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What the MNUFC's road through the playoffs looks like

A grueling seven month regular season came down to the final 90 minutes for Minnesota United on Sunday.

Jonathan Harrison

What the MNUFC's road through the playoffs looks like
What the MNUFC's road through the playoffs looks like /

In front of 19,941 fans, a new Allianz Field single-game record (by two people), the Loons put together their best performance in over a month as they secured their fourth consecutive trip to the MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday – the longest such streak in the Western Conference.

Minnesota broke a six match winless run in a resounding 2-0 defeat of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Both teams went into Sunday’s season finale needing a win to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Loons winger Franco Fragapane scored his seventh goal of the season when he put the Loons up 1-0 in the 17th minute. Jonathan Gonzalez scored his first goal for the club when he put the dagger in Vancouver’s chances of leapfrogging Minnesota with his goal 77 minutes into the match. 

It was the Loons' first clean sheet in almost two months off the back of a six save performance from keeper Dayne St. Clair.

Now that they’ve made the playoffs as a six seed, they’ll face FC Dallas in the first round next Monday at 8:30 p.m. on FS1 (radio broadcast on 1500 ESPN). Dallas, under first year head coach Nico Esteves, finished third in the Western Conference with a 14-9-11 record.

The Texas club is unbeaten in its last seven home matches and lost only three times at Toyota Stadium all season, one of those a 2-1 loss to Minnesota in May. The Loons are unbeaten in their past three trips to Toyota Stadium.

FC Dallas did get the better of Minnesota in September by beating the Loons 3-0 at Allianz Field. All three goals in the match were scored in a three-minute blitz when Minnesota’s defense collapsed.

Dallas are led by young forward Jesus Ferreira, whose 18 goals were tied for third most in the league. Ferreira is the presumptive starting forward for the USMNT at next month’s World Cup in Qatar. The 21-year-old led the team with six assists, followed closely by his winger Paul Arriola. Arriola is on the bubble to make the roster for the USMNT’s first World Cup in eight years.

Should the Loons beat Dallas they’ll take on the winner of Austin FC and Real Salt Lake. Austin were the surprise of the league this year finishing second in the West. In 2021, their inaugural season in the MLS, they scored a paltry 35 goals in 34 games, only to erupt this season with 65 goals – third best in the league. 

Real Salt Lake, for the second straight season, needed a decision day win to secure a spot into the playoffs. Last season, Real Salt Lake made a miracle run to the Western Conference finals as the seven seed off the back of some outstanding defensive play.

If Minnesota were to make it to the Western Conference Final for the second time in three years they’d play either LAFC, LA Galaxy or Nashville.

LAFC finished the regular season with the league’s best record and the league’s best collection of talent. Minnesota lost 2-0 at LAFC in May.

The LA Galaxy enter the playoffs as the four seed having lost just one of their last 11 matches. Minnesota have a four match unbeaten streak against the Galaxy after drawing them in LA and then beating them at Allianz this season.

Nashville enter the playoffs as the five seed with a better road record than home record, but if Minnesota were to face them it would be in Nashville. The Loons are undefeated all time against Nashville, most recently winning in Nashville in a game in which Dayne St. Clair made seven saves en route to a 2-1 win. 

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Jonathan Harrison
JONATHAN HARRISON

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