20 October 2023
When Sean McAuley took over for fired manager Adrian Heath on Oct. 6, the Loons’ new interim head coach’s first address to the players included a call back to 2015.
While Minnesota United was still playing in the lower-level North American Soccer League and dreaming of becoming an MLS expansion franchise, McAuley was an assistant coach with the Portland Timbers.
He saw a lot of similarities to then and now, and he wanted to use it as motivation for his new charges.
Eight years ago, the Timbers needed three straight wins, including one on Decision Day, to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. With a playoff berth, Portland produced five more results en route to lifting MLS Cup with a win over the Columbus Crew.
“Before you know it, you are on a roll and you never know where it can lead to,” McAuley recapped his message in a later interview with reporters.
MNUFC won its first game under McAuley, 5-2 over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Oct. 7. Now the Loons must beat Sporting Kansas City on Saturday and have at least one of three teams — Portland, Dallas and/or San Jose — to draw or lose in order for Minnesota to make the nine-team Western Conference field.
Current Loons Under-19 academy coach Fanendo Adi led the Timbers with 16 goals in 2015. Earlier this week, he pointed to a big moment, not unlike Heath’s exit, which helped galvanize the Timbers.
After a lopsided loss midseason, Timbers coach Caleb Porter and star midfielder Diego Valeri had a few-hour conservation on the field after a practice.
“They were just going after each other because Valeri wanted something to happen this way and Caleb was, ‘No, you have to do it this way,’ ” Adi recalled to the Pioneer Press. “During that playoff period, if you ask them what exactly happened, it’s very similar, it’s always one little spot that changes the whole dynamic of the approach toward the playoffs. Especially in MLS, teams pick up momentum and things can happen.”
Since McAuley has taken over, the Loons have increased the amount of video sessions in the week leading up to a match, and in the tactical details. During McAuley’s first session, he told the players about the need for more in-game possession.
McAuley also tinkered with the formation, including using one defensive midfielder instead of two, and trying to create more space around star playmaker Emanuel Reynoso, not just feeding him the ball and hoping he can dribble past opponents.
“We’ve got good pieces here and making sure in different situations we are aware of other decisions we could make on the field,” captain Michael Boxall said Friday. “I think there were sometimes where we just got kind of stuck doing the same thing over and over — to not the best avail.”
The Loons have lost all seven regular-season road matches in Kansas since joining MLS in 2017. Those defeats are by a combined score line of 22-2, including a 3-0 defeat in May.
MNUFC, however, did pull off a 3-0 road win over K.C. in the Western Conference semifinal in 2020. That’s what goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair wants to focus on.
“Just switching the narrative to the last time we were there in a must-win game, the playoff game, we performed well,” St. Clair said. “For us, it’s important to keep that narrative that we’ve gone there and we’ve gotten a result when it mattered most.”
McAuley said the Loons’ position — win or miss the playoffs — makes things easier for them. They don’t have to be mindful of how Portland, Dallas and San Jose are faring while they are playing their own match. Sporting is in the same spot as MNUFC, which will likely make things more chaotic come late Saturday night.
MNUFC will be ready to lay it all on the line. Boxall, Teemu Pukki, Bongi Hlongwane and Kervin Arriaga have returned from their respective international duties without issues and trained with the team both Thursday and Friday.
A season-high traveling contingent of at least 120 fans will be in Kansas to cheer them on.
“It’s tough when you travel halfway around the world to play these games,” said Boxall, who was in London playing for New Zealand earlier this week week. “If we don’t get the job done (Saturday), I’m going to have a lot of time to rest, so I’ll be fine. Got to leave everything out there.”
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