Minnesota United extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches Saturday, but a second straight scoreless draw doesn’t add much momentum.

The Loons’ 0-0 result with shorthanded FC Dallas at Allianz Field followed a goalless game in Toronto last weekend. Minnesota has managed four wins and four ties in the run.

Still, MNUFC (4-1-4, 16 points) has equaled its club record-best unbeaten run from September-November 2020.

Here are three takeaways:

Attack gone cold

After scoring multiple goals in four straight matches, the Loons have gone two straight games without scoring.

Strikers Tani Oluwaseyi (five goals) and Kelvin Yeboah (four goals) were among the hottest tandem in the league but have cooled off significantly.

In the 73rd minute, Carlos Harvey sent in a great cross to the back post. Oluwaseyi came sliding in at the back post, but his shot was off frame. That served as the Loons best chance of the evening.

Caught a break

FC Dallas’ two most-dangerous attackers didn’t start Saturday: striker Petar Musa was out with an ankle injury and central attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta was on the bench based on coach Eric Quill’s decision. Acosta subbed in during the 63rd minute and his header was denied by Dayne St. Clair in the 78th minute.

The pair of Designated Players have each scored three goals this season, with Musa adding three assists. Not taking better advantage of their lesser, nonexistent roles will sting for MNUFC.

Dallas (3-3-3, 12 points) also had two other key players out in Marco Farfan and Sebastian Lletget; both have leg injuries.

Three makes a trend

The Loons used the same starting XI for the third straight game Saturday: Oluwaseyi, Yeboah; Joaquin Pereyra, Robin Lod, Wil Trapp; Joseph Rosales, Nicholas Romero, Michael Boxall, Jefferson Diaz, Bongi Hlongwane; St. Clair.

Consistency is good, but it’s also indicative of a lack of competition for spots, especially in midfield and at forward.

Injuries to Hassani Dotson and Owen Gene cut down on options in midfield, and a lack of form for Sang Bin Jeong help make the forward choices easy.

In a scoreless game, midfielder Sam Shashoua was the only attacking option brought in for the Loons in the 65th minute.

Three tidbits

Louisville City head coach Danny Cruz — whose USL Championship team will play MNUFC in U.S. Open Cup on May 7 — was initially included in United’s coaching search that produced Eric Ramsay. … Among the four Loons on loan, Alejandro Bran has played much more for Costa Rican club Alajuelense than any of the three others: (Matus Kmet with Gornik Zabrze in Poland), Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Detroit City) and Roman Torres (Birmingham City). Kmet hasn’t played since March. … MNUFC has been promoting its assistant coaches much more than in seasons past, with a video feature on Cameron Knowles this week and postgame breakdowns with Dennis Lawrence on a weekly basis.

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Minnesota United extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches Saturday, but a second straight scoreless draw doesn’t add much momentum.

The Loons’ 0-0 result with shorthanded FC Dallas at Allianz Field followed a goalless game in Toronto last weekend. Minnesota has managed four wins and four ties in the run.

Still, MNUFC (4-1-4, 16 points) has equaled its club record-best unbeaten run from September-November 2020.

Here are three takeaways:

Attack gone cold

After scoring multiple goals in four straight matches, the Loons have gone two straight games without scoring.

Strikers Tani Oluwaseyi (five goals) and Kelvin Yeboah (four goals) were among the hottest tandem in the league but have cooled off significantly.

In the 73rd minute, Carlos Harvey sent in a great cross to the back post. Oluwaseyi came sliding in at the back post, but his shot was off frame. That served as the Loons best chance of the evening.

Caught a break

FC Dallas’ two most-dangerous attackers didn’t start Saturday: striker Petar Musa was out with an ankle injury and central attacking midfielder Luciano Acosta was on the bench based on coach Eric Quill’s decision. Acosta subbed in during the 63rd minute and his header was denied by Dayne St. Clair in the 78th minute.

The pair of Designated Players have each scored three goals this season, with Musa adding three assists. Not taking better advantage of their lesser, nonexistent roles will sting for MNUFC.

Dallas (3-3-3, 12 points) also had two other key players out in Marco Farfan and Sebastian Lletget; both have leg injuries.

Three makes a trend

The Loons used the same starting XI for the third straight game Saturday: Oluwaseyi, Yeboah; Joaquin Pereyra, Robin Lod, Wil Trapp; Joseph Rosales, Nicholas Romero, Michael Boxall, Jefferson Diaz, Bongi Hlongwane; St. Clair.

Consistency is good, but it’s also indicative of a lack of competition for spots, especially in midfield and at forward.

Injuries to Hassani Dotson and Owen Gene cut down on options in midfield, and a lack of form for Sang Bin Jeong help make the forward choices easy.

In a scoreless game, midfielder Sam Shashoua was the only attacking option brought in for the Loons in the 65th minute.

Three tidbits

Louisville City head coach Danny Cruz — whose USL Championship team will play MNUFC in U.S. Open Cup on May 7 — was initially included in United’s coaching search that produced Eric Ramsay. … Among the four Loons on loan, Alejandro Bran has played much more for Costa Rican club Alajuelense than any of the three others: (Matus Kmet with Gornik Zabrze in Poland), Jordan Adebayo-Smith (Detroit City) and Roman Torres (Birmingham City). Kmet hasn’t played since March. … MNUFC has been promoting its assistant coaches much more than in seasons past, with a video feature on Cameron Knowles this week and postgame breakdowns with Dennis Lawrence on a weekly basis.

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Patience in Joaquin Pereyra is paying off for Minnesota United

LAS VEGAS – Even for a grizzled veteran like Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian, who has been in the NHL for 17 seasons and has a Stanley Cup title on his resume, standing in front of a backdrop that features the Stanley Cup logo as he talked to reporters in a Nevada suburb had a different feel.

“This is why we play hockey,” Bogosian said of the playoffs. “This is how people remember you.”

If things go well on Sunday night, or even if they do not, people will surely remember the new guy wearing number 8 on the Wild blue line. On Saturday afternoon at the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice rink, rookie Zeev Buium was paired with Bogosian and again got significant time on the Minnesota power play drills.

When the players left the ice, Wild coach John Hynes confirmed that Buium, 19, will make his NHL debut on Sunday evening in Game 1 of the series.

“It possibly could be a little bit of a different dynamic on the D-pair,” Hynes said. “We like what we’ve seen.”

After winning a NCAA title as a freshman at Denver, and nearly winning the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player last season, Buium is set to bring his puck-moving offensive defenseman game to the Minnesota blue line.

“Very, very excited. Just really thankful for the opportunity,” Buium said following Saturday’s practice. “I mean, these guys have been building toward this the entire season, so I just want to go out there and do whatever I can to help.”

The debut brings back lots of memories for Wild blueliner Brock Faber, who was in similar skates two years ago, jumping right from the Gophers to the Wild. Faber plays more of a defensive game, and got a few regular season games under his belt before facing Dallas in the playoffs, but recalled the encouragement he got from veterans then.

When you’re in his spot, you come in and it almost feels like you’re gripping the stick. You don’t want to make a mistake. Especially me, when I was playing those minutes, when I was out there it was like, ‘please don’t mess up, please don’t mess up, I don’t want to ruin it for these guys,’” Faber said. “For him, mistakes are going to happen.

“I made mistakes and whether he gets back to the bench, everyone turns the puck over every so often. It happens,” Faber said. “Maybe you get beat out of the corner, it happens. You miss a pass, it happens. That’s something that my D partner, when I was playing, whoever it was, they were always like, ‘dude, just keep going. You’re good, you’re good, we’re having fun.’ Support each other, so just let him play with confidence.”

Having paired with him for a few days, Bogosian says that the skill Buium shows off on the ice instills confidence that he could be a key cog in Minnesota’s hopes of a first-round upset.

“I just think you see a skill set right away. The way he handles the puck, the way he skates, the way he thinks the game. I think he has an offensive mind,” Bogosian said. “You can kind of see that when he has the puck on his stick, he’s kind of scanning areas where he’s looking for plays to develop and that’s been something I’ve seen right away. It’s really cool to have that part of our group now.”

Buium was drafted in Las Vegas last summer, and is originally from San Diego, which is a little over 300 miles from the site of his first NHL game. Zeev said he expects his parents, one of his brothers (the other is playing pro hockey in Michigan), his girlfriend, some childhood friends and perhaps more familiar faces in the crowd.

University of Denver’s Zeev Buium poses for a portrait at Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

“I think I’ll be more nervous leading up to the game, rather than when I’m in it,” Buium said. “Leading up to it, you tend to get in your head or whatnot. But I think for me, just again, just going through my regular routine and doing what I do, and understand that I’m here for a reason. I think once I get out there and get skating around, the nerves will kind of calm down and just be excited.”

Everyone does well when everyone does well. True in life, true in team sports.

While the NBA is littered with players pursuing their own individual dreams and goals, so often the path to everything everyone wants is simple — win.

It’s no different for the Timberwolves, who have — as they’ve reiterated all season — eight starter-caliber players in their primary rotation. Those eight were set to open Minnesota’s first-round series Saturday night in Los Angeles with the goal of advancing the Timberwolves deep into the postseason for a second straight season.

There are certainly individual benefits of doing so, as well.

Here’s a look at what’s on the line this postseason for each of Minnesota’s top eight:

Anthony Edwards

Already an ascending superstar who has comfortably earned top-10 player status. Becoming one of the game’s elite 3-point shooting threats has only raised what already appeared to be a sky-high ceiling.

But if Edwards wants to break into the top-five range and start becoming a serious, year-over-year MVP candidate and join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum in discussions about the truly elite players in today’s game, he’ll need to prove he can win at the highest levels by playing and thinking the game.

An early exit this season will undoubtedly lead to offseason conversations about steps he needs to take to be the player he already believes he is.

Julius Randle

Randle would like to alter his current perception as a non-playoff player. He enters this year’s postseason shooting 34% from the field and 28% from 3-point range with more turnovers than assists in playoff competition.

If he performs well in these playoffs, and helps Minnesota advance because of it, it would set up Randle, 30, for an interesting decision this summer. He’s currently staring at a $31 million player option for next season, but if he helps key a deep playoff run, he could set himself up for another big, long-term payday by opting out of the final year of his contract and testing the market.

Rudy Gobert

The national consensus seems to be that Gobert isn’t a playoff player because all anecdotal memories of past postseason trips feature jump shots being made over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year’s outstretched arms.

In TheRinger.Com’s most recent top 100 player rankings, the center came in at No. 58. There’s  no shame in that, but it likely isn’t reflective of his value when Gobert is playing as he has over the final quarter of the season.

If Gobert can help Minnesota make another deep playoff push with his interior defensive dominance and control of the glass, it would be another step toward him receiving the national respect he deserves.

Jaden McDaniels

There isn’t as much at stake individually for the 24 year old, who’s already recognized as one of the game’s premier perimeter defenders. But a postseason in which he finally solves the Doncic riddle could put him at top of mind in his pursuit of a future Defensive Player of the Year award honor.

Mike Conley

As pure as it gets: At this point in his NBA career, the floor general is still in hot pursuit of that elusive NBA title. Sure, strong individual play could quell any concerns about the 37-year-old guard’s ability to contend with bigger, physical players as he ages. But Conley would likely take any route to a mid-June date with the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

A two-way wing with an increasingly reliable 3-point shot, Alexander-Walker should be highly sought after in this year’s free-agent market. This will be the first big-money contract of the wing’s career, and the better he plays on the ultimate proving ground, the more money he figures to make.

Plus, Alexander-Walker likely wants to remove the bad taste in his mouth after last year’s disappointing Western Conference Finals performance.

Naz Reid

Reid is a surefire bet to opt out of his $15 million player option for next season, sending the shooting big into free agency.

Re-signing Reid — who has gained fans around the league thanks to his diverse offensive skill set — has long been considered a top priority for Minnesota. But the forward would do well to put together a strong playoff run. It can only increase his competitive market.

Donte DiVincenzo

The wing is cemented in Minnesota’s long-term picture with a team-friendly contract that extends through the next two seasons. He’s a big piece of what the Wolves hope to do in the future, and he proved with his impressive playoff performances with the New York Knicks last spring that he’s capable of contending on this stage.

Little figures to change with these playoff results, but perhaps a strong performance could make a case that the sharpshooter should open next season in Minnesota’s starting five.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) posts up against Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)

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