Minnesota United vs. San Jose
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 75 degrees, sunny, 8 mph east wind
Betting line: MNUFC minus-120; draw plus-300; San Jose plus-270
Form: MNUFC (10-4-7, 37 points) is unbeaten in four total matches, including a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal win over Chicago Fire on Tuesday. San Jose (7-7-7, 28 points) is undefeated in four within MLS but lost an Open Cup shootout to Austin FC late Tuesday night.
Recent matchups: In the third MLS match of the season in March, San Jose dominated the ball (72% possession), but the Loons had more quality scoring chances (2.2 to 1.3 in expected goals) and won 1-0 in Northern California.
Big question: How much does each team have left in the tank? Both clubs went to added time and played 120 minutes in the national tournament on Tuesday and might be running on fumes this weekend. The Loons should have advantages in playing both at home, while the Earthquakes will have to travel across two time zones. Plus, San Jose has to pick itself up after being bounced in the Open Cup, while Minnesota has advanced to the final four.
Player to watch: Striker Kelvin Yeboah’s two goals in the 3-1 win over Chicago gives him three in 147 minutes in Open Cup — compared to six goals in 1,347 MLS minutes. Coming off a couple injuries, he has been scoring more in MLS lately, with two two-goal outings in the previous four league matches.
“A couple of really good moments on top of the moments that he had,” head coach Eric Ramsay said Tuesday. “He looked fit. He looked strong. He looked explosive. And I think, given the stop-start nature of how his season’s gone, you can see where maybe the lack of (explosiveness) comes from time to time.”
Absences: Hoyeon Jung suffered a “serious” injury and will be out long-term, but Ramsay did not specify the timeline on Friday. Wessel Speel (shoulder) remains out.
Theme: The Loons have put themselves under a stress test holding a lead late in recent games, and their lack of possession creates more strain.
“I would love to strike a better balance than we have over the last couple weeks in terms of making good decisions as when to counter-attack and play in a more composed way (and) when to kick long,” Ramsay said. “That isn’t a balance that we have found yet.”
Nugget: Ramsay showed his players a sequence at 116 minutes against Chicago during a team meeting Friday.
“With every player fully engaged in a defensive phase and it leads to Kelvin’s (second) goal,” Ramsay said.
Stat: Loons left wingback Anthony Markanich has a goal contribution in four straight matches across all competitions. He assisted on Robin Lod’s second-half goal against Chicago.
Scouting report: San Jose is third in MLS with 41 goals scored this season, with Chicho Arango leading the way with 10. But his status might be up in the air after playing all 120 minutes on Tuesday. Top playmaker Cristian Espinoza (eight assists) might still be fired up after his tirade Tuesday. His knee was bleeding after being cleated by an Austin player and was irate over no red card issued.
Prediction: Given both teams’ fatigue and their transitions to another MLS match in the dog days of summer, Saturday probably won’t resemble “The Beautiful Game.” In order to keep challenging for first place in the Western Conference, however, it’s the type of match where you still take care of business and get three points. MNUFC wins 2-1.
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