MLS NEXT Pro Minnesota United FC 2

MNUFC2 at Colorado Rapids 2 Preview

Published on August 6, 2022 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Minnesota United FC 2 News Release


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - MNUFC2 heads west on Saturday night for its third regular-season meeting with the Colorado Rapids 2. The Loons rebounded from a losing streak last week when they defeated Timbers2 at home in Blaine, Minnesota by a score of 3-1 on the back of Justin McMaster and Aziel Jackson both scoring goals and trading assists. Tommy Williamson notched the third goal to seal the victory.

Saturday night's late contest between MNUFC2 and Rapids 2 is notably the second match of a true double header, as it follows the MLS game between the clubs earlier at 8:00 p.m. CT - a first for the Loons' MLS Next Pro side this season.

On the season series between Minnesota and Rapids 2, the Loons hold a strong scoring advantage, having claimed two dominant wins by tallying nine goals and only conceding once. Seven different players have scored within those nine goals: Aziel Jackson, Niko Hansen, Emmanuel Iwe, Tommy Williamson, Justin McMaster, Nabilai Kibunguchy and Adrien Hunou (no longer with the club).

For MNUFC2 to snag its second straight win and claim a season series sweep over Rapids 2, it will look to midfielder Aziel Jackson to help create dangerous chances. Currently, Jackson leads MLS Next Pro in key passes with 42 on the season. He also is tied for second in the league in assists with six - just one behind the lead. Defensively, the Loons back line looks to keep their strong form following the defeat over Timbers2 and an impressive showing from goalkeeper Alec Smir.

MATCH NOTES:

MNUFC2 travels to face Colorado Rapids 2 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The game starts at 11:00 p.m. CT, and can be viewed by streaming at www.mlsnextpro.com.

Cameron Knowles on building momentum ahead of Colorado Rapids 2 match

"It's going to be interesting. This will be the first time we are playing a double header [following first team match]. So, it's going to be interesting to see how that is. It's going to be a long day for our group and a tough game on the road at altitude and a team that's picked up a few results along the way. We'll have to recover from this one [Timbers2 match] first and foremost and then we prepare for that one. But, when you look at the stretch of games we have coming up, we should take a lot of confidence from this one into the remaining fixtures."

Cameron Knowles on goalkeeper Alec Smir stepping into the starting role...

"It speaks to his professionalism. I've said it multiple times this season: he comes in and trains every day. We spoke at the beginning of the year about what the situation was going to look like knowing that we had Fred [Emmings] that was going to play a lot of games and potentially Eric Dick who was going to play a lot of games, and that he was just going to have to be patient. We didn't know if he'd play a single game this year. But, even with that, his attitude in training is first class - it doesn't change. He works really, really hard, and when he got the opportunity to play, he stepped up and played well. That's, again, not a surprise because of the way he trains. His habits have been really good, his work rate has been good, he's a steady keeper. We're fortunate enough to have a keeper of his caliber with us in that role. I'm sure there's a lot of other teams in our league that he would be a regular with. So, when he's played these last five, six games, yeah, it's no surprise that he does well."

MNUFC2 @ COLORADO RAPIDS 2

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK | COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO

08.06.22 | MLS Next PRO Regular Season | Week 18

11:00 p.m. CT (mlsnextpro.com)

2022 Record

MIN: 7-7-3 (3-5-2 on the road)

COL: 5-9-3 (3-3-3 at home)

Check out the Minnesota United FC 2 Statistics



MLS NEXT Pro Stories from August 6, 2022


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