Minnesota United at San Diego FC
When: 9:30 p.m. (CDT) Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 68 degrees, cloudy, 4 mph east wind
Betting line: San Diego minus-115; draw plus-280; MNUFC plus-280
Form: First-place San Diego (17-7-5, 56 points) extended its lead in the Western Conference with a 2-1 road win over Los Angeles FC on Aug. 31. Second-place MNUFC (14-6-9, 51 points) fell off the pace with a 1-1 home draw with Portland on Aug. 30.
Quote: “This is now undeniably the decisive game of the year, certainly in terms of the Western Conference, Supporters Shield standings,” Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said.
Recent matchup: San Diego beat Minnesota 4-2 in St. Paul on June 14, but poor goalkeeping from Loons rookie Wessel Speel and a late fourth goal from San Diego made it more lop-sided than it actually was on the field.
Stats: San Diego is No. 2 in MLS with 59.7% possession; Minnesota is dead last at 39.6. In their June match, S.D. had the ball for 66%.
RELATED: Rising soccer leader returns home to St. Paul for MLS match against Loons
Quote: “As a natural who is interested in strategy, tactics, playing styles, it’s a really interesting game from that perspective,” Ramsay said. “I’ve certainly enjoyed watching snippets of that game back because I feel like it’s a real chess match in that sense.”
Update: New MNUFC players Dominik Fitz and Nectarios Triantis have made the West Coast trip with the Loons. Fitz is more likely to make MLS debut than Triantis because Fitz was able to train with United for one week, while Triantis just obtained his work visa in Canada midweek.
Scouting report: Anders Dreyer is an MVP candidate for a reason (14 goals, 16 primary assists). The Dane had two goals and an assist in the win at Allianz Field and will need to be circled in pen for the Loons’ defense.
Context: After San Diego, the Loons host a U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Austin FC on Wednesday. It’s full throttle for Minnesota, but the different nature of the games (Austin is a more defensive team like the Loons) will call for slightly different mix of players, Ramsay said.
Prediction: United has been better on the road than at home this season and the same goes for San Diego, but Minnesota has yet to figure out life without Tani Oluwaseyi. Loons lose 2-1.
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