfortable game. From the brief glimpses, I've seen from across the league, I think it's evenly almost by design. It's sort of a nice thing but certainly something that we're conscious of guarding against it."

MINNESOTA UNITED PLAYER STATUS REPORT:

OUT:

K. Arriaga - Knee

E. Reynoso - Not Due to Injury

M. Tapias - Thigh

Z. Valentin - Thigh

QUESTIONABLE:

None

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. REAL SALT LAKE

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

04.06.2024 | MLS Regular Season | Match 6

7:30 p.m. CT (MLS Season Pass; MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2024 Record

MIN: 3-1-1 (1-0-1 at home; W-L-D)

RSL: 3-2-1 (1-1-1 on the road; W-L-D)

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics

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