Minnesota United have been slowed on offense in some recent matches, but containing the Loons might not be an easy chore for the New England Revolution.
The teams meet Saturday evening in Foxborough, Mass.
“A very challenging team. They have their uniqueness,” New England coach Marko Mitrovic said of the Loons. “They have physical presence on the field as well. It’s going to be a very different game. They are a team that is very aggressive to press you high on the field. … They don’t hesitate to finish their attacks.”
Minnesota (6-4-3, 21 points) endured its second shutout loss in a four-match span in league play with Wednesday’s 1-0 home setback to the Colorado Rapids. The Loons have scored 16 goals in 13 matches this season.
“We have to find the moments we can control the game with the ball,” Mitrovic said.
New England (7-4-1, 22 points) is coming off its only home loss of the season with Wednesday night’s 3-0 setback to Nashville.
“It’s a new day for us,” Mitrovic said. “It’s always a new day.”
New England is 6-1-0 at home, with Saturday’s outing concluding a four-match MLS homestand.
These teams are meeting for the first time since 2023, and this marks the Loons’ first visit to New England in nearly four years.
“We have two more games to look forward to until the break and we need to take care of business,” Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles said.
Minnesota forward Tomas Chancalay played parts of the past three seasons for New England.
“Now he’s coming back here and it’s probably a known environment for him,” Mitrovic said.
Minnesota will be without Columbian midfielder James Rodriguez, who has been slated to depart to prepare for a World Cup assignment.
With rapid-fire nature of the schedule, Minnesota has been cognizant of the workload for certain players, such as defender Michael Boxall, whose playing time continues to be monitored.
“We just want to be cautious with that and make sure we don’t push him too hard,” Knowles said.
The Revolution are waiting on the conditions of defender Ilay Feingold and forward Luca Langoni, who has a team-leading six assists. Those players have been out for at least a week due to undisclosed lower-body injuries.
“Both of them are day-by-day,” Mitrovic said.
–Field Level Media
