Two teams coming off lopsided home losses square off Wednesday night when Minnesota United host the Houston Dynamo in Saint Paul, Minn.
The Loons (8-4-6, 30 points) gave up three unanswered goals in the second half of a 4-2 loss to San Diego FC on June 14 in a battle for second place in the Western Conference. Houston (5-8-5, 20 points) fell behind 3-0 in the first 54 minutes of an eventual 3-1 loss to the Eastern Conference’s last-place team, CF Montreal.
Not exactly the best way for either side to go into the 11-day international break. However, both coaches remain optimistic heading into the second half of MLS play.
“The world certainly won’t be caving in because we lost a game … to a team that’s at the top of the table for a reason,” said Loons coach Eric Ramsay. “I’m certainly not going to (do a 180 on) the way I view our group. I think we’re in a really good place.”
Minnesota shares third place in the West with the Portland Timbers.
The Loons will again be without starting goalie Dayne St. Clair, who’s tied for the league lead with eight clean sheets in 16 matches, and leading goal-scorer Tani Oluwaseyi (eight goals, five assists). Both are playing for Canada in the Gold Cup.
“You take these first 18 games as a whole going into what feels like a bit of a midseason split (and) we’re real happy,” Ramsay said. “I’m not going to let (the San Diego loss) let anyone’s world cave in in any way.”
The Dynamo, despite entering the break with back-to-back 3-1 home losses, are still just two points behind the ninth-place Colorado Rapids for the final playoff spot in the West.
“It’s a good group in there,” Houston coach Ben Olsen said after Montreal picked up just its second win of the season. “They’re disappointed. They’re pissed off, as well as the staff is. I believe this team can get into the playoffs, but the road, we’re making it more difficult than it needs to be with the group that we have.”
This is the second meeting between the two teams. The Dynamo, behind goals by Pablo Ortiz and Felipe Andrade and a one-save clean sheet by Jonathan Bond, won the first matchup 2-0 on May 14 in Houston.
–Field Level Media
