15 Mar 2024

Minnesota United vs. LAFC: Keys to the match, projected starting XI and a prediction

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Los Angeles FC at Minnesota United

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Allianz Field

Stream: Free on Apple TV

Radio: KSTP-AM 1500 ESPN

Weather: 40 degrees, mostly clear skies, 18 mph southeast wind

Betting line: MNUFC plus-175; draw plus-250; LAFC plus-135

Last time out: LAFC smoked MNUFC 5-1 at BMO Stadium on Oct. 4. It proved to be Adrian Heath’s final game. After nearly seven full seasons, he was fired when the team returned to Minnesota the next day.

Form: LAFC (1-1-1, 4 points) beat Seattle 2-0 in the opener, lost 3-0 in a snowy and lightning-interrupted game in Salt Lake and had a 0-0 draw with Kansas City last weekend. MNUFC (2-0-1, 7 points) had a smash-and-grab win with a 95th minute goal from Bongi Hlongwane to beat Orlando City 3-2 last week.

Synopsis: After interim head coach Cameron Knowles led the Loons to a first-place tie in the Western Conference standings, new permanent head coach Eric Ramsay be on the sideline for the first time on Saturday. He just started working with the team this week.

Quote: “I want the team to be a proactive team, an aggressive team that plays in a way that excites the fans, but also excites the players,” Ramsay said his preferred playing style. “Players want to play in teams that want to be the protagonist that want to be the dominate team.”

Decisions pending: After Saturday, the Loons will need to figure out who will play with MNUFC2 in the U.S. Open Cup first-round match versus Chicago House on Wednesday and who will remain for the international friendly against Irish club St. Patrick’s, which will be played at same time in St. Paul. Five players on international duties further complicates matters.

Observation: Emanuel Reynoso (knee) looked like his old MLS All-Star self on Tuesday, scoring a few nice goals in Ramsay’s debut training session. The Argentine appears in line for a season debut, most likely off the bench.

Projected XI: In a 4-3-3 formation, LW Bongi Hlongwane, CF Teemu Pukki, RW Sang Bin Jeong; CM Hassani Dotson, CM Robin Lod, CM Wil Trapp; LB Devin Padelford, CB Micky Tapias, CB Michael Boxall, RB DJ Taylor; GK Dayne St. Clair.

Absences: As of Tuesday, MNUFC was the healthiest it has been all season. The red-card suspension of Joseph Rosales from the brouhaha at the end of the Orlando win means the first change to the Loons’ starting back line this season.

Big moment? With Rosales banned, Devin Padelford appears in line for his first MLS start Saturday. The two were in a preseason position battle. Padelford, a 21 year old from Maplewood, came off the bench in eight MLS games last season and even scored a goal vs. Austin in July.

Opinion: This season, MLS has started to be a clearinghouse for team’s availability reports, but they are sharing them in Friday night news dumps. If you want to be the gatekeeper, fine. Just share it before happy hour — it will help generate more chatter about your players.

Scouting point: How long will teams be able to keep Denis Bouanga off the scoreboard this season? The Gabon international scored a hat trick against the Loons in October, but hasn’t found the net this season. He has an expected goals of 1.3 in 270 minutes this season.

Prediction: The Loons have been off to a charmed start this season and here’s to leaning into Ramsay hearing supporters sing “Wonderwall” in his first game on the sideline. Loons win 2-1, but do it without the late drama for the first time in 2024.

15 Mar 2024

Attention, Chicago White Sox fans: SoxFest will return in January 2025

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SoxFest will return next year, the Chicago White Sox announced Friday.

The fan event — last held in 2020 — will take place Jan. 24-25, 2025. Location, official on-sale dates, programming and scheduled appearances will be announced later.

SoxFest has been a gathering that provides fans the opportunity to connect with former and current players, coaches and prospects while taking a look toward the upcoming season.

In a release announcing the news, the Sox said SoxFest 2025 “returns with the same community-building spirit, featuring new and reimagined programming and experiences to immerse guests into the world of White Sox baseball.”

The most recent SoxFest — the 28th edition — occurred in late January 2020. The 2021 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 SoxFest also was canceled, with the Sox noting at the time the challenges of projecting and managing COVID-19-related protocols in an indoor setting.

SoxFest did not take place last year “due to several factors,” the Sox said at the time. The Cubs have held their annual fan fest the last two years.

Friday’s announcement comes on the same day of a gathering for season ticket holders at the Field Museum.

The returning SoxFest will mark a pair of milestones in the franchise’s history in 2025 — the 20-year anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship team and the 125-year anniversary of the Chicago White Sox organization.

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15 Mar 2024

DNR tightens open water fishing regulations for Upper Red Lake

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Anglers fishing Upper Red Lake will have a three-walleye possession limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed, during the 2024 open-water season that starts May 11, the Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday, March 13. Beginning June 15, the limit will change to a four-walleye possession limit, with only one walleye longer than 17 inches allowed.

“This fishing regulation is a reflection of the lake’s popularity, especially when fishing is good,” Edie Evarts, area fisheries supervisor for the DNR in Bemidji, said in a news release. “We’ve opted for a slightly more conservative bag limit for the early part of the summer to maintain the long-term health of the fishery and keep Upper Red Lake a premier angling destination.”

Anglers harvested an estimated 166,000 pounds of walleyes this winter – a record high – on state waters of Upper Red, Evarts told the Herald. Because the state has an annual walleye “target harvest” of 120,000 pounds to 240,000 pounds, given current spawning stock, as part of an agreement with the Red Lake Nation, the DNR opted for a lower daily limit during the first month of the open water season – when catch rates and angler effort are highest – to ensure the harvest stays within target levels.

Increasing the possession limit by one fish starting June 15 will allow additional angling harvest opportunity while maintaining a healthy walleye population. Summer fishing pressure on Upper Red drops off after mid June, Evarts said.

This year’s winter harvest was more than double the winter of 2022-23, when anglers kept about 82,000 pounds of walleyes in state waters of Upper Red, Evarts said. Deep snow and poor access conditions made it difficult for anglers to get around last winter.

Anglers harvested about 226,000 pounds of walleyes between the winter of 2022-23 and summer of 2023 harvest seasons, Evarts said, a tally that falls within the target harvest. Anglers during the summer of 2023 were allowed to keep five walleyes, with one over 17 inches.

This past winter, anglers on Upper Red were allowed to keep up to four walleyes, with one longer than 17 inches, during the season that closed Feb. 25. Anglers in February harvested about 30,000 pounds more walleyes than they do in a typical February, Evarts said, which bumped up the winter harvest.

“That’s usually lower than January,” she said. “The bite’s just good – there’s a lot of young fish out there. I don’t know why February turned them back on. That’s very unusual.

“The fishery is in really good shape,” Evarts added. “It’s just mainly because we had that higher-than-expected harvest in the winter we’ve got to ratchet back a little. It’s not because the fishery is in poor shape, it’s because we have that agreement and we want to make sure we meet that.”

Walleye management on Red Lake is a collaborative effort between Red Lake Nation and the Minnesota DNR, governed by a joint harvest plan revised by the Red Lakes Fisheries Technical Committee in 2015. Winter harvest regulations for 2024-2025 will be determined after the summer fishing season and completion of fall assessment netting.

The Upper Red Lake Citizen Advisory Committee reviews walleye harvest totals and regulation options and provides recommendations for the state waters of Upper Red Lake. Upper Red Lake fishing regulations are available on the Minnesota DNR fishing regulations page at mndnr.gov/fishing/upper-red-lake-regulations.html .

Anglers are reminded to protect Upper Red Lake and all Minnesota waters from aquatic invasive species by cleaning and draining watercraft and equipment and disposing of unwanted bait in the trash. A decontamination station is available at the Tamarac River Big Bog Public Water Access, referred to locally as Homestead Park.

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15 Mar 2024

Source: Vikings acquire No. 23 pick in 2024 NFL Draft in trade with Texans

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It seems as if the Vikings are going to be aggressive in their pursuit of their next quarterback.

A source confirmed to the Pioneer Press that the Vikings have acquired the No. 23 pick from the Houston Texans in a trade that gives them more ammunition heading into the 2024 NFL Draft next month.

Since the Vikings are already equipped with the No. 11 pick, they now have a pair of first rounders that gives them the option to trade up, perhaps for a top quarterback like Drake Maye out of UNC or Jayden Daniels out of LSU. There is also belief that they are intrigued by J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan.

The full terms of the trade feature the Vikings getting the No. 23 pick and the No. 232 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in exchange for a package that includes the No. 42 pick and the No. 188 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as well as a second rounder in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The initial reaction is that the general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is cooking up something even bigger here. It’s no secret that the Vikings are looking to make a splash after losing franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons this week.

Though the Vikings signed journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold as a bridge from the present to the future, head coach Kevin O’Connell likely wants to pick the next player in charge of leading his offense. Let’s just say the Vikings might not be done wheeling and dealing.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

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